I am pleased to announce that I have begun contributing to the Italian online magazine GBOpera: the first of my reports have been posted, in English and in Italian translation.
My pleasure is nearly as great when I announce that I am not required to write in Italian: the editors translate my work for me. Self-taught in Italian, I can get through the day-to-day routines of ordering food and going to museums; I can manage a cocktail party conversation with somewhat less élan, though it helps immensely a) if I’ve had a glass or two of wine; and b) if the person to whom I am speaking is flirting with me. Just saying. And I can read an opera libretto, so long as there’s a dizionario nearby.
However, my written Italian would be an embarrassment to just about everybody, something on the order of “See Spot Run”:
“Vedi, Joyce canta! Canta, Joyce, canta! Canta canta canta! Joyce canta bene. Fine.”
I love this picture of Joyce beyond my power to describe
— in any language.
Carnegie Hall photos by Steve J. Sherman.©
Really, it’s a gift to all of us that somebody else is putting all this into Italian. But I must say that I sound wonderfully sophisticated and sexy when I read the texts aloud, and you can try it yourself by following these links. (If you’d prefer simply to read the English text, scroll to the end of the review and there’s another link.)
For my review of the Richard Tucker Foundation Gala (Avery Fisher Hall, November 11, 2012), click here.
For my review of Joyce DiDonato’s “Drama Queens” concert with Il Complesso Barocco (Carnegie Hall, November 18, 2012), click here.
And be sure to check GBOpera.it regularly for my latest reports — and all kinds of reviews, interviews, and cool stuff!
My pleasure is nearly as great when I announce that I am not required to write in Italian: the editors translate my work for me. Self-taught in Italian, I can get through the day-to-day routines of ordering food and going to museums; I can manage a cocktail party conversation with somewhat less élan, though it helps immensely a) if I’ve had a glass or two of wine; and b) if the person to whom I am speaking is flirting with me. Just saying. And I can read an opera libretto, so long as there’s a dizionario nearby.
However, my written Italian would be an embarrassment to just about everybody, something on the order of “See Spot Run”:
“Vedi, Joyce canta! Canta, Joyce, canta! Canta canta canta! Joyce canta bene. Fine.”
I love this picture of Joyce beyond my power to describe— in any language.
Carnegie Hall photos by Steve J. Sherman.©
Really, it’s a gift to all of us that somebody else is putting all this into Italian. But I must say that I sound wonderfully sophisticated and sexy when I read the texts aloud, and you can try it yourself by following these links. (If you’d prefer simply to read the English text, scroll to the end of the review and there’s another link.)
For my review of the Richard Tucker Foundation Gala (Avery Fisher Hall, November 11, 2012), click here.
For my review of Joyce DiDonato’s “Drama Queens” concert with Il Complesso Barocco (Carnegie Hall, November 18, 2012), click here.
And be sure to check GBOpera.it regularly for my latest reports — and all kinds of reviews, interviews, and cool stuff!
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