Friday 21 May 2010

The Professionals


The lads playfully blow up my car after I didn't use them as models for last week's post. Hiya guys! Hope everything's great with you! Can I have my goldfish back please? Have a great weekend!

Dear readers, in response to this warmish summer day I've decided to honour this miraculous event and declare this Frying Friday Fupdate Day! While people have been holding street parties and rushing to hide their buckets of Mudlicious Xtra Thick Factor 10 tanning cream the steaming artistic sweat centre of opera in Wales has continued its work unabated (apologies for the aromatic description). Luckily for us the JonesMole Gang have ignored the popular summer temptation of drinking cheap wine and falling asleep on public transport while wearing Victorian bathing costumes and instead remained at their posts.

The week kicked off with TraviataJones tweeting, fifth week of rehearsals is starting with a Production Meeting. No doubt it will be a Wagner lengthed one! I just hope nobody suggested a recap of events on the Tuesday morning because, We are way into Act Three now. This morning we are finishing off the Beckmesser and Sachs scene in Act 3, Scene 1.

Meanwhile MeisterMole sprang a surprise with, Got a good question to ask Bryn? He says he'll answer the best one after rehearsals on Wednesday. No news yet about the M&S v Calvin Klein debate that gripped the web this week. Whatever the outcome of the Q&A session I'm assuming it took place far from TraviataJones' stomping ground - The shoe shop feels like my second home now! Hmmm, I trust the squatter will have shifted her collection of Heat magazines before opening night or Beckmesser might pilfer one by accident and be singing about how I lost three stone in three months to wear my hot mankini come time for the Prize Song competition.

Der Mole tweeted a handy bit of Meistersinger knowledge during the week – The A-Z guide to Die Meistersinger that appears in WNO's new programme says - under 'L' - that the opera has 60 leitmotifs. This was news to me as I'd spotted barely ****, which meant that my application for the Head of Wagnerian Studies at Bayreuth had to be recalled. I've since sent off my application with a birthday card as der Mole had kindly retweeted this from LA Opera (who are building up to their first ever Ring Cycle) Only 2 more days til Richard Wagner's 197th B-day. How will you celebrate? I'll be cheering on Bayern Munich as they play Inter Milan (and their manager who must not be named), and I think Wagner would be too if he were around. Not sure if he'd also be cheering on Cardiff as they play Blackpool but I'll be doing that as well (even though I am a Swansea fan). And then there's the Giro as Basso, Evans, Vinokourov & co head up Monte Grappa. Erm, sorry – got sidetracked into sporting events there for a second.

Back to Meistersinger! TraviataJones experienced the Act Three Quintet on Thursday, It's beautiful music. Also all brilliant singers... Which helps! Am I jealous? Not really – I'm fighting images of Christopher Purves in a mankini. To close out her week TraviataJones got to tweet, Super productive day at work. Been working with the set designer Paul Steinberg this morning. It's coming together bit by bit! Come back Hans Sachs' cobbling song – all is forgiven!

Before I head off to change out of my bathing costume folks out there might like to know that Richard Jones' recent Lohengrin outing is making an appearance at a DVD shop or online store near you on Monday. Starring alongside, I'm assuming, the Bayern Munich supporting Jonas Kaufmann is 1999 Cardiff Singer of the World winner Anja Harteros. I wonder if they'd like to reprise their roles for Wagner's 200th at the WMC?

Best of luck tomorrow to Cardiff, Bayern, and the Monte Grappa boys and happy 197th to Wagner! I'll return with next week's edition of - The Professionals, starring MeisterMole and TraviataJones at the same time, which is next week. If you hadn't already guessed.

Can I have my goldfish back please?

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