Thursday, February 07, 2008
Tosca
Went to the Canadian Opera Company's production of Tosca and loved it!
As Eszter Zumegi was ill, Yannick-Muriel Noah stepped in and made her debut as Tosca. I'm not an opera expert, but I still think that she did an excellent job. The audience was very supportive and she seemed to be very well received by the group. It must have been such an amazing feeling for her. I'll be happy to follow this young artist and see where her career takes her.
The COC has special tickets available at a lower price for persons under the age of 30, so I decided to give it a try even though I knew that the seating would be limited to certain sections and availability. As I purchased my tickets within the first 5 minutes of this block of tickets being opened up, I thought that I would have a pretty good chance of getting the best seats of the section, so I was surprised when I ended up with one of the middle seats in the very last row of the house on the upper level. I figured this would be a good way to test my opinion of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Well, my seat had an unobstructed view of the orchestra pit and the entire stage, so from that regard, it was completely fine. If you're afraid of heights, this wouldn't be the best place to be, as the seating is quite pitched (as most opera houses are). My only complaint would be not being able to make out facial expressions of the performers, but that's to be expected of such a seat I suppose. The subtitles were projected above the stage, and I'm vaguely blind, so sometimes I couldn't read the text, but I would think that the average person wouldn't have a problem with it.
The Opera for a New Age tickets are a great deal compared to the price of a regular ticket - but again, you need to realize that you don't have access to any of the good seats. As much as I'm attending the show to appreciate the music, I really enjoy seeing the performance, so I personally would dish out the cash to get better seats.
The show was sold out, however I did see some no-shows and others that showed up after the first intermission.
Just like the National Ballet, there is a pre-talk about the production which I would highly recommend. It's always nice to get insight about the production regardless of how much you (think you) know about the piece.
The opera is also a great place to people watch. It's interesting to see the mixture of people that attend the opera, even if it is skewed a little bit from the average population. Being as superficial as I am (there has to be a better word to describe it), it's interesting to see how people interpret opera-appropriate attire. From those who must be season ticket holders, to those on a special date, a night out with friends, a "fancy" outing, a cultural event with the family, to those who believe that opera is accessible to all. I make no judgements about people (okay, maybe I do), I just find it really interesting. I particularly enjoy pocket-squares. Yum.
Intermission is always a chance to people watch, mingle and be seen. I don't know if I ever got around to writing about my experience watching Rigoletto in London but I was so intrigued to see people having meals during the intermission. I wasn't surprised by the champagne, wine and San Pellegrino being served in various rooms, but all of sudden plates of sandwiches, tables of full course meals and dessert settings appeared, each with names attached to them. Obviously pre-ordering is necessary and I would like to go on record to say THAT would be such a lovely evening out. I just never noticed it my first time watching the Royal Opera as I decided to hop across the street to Marks and Spencer and pick up a yummy treat.
Back to Toronto. The FSC is a beautiful location. It's beautiful on the inside and it's beautiful on the outside (looking inside) as well.
The opera itself was wonderful. Again, I know a little bit about operas, but my knowledge is rather limited, so I can't really comment on the quality of the production. I don't know how composers do it, but in every opera that I've studied/heard/seen there's at least one aria which just me all choked up. Even before the singer gets going...the orchestral introductions are already pulling me in.
Today also marked another snowstorm (yes, the last one was actually worthy of people freaking out...it just took awhile to get going) and after the opera, I got that fabulous happy feeling. I wanted to tell everyone around me how happy I was. I was smiling. I was making patterns in the snow with my Camper boots. The snow was so fluffy. I even walked to Nathan Phillips Square and stared and smiled. Anyone want to go skating sometime?
I secretly hope that I don't have to go to work tomorrow because I've got lots of other things that I can do instead. I suppose getting some sleep just in case I need to go in would be helpful.
Anyway, the message you want to take out of this post - opera = fantastic. Even if you're not a fan...try to go. If you're under 30, you've got a cheap seat waiting for you.
