| T minus 2 and packing |
[Jun. 16th, 2009|11:32 am] |
I'm almost entirely packed for Japan. Thank goodness for Google Street View, because I get to shadow-walk my way everywhere as a dry run before actual travel. It's going to be... fun? :)
Internet availability is pretty sure, but due to the sheer amount of stuff to see, I'll be limiting online time to skipping through the f-list. Anything that requires my attention should be emailed. (No texting, please, my roaming plan's extortionate.)
And once I get back from Japan, I may very well be buying a flat and getting a driver's license in the same month. Fun?
In the meantime, have a coloratura falsetto Abronsius: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8GKlvByZDI |
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| Update from the bunker, and Angel Voice |
[Jun. 2nd, 2009|10:52 pm] |
My exam is on Saturday. That would be the exam that tests, in six-hour, 240-question detail, the encyclopedic knowledge contained in 6 books that together run well over 3,000 pages. Thank gods for Schweser Study Notes is all I'm saying. And study leave.
Last-minute studying is made all the more fun by infection-related vertigo. For some reason it's worse when I'm in front of a computer, so that's added motivation to look at a page, not a screen ;)
And just in time, my study aid came in the mail. I had a *cough* copy of Maki Ichiro's graduation CD Angel Voice album before, but it was a much-copied cassette tape version with distortions. It's much better in original CD format. And it showcases Ichiro's voice in such good songs - everything from an otokoyaku-transposed Ich gehör nur mir to female-register Beauty and the Beast theme, with everything else - Luck be a lady, It's a wonderful world, Unchained melody and other standards - chosen to show off the warmth and quality of her voice. It stays up to repeated playing very well.
(Not to mention the Phantom of the Opera with Ichiro!Erik and Hanafusa!Christine. Why do I like Mari Hanafusa best in her first combo?)
Sunday is freedom, and possibly madness. |
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| Trudging on |
[Apr. 23rd, 2009|01:52 pm] |
Just noticed it's been almost two weeks since my last entry. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I'm just busy. There's work, there's the looming exam (ack!), I'm still doing Nordic Walking at least four times per week, and writing.
In what time I have free, I'm making my way through the published version of ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) jo_graham's Hand of Isis. A full review upcoming once I finish (up to the Ides right now), but I can already say that whatever irked me before is gone now. And I may or may not have offered to do a plushie of another incarnation of Isis/Charmian *eyedart* |
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| A really, really good amateur Krolock |
[Apr. 6th, 2009|08:44 pm] |
Unstillbare Gier is the favourite song for amateur musical singers to record on Youtube - probably because it has less hard notes than Music of the Night ;) Imagine my amazement when I found a 20-year-old at a Gymnasium concert who's actually good. And I mean better than some Krolocks I've seen in actual professional productions. I think I've got a newbie to keep an eye on:
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| Childhood flashback, dear heavens |
[Jan. 31st, 2009|09:22 am] |
See, this is how you do a dodgy children's anime right. They kept the pig. And oh, Gan-chan's pretty, I see now what the Arashi fans are on about :D (As is Doronjo. As I said, done right.)
This is the last cartoon I can actually remember playing at with my peers. We were eleven, and Above Such Things, but all someone had to say was "Yattaa, yattaa, Yattaaman!" to reduce us to giggles. |
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| Livejournal matters |
[Jan. 6th, 2009|07:23 pm] |
However I may personally feel about the LiveJournal staff layoffs, there's an official statement about them now.
Most of LiveJournal revenue is in rubles. Their labour costs were in USD. Economically, it's a textbook move, especially since they already have a Russian technical and product development team - who are paid less.
Best of luck to everyone involved, especially those who got the bad news :( |
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| Requisite Yuletide recs |
[Dec. 30th, 2008|12:50 pm] |
Ooops. Took a bit on those, since the reveal is around the corner. I've read haphazardly this year, and there are some old favourite fandoms where I still haven't read a single story.
Featured fandoms: 10 Things I Hate About You, Arthurian Legend, Fairy Tales, Hot Fuzz, Vorkosigan series, Lucifer, Merlin, Greek Mythology.
