#changing my categorisation tags currently so. bear with me

[un77404]

hey so look what my brain cooked up

[beckmessering]

1-14 on the opera asks!

ahhhh you absolute trickster, i love you...

(tagging @sweatershowgirl @coloraturadiva and @vera-dauriac because you also asked questions. answers are below because...um, i like to talk.)

1. favourite performance you ever attended

met parsifal, the revival in 2018. or the current bayreuth meistersinger.

2. a performance you would’ve wanted to attend (present or past)

one of the historic bayreuth rings, chereau or kupfer. for the visuals alone, maybe kupfer.

3. a piece perfect for your commute

baroque music without drastic volume changes works really well, so either soprano handel arias or the opening chorus to st. matthew passion, which is also the length of my walk to the station.

4. do you have a go-to opera (and version)?

currently a 2017 live recording of st. matthew passion on youtube. 

5. an opera you loved only on the second listening

people i regularly talk to about operas probably know this story, but i’ll gladly expand. i saw die walküre shortly after one of the worst days of my life, and i was mentally really out of it. i couldn’t remember anything about the music or understand any of the characters. it just felt overdramatic and too long and distant. in lockdown in march i started streaming a ring and thought “ugh, i’ll just have to watch walküre to get to siegfried, but it has some singers i like so maybe it won’t be that boring”. and boom, i watched it at my grandpas’ kitchen table and was blown away.

5. a composer you have tried and failed to like

mozart. sorry. i tried and failed. me and wolfgang amadeus do not emotionally vibe with each other. i would’ve been in a uni production of zauberflöte though, so maybe it’s more fun to perform than to listen on my own time. 

6. a character you love and definitely never want to meet in real life

wotan. lord, he’s good at fucking with people’s lives. or scarpia. i’m not tosca, so i’m too scared for murder. 

7. following up on that: your guilty problematic favourite character

alberich, in a way. problematic, but probably he’s cleverer with more emotional nuance than he’s sometimes allowed. 

8. forget anatomy/physiology. which voice category/fach would you choose?

in case it’s not very obvious, a baritone please. or if i stay a soprano, a dramatic soprano.

9. a casting/singer’s voice you’ll defend to the death. (now tell us why)

okay, rant time. 

evelyn herlitzius as brünnhilde is absolutely smashing. no, her voice really isn’t beautiful. some people say it sounds screechy, but i think it’s extremely metallic and definitely an acquired taste. her sound limits the amount of fitting roles, but there are some she absolutely kills because she radiates intensity. her kundry is unhinged and very human, and she’s one of the rare brünnhildes who convincingly portray youth. she’s impulsive, fidgety, tomboyish, clearly her father’s favourite and attached to his hip without realising how sinister this is. she also has absolutely zero understanding of what mortality means to humans and her father’s rotten scheming dawns on her only slowly when she meets siegmund. she visibly grows from this teenage girl persona with too much childish bravado and stands up to her father in the end, but she still loves him more than is good for her (same goes for him) and together, they play loosing each other too well. 

she’s also a very intense physical actress. she carries herself different for every character, and even when she’s silent, she never slips up, and she has great in-character stare-offs with other characters. i live for those. 

10. and a production you’ll defend to the death

“hngffgf the bayreuth meistersinger are too regie and we can stop talking about wagner’s antisemitism now-” BLAH BLAH CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF SACHS AND BECKMESSER FINALLY BEING COMPLEX CHARACTERS AND HAVING AN ACTUAL RELATIONSHIP (and beckmesser finally being in the focus of the production)

11. something you’re a rigid traditionalist (or revolutionary) about?

can the grail in parsifal just please be an actual grail? not like, a symbolic brain or what (looking at you, vienna state opera). and i agree with @dichterfuerstin in that the ultra-strict definition of vocal categories is annoying and prevents some great variety in character interpretations.

12. an opera that made you have an ~*awakening*~ of sorts (any sort)

i thought there was great acting in act one of chereau’s walküre. then i read peter hofmann’s obituary and realised that other people categorised what i saw as “just great acting” as “sexual electricity” and then i wondered if i’m either really fucking oblivious to sexual tension in straight couples or if i should overthink if i am straight. 