As Eszter Zumegi was ill, Yannick-Muriel Noah stepped in and made her debut as Tosca. I'm not an opera expert, but I still think that she did an excellent job. The audience was very supportive and she seemed to be very well received by the group. It must have been such an amazing feeling for her. I'll be happy to follow this young artist and see where her career takes her.
The COC has special tickets available at a lower price for persons under the age of 30, so I decided to give it a try even though I knew that the seating would be limited to certain sections and availability. As I purchased my tickets within the first 5 minutes of this block of tickets being opened up, I thought that I would have a pretty good chance of getting the best seats of the section, so I was surprised when I ended up with one of the middle seats in the very last row of the house on the upper level. I figured this would be a good way to test my opinion of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Well, my seat had an unobstructed view of the orchestra pit and the entire stage, so from that regard, it was completely fine. If you're afraid of heights, this wouldn't be the best place to be, as the seating is quite pitched (as most opera houses are). My only complaint would be not being able to make out facial expressions of the performers, but that's to be expected of such a seat I suppose. The subtitles were projected above the stage, and I'm vaguely blind, so sometimes I couldn't read the text, but I would think that the average person wouldn't have a problem with it.
The Opera for a New Age tickets are a great deal compared to the price of a regular ticket - but again, you need to realize that you don't have access to any of the good seats. As much as I'm attending the show to appreciate the music, I really enjoy seeing the performance, so I personally would dish out the cash to get better seats.
The show was sold out, however I did see some no-shows and others that showed up after the first intermission.
Just like the National Ballet, there is a pre-talk about the production which I would highly recommend. It's always nice to get insight about the production regardless of how much you (think you) know about the piece.
The opera is also a great place to people watch. It's interesting to see the mixture of people that attend the opera, even if it is skewed a little bit from the average population. Being as superficial as I am (there has to be a better word to describe it), it's interesting to see how people interpret opera-appropriate attire. From those who must be season ticket holders, to those on a special date, a night out with friends, a "fancy" outing, a cultural event with the family, to those who believe that opera is accessible to all. I make no judgements about people (okay, maybe I do), I just find it really interesting. I particularly enjoy pocket-squares. Yum.
Intermission is always a chance to people watch, mingle and be seen. I don't know if I ever got around to writing about my experience watching Rigoletto in London but I was so intrigued to see people having meals during the intermission. I wasn't surprised by the champagne, wine and San Pellegrino being served in various rooms, but all of sudden plates of sandwiches, tables of full course meals and dessert settings appeared, each with names attached to them. Obviously pre-ordering is necessary and I would like to go on record to say THAT would be such a lovely evening out. I just never noticed it my first time watching the Royal Opera as I decided to hop across the street to Marks and Spencer and pick up a yummy treat.
Back to Toronto. The FSC is a beautiful location. It's beautiful on the inside and it's beautiful on the outside (looking inside) as well.
The opera itself was wonderful. Again, I know a little bit about operas, but my knowledge is rather limited, so I can't really comment on the quality of the production. I don't know how composers do it, but in every opera that I've studied/heard/seen there's at least one aria which just me all choked up. Even before the singer gets going...the orchestral introductions are already pulling me in.
Today also marked another snowstorm (yes, the last one was actually worthy of people freaking out...it just took awhile to get going) and after the opera, I got that fabulous happy feeling. I wanted to tell everyone around me how happy I was. I was smiling. I was making patterns in the snow with my Camper boots. The snow was so fluffy. I even walked to Nathan Phillips Square and stared and smiled. Anyone want to go skating sometime?
I secretly hope that I don't have to go to work tomorrow because I've got lots of other things that I can do instead. I suppose getting some sleep just in case I need to go in would be helpful.
Anyway, the message you want to take out of this post - opera = fantastic. Even if you're not a fan...try to go. If you're under 30, you've got a cheap seat waiting for you.
