Various

— I'm informed via email that Antoinette Halloran sang the title role of Madama Butterfly in Melbourne on Saturday, filling in for an indisposed Nicole Youl, and evidently scored a triumph. Brava, Antoinette, and we look forward to seeing your Butterfly here in January. (Apparently it was a bit of an ill starred evening, with Rosario La Spina going off sick after Act One as well. I don't know who replaced him at the end, though I'd be curious to find out.) [Update: Jamie Allen sang Pinkerton in Act 3 -see comment below]  

— Danish architect Joern Utzon, who designed the Sydney Opera House, died on Saturday aged ninety. The sails of the opera house were darkened on Sunday in mourning. Thomasina has an eloquent tribute to his iconic creation.

— It's not opera, but it definitely falls under the heading of diva worship — single tickets for the Sydney Theatre Company's 2009 season went on sale today, including for the production of most interest to me, A Streetcar Named Desire with Cate Blanchett as Blanche DuBois. Cate. As Blanche. As if Vivien and Yvonne weren't enough to keep me sighing forever. 

—Announcing the massively overdue addition to the blogroll of Anik LaChev's gorgeous blog Eye Bags, "footnotes on writing, trying to get a Ph.D., opera and cooking." I've been reading Eye Bags for a long time, and we have several obsessions in common, so I have no excuse for not blogrolling it earlier. But at least I have now.

Comments

[Janice]

Jamie Allen went on as Pinkerton in Act 3 and did a splendid job. Although there was a delightful titter from the audience as Pinkerton had seemingly diminished somewhat in his three years away. (in stature only - the performance was still very good.)