Musings
So tonight is the Brian Stokes Mitchell concert. I'm not a huge fan---I like him, but I don't follow his career or anything. But with tickets being $28, I thought "why not?" Especially since I love the Kiss Me Kate revival cast recording--he played Fred Graham, the male lead. I am hoping very hard for some Kiss Me Kate songs, but I don't know anything about his concerts, so who knows what's going to happen.
Last night I went to my second opera: Rigoletto. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I think I do like opera, although I find it more inaccessible than musical theater (which is to be expected *grin*). Anyways, all the singers were weak in the very first scene, but luckily they all got stronger. Rigoletto and the Duke were quite good, although at times I had a hard time hearing them over the full orchestra. But Gilda was amazing! Beautiful thin soprano voice, totally in keeping with the naive sweetness and innocence that is Gilda. She didn't have an amazing finale aria like "Flying Dutchman" had, but she had other beautiful high notes sprinkled throughout. The assassin had this great reverberating rich bass voice, but he didn't have a lot to sing. I wonder if he didn't have a large range, because he sounded the richest and most robust of everyone. I really liked the cast, although I think overall the voices were weaker than in "Dutchman"--in "Dutchman" I never had to really strain to hear anyone over the orchestra (everyone is unmiked) like I did here. But oh, it was gorgeous. The melodies hear are much less obscure than in Wagner's "Dutchman." More melodious and "hummable." And as for the whole story not making a whole lot of sense thing, I think I'm gonna blame it on the supertitles person at the Kennedy Center, because quite frankly, the supertitles stink. They leave out a lot, some of which is really integral to the plot and necessary for the opera to make sense! I'm so glad I bought the libretti for each opera, so I can go back and read them and actually figure out what went on. And I continue to be impressed by the Washington National Opera themselves--gorgeous sets and costumes, especially the lighting this time around. The lighting was used symbolically very well. They also have a wonderfully large, and full rich chorus. Absolutely stunning. I really enjoyed it--I'm gonna miss the opportunity to go to the opera when I go home for the summer.
My brother turned 9 yesterday. I swear, in my head he's still only 6, and he and my younger sister (who will turn 7 in a month), will always be "the babies" to me, despite the fact that there is still one more younger than them. Jared is the youngest, and he's 17 months, and decided to start talking while I'm away at school. Apparently his favorite word is "wasdat" which he says while pointing at something. I'm love DC, but I'm going to be very glad when I go home and can see everyone again. They aren't supposed to grow up! They aren't even my kids, but still, I feel like I'm missing out by not being home with everyone. Growing up is great fun, but at times it stinks. Jared probably won't even know me as he grows up--I won't be his sister but a random "aunt" figure who drops in from time to time. That makes me sad. :(
Of course, going home for the summer has it's downsides too. There won't be something like the Kennedy Center right down the street--I won't be able to go to the symphony, or to the opera, or to the ballet. And I have really fallen in love with the ballet--I'm only familiar with Tchaikovsky really, but if anyone has any ballet suggestions, please let me know! And I'm gonna miss the ubiquitous Metro, which is so convienent for just going somewhere when you get cabin fever or whatnot. And I get to/have to work in a chemistry lab. I'm so amazingly grateful to already have a summer job, because in Michigan the job market is really bad (last summer, the only place that would hire me was Subway, and I sent out 45 job applications--I counted). But after having this great experience working in the Archives Center at the American History Smithsonian, an internship that I absolutely love, it will be hard to leave all that and work in a science lab, when my interest in science and math is limited at best and completely apathetic at worst. But it is a job, and a good job at that, so I will keep my mouth shut from now on. And since this internship has effectively wiped out my savings account, a job is a really good thing! :)
I want to watch "Sabrina" (the 1995 remake with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond, not the original. Much as I love Audrey, I don't like that version). I love that movie! Such great lines, and a sweet story, and one of the best movie scores. I love it. But I have to go to class--blech. My teacher thinks that the whole group of us who are doing internships in DC are doing them because we want to work in government or change public policy. Umm, not me. I wanted to work in a library, and now I think I want to work in an Archive. Either way, I don't want to work in government, so going to all these classes where government/policy jobs are glorified, and everything else you could do in DC is belittled, is really grating on my nerves. Stupid professor man.
I registered for classes for next fall too. It's the first semester of my senior year, and I'm just now getting around to taking the health GE requirement (laaaaaame). That will be fun (can you sense the dripping sarcasm?). But I'm also getting to take a whole class on Jane Austen, so maybe I'll gain more appreciation for Mansfield Park and Emma. The class is taught by a man, which I think is pretty awesome. I've decided that each semester I have to take at least one class that I am really excited about, otherwise the semester is no fun at all. One semester I took a whole class on Edgar Allan Poe, which was amazing; the next semester I took a class on Women and 19th century Gothic Literature, which was so much fun, I cannot even tell you. I wrote this great research paper on how Wuthering Heights is actually anti-feminist in its tones and themes. Great fun. So next semester it will be Jane Austen. I cannot wait--I'm gonna need that since I'm taking two upper level English Language (grammar and editing) classes, which will be useful, but certainly not fun!