13. an opera/music debate do you know so much about that people will suspiciously ask “why...do you know this?”

i know a suspicious amount of things about boys’ unbroken voices. bear with me. originally it was a research topic for a piece of writing, and then i realised i liked the sound of it. now i can vocally distinguish a rather large amount of choirs and boy soloists by sound, name, recording, repertoire, and year, and i have opinions about boys’ vocal technique. 

14. rant about a topic/an opera you love but haven’t found a good time to do so on your blog.

building on the last question, some baroque music purists on youtube are really annoying. either they ridicule female sopranos for having natural vibrato because “bAcH oNlY wRoTe fOr bOyS!!!” or they relentlessly attack 13 or 14 year olds for having tiny flaws in their otherwise very advanced vocal technique. i love hearing passions and cantatas performed by young voices, but only if it’s up to a good qualitative standard. if not, female sopranos/altos are wonderful and brilliant and don’t have to prove their quality, no question! just choose the singers that will give it the best quality and unique sound, it’s that easy. 

[indigocloudofnarcolepsy]

I got tagged by @tough-girl9 to list my top 7 comfort films which turned into a top 8

I'm more of a comfort song type, so that was a tough (girl) one

1.: Treasure Planet

I adore this movie! I loved it when I was smaller and I love it now. The only reason I didn't watch it to death was the fact that I lost the DVD. It's gorgeous and although the main premise is space pirates thanks to the focus on the characters it feels grounded and easier to relate to or to feel simpathy towards them. Besides Jim Hawkins being a childhood crush I could always relate to him. The feeling of being lost, aimless and the words

"- I can't watch you throw away your future like that!

- What future?"

always spoke to me. It's not an edge and teen angst fest tho, John Silver and his speech is both in character and always chokes me up and gives me hope that there are pathes that could lead to the future I want and that I wasn't abled to see.

It's the perfect movie for those who feel lost or confused and want to sail to far away planets from their current situation, those who want to be understood and given hope to.

(I could gush about the art and animation and characters for hours, but this is not the time)

Amazing background music and the songs fit well with the steampunk-ish style of the movie

2.: Ratatouille

A family classic. We even have the ps2 game and it's one of those rarities which my family could watch anytime. Besides being beautiful and having a 10/10 aesthetic (and a huge dose of food p0®π) it's a grounded movie.

The premise is as feaver dream-y and goofy as it gets. A rat learns english (or french? The movie takes place in Paris but it's either confusing or I'm just a dum dum) and thanks to an imaginary friend version of his chef idol ends up in his restaurant and makes a deal with the garbage boy of whom the chef thinks can cook and reluctantly agrees give him another chance to make the soup that was actually made by (fixed by) the rat aka Remy. So the boy Linguini and Remy has to team up where it seems like Linguini is making the soup but he is actually in Remy's control.

But the movie is actually about being an artist and coming from an unexpected place and being surrounded by people who don't support you or believe in you even if they were just trying to protect you or think that it's the best for you.

Fellow artists could definetly appreciate the movie. Whether you croche, draw, animate, sculpt, dance, act or do any kind of art I would absolutely recommend.

Le Festin is great and is on loop during dinner

Warning: get food ready because you WILL get hungry. Even if it's just bread this movie will make it taste like garlic bread just you wait

3.: Strange Magic

It's one of the controversial ones. Not everyone likes it and a lot hate it but that's okay.

It's one of those films where either you praise it to death or wonder which deeper layer of hell did it crawled out of. There is no in between. I'm one from the first category. Even my IT teacher called it a classic and I roped most of my friend group into the SM cult.

It has a certain tumblr aesthetic and feels like a fanficrion the best way possible. One of those where altho something unsuspected happens it's written well, the characters are in character it's finished and the grammar is proper as well.

It's a jukebox musical which is one of my fauvorite kind of musical, the covers are amazing and damn they can change up the originals songs aesthetic to it's opposite so damn well (Trouble - Elvis Presley)

It centers around love and I ain't no shipper nor romantic but even I was gushing over the main couple which is spoiler alert so that's all you get

I absolutely adore how the characters express themselves with their wings and body! I'm all about feelings and expressions!

