Last night Cap’n Sweet Valley was unable to see Handel’s Rodelinda at the Met and, knowing I was also a fan of opera, bequeathed me his tickets. To my surprise and very great pleasure, Andreas Scholl was Bertrarido, a role for which he had sung to great acclaim in his debut. (I have something of a thing for Andreas Scholl. I don’t know; I can’t explain it either except for the fact that his voice is otherworldly.) There’s a beautiful transcendent quality to his voice and I swear, we were all transported when he sang Dove sei.
The only thing marring the evening was the fact that some nincompoop decided to bring her children. I’m all for children enjoying opera, providing they SHUT THE FUCK UP. My parents brought me to my first opera (Hansel and Gretel) when I was 9, and I was perfectly well-behaved. What I did not do was fidget, rock the seats, or ask questions throughout the entire first act. Thankfully they left before the last act, or else there would have been words.
The production was marvelous, of course. Oh, to be able to see opera more regularly…