Wow, sorry for the downer post, and its length. Sometimes I just feel like writing--sorry for the spam. Oh well! :)
Last night I went to my second opera: Rigoletto. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I think I do like opera, although I find it more inaccessible than musical theater (which is to be expected *grin*). Anyways, all the singers were weak in the very first scene, but luckily they all got stronger. Rigoletto and the Duke were quite good, although at times I had a hard time hearing them over the full orchestra. But Gilda was amazing! Beautiful thin soprano voice, totally in keeping with the naive sweetness and innocence that is Gilda. She didn't have an amazing finale aria like "Flying Dutchman" had, but she had other beautiful high notes sprinkled throughout. The assassin had this great reverberating rich bass voice, but he didn't have a lot to sing. I wonder if he didn't have a large range, because he sounded the richest and most robust of everyone. I really liked the cast, although I think overall the voices were weaker than in "Dutchman"--in "Dutchman" I never had to really strain to hear anyone over the orchestra (everyone is unmiked) like I did here. But oh, it was gorgeous. The melodies hear are much less obscure than in Wagner's "Dutchman." More melodious and "hummable." And as for the whole story not making a whole lot of sense thing, I think I'm gonna blame it on the supertitles person at the Kennedy Center, because quite frankly, the supertitles stink. They leave out a lot, some of which is really integral to the plot and necessary for the opera to make sense! I'm so glad I bought the libretti for each opera, so I can go back and read them and actually figure out what went on. And I continue to be impressed by the Washington National Opera themselves--gorgeous sets and costumes, especially the lighting this time around. The lighting was used symbolically very well. They also have a wonderfully large, and full rich chorus. Absolutely stunning. I really enjoyed it--I'm gonna miss the opportunity to go to the opera when I go home for the summer.
My brother turned 9 yesterday. I swear, in my head he's still only 6, and he and my younger sister (who will turn 7 in a month), will always be "the babies" to me, despite the fact that there is still one more younger than them. Jared is the youngest, and he's 17 months, and decided to start talking while I'm away at school. Apparently his favorite word is "wasdat" which he says while pointing at something. I'm love DC, but I'm going to be very glad when I go home and can see everyone again. They aren't supposed to grow up! They aren't even my kids, but still, I feel like I'm missing out by not being home with everyone. Growing up is great fun, but at times it stinks. Jared probably won't even know me as he grows up--I won't be his sister but a random "aunt" figure who drops in from time to time. That makes me sad. :(
Of course, going home for the summer has it's downsides too. There won't be something like the Kennedy Center right down the street--I won't be able to go to the symphony, or to the opera, or to the ballet. And I have really fallen in love with the ballet--I'm only familiar with Tchaikovsky really, but if anyone has any ballet suggestions, please let me know! And I'm gonna miss the ubiquitous Metro, which is so convienent for just going somewhere when you get cabin fever or whatnot. And I get to/have to work in a chemistry lab. I'm so amazingly grateful to already have a summer job, because in Michigan the job market is really bad (last summer, the only place that would hire me was Subway, and I sent out 45 job applications--I counted). But after having this great experience working in the Archives Center at the American History Smithsonian, an internship that I absolutely love, it will be hard to leave all that and work in a science lab, when my interest in science and math is limited at best and completely apathetic at worst. But it is a job, and a good job at that, so I will keep my mouth shut from now on. And since this internship has effectively wiped out my savings account, a job is a really good thing! :)
I want to watch "Sabrina" (the 1995 remake with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond, not the original. Much as I love Audrey, I don't like that version). I love that movie! Such great lines, and a sweet story, and one of the best movie scores. I love it. But I have to go to class--blech. My teacher thinks that the whole group of us who are doing internships in DC are doing them because we want to work in government or change public policy. Umm, not me. I wanted to work in a library, and now I think I want to work in an Archive. Either way, I don't want to work in government, so going to all these classes where government/policy jobs are glorified, and everything else you could do in DC is belittled, is really grating on my nerves. Stupid professor man.
I registered for classes for next fall too. It's the first semester of my senior year, and I'm just now getting around to taking the health GE requirement (laaaaaame). That will be fun (can you sense the dripping sarcasm?). But I'm also getting to take a whole class on Jane Austen, so maybe I'll gain more appreciation for Mansfield Park and Emma. The class is taught by a man, which I think is pretty awesome. I've decided that each semester I have to take at least one class that I am really excited about, otherwise the semester is no fun at all. One semester I took a whole class on Edgar Allan Poe, which was amazing; the next semester I took a class on Women and 19th century Gothic Literature, which was so much fun, I cannot even tell you. I wrote this great research paper on how Wuthering Heights is actually anti-feminist in its tones and themes. Great fun. So next semester it will be Jane Austen. I cannot wait--I'm gonna need that since I'm taking two upper level English Language (grammar and editing) classes, which will be useful, but certainly not fun!
Wow, sorry for the downer post, and its length. Sometimes I just feel like writing--sorry for the spam. Oh well! :)