Note: there are no recs from my musical fandoms. This is because all Elisabeth, Tanz der Vampire and Romeo et Juliette fics are gorgeous, and because I'm a bit too invested there ;) See my previous post for the ones that were written for me in the Lord John, Elisabeth and Tanz der Vampire fandoms - I adore each and every one. There are also no recs of stories where I know the author - that's for after the reveal ;)
( Onto the recs ) |
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| Yuletide and daschunds |
[Dec. 27th, 2008|07:03 pm] |
I'm getting back home tomorrow, and I'll do a full recs post then - just the Vorkosigan fandom has me in so much squee. For now, just the ones I got, in their order from my Yuletide mail. Each of these is a marvel, especially since my original Santa defaulted - all of these are Yuletide Treats!
Shadows and Blood - Tanz der Vampire. I know who wrote this one, but that doesn't stop me from adoring it to itty bitty pieces :D Von Krolock and Herbert, as played by Jan Ammann and Jakub W., and being so them that I almost fell of my chair in giggles.
Taking the Waters - Lord John Grey, a story in which Stephan and John are delightfully them, and a mood that could be written by Diana Gabaldon herself.
Eschewing Protocol - another Lord John story, and this one had me in stitches at how well it gets into John's head. It's the kind of slashy gem I adore so much ♥
Der Untergang - Elisabeth and Death, and the author's grasp on Death is amazing. It's a missing scene from the musical, and makes me want to send this to Michael Kunze for inclusion in the next staging of the show.
And then there is Close as Brothers, which is Lord John again, and lovely and touching, and written by someone who's not even a Yuletider O.o I've no idea who it is, and the very sentiment was jaw-dropping, never mind the fact it's so well-written!
Here's hoping everyone had a happy and joyful winter festival of whatever flavour they prefer! |
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| DVD: Romeo et Juliette, Gerard Presgurvic version |
[May. 17th, 2008|07:12 pm] |
And in the continuing adventures of Beth versus actual commercially available DVDs of musicals, I've finally watched something I've had for a while - Romeo et Juliette, the Gerard Presgurvic version, as recorded in 2001 in Paris. I have to say that even with all the pop music, this is one of the most artistic musicals. The French seem to have a gift for them.
( Amazingly fun musical. Why did no-one tell me it had Death in it? )
Unfortunately, this DVD is out of print at the moment. But the good news is, enterprising people have uploaded all of it to Youtube :) Between them, "selenityrose" and "faelivrinen" have all the tracks. Some samples:
Verone (first song of the musical
)
J'ai peur (originally a Mercutio song, given to Romeo because he's the only one not noticeably shorter than Death)
C'est pas ma faute (Tybalt angst) |
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| *sporfle* |
[May. 7th, 2008|09:19 pm] |
Apparently on a talent show on ZDF this spring, they had a musicals theme and Uwe Kröger as a judge. This makes for entertaining clips of him making faces as people torture German and English musicals.
But this is something else. They had Villazon as a guest star, because apart from being Caruso Jr, he's also done Man of La Mancha. Which he did admirably - guy's got a siege weapon of a voice on him.
And then he and the host went and did Always look on the bright side of life. Yes, from Spamalot. Monty Python. My brain!
(Video under cut, because I refuse to be the only one traumatised.)
( Bad and wrong and yay ) |
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| I need more Phantom icons |
[Apr. 15th, 2008|07:41 pm] |
Apparently there was a promotional event for the Warsaw Phantom of the Opera recently. This would be the lovely Raoul, with the third Christine (the one I saw the second time).
( All I ask of you ) |
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| Black Ships: review proper |
[Mar. 19th, 2008|03:59 pm] |
I've finished reading Black Ships by jo_graham for the third time. I've a feeling it won't be the last.
