As we discovered last week conducting is a dangerous activity. So I greatly enjoyed this piece in today's Guardian.
A propos injured conductors, the Met is suffering terribly from its dependence on the magnificent James Levine now that he is out of action for the rest of the season. They have filled some of the gaps but the big deal is the Wagner program - Lohengrin and Parsifal. and Die Walküre in Japan. An unenviable task to find a replacement for him here!
This is an outwardly quiet week at COT. But it's deceptive - masses of fund raising activity and getting our announcement of next season organised for next week. You will be amongst the first to know - so watch this space on Tuesday next around 3pm!
Rehearsals for Abduction begin in two and a half weeks and then we are non-stop until the end of May.
And today I was delighted to see for lunch a dear friend from Toronto, Sue Mortimer - one of the most passionate opera lovers in Toronto - or anywhere else. She and her late husband Clive have been friends to generations of opera singers in Canada - she is here in Chicago today for Orfeo at Lyric. She will be back for Abduction at COT in May. And I am looking forward to a visit to the new Opera House in Toronto in November when a performance of Cosi fan tutte will be dedicated to Clive's memory. These people, and those like them, are the heart and soul of opera companies on this continent.
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