Roll Call

NICK IN LOVE: "I am inclined to think that she might know about the lighter, headier tones of Love itself and stir those into her brew, instead of being outright witchy. One gets the sense that, with Fleming, Armida is levitating by way of her own vocal magic." [SIEGLINDE: Love the new look and feel of trrill, btw!]

VILAINE FILLE ON VOCAL GEOGRAPHY: "Frittoli's growing flutter is troublesome in this music. But it's a flutter through periwinkle silk, shaded with gunmetal grey and shimmering with peachy-gold and pearls. (Though Frittoli is from Milano, her timbre makes me *see* Venezia.)" [SIEGLINDE: This is how you write about voice.]

A & J ON RENAMING FAMILY CIRCLE: "J: Po' People Pavillion?; A: 'Single Guys and Cheap Tourists'; J: seriously tho who can we talk to about this?; J: I think 'Upper Balcony' would be lovely; J: 'Rear Balcony'; J: 'The Sky' " [SIEGLINDE: How about "Celestia" or "Inferno, 7th Circle, Inner Ring" or simply "Blog Level".]

STEVE SMITH ON LHL NYT RUMORS: "[T]o what end should speculation be allowed to virtually substantiate rumor? What role should an individual's right to privacy play in determining whether a story like this one should be reported to a broad public -- many of whom will most likely accept what the article suggests as truth, simply based on where it appeared? And why, lacking hard facts, should this particular story be spun this particular way in print, when in the case of any number of other famous artists -- one cult-favorite pianist in particular -- constant cancellation has been spun as jitters, even caprice?" [SIEGLINDE: Uses OONY Guillaume Tell money for soon-to-be-sold-out BSO/LHL concert at Carnegie Hall instead. Wooops, is Sieglinde really missing the Tell and the boy? She needs a sugar daddy.]

M.C- ON SOPORIFIC SF NORMA: "Anyway, we had Catherine Nagelstad as Norma, Irina Mishura as Adalgisa, and Zoran Todorovich as Pollione. They were all fine, I suppose. If you judge them as Nick does, sing or suck, yea or nay, I would have to say they sucked." [SIEGLINDE: Renée to the rescue! In a titillating coincidence, Met Norma is back on Brad's futures list for 2007-08. Long shot, but so what.]

OT: WONKETTE ON BUSHIT: "In a Veteran's Day speech today, Bush came out with the administration's official policy on criticizing the war in Iraq: 'While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began.' Because, he continued, 'That's our job.' " [SIEGLINDE: If you're not reading Wonkette, I don't want to know you.]