( Thoughts and analysis )
Incidentally, I'm currently working on a story set in Greek mythology for ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) lgbtfest. Re-reading Black Ships, I was reminded of two major issues about that pantheon - how powerful and mysterious was the female, and how dreary, thought-losing, the afterlife. Endless fields of grain under an eternal sun. I hope no-one will mind if I swipe that sentence. |
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| Recommended reading |
[Dec. 30th, 2007|02:17 pm] |
At the seaside, I was purposefully out of my usual reading material, and thus raiding the grandparents' collection of Important Works of Literature. Isaac Singer's The Estate is a very nice insight into Belle Epoque Jews if only one can look past the characters, which are the whiniest bunch I've seen since Neon Genesis Evangelion. The Godfather would be a perfect read if at least three characters in my head weren't ogling Michael Corleone with illicit purposes. Mann's Buddenbrooks faltered a bit in the middle, but the teenage slash at the end redeemed them (okay, the other bits were interesting, too). Doctor Zhivago caused me to facepalm over my Russian ancestry.
All in all, it was a relief to come back to an open yuletide archive.
This year I've been damnably lucky with my gifts - I received two full-length stories and a vignette. No idea yet who they're from, but all are gorgeous:
Ourobos - Tanz der Vampire behind the scenes; a different interpretation than my own, but I can imagine Thomas Borchert and Jakub Wocial in these roles far too easily.
Conversations with the Dead - Elisabeth, the deaths of Sophie, Rudolf and Franz-Joseph: the amount of historical detail is delightful.
And Black And Black And Blacker Still - Elisabeth, a heartbreaking Rudolf moment that reaches to the core of his character.
And from other stories that I've skimmed, four so far had me glued to the screen and exclaiming with delight:
The Invisible City - a sequel to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere that should damn well be official. It's like turning a page and finding a lost epilogue to the story. This could be Neil writing.
By No Miracle or Majestic Means - for all that I avoid Vorkosigan fanfiction like the plague, this story of a young Miles's caper is perfectly in tune. It suffers a little from rush - I know well the lack of time to balance the plot at the end - but the language is Ivan's, the characters are vividly themselves.
The Sixth Heaven - the Beauty and the Beast TV series has always remained with me, and this AU with Catherine and Vincent meeting as children captures the magic perfectly.
The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down - You've probably seen this Who Framed Roger Rabbit story recced by others. All I'm saying is, hold on to your hats. |
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| On the musicals front |
[Jul. 26th, 2007|02:08 pm] |
The guy in my icon is the newest - first cast - Abronsius in Berlin. At age 21, without being a German or Austrian, and that's for a role that demands tongue-twisters at breakneck speed O.o
Also, I've spent quite a bit of time happily staring at photos from the new Budapest production of Elisabeth. I am quite frightened by the lengths some people are willing to go to to make this guy look like this guy.
Combined, I would say it means I can look forward to repeat trips to both Berlin and Budapest. Curses :P |
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| It's opera in primetime, of course I'm aware |
[Jun. 15th, 2007|07:02 am] |
Just in case anyone's managed to miss it so far: Britain's Got Talent (Brits might recognise Simon Cowell in the jury), mobile phone salesman, opera.
See Simon Cowell jawdrop to Nessun Dorma:
And the git got better in the semi-finals:
I mean, honestly. The guy's got vibrato, he's got a lovely scale, and that depth there - so many tenors have voices that have been squashed flat. He's good, and since he hit even Polish papers, he's going places :) |
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| Shiny things |
[May. 19th, 2007|02:48 pm] |
In case you were wondering, the first two episodes of Heroes made me laugh lots. Since they're showing 2 per week, I should be caught up with the rest of you soon.
rkold is an absolute angel. I am looking forward to boggling my workmates with Original Takarazuka Goodies. "Who is that?" "A Heian-era prince who's sleeping with the mother of his reincarnated father. As played by a girl :D"
But the point of this post: Miss Snark has announced her retirement from her blog.
I must say hers is the best blog I've read for authors looking to be published. She gives a great insight on the industry, the agents, everything. After reading her for the past year I now know much more about how to go about being published. If anyone else is serious about seeing their names on covers of Actual Paper Books, I have to recommend this blog. And now, since there's no telling how long it'll stay up... |
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| Eurovision yay |
[May. 13th, 2007|07:15 am] |
Eurovision wasn't nearly as fun as last year's (the first time I actually voted \m/), but it was entertaining - sometimes in the fun way, sometimes with actual fun.
