The Best Haircut in Town

Laurie has taken the discussion of haircuts to a new and hysterical level (check it out - you will fall off your chair laughing), but last night I had a haircut of a different kind:


All I can say is wow. Wow wow wow. And if you have any interest and have Sirius Satellite Radio, you may or may not know that the Metropolitan Opera has its very own channel, Channel 85. This all-star cast of the most famous of Rossini operas, Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), will be broadcast LIVE Monday November 27th at 8pm Eastern Standard Time (01:00 GMT I believe). You owe it to yourself to have a listen! You know this opera! You know the music! At the very least, everyone knows Largo al factotum (have a listen here). Although I don't know how well it will be transmitted over the radio waves, the atmosphere in the house last night was magical.

And if you are still interested and still reading... here are some famous Figaros from the past: Domingo, Bruscantini, Seville, Nucci, and Gobbi. Of course, my favorite is Robert Merrill (the clip above). These are all clips provided by amazon, so they are all essentially the same bit, but just listen to the different styles the singers have taken! And if you are still reading, go to the Handelmania podcast of April 21st 2006, download it, and go to time 18.35 in the podcast to hear the whole of Largo al factotum. (Listen to the rest of the podcast too, for Warren is a wonderful baritone from days gone by. Bear in mind that these are very old recordings, some of them, and some are live, so the sound isn't great, but it is well worth it. I do recommend either way listening to the very beginning of the podcast as well, in which Charlie Handel tells the tragic tale of Warren's last performance. Just try to bear his breathing!)

There are lots more famous pieces from Barbiere, so if anyone is interested I can expound at length. :)

Knitting content to follow...

posted by Carrie @ 1:25 PM