Self-Promotion

I'll be leading a panel of contributors from The Best American Science Writing 2007 tonight at the TimeWarner Center Borders at 7 pm. The panel includes Sylvia Nasar, Robin Marantz Henig, and Patricia Gadsby.

Botstein's "Ariane" on Telarc

Following up on my earlier post, I did listen to Botstein's new recording of Dukas's Ariane et Barbe-Bleu. The sound is opulent and the playing by the BBC Symphony Orchestra could not be better. Botstein, if anything, makes the music sound heavier than at his NYCO run two years ago, but this could be a result of the sound engineering. The singers did their best, but I can't say anyone stood out. Still, lovers of this composer and this opera can be happy for this recording.

Opening Night at the Met

Some excellent, perceptive and insightful reactions to the Met's new Lucia can be found at Marion Lignana Rosenberg's blog, Vilaine Fille (and specifically link below). Also, the posters at Opera-L have been weighing in with smart comments--just check the threads with "Lucia" in the title.

vilaine fille: Lucia di Lammermoor

New Opera by Henze

Hans Werner Henze's new opera, Phaedra, which received its world premiere in Berlin earlier this month, has recently been put on at the Monnaie in Brussels. A French reviewer praises the "dazzling light " and "clear and sensual orchestraion (à la lumière éblouissante et à l’orchestration claire et sensuelle)" of the new score--a somewhat stripped-down and parsimonious work otherwise. I can't wait to hear it.

Musique classique : La Scène > [Scène] Lyrique > Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie > [Bruxelles] Une nouvelle ère à La Monnaie, seconde partie [20/09/2007]

Work-in-Progress

My friend Leslie Pietrzyk, a novelist and fellow hockey fan, has a terrific blog called Work-in-Progress--absolutely worth checking out. Her posts, on the writing life, are always carefully considered and informative. She's also a supernice person. Occasionally she asks for essays from friends, and, in conjunction with the publication of The Best American Science Writing 2007, she invited me to post. You can check it out here, and do take a tour of her blog while you visit.

In honor of her kindness, I hereby place her on my Blogroll--first and, so far, only.