Friday, January 13, 2012

Au Fond du Temple Saint

I first developed a love of opera in 9th grade, when I took my first Italian class at Vineland Senior High School. My 9th grade teacher of Italian was John Mazzotta, but the person who nurtured my love of opera was my teacher from 10th through 12th grades, Cesarina DeCesero. I adored my Italian classes. And I learned to love opera. Italian opera was my favorite, needless to say. And with the Italian Club, I saw my first opera, though my love of it, and the greatest operatic tenor ever - Luciano Pavarotti - continued long after I graduated high school. I saw Pavarotti in concert and in operas many, many times. We were so lucky that he chose Philadelphia as the base for his vocal competition and spent so much time there.

For a long time, I thought all the best operas were in Italian, and some of my absolute favorites still are. Seriously, who doesn't love "La Boheme"? "Che gelida manina, se la lasci riscaldar. Cercar che giova? Al buio non si trova." So many of these lyrics I remember to this day, having learned them singing along to Luciano on album, then cassette, and now CD. I don't listen to as much opera as I used to, and I haven't seen a live opera in many years. But I still love it.

But good opera, and operetta, isn't only in Italian. I have grown to appreciate the power of German, and romance of French. Even opera in English.

So, for the last hour or so I have spent time over at You Tube trying to find a performance of the aria "Au fond du temple saint" from Georges Bizet's opera "The Pearl Fishers" (Les pêcheurs de perles) that is better than the one that I already know to be the best: Placido Domingo and Sherrill Milnes. It is so beautiful. I recognize that these men sang together a lot, their amazing tenor and baritone voices perfectly suited for duets, so maybe it was too much to ask that there might be a better version out there. There isn't, at least not in my opinion. Here it is, for your enjoyment, the #1 Au fond du temple saint:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhG4dPN2Nhs

There are others worth your time. The very close second, for me, is the late, great Jerry Hadley and Thomas Hampson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-6aQ6mxvnM

And my third favorite is this enjoyable performance from Roberto Alagna and Bryn Terfel, which includes the recorded live video at You Tube. I am not a huge fan of Alagna ... he does okay here, but he is no Domingo, Hadley, and he's certainly no Pavarotti:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLrPVkfCIQ


For me, this is one of the most beautiful areas ever written - and it's not in Italian!

There is one more version that is really enjoyable, for two reasons: my first real exposure to Rolando Villazon, who is quite stunning, and Placido Domingo ... singing the baritone part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orbh8MHEhgA

And to show you that German has some great stuff, there's this version of "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" from the operetta "Das Land des Lächelns" (The Land of Smiles) by Franz Lehar, Fritz Lohner-Beda and Ludwig Herzer. This link below is the great Placido Domingo once again, from the first Three Tenors concert. This version just gives me goose bumps. I love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gSqZRC2dTE

Did I ever mention that I was at the Three Tenors concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. It was an experience of a lifetime.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Scones: Yum Scrum Double Bubble Gum

Yes, I figured a friend from England's favorite saying seemed appropriate in today's discussion of scones. I just made a batch. Let me tell you about them.

The base of today's scones is this many-times-tested and wonderfully perfect recipe for scones with lemon and ginger. I have used this recipe many, many times. It's easy-peasy, just a little bit of elbow grease needed when blending the butter into the flour mixture - in other words, no need to pull out any kitchen appliances:

http://joyofbaking.com/printpages/SconesLemonGingerprint.html

I don't usually put the sugar on and broil them at the end, as per the recipe (I also don't use cream to brush on them before baking - fat free milk is fine). But today, I added a half a cup of fresh cranberries to the batter(I cut each cranberry in half in order for the heat to get to them and soften them up) and figured it wouldn't hurt to add a little bit of sugar. But you don't have to wait until after they've baked. I just sprinkled a very little bit of regular sugar after I brushed the milk on them and baked them for the recommended time. They are exquisitely scrumptious.

Also, this recipe calls for buttermilk. I don't keep fresh (hee!) buttermilk in the fridge because I just don't use enough of it before it goes bad. Of course, if I followed Dana's philosophy on scones and made a batch a week, this would not be a problem. But, since that has not happened and may never be my scone schedule, I have found a perfectly fine substitute: Saco Cultured Buttermilk Blend. It is a powder, made from sweet cream and churned buttermilk. I am convinced this is a major reason why these scones are as great as they are. Everybody loves these scones.

You should try to make them. It really is easy and so, so satisfying!

It's Still Decorated for Christmas Around Here

Yeah, maybe I'll take the decorations down next weekend. But I'm glad that I still have them up. They are beautiful and they make me happy. And I get to snap a shot like this:


Homer just was mesmerized by Scooby Doo singing Christmas songs, but I think he was especially taken with how Scooby danced to the music. You can see Scooby in motion as everything else is in focus. Homer is a curious and very happy dog.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Santorum? Really?

