PULIZTER PRIZE WINNER

Pulitzer prize winning composer David Lang with Long Beach Opera artistic director Andreas Mitisek at opening night pre opera talk.

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Define Major

Close up of a birthday scarf knitted for my niece.  Knitting has replaced blogging...for now

I have a new definition of major surgery.

I'd never spent much time thinking about the term before. I'd hear that someone had "major surgery" or talk to someone who had "major surgery". I thought I could empathize and understand what they had gone through.

I was incorrect.

I'd had one previous experience with an unpleasant, painful surgery under general anesthesia several years ago. As painful as it was, it was an outpatient procedure and the healing was rapid, the discomfort short lived.

My paradigm underwent a radical shift on August 17, 2010. What started out as a laparoscopic procedure quickly transformed into rather extensive abdominal surgery. My excellent surgeon tried everything possible to avoid this, but it was quite impossible for her to do so. She is well aware of my profession, of the extensive use of the abdominal muscles as part of the flute playing process, and was very reluctant to slice them up. Thankfully, she DID slice them up. Her regard for my life and well being far exceeded that of my flute playing muscles.

I thought pneumonia was difficult to recover from. It WAS difficult to recover from, although I did play a full 2 weeks of Muni Band and 4 days of a Michael Crawford show with it. There was no possibility of anything like that happening THIS time.

Long story short, it's been an interesting 10 months. I'm at about 95% right now, feeling better than I have for years, and back to extreme fluting. The remaining 5%, though, must be my blogging percentage. I have had no energy or desire to exert myself in that direction.

Having said that, I can feel a 1% improvement coming on even as I type. I am willing to be willing to blog again. I'm making no promises, but I'll keep you posted.

Maybe.

Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherry Town

The newest addition to my music stand is Dimitri Shostakovich' MOSCOW, CHERRY TOWN for Long Beach Opera. Once again my dear husband is doing sound design. As Bob says, "We met at work, and I always enjoy working with you."

We get to take this production on the road - at least on the roads of Southern California - with performances at the Center Theater in Long Beach, the Barclay Theater in Irvine, and Barnum Hall in Santa Monica.

Sun. May 15, 2011 - 2pm
Center Theater, Long Beach

Wed. May 18, 2011 - 7:30pm
Irvine Barclay Theater, Irvine

Sun. May 22, 2011 - 2pm
Barnum Hall, Santa Monica

Duration: 3 hours, 1 intermission
Sung in English with English Supertitles

Here's a taste of the music (LBO production will be IN ENGLISH):



Don't expect the giant orchestra, however. We've got a cozy chamber version that looks hilarious. Rehearsals begin the first part of May.

I'm really looking forward to life in Cherry Town!

A Pharaoh In My Future

The latest addition to my music stand is the Philip Glass opera Akhnaten. Long Beach Opera is producing the West Coast premiere of this work as part of the Philip Glass Festival this month. I can't wait to sink my teeth into this one. Opera with pulsating drums like this is a must see:

Opera In A Warehouse

Playing opera in a warehouse is fun - great orchestra, soul stirring singers, magnificent conductor, stellar crew. Long Beach Opera rocks, plain and simple. Still haven't seen the blood, though. Maybe Monday...

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That's Opera

Bob went to the first production meeting of Long Beach Opera's Medea this morning, where he's back doing Sound Design.  Among the fascinating subjects discussed were the practical requirements of what kind of (fake) blood to use, where and how to store it on stage, and how to get it out of the costumes.

This harkens back to another Long Beach Opera production years ago.  My favorite conductor's comment of all time, made during a rehearsal for Janacek's From the House of the Dead: "Could you stop spraying blood on the orchestra?"

That's opera for you...

Performances of Long Beach Opera's Medea:

Sat. January 29, 2011 - 7:30pm - limited availability
Sat. February 5, 2011 - 2pm - just added, great seats available
Sun. February 6, 2011 - 2pm - limited availability
EXPO Building, Long Beach

The Spider Trap

With Bob freezing in Yucca Valley until late Friday, I have the house to myself. Last night before I crawled into bed, I was occupied plugging in my cell phone, i-pod, and e-reader for a good night's re-charge. As I reached for my ear plugs, I saw it - a large, rather substantially built spider had claimed part of the night stand that I had been bustling around for the last several minutes. If Bob was home, I would but have to summon him and the beast would meet an instant end. As it was, I was too interested in preserving the relaxed, sleep-ready state I had been cultivating for a dramatic dive into spidery demise. Instead, I hit upon The Spider Trap. Bob made a special trip to Disneyland to buy a Monsters Inc snow globe for me one Christmas. I have always been struck by the impermeable bubble of protection around Boo, who is blissfully unaware of the (terrified) monsters behind her. Clinging to that image, I clapped a small cup over the large spider. To ensure my peace of mind, I placed the snow globe on top of the cup and went to sleep. This morning I took the spider outside. Even though the violin shape on its back revealed it as a Brown Recluse, I couldn't bring myself to squash it. Don't assign any noble motives to me, though. Despite my desire to be rid of it forever, it was just too big for my shoes to stomp. I hope it doesn't come back to haunt me like Haman haunted Esther after King Saul failed to put an end to Agag. That, however, is another story.

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