Monday and Tuesday: my first and second operas of the season--on Monday, Cav/Pag--Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci. Not my favorite operas, but these traditional performances (by Met standards--complete with horses and a cast of a hundred) were enjoyable, moving dramas nonetheless. Cavalleria Rusticana featured Maria Guleghina as Sanutzza; Pagliacci starred Salvatore Licitra as Canio and Patricia Racette as Nedda.
On Tuesday the new Anthony Minghella ("The English Patient") production of Madama Butterfly, one of the most visually stunning productions I've ever seen. Minghella's design was minimalist, with lighted swaths of pure color, a mirrored ceiling, and brilliant costumes. Traditional Japanese puppetry was used for the role of Butterfly's young son, and for Butterfly herself in a gorgeous dream sequence. The highlight for me was the love scene, with its backdrop of a rainfall of rose petals. The Butterfly, Cristina Gallardo-Domas, was dramatically powerful but was a bit screechy for my taste--I wondered at several points if she was having vocal problems. Marcello Giordani was the Pinkerton and the brilliant, consistent Dwayne Croft was Sharpless.
Some pictures from Opera News (click to enlarge):
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Saturday, October 21, 2006
A terrific economics lesson on economic rent from Hal Varian: Why Old Media and Tom Cruise Should Worry About Cheaper Technology
Friday, October 20, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
Sunday, October 15, 2006
A very cool graphic (NYT 10/15)--current party affiliation by current age by political party in office when individual was in their 20s. Notice party affiliation tends to be correlated with party in office while in one's 20s (e.g. Eisenhower, Reagan, Truman, Johnson) with a couple of interesting exceptions (Nixon, Carter, George W).
(click to enlarge)
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
How not to apply for a job in investment banking: the Aleksey Vayner video and resume at Ivygateblog.com
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