Bach

Erbarme dich.  Who sang it when I was at USC?  I cannot remember her name, but what a voice.I have never heard it better.   The opening line is universal, such endless sorrow...and the plea.

Barack Hussein Obama:

the all-night watch, midnight breakfast burritos 

the avid discussion: moral debate/civil equality

my friend Malesha: "This....is.....big. I've got to call my mom."

the Austrian Businessman: 7am thumbs up to Gabe's T-shirt

the color of a new day

My grandmother, Lois Henley

was a reader and a poet and a source of solace and inspiration to me.  Today, I am eating her potato soup from one of two large mugs that I asked for as my mom and aunt and uncles were determining the future of so many possessions collected in the beautiful house in Glendora.  They are chipped and have ears of corn on the side and black flecks on the inside that look exactly like the pepper in the soup.  When I asked her how, oh how, did she make this delicious soup, she looked very wise and told me, "It's very complicated!!"  She then proceeded to put "some potato; some celery, but just the leaves will do, they're very important; some onion, if you have it; some salt"  into a pot, browning the onions a little in butter first.  She covered them with water, waited until the small potato cubes were soft and then mashed it all up with a potato masher.  Add "some milk and butter, however much you have, and pepper, lots of pepper and that's it."  Not scientific, always good.

"Ridi, Pagliaccio..." (Vesti la giubba)

Ok, so this makes me sob every time.  I don't actually cry...I just make the same sounds as the tenor makes in the last, "il cor." It is beautiful and tragic and straight-up operatic.  Canio has found out that his love, Nedda has done what her character does every night on stage: fallen in love with another man. He must, however, go onstage, play the clown and laugh (ridi).  If you have heartstrings and you like them to be pulled then watch. 

Da Ponte

was born Jewish, became a priest, wrote arguably the 3 most brilliant operas with Mozart and ended up in New York selling broccoli.  Leave it to this man to sneak sex onto every page of Cosi fan tutte, which was fortunately premiered in the German-speaking realm, as any self-respecting Italian girl would have run blushing from the theater.  "toccate, bel naso" indeed.

Mozart

Mozart just takes charge.  He says, "Sit back, the music will take it from here.  No need to wonder if you will understand the emotion or the drama...you will."  I heard such a wonderful Cosi at the Staatsoper tonight.  Floating high notes from the women and super virility from the men.  And no one was afraid to sing the dynamics. Muti's romantic version won me over although I have not heard classical music with rubato like that, or with prepared subito p.  Also, the slowest largo and the fastest allegro, beautifully carried out by the whole cast.  And now I must learn Fiordiligi...

Joyce DiDonato

Well, Ms. DiDonato also has a blog and I find her daily Gratitude posts inspiring.  Some call this sort of thing "career Porn"  but if it inspires instead of making one depressed or envious, then it is totally worth it.  This mezzo is so down to earth and is constantly seeing the positive.  She has a vision and races towards it.  I shall do the same.