Oh how time flies! It is a week since I got back from my lovely trip to Chicago and I am now going to be off again on Monday for ten days of Neue Stimmen auditions in four cities, starting in Berlin. But more about that as it happens.
Meanwhile I had a tooth extracted, dinner with Tom Graham, and family time with two of my children and three of my grandchildren. However, there was a huge pleasure on Sunday afternoon at the Wigmore Hall where Irish mezzo Paula Murrihy delighted us with Lieder by Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, and Robert and Clara Schumann - a lovely idea impeccably executed by Paula and Malcolm Martineau. I first heard Paula when she was an undergraduate at the New England Conservatory. She was a finalist in Neue Stimmen in 2007 and joined the Frankfurt Opera on a Fest contract. But she was also with us in Chicago as Annio in Christopher Alden's beautiful production of Tito in 2009. She is a real star now, a marvellous singer who brought tears to my eyes often enough, particularly in the Schumann - but even more so in her magical unaccompanied performance of an Irish song which she gave us as an encore. A perfect Sunday afternoon interlude indeed.
© Tristram Kenton/Guardian
Bill Pullman, Colin Morgan, Sally Field and Jenna Coleman in Arthur Miller's All My Sons at the Old Vic
Last night I was at a stunning performance of All my Sons at the Old Vic - a play written in 1947 but with some shocking topicality. All Boeing executives might be advised to attend......There were devastating performances from Bill Pullman and Sally Field, and quite splendid ones from Colin Morgan and Jenna Coleman. After we had composed ourselves after the shattering last 15 minutes there was a rare standing ovation. A great night in the theatre so do try to beg borrow or steal a ticket.
I have some opera this evening, more theatre tomorrow, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican on Saturday. Life is far from boring!
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