( thank gods for Youtube )
Of course, Serbia won. So? Still was fun to watch all the ways people tried to top Lordi \m/ |
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| Elisabeth: Maki Ichiro, as found on random Youtube trolling |
[May. 11th, 2007|07:44 am] |
*blinks* I was thinking of ripping a certain clip from a DVD I just got, and look, it's already on Youtube. Maki Ichiro playing Death - as a girl. She's even singing in a more female voice, which is a sight.
( DIVA 2001, Death as a girl and Rudolf as a boy )
This is something else I need to save, Maki's last TCA performance, also an Elisabeth song...
( It's hard to make pale green sequins look good )
And since I'm on a Maki kick, look: Uwe can sing well providing he has the right Elisabeth:
( Bilingual Wenn Ich Tanzen Will, DIVA 2004 )
And now, off to work, so downloading those will have to wait *eyedart* |
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| 2007 international Moniuszko vocal competition (VI edition) |
[Apr. 28th, 2007|07:55 am] |
I was waiting for Polish TV to get off their collective behinds and put up the final concert online before I would post about this, but it looks like they decided the competition's over and so are their obligations. Still.
I spent most of the week before last listening to opera. The VI International Moniuszko Vocal Competition was ongoing, and Polish TV was kind enough to transmit all auditions online. By the time the third and final stage rolled around, I had firm favourites and ended up attending the last day of auditions - I have to say I am very impressed with young operatic talent these days.
People to keep an eye on:
Mika Nisula (Finnish tenor): lovely dramatic and sweet voice who would have gotten Third Male if not for nerves. He managed to bollix up an easy Faust aria completely, being off-key on the one long high note and everything. He then closed his eyes, decided to hell with it and launched into a much, much more difficult aria from Moniuszko's Haunted Manor in a way that made me cry, in a good way. I hate that song - emo-est piece of emo "wah, my mummy's dead!" crap ever - and he was perfect in it, emotional and dignified and everything. Finnish people should take note, he does a lot of work in Helsinki :)
Anna Markarova (Russian mezzo): great voice of the bring-the-house-down kind, but most of all stage charisma and dignity. She doesn't look it, but I could see her doing Empress Catherine or someone - when she's on stage, she's blinding.
Azamat Zheltyrguzov (Kazakh baritone): The guy's 20 and and if he ever switches to musicals, he'll be another Yamaguchi. That kind of velvet voice and stage presence. He didn't make it past 2nd stage, but he knocked enough people flat that the Cracow opera club funded a special, unplanned prize and gave it to him :D
Kristina Kapustynska (Ukrainian mezzo): I was very much reminded of a female version of my favourite Polish guy ;) Same looks, gestures, stage presence and girl version of his voice, from the deepest caverns to a very credible upper range. A year or two and I think Kristina'll be able to sing everything from tenor to soprano. Her voice reminded me very much of the best Takarazuka otokoyaku, and judging by her final concert dress, she'd be a Zuka fangirl in a flash ;) Second Female, and very deservedly so.
Malgorzata Olejniczak (Polish soprano): Third Female and very lovely lady, with a haunting stage presence and energy. For the longest time I didn't know who could be a Polish Elisabeth, but now my dream cast is complete :)
Alexey Markov (Russian baritone): First Male, and missed the Grand Prix by a hair. Knocks you flat, especially at the final concert - the TV studio people criticised his projection the day before, and he did his best to blow out the sound equipment. Musicals-wise, I was reminded of Borchert's stage presence, but the voice... oh, so dreamy :)
And just so I'm not talking about random abstracts, here's Polish TV mutilating the looks of the contestants (trust me, it's the lighting - they're all 100% prettier live :P)
April 20th - click on the picture and go to 5:30 for Olejniczak, 24:00 for Kapustynska
April 21st - click on the picture and go to 21:19 for Markov |
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dizzy
happy