Sunday Countdown

1. Cheap. Looks like only Sieglinde and her sister Brigitta are no-shows. JSU and at least one of the Wellsung boys were there to witness what appears to be a buzz-worthy Netrebko/Villazon apparition.
2. I heart NY, or I left my heart in SF? The SFist, wallowing in their "proverbial provincial San Francisco insecurities with all things New York," attempts to correlate musical philosphy (and other things) with geography. All Sieglinde will say about it is that New York is too New York to be pigeonholed, defined, classified, understood. That's the only cliché about New York Sieglinde's willing to accept. (And P.S., that wasn't Racette "drowning"; 'twas a body double. Even Mattila can't do that.)
3. Music for the depths of your soul. This is the hottest stocking "stuffer" of the season.
4. You've got mail. [Private to Gmail users: does it disturb you too every time the message "The conversation has been archived" appears? ]
5. Diva worship, anyone? If Sieglinde only had some Yvonne Kennys in her ginormous record collection, she'd probably begin to understand what Sarah's been oh so Yvonned about in recent uhm decades. (Oh wait, there's one record ... oh, another ... and another one ...)
6. It shall be broadcast on PBS. The Emperor Volpe Farewell Gala in May. Conductors include: James Levine, Valery Gergiev, and James Conlon; singers scheduled to grace the stage: Ildar Abdrazakov, Stephanie Blythe, Olga Borodina, Dwayne Croft, Natalie Dessay, Placido Domingo, Renee Fleming, Juan Diego Florez, Mirella Freni, Marcello Giordani, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, Ben Heppner, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Salvatore Licitra, Karita Mattila, Waltraud Meier, James Morris, Rene Pape, Luciano Pavarotti, Samuel Ramey, Ruth Ann Swenson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Bryn Terfel, Ramon Vargas, Deborah Voigt, Frederica Von Stade, and Dolora Zajick. (We're told Kathleen Battle will be singing by the plaza fountain after the show, to serenade exiting patrons with the ebullient 'Let the bright Seraphim.' and P.S. Where are the Gheorghius? Intrigue ...)
7. Who is this new Boy Wonder? Dude, a real downer to find that someone younger than you's opening La Scala seasons and such. I didn't mind younger baseball players (*slurp*), but major league conductors? No. Who's been stealing my Xanax?
8. Just came back from another helping of An American Tragedy: it's so easy on the ear, I'm humming Roberta's letter aria on the N train. But the real tragedy was by the Met stage door: thre freakiest Sieglinde's seen. She got pictures to prove.