more operae

For whatever reason, I didn't dig Siegfried as much as Die Walküre. The dramatic pacing felt even more glacial this time, and I think I nodded off for a bit when Mime was rambling on about something or other. I was all too aware of how many hours it was taking to get through such mythological business and became rather impatient in the final scene. Still, the Met production was well done, especially in its tentacle-y blob-like Fafner. The dude cast as Wotan looks like he was practically born into that eyepatch; plus, the guy playing Siegfried was actually named Siegfried.

Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilèges: a strange, almost trippy little piece. There's not much of a plot, just a bunch of episodes involving dancing armchairs and amorous cats and a personification of Arithmetic itself. The patchwork allows Ravel to use a lot of different sounds and styles, some of which come off more successfully than others. The fox-trot for teapot and cup was very cool, as were a few other moments, but generally the piece is head-scratcher. McGill pulled off a fair performance, but there were moments where some of the less professional-sounding voices were left exposed. I generally love Ravel, but this piece doesn't measure up to L'Heure Espagnole with cheeky Spanishisms and its slightly raunchy sound effects, like descending chromatic scales to represent Concepcion's inadequate lovers. But L'Enfant did have a slide whistle.

Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, on the other hand, was great. Very well cast and staged by McGill. They updated the setting from Renaissance to ca. 1920, with an Art Deco set and some elegant costumes, and it was very effective. This too is odd piece because of its dark humor and how it's so clearly written by a composer who rarely dabbled in comedy. Of course the sentimental duets of the two lovers seem a little bit tacked on as an excuse to work in the more typically Puccinian emotions... but that's also the music that you remember most when it's over. A very pleasant one-acter.

And Canadian Super Bowl ads are lame, but not nearly as lame as Deal or No Deal: Canada, with its "loonie" and "toonie" briefcases.