Weekend

So another week has passed - ending with Manon Lescaut at the Lyric.  The splendid Karita Mattila was the raison d'etre here - what a singing actress she is!  Her Fidelio last season is unforgettable - and now we will remember her Manon too.  The tenor illustrates the huge problem the opera business has to face - who can follow Domingo who was the dream des Grieux?  That was Covent Garden in 1984.  Click on this link to get the DVD.

Have a look at a very nice little photo feature in the NYT today.  Lovely and unusual images of backstage at the Met.

I begin my East coast audition trip, an annual routine, this evening when I fly to Washington.  First call is doing jury service for the Metropolitan Opera competition.  Then on to my usual hunting grounds in Philadelphia, Yale, Boston and NYC.  Watch this space for regular updates.