March 16, 2018
Two weeks into March and my calendar, which was empty when I found our desert trip was cancelled, is amazingly full. I would have missed some very fine events, the first being an evening at Grizzly Peak Winery with Jackie, attending a piano/cello duet by two of our very fine soloists – Alexander Tutunov and Michael Palzewicz. Their playing of the Schubert ‘Arpeggione’ Sonata was a highlight.
Several evenings later Jackie, Jack and I went to hear a talk by Peter Sellars, who was in town for various activities under the auspices of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Southern Oregon University. This was a truly memorable event. He has the quickest mind imaginable, and arguably the most incredible. His life has been so full and rich since he was a school kid that by the time he gets to my age he will surely have to be discarding for lack of room. At the end I had a question but time ran out. So I collard him as he left the podium and asked if he had a favorite memory of an event that he had created, one that came immediately to mind. First he said that it was like having children, each was his favorite, but it was clear his mind was racing for a better answer. And when it came it was Handel’s Theodora at Glyndebourne in the 90s. He told me there was a DVD and then we talked for a few minutes. For me it was another step in my progress towards total ease with anyone I wish to know, whoever they are. I received the DVD yesterday and will play it this weekend, after looking up the opera, its narrative (Theodora who???) and more about its director.
April 1
All in the above paragraph has been done and after letting it digest for several weeks I am still thinking about the experience. It made a major impression, as I can still see the astonishing set when it floats into mind and recall some of Handel’s glorious chorales. But there were definitely negatives. It is interminably long and I had to take breaks to get through it, for stretching, coffee and reflection. There is scarcely any action, it is definitely a reflective work with serious meaning to the composer. But the libretto is so repetitive it almost smothers the work. It takes forever to complete an aria, far moreso than ‘Messiah’. I played it twice, the second time watching only one act at a time, which was much more rewarding. Peter Sellars has staged several Adams operas that I’ve seen on HD and all are memorable. I would love to talk more with him about what made ‘Theodora’ stand out in his memory.
Lots more but I am trying to keep them short…..