sundry items

First off, Arkiv is unloading some EMI opera discs cheap through the end of the month. These sales are usually while supplies last, so he who hesitates takes less of a dent in the budget.  Some good stuff, though, including Antonio Pappano's ground-breakingly weird French version(s) Don Carlos, though by now probably everybody who stops by here on a regular basis already counts it in their collection.

And of course there'd be none of that ground-breaking weirdness without Andrew Porter, who's coming to Caramoor for Don Carlos Day, July 20th, to tell the tale of what happened when he went into the basement!!! [cue Silence of the Lambs sdtk].  Last time I heard this story was back in the day, when they used to have useful things like that for broadcast intermissions (rather than the locker room interviews we tend to get today), and why it ended up being a tremendously significant twenty minutes in the Life of Stray is another lengthy narrative, one in need of a Wedding Guest. 

Meanwhile, arte liveweb continues its Verdi celebration with video sporadically accessible to those beyond the pale. Right now it's La Forza del Destino from Opéra Royal de Wallonie. If somebody finds the time to watch it, let us know how it is, wouldja? 

Lastly, some cause for rejoicing.