American blogger Of the Kosmos was in Berlin this past weekend to take-in the Thursday, February 8th performance of the René Pape-sung, Daniel Barenboim-conducted Wagner's (discreetely spits v. lady-like) Parsifal at the Staatsoper. Although OtK's excellent seats provided great photos of Pape et alia, here are a few more. Thanks OtK for the review.
/btw, what is it with Pape? He is devastatingly handsome in person...but I have yet to see a picture where his features don't slide around all Picasso-like, and land indiscriminately on his face. Further proof needed before I can laugh at this.
Also, New York City opera-blogger SarahB shares on her website a lovely curtain-call video clip from the current h0ttest ticket in town: the Gergiev-conducted, Fleming-Vargas-Hvorostovsky-sung Eugene Onegin at the NYC MET Opera. A huge brava to SarahB, who fills her free time with the most exhausting list of cultural events, you'd think she is in reality a super-human robot ninja.
/Can I just say that I *hate* the new website format that the MET has implemented this season: that inane feature where they progressively erase all the prior, expired performances from the current production details. COME MAI?! MAH ZEH?!