Friday, February 01, 2008
What's wrong with Toronto?
So the "snowstorm" hit. My work called me this morning to let me not to come in which prompted me to sleep for another 5 hours. That was nice. And now the university is closed so I don't have to go in to deal with my other work.
From my vantage point high up about downtown, I don't see what the big deal is.
The storm had better get a lot worse like they say it will or else Torontonians have just turned into big wimps.
I think I'll venture out and go shopping. Hopefully those little stores decided to come into work.
From my vantage point high up about downtown, I don't see what the big deal is.
The storm had better get a lot worse like they say it will or else Torontonians have just turned into big wimps.
I think I'll venture out and go shopping. Hopefully those little stores decided to come into work.
Whistler Blackcomb
Before coming back from Vancouver, I did the drive up to Whistler Blackcomb for a day on the slopes.
I don't know if I'll ever go back to those little bumps around Collingwood.
The drive was beautiful, except getting up so early wasn't really my cup of tea.
It sucked that it was snowing, and windy and cold. No visibility. Grey. I hate these conditions.
Regardless, I still got my short skis (at some point I have to try snowblades) and got a little lecture from a ski instructor in the shop about the necessity of poles. *Scoff*. After a couple runs, I realized that the snow in Whistler definitely requires the use of poles. Well, not really, but it makes it a LOT easier. That snow is dense. I couldn't bop around as easily as I would have liked.
Oh, did you know that 46% of the staff are from Australia? And it was Australia Day that day. They come out in full force and proud of it. There was also some sort of theme day were a lot of the lifties were wearing retro fluorescent onesies. Classic.
Anyway, the runs were nice and long. Similar to Zermatt and all the other non-Collingwood places I've been to. I've never experienced Zermatt in bad weather. Does it happen? I know that some of the gondolas there don't work in windy weather, so maybe I've just never been high enough on those yucky days to experience gross conditions. It's always gross up at the very top before you go over to the Italian side...that's where you just bomb down and get the heck out of there as fast as possible. Seriously, that run is only used to get to Italy...unless you want to be strange and take the super long t-bar. But it's so much higher than Whistler, so I understand why it would be so windy and cold. Or maybe Zermatt's so high that the sun's always out. You're above the clouds and crappiness. And the sun is soooooo warm. No need to bundle up too much.
Yep, Whistler (I don't think was went to Blackcomb that day) was fine. I'm just a little bit of a wimp. Sitting on those chair lifts (without the bubble dome!) were the worst. Someone told me that Whistler's pretty much always like what I experienced. I wouldn't last that long out there. I found it really difficult to read the snow. I had to rely on muscle memory and trust my instincts and reflexes. Sometimes a little scary.
I didn't really get a chance to walk around the town. I did notice the Lululemon however. I should have known. We were off to our next adventure, so couldn't stay for a sit down or walk about. I'll have to go back to soak in the vibe of the town.
Everyone we met were tourists. I guess Whistler is really the dream destination for hardcore skiers from all over the world.
It was super snowy when we left. Not so much fun driving. And there's a lot of construction going on right now leading up to the 2010 Olympics (I'm sooooo excited already!) where they're turning the current 2 lane road between the city and the resort to a four lane highway. Couple that with winding roads, crazy terrain and the fact that it got dark really quickly and those loonies don't put any street lights to guide you (I guess I"m too much of a city driver). It was slow and steady the whole way back to Vancouver.
Still, I had a great time. I'm so glad that I'd experienced Whistler. I would go back again. Heck, I would go skiing again. Maybe I'd just mentally prepare myself for the non-favorable conditions first.
I don't know if I'll ever go back to those little bumps around Collingwood.
The drive was beautiful, except getting up so early wasn't really my cup of tea.
It sucked that it was snowing, and windy and cold. No visibility. Grey. I hate these conditions.
