Song of Achilles and Song of Bellini's Romeo & Juliet

BRANDO (sort of, okay, Opera-Brando):

Mercury News writer, Richard Scheinin, says, “Run as quickly as you can to War Memorial Opera House. That's where mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and soprano Nicole Cabell will astonish you as Romeo and Juliet in "The Capulets and the Montagues" by Vincenzo Bellini.” 

What more is there to say?  I attended the matinee production last Sunday and I can vouch that the vocals are flat-out spectacular, as is the acting.  Oh, and by the way, the stunning, steam-punk style costumes are by Christian Lacroix.  I loved the trousers and matching vests, and dark leather jackets.  DiDonato’s mezzo-soprano, androgynous, swagger in the "trouser role" of Romeo was dominating, smile inducing and believable. Her diction, intelligence and powerhouse voice were exquisite.   

In the role of Giulietta, lyric-soprano Cabell’s shame and passion was evident in her body language.  I could feel all of the torment in the simple gesture of her bent head, and her face veiled by her long dark curls.  And then, she would lift her head and belt out this effortless creamy bel canto.  And that camisole!  It was like a meringue, a puff of elegance and innocence.  I want to go again.  Brava, San Francisco Opera.  You guys rock!  Here is a link to the costumes and another review by Opera Warhorses: 

http://www.operawarhorses.com/2012/09/30/joyce-di-donato-nicole-cabell-sing-beautifully-in-bellinis-bel-canto-capulets-and-montagues-september-29-2012/

BOOKS:  THE SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller

I still remember my beloved, elementary school, workbooks.  I wish that I could remember who published them.  They were classics-themed, about the Titans and demi-gods, Prometheus, swift-footed Achilles, Aphrodite, Hera, Heracles, Athena and Zeus.  My teacher could not understand why I read ahead of our exercises while everyone else groaned at the new lessons.  But, I longed to delve further into that feeling, I wanted to find out what happened next, who was seeking vengeance, ransoming a captive, influencing a war, gambling with another’s life, or making a sacrifice to appease one of the gods.  In retrospect, this was the other piece to the puzzle of my father’s oral tradition that involved war and myth, the Greek Classics is also where I first fell in love with heroes and myth.  Not since reading Homer’s Iliad in high school have I touched that magic again, until now, with Miller’s book.  

Miller’s tense, exciting, inventive, powerful, and captivating adaptation of Homer’s Iliad centers on Achilles and Patroclus’ story, and took me back to that same exhilarating time, when to read about the gods, was to step into a thrilling, dangerous world.  The novel centers on the relationship between the two young boys, and builds to encompass the idea of soul mates, prophecies, fate, cataclysmic choices, promises, ambition and the cold savagery of the Trojan War.  I mean, who doesn’t long for that?  Her narrative is exactly as Time describes, “wildly romantic”.  It is the winner of the 2012 Orange Prize.  USA Today calls it, “Fast, true, and incredibly rewarding…A remarkable achievement.”  It is the best book I’ve read all year.  I devoured it in three days.  http://www.madelinemiller.com/