Really? Seriously, it is a sad, sad state of affairs when a man like this can be in competition for the presidential nomination. This man believes that women should no longer have access to birth control. And he said this:

"In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing. And when you destroy that you have a dramatic impact on the quality ... "

No need to hear the rest of the quote since the first part is so ripe with ridiculousness.

He later went on to clarify that he did not intend to equate homosexuality with incest (the child reference) or beastiality (man on dog reference), when, of course, that was exactly what he intended. What's more important is that he does not believe that the right to privacy as noted in the Supreme Court ruling Griwold vs. Connecticut prevents the government from regulating consensual acts among adults. He wants to make homosexuals head straight back to the closet and he wants women to have babies. We know where he stands on these social issues, and he will be a fervent advocate for getting legislation passed that would attempt to obliterate the gains women and homosexuals have gained over these many years.

I'm voting for Obama no matter what offering comes our way from the Republicans. But I just find it unbelievable that there is any significant portion of the populace that would be willing to push back advances for these groups.

Guns

http://news.yahoo.com/police-body-found-us-park-gunman-224005459.html

You see, this guy should never have been able to keep his guns. Apparently a whole lot of people knew he was unstable. But because so many stupid people in this country don't get that the 2nd amendment to the constitution - including the idiots on the Supreme Court - was intended to allow freedom to bear arms for a 'militia' (that's a group, not an individual...in other words, the police or mili...tary), and not this guy, he was able to shoot people earlier in the day, and kill this, by all reports, lovely person. I know the paranoid in this country think they have to own a gun to be safe, but this is a complete fallacy. This woman was armed, but she wasn't given a chance because this crazy man was running wild with high-powered weaponry. The citizens of this country, and that includes former members of the military, do not need nor should they have weapons that have only one intent: to kill people. You need a rifle to go hunting and, in a nominally sporting way, shoot a deer, fine. But you don't need fifteen varieties of that weapon...one will do. Or do what my dad did: use a bow and arrow, which is far more sporting. This country needs to start acting like a civilized country and pass laws that will prevent innocents from being victims.

Oh, and I really could give two shits that this guy is a veteran. He should never have been allowed near weapons, and I will eat my nice black cowboy hat if we don't hear right quick about all the failures in the system that allowed this nutjob to become a menace to society. It really is a shame that his delusions didn't just result in his suicide. I have nothing but compassion for the men and women who have suffered in battle and come back changed by what they saw. But the Veterans Administration has excellent resources to help these people, and there is little doubt that the vast majority of them who are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder manage to get enough help that they don't go off and start shooting people.

I refuse to show this asshole's picture. Rather, I leave you with a photo of Margaret Anderson, his victim. Someone who loved her husband and her children and the beauty of this country in her intense love of her job as a national park service employee. Such a shame.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

A New Year's Eve Tale

So Darryl, Deb's boyfriend, has a granddaughter. She is a lovely little girl. And he has a new photo of her in the house. It is a head shot ... and it is a life-size head shot. It's wonderful, and really brings out the essence of Winnie. It's beautiful, and it makes you feel like she's right there in the room.

Well, apparently it was just too life-like for Homer and Fred. Fred, Homer and Atticus joined Dana and me at Dutch (that's Darryl's nickname) and Deb's place for New Year's Eve. Good food, good drink, good fun all around. However, we were sitting in the living room having some appetizers and champagne when we noticed Homer was just standing behind the sofa. When we looked closer, it turned out he wasn't just standing behind the sofa for no good reason. His head was pointed up, his huge brown eyes locked on that photo of Winnie. He stared and stared and stared at that picture. Man, it was so cute. He seemed completely convinced that she was going to greet him, so he just stood there, waiting anxiously. Homer is very in tune with his behavior around little kids (translation: he is much calmer than he is when meeting adults, intuitively understanding that he must be accomodating to their smaller and sometimes delicate nature), so I believe he was just being a good little boy and waiting for her to come make the first move. It was just a wonderful moment.

Later, I think it was after dinner and once we'd gotten into the game playing part of the evening (Dutch was on quite a roll with Quiddler last night ... harumph), we stopped to enjoy a performance by Fred. He was standing on the back of the sofa. He'd finally gotten a look at that life-sized photo of Winnie ... and had a low grade growl going, heading into something a bit more menacing. Keep in mind that he would never have hurt Winnie if she were really there. I think he just didn't like that she was standing outside the window, staring back at him like that! So funny.

The final act of the evening belonged to Atticus, who didn't seem bothered by Winnie; I'm not sure he even noticed her. But he did step toward the sliding glass door after it had gotten dark. We don't have anything like that at home, nothing to allow him to see his reflection. But see his reflection he did. He started barking like a crazy man intent on protecting his brothers and his human peeps, too. He would probably be pleased to know that mommy thought him to be a very brave and impressive boy, even when it was obvious he was just being a silly git. Homer caught his own image in the 'mirror', but he just seemed happy to spot such a handsome man out the door!

Happy New Year!