2010

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2009 was a beautiful year for me. I travelled a lot, I attended performaces that I've dreamed about for years and I met a lot of great people involved in music as deep as I am. I won't put names here because I'm afraid I'll forget somebody. But I thank each of you for travelling with me and waiting with me at the backstage, for helping me buying the tickets, for listening to me talking for hours about opera and concerts. We'll travel again and meet again next year. It's a promise!
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Somebody asked me what my favorite cultural event was this year. Looking back I think it's hard to choose. But yes, I have my favorites. Not that the others (and the list, with pictures and comments is here) were not impressive or touching. With just 2 or 3 exceptions (due to cast change), all of them deserved the effort of geting there. I'm not boasting about anything. It's something I wanted to do years ago but only now everything started to have also a financial support and I figured out how to managed to see a lot without spending a fortune. To see Angela was (and will be) the main goal. But there were so many others. So...
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Opera
*Tosca at ROH - for so many reasons. I wanted to see Angela so much that I jumped in a plane and went to London almost overnight. I would do it again tomorrow. That evening is still with me even if it happened six months ago.
*Il Barbiere di Siviglia at ROH - for JDF, for Joyce, for the beautiful singing and dedication to music. Joyce performed in a wheelchair refusing to say no to this challenge
*Traviata in Vienna (with Anna Netrebko and Joseph Calleja) and Manon in Paris (with Rolando Villazon and Susan Graham). My wish was to see Anna and Rolando together. But it wasn't possible. And who knows when it happens again. I still hope.
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Recital
*Cecilia Bartoli in Barcelona. The one and only Bartolissima!
*Anna Caterina Antonacci at Wigmore Hall
*Jonas Kaufmann in Munich
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Symphonic
*Concertgebouw conducted by Mariss Jansons. Their music seemed unreal, from another world. I simply forgot about anything else while listening.
*Berliner Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle. More than 20000 people spent 3 hours in the rain for listening to them. This is what perfection means.
*Staatskapelle Berlin conducted by Daniel Barenboim
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Chamber music
*Lausanne Chamber Orchestra conducted by Christian Zacharias. Three nights in a row. Amazing!
*Belcea Quartet. Great opportunity to listen to them three times this year
*Wiener Kammerorchestre conducted by Heinrich Schiff
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I have a good plan for 2010 regarding opera and concerts and I intend to put it in practice. I wish you all the same.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAVE A MARVELOUS 2010!
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