SATYAGRAHA

Converted? I don't know if I'd say that. But I'll say this.

I rarely turn off classical radio just because I can't stand what I'm hearing. In fact, I never do so -- except once. It was years ago, and the piece under transmission was, of course, SATYAGRAHA; specifically, the beginning of Act II (the "ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha"s).

Listening to it yesterday, I found the opening of Act I very beautiful. Not operatic, really; more like a cantata. But beautiful. More demanding as the act went on; but hey, I like Strauss and Berg: I can do "demanding."

When Act II and the "ha ha ha"s came around, I found they sounded very different from how I remembered them when I Scarpia'ed them off my radio all those years ago. From back then, I remember it as a very industrial sound. Yesterday, it was lyrical and tonal. Fault of memory? Difference of interpretation? (A very bad car radio?)

Anyway, yesterday's broadcast was a pleasant surprise.

OK, I'm enjoying THE GAMBLER right now; I didn't blog the broadcasts of BOHEME b/c I didn't feel like listening to it (that's a see opera for me, you know?), nor that of PETER GRIMES b/c I don't yet know it well enough and I had a lot work for my day job.

Anyway, I did go down to the multiplex and March 23 to see TRISTAN. That was only partly that I love TRISTAN, tho' I certainly do. It was also because of the amazing run of incidents that plagued this year's TRISTAN run at the Met: if anyone else upchucked or broke their butt, and I had a chance to see it live, well, I'd feel pretty foolish if I let a sawbuck and a drive to the mall had stand between me and seeing that.

As it happened, the broadcast performance was incident-free, and a fine performance. Full comments to follow.