Lend Me a Tenor

Sad to hear Luciano Pavarotti has passed away. The very popular play Lend Me a Tenor's title role was based on an exaggerated version of him, it would have been fun to see him play that role. He would have enjoyed it, I think, spoofing himself.

While opera buffs will probably go on and on about his voice and onstage presence, what impressed me most was his televised master classes, where he encouraged potential opera stars with candid, but constructive suggestions, and tried to point students who didn't quite have opera talent into other areas where they might shine. You didn't get into a Pavarotti master class without showing some potential.

I'll be looking at the Marin Independent-Journal for the obligatory write-up which I am hoping my long-lost friend Janos Gereben will be authoring. Janos is a fan whose depth of opera knowledge is amazing. He also wrote for the Oakland Post. Looks like he's now writing for the SF Examiner.

Red Sun

Driving home last night and moreso driving to work this morning, the sun was a red I have not seen for a long time. And then I remembered the fire. I used to see this kind of sun every day when I lived in slash-burning country east of the Cascades, and then again when I was visiting NE Thailand during their slash-burning season. And once again when a huge forest fire smoked up the skies over Raymond, WA when I lived there in '78.