Regardless, I still got my short skis (at some point I have to try snowblades) and got a little lecture from a ski instructor in the shop about the necessity of poles. *Scoff*. After a couple runs, I realized that the snow in Whistler definitely requires the use of poles. Well, not really, but it makes it a LOT easier. That snow is dense. I couldn't bop around as easily as I would have liked.
Oh, did you know that 46% of the staff are from Australia? And it was Australia Day that day. They come out in full force and proud of it. There was also some sort of theme day were a lot of the lifties were wearing retro fluorescent onesies. Classic.
Anyway, the runs were nice and long. Similar to Zermatt and all the other non-Collingwood places I've been to. I've never experienced Zermatt in bad weather. Does it happen? I know that some of the gondolas there don't work in windy weather, so maybe I've just never been high enough on those yucky days to experience gross conditions. It's always gross up at the very top before you go over to the Italian side...that's where you just bomb down and get the heck out of there as fast as possible. Seriously, that run is only used to get to Italy...unless you want to be strange and take the super long t-bar. But it's so much higher than Whistler, so I understand why it would be so windy and cold. Or maybe Zermatt's so high that the sun's always out. You're above the clouds and crappiness. And the sun is soooooo warm. No need to bundle up too much.
Yep, Whistler (I don't think was went to Blackcomb that day) was fine. I'm just a little bit of a wimp. Sitting on those chair lifts (without the bubble dome!) were the worst. Someone told me that Whistler's pretty much always like what I experienced. I wouldn't last that long out there. I found it really difficult to read the snow. I had to rely on muscle memory and trust my instincts and reflexes. Sometimes a little scary.
I didn't really get a chance to walk around the town. I did notice the Lululemon however. I should have known. We were off to our next adventure, so couldn't stay for a sit down or walk about. I'll have to go back to soak in the vibe of the town.
Everyone we met were tourists. I guess Whistler is really the dream destination for hardcore skiers from all over the world.
It was super snowy when we left. Not so much fun driving. And there's a lot of construction going on right now leading up to the 2010 Olympics (I'm sooooo excited already!) where they're turning the current 2 lane road between the city and the resort to a four lane highway. Couple that with winding roads, crazy terrain and the fact that it got dark really quickly and those loonies don't put any street lights to guide you (I guess I"m too much of a city driver). It was slow and steady the whole way back to Vancouver.
Still, I had a great time. I'm so glad that I'd experienced Whistler. I would go back again. Heck, I would go skiing again. Maybe I'd just mentally prepare myself for the non-favorable conditions first.
Forecast
They're forecasting a huge snowstorm to hit. Sometime while we're all supposed to be sleeping - I'll go to bed soon, don't worry.
I hope it's a good storm. Good enough to pull out the moon boots.
It'll be soooooo good.
People are freaking out about it though. I know of people who've already cancelled work for tomorrow. Or are stressed out about whether or not they have to show up. RELAX. You live in Toronto. You should be used to snowstorms by now - if you're a spaz about weather, go live in Vancouver or something. *Smirk*
It hasn't started snowing yet - I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't even happen. No offense weather people, but I don't take you guys seriously too often.
I hope it's a good storm. Good enough to pull out the moon boots.
It'll be soooooo good.
People are freaking out about it though. I know of people who've already cancelled work for tomorrow. Or are stressed out about whether or not they have to show up. RELAX. You live in Toronto. You should be used to snowstorms by now - if you're a spaz about weather, go live in Vancouver or something. *Smirk*
It hasn't started snowing yet - I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't even happen. No offense weather people, but I don't take you guys seriously too often.
Missing the Prix
The Prix de Lausanne is in full swing. I sorta miss it. Karen Kain is back on the jury - woot woot for Canadian presence. Too bad there are no Canadian candidates.
I like this added feature this year. Getting more and more hi-tech. I can't wait to see the vids from the finals.
Sigh.
I like this added feature this year. Getting more and more hi-tech. I can't wait to see the vids from the finals.
Sigh.
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