UMTravels

Opera night tonight… which means out of the house 5-5:30 for dinner on Queen Anne before the performance. After Jeff’s choice of Thai Food the last time, tonight we went to my Thai choice — Tup Tim Thai— which SpaceOtter turned me onto. Great service, servicable wine list (alas, no cocktails), good food:

• Tod Mun Pla
• Pineapple Duck Curry
• Basil Scallops

And then onto the opera… La Travatore. Verdi.

Swift action, intense pathos, and more hit songs than any opera but Carmen combine to make this hot-blooded story of love, hate, revenge, and death a grand warhorse of sound and spectacle. A gypsy mother’s love clashes with a dark secret from her past in this suspenseful romantic drama. The entire final act is considered an opera highlight. Swordplay, poison, late night abductions, and a gypsy curse add to the overall intrigue. The score boasts a very high quota of recognizable music: rousing choruses, lilting gypsy tunes, and familiar crowd-pleasing hits that had audiences shouting “Viva Verdi!” after its premiere.

And a publicity shot…

As with most operas, pretty much everyone ends of dead in the end, but there were some really cute guys in the chorus.

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