So try it out and even if you don't like it you're allowed to stop. And if you like it: welcome to the fandom in this house we respect Marianne, the Bog King is a snack and must protect Dawn at all cost!

(this is a pick me up movie for me the other two more of a shoulder to cry on)

Speaking of crying

4.: The Little Prince

Not gonna lie I was extremely suspicious of this movie. I immediately categorised it as a cheap cash grab which only use sonething known and beloved because it's known and beloved so people will buy.

I expected the Emoji Movie, I got the LEGO Movie.

This movie. Hoo boy, this movie. You know, it's nothing, I only cried 4 times after all!

It's so respectful towards the material it's given. So heartfelt and creative and artistic! It's the Little Prince sequel that fits well in modern times.

In this film the Little Prince is a story that an old man tells his new young girl of a neighbour. Both of them needed a friend and it's one of those unexpected duos where the girl is forced to be mature way too early and the man is way too childish so they balance each other out and the man gives the girl (I can't remember their names god damn it) the breath of fresh air she needed.

This movie is so damn cute! I mentioned a shoulder to cry on movies and pick me up movies, this one is both! It's a bittersweet dream!

You are going to cry. So get ready.

5.: Hunchback of Notre Dame

Oh man oh God oh man oh God oh man

I'm obsessed with this movie (and musical)

It's dark and mature and definetly a-shoulder-to-cry-on movie. I love and relate to Quasimodo. Altho I'm not deformed I was always the weird girl everyone picked on and hated and I still can't understand why. I think I'm a perfectly normal person but when my mom calls me a freak/eccentric behind my back and my aunt gives me a gift with the words "since you looked nothing like the other girls on your prom..." I... I'm just more confused honestly. I'm always so damn tired and basically a hermit so thanks to that Out There hit way too close to home.

Esmeralda is a 10/10 role modell. She is a beautiful soul inside and outside. And she's romani. Which is the most hated minority in my country.

The movie deals with lust, abusive and manipulative parents, racism, religion, "ugly"ness, lonelyness. These might sound repelling but to see something similar happen to you/a character looking/being/sounding like you is worth more than life, honestly. Unless you can live through this kinship with a character, you have no idea how needed this is.

(I cried so hard watching The Grinch (2018) since I used to have Panic disorder and I'm an anxious person to see him being scared the way I do and to fiddle with his fingers and think like I do was the most comforting thing I felt in my life)

This movie is so damn gorgeous. I know I said that to almost every movie in this list but this is a biblical epic gorgeous. And of course, Hellfire is THE best Diney villain song FIGHT ME I'M RIGHT

The musical is even darker and more serious but damn it's worth a watch. It's on youtube.

6. Brother Bear

This movie is *drumroll* gorgeous. Each movie on this list is gorgeous in different ways. This is nature-gorgeous.

Pick me up movie, definetly. It's mostly adorable but they tap into some meaningful things and there are tragedies happening, my dude!

Like Hunchback of Notre Dame the main subject is "who is the monster and who is the man?". This movie shows some perspective, I tell you!

7.: Coco

I know the hungarian translation by heart

It's very family oriented, so if you don't have any or have a bad realtionship with it, this movie will give you a heartache

This movie takes place in Mexico and explores parts of mexican culture.

I adore and am interested in different cultures, folklore, tradition and religion so I was head over heels really quick with this movie!

Gorgeous imagery and music. Heartfelt, that last Remember Me WILL get you

8.: The Croods

Y'ALL

I know, it looks like a movie that made only for kids. But dude! It's about family, change and how people deal with it. It takes place in an alternative world, where animals we know are mixed together (MOUSELEFANT!! CROCO DOGGO!!) the most adorable way possible and it takes place in prehistoric times.

Oh god, this movie is full of feelings and gorgeous imagery! Pick me up, definetly! Of course, it's full of jokes but they are so witty to me!

Sorry, I got impatient by the end of it

I would tag people if I would know anyone well in this site. The 2 people I want to tag: is already tagged me and the other one is probably too busy