Rigoletto! I'm just not a fan of Verdi and although there were excellent singers with amazing voices and stamina, the libretto is overly dramatic and tedious. I know that Italians have a reputation for high emotionalism, but the extended arias of Verdi tax my patience. The director's choice of costuming and sets did not enhance the production. Rather they often seemed to trivialize and distract from the main story. There was one stroke of brilliance on his part, IMHO. He cast the Duke as a young, handsome, charismatic and privileged man who is all out for himself and what he can get, regardless of the consequences to others. We've all met people like that, and it lent an extra air of credibility to the role. Another unique feature of this performance was a stunning sunset visible though the open back of the theatre.
Oliver's session this morning was more and more about Rigoletto and featured many of the criticisms I had. Not enough time was spent on Die Walkure which is the performance, tonight. Three and a half hours! Home by 1:30, the tour guide says.
After a nice lunch (meatless for me, because I'm an old fashioned catholic), we made our way back to Museum Hill where there are two very large museums. One, The Museum of International Fold Art, I perused last year. The second The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, was definitely on my to do list this year. I was not disappointed! Wonderful native artifacts in every room, videos of cultural patterns still practiced, today, and a gift shop that I somehow manage to explore without buying anything!
Here are a couple of pictures:
Tomorrow's blog post may be a little later than usual. I may actually need some extra sleep!
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