Sorry everyone too hot to blog. Though I don't suffer from hay fever as badly as I used to, my eyes are still bad, itchy and sore and I have just spent the afternoon in my bedroom which is cool and shady. Fell fast asleep and just coming to now. Had planned all sorts of things to write but it may have to wait and, lovely o lovely, there is a broadcast on BBC2 tonight of Simon Boccanegra by Verdi. Not one of his operas I am really familiar with but it has the most glorious father/daughter duet in the first act which always reduces me to tears and of course the main reason for watching is that Placido Domingo is singing the title role, which is for a baritone.
This man is a genius. He started off as a baritone and now that his tenor voice is going he is reverting back to his lower and middle register which still sounds rock solid to me. And this man is SEVENTY next birthday.
Unbelievable.
Also unbelievable that the BBC are actually putting this on an accessible channel all evening. I may have to lie down again to recover.
Back tomorrow I hope.
SUNDAY – Having watched this my feeling that this is one of my least favourite Verdi operas has been reinforced. The lovers are particularly wet and annoying but the heart of Simon B is, naturally, in the title role and here was Placido quite magnificent, not only was his voice wonderful (though having watched a broadcast of Don Carlos on the BBC and finding Villazon also magnificent when he was anything but in the House I wonder if the BBC had mucked about with the sound levels which they do) but his acting was top notch as always. Full of humanity and warmth and at the end a standing ovation from the audience. There was a sense of farewell about it all as I think this will be the last time he sings here. I could be wrong. I hope so. After all I saw him sing Siegmund in Die Walkure just a few years ago and was totally stunned by his performance and the sound of his voice.
Wonderful
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