Never rains, but what it pours

There are three things happening this Sunday:

3 - 7pm: the Met broadcast of Debussy's Pélleas et Mélisande will play on Concert FM. I really, really, really want to hear this opera.

3pm: The Friends of the Opera present 'On The Upward Path', a concert by Stephen Chambers, Penelope Muir & Michael Gray. There's no way I could justify missing this.

7pm: Bach's cantata 82, 'Ich habe genug' with baritone soloist Iain Fraser, part of the evening service at Knox church. Even without a soprano, the temptation of live Bach, performed by an excellent baritone and choir, is irresistible.

You see my problem, then. It's a very nasty choice to have to make. Missing the Friends of the Opera concert would be inconceivable: the first classical singing event in Dunedin all year, with three wonderful Dunedin singers. On the other hand, I do want so very much to hear Pélleas et Mélisande. Until recently I wasn't particularly excited about it, but in the weekend I sat at the piano and mutilated the vocal line and now I'm utterly fascinated by it. But it's so long that if I listen to it, not just one but both of the Dunedin events are ruled out. And in the end, I think it's the Dunedin events I'm going to go for. I could record the opera, of course, but in this low-tech household it would have to be on videotape: not the best listening medium by a long shot. I'm not really complaining of course: I've been waiting months for something live in Dunedin, and now that it's come neither wild horses nor vocal lines dependent on the natural rhythms of speech will keep me away. It would have been nice to have been able to do both, though. (And 'On the Upward Path' had better not consist entirely of retirement home repertoire!)

The same problem arises the following Sunday, when the St Matthew Passion clashes with the Met Figaro. I still haven't a clue what to do about this one.

Comments

[vilaine fille]

Dear Heart:

Yvonne Kenny chez Opera Today:

http://www.operatoday.com/article/650/k193lm193n-die-cs225rd225sf252rstin

v.f.

[Sarah]

Sigh. Another one for the list.
Grand merci, chère amie!