Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Opera Night

@brittarnhild

Friday Night was the night for our babysitting, Saturday night was our night off, and we had tickets for the opera. Not Swan Lake (which is a ballet by the way) as you might be led to believe from this picture, lol, but Georges Bizet Carmen. May be to most well known by all operas.

The National Opera and Ballet in Oslo is beautiful, situated down by the Oslo fjord. Terje and I have been to one opera performance here before, years ago, so coming here again was a very special treat for us.

We started with dinner in the opera restaurant, and then walking right into the concert hall and three hours with dramatic music, love and death.

La Traviata

@brittarnhild

I love opera. Simply love it! And when I discovered that La Traviata was to be performed on our last night in Rome, in All Saints Anglican Church, not far from Piazza del Popolo, well, I had to buy two tickets, didn´t I?

La Traviata one of the first operas I saw. The tale based on Alexandre Dumas´The Lady of Camellies. Romance, extravagance, love and of course, in the end, death. Everything you need to make the night complete.

Opera in a church is quite different from opera in an opera house. A handful musicians, the interior of the church part of the setting, close to the conducter, the musicians and the singers.

You don´t get the grand feeling of a huge concert house, but you get something else, you get to be part of the plot.......almost. And Verdi´s music is perfect to feel part of.

 

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My blog world today:

Britt-Arnhilds dagboksblader, where I now finally write out the complete travel tale of our travel. Day one is up.

Britt-Arnhild´s samlede, a new post in my collections blog

Med bøker på menyen, my reading journal

 

A Christmas gift in February

@brittarnhild

He has done it before, and now he did it agaoin - giving me an opera weekend for a Christmas present. I was to decide where and when and which opera, well, actually we decided it together. This weekend in Kristiansund, a small town not far from our cabin. They have an opera festival every year in February, and we bought tickets for The Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet.

Last February we came here to see and listen to The Magic Flute. We were comåpletely amazed then, and were so again this time. A small village, the choir and the orchestra amateurs, only the main roles are sung/danced by professionals. Together they create magic.

I wanted the night to go on and on and on and ona and.........

.......which it did not do of course.

Terje had more up in his sleves though.
After the opera we walked down to the harbours, where a gourmet meal waited.

With local fish as the main course.

 

 

I love unwrapping my Christmas gift in February.

 

A Room With a View

@brittarnhild

Three hours south west of Trondheim, forty minutes and a ferry ride south of our cabin, you find the charming coastal town Kristiansund. In February every year there is an opera festival here, and tonight Terje and I have tickets for Die Zauberflöte, The Magic Flute. When we came to check in at the hotel the man in the reseption smiled and said - I am going to give you a room with a view, and soon The Costal Line will arrive.

So here we are, looking very much forward to a night at the opera and then a late dinner in a fabulous fish restaurant here in Kristiansund, Sjøstjerna, The Starfish.

 

See you after the opera.......some time :-)

Pietro Querini, an opera about stockfish

@brittarnhild

Many hundred years ago, in 1430, the seafarer Pietro Querini and his crew sailed from Venice, a ship filled with goods, men filled with dreams of wealth and fame.

A few months later the ship was wrecked and most of the crew had died. Only a few remaining ones, among them the captain Pietro Querini, stranded on a small island in a cold, dark place, their only opting struggling for life a few days more, and then die.

 

Hell had never felt so close, but Pietro never lost hope and prayed to God for salvation.

For days and weeks which felt like months, like years, the men struggled. Some lost the fight, but one day salvation came. Not far from the little island where they had stranded, there was a community of fishermen, their wives and children, on the islands of Røst, and a dream of a little boy sent a group of men over the the shipwrech island to look for two lost calves. They did not find any calves and could not believe what they found instead.

 

The men were saved and spent a hundred days on Røst before returing to Venice. And with them on the return were sacks and sacks of "gold" from the North, sacks of tørrfisk, or stockfish.

The story about Querini and his men has been told in different ways over the years. Two years ago it was made into an opera and performed at Røst, with my brother Torodd as the conductor. We spent our summer in California that year so it was not an option for us to travel to Røst, but when I heard that the opera would be set up again this summer, we set our plans right there and then. We were to go to Røst!

 

If you do a google search you will realise how far out in the North Atlantic Røst is situated. It is hard to believe that people have lived here for hundreds of years. The livelihood is fishing, the ocean has always been filled with cod. To preserve the fish they dry it. You can read more about it here.

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We reached Røst yesterday, and today was the day for the Querini Opera.

We were among the first ones to arrive, the last ones to leave :-)

We were not allowed to photograph during the performance, but afterwards my camera was busy. Torodd, my brother, the conductor, the man with the broadest smile.

A few professionals, a lot of locals,
together it made for a most wonderful opera!

Now The Querini Opera has been performed at Røst twice.
What about next time in Venice?

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It is not the season to hang the fish now, so alle the wooden racks are empty. They do make for perfect photos though.

Here is a link to the Querini Opera´s website.

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  Britt-Arnhild´s House in the Woods has been on the internet since 2005. The blog is my virual diary and a tribute to life and life´s Creator. I love to hear from my readers, in comments and in emails, and from time to time I am lucky to meet some of you, here, there everywhere.
I also have a few other blogs, you find them in the right hand bar. Welcome over, and welcome back here. 

A Christmas gift in use

@brittarnhild

Terje surprised me completely on Christmas Eve. A weekend in Oslo with tickets to La Boheme.
The weekend has finally come. We came down Friday and will fly back to Trondheim tonight.

From the balcony of our hotel room we can see directly over to The Opera.......

...and from the Opera we see our balcony.

 

Puccini´s La Boheme, an opera of life and death.
In the performence at Den norske Opera og Ballett Mimi died because of cancer. Love, laughter, sorrow, tears.

 

 

We combine the weekend with visiting friends,
dinner with Estrid and Sindre on Friday. You met Estrid and Sindre in Hong Kong, now they are back in Norway. Dinner with Kari and Anders on Saturday.

In Hong Kong we went to a Cantonese Opera with Estrid and Sindre, a strange experience :-)

Sitting in Kari and Anders´kitchen,
talking, while they finish the four course meal.

Kari and I have known each other since we were teenagers.
So much shared.
So many tales to remember.

A Christmas gift
A weekend
Opera
Walks
Museums
Walks
Love
Hand in hand
Friends
Dinners

 

A Christmas gift.
A perfect one!

 

A Night in the Opera. La Fenice

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

Antonella, my dear friend and blog reader, came down to Venezia from the town where she lives (further north in Italy). She booked in at La Fenice Hotel, where I was already staying. We went out for an icecream, and then it was time for our treat for the night:

Lucia di Lammermore at La Fenice Opera House

Ever since I first heard of Fenice and her story of growing out again and again og her own ashes, just like the bird which gave her her name, I've wanted to go there.

Now the opportunity had come. Finally.

What a house.

What an atmosphere.

What music!

For three hours Antonella and I were in heaven.

During the break we were able to walk around in La Fenice, oh-ing and ah-ing, smiling, chatting, filling our minds and hearts with beauty.

 

Afterwards.......a late light dinner.......caprese for me, tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzzarella cheese.

Friendship

Music

Food

Venezia

Warm Night

A Night to Remember

                                                                                                                                                                         I am making my studio desk a table for birthday gifts. Last night I gathered all the gifts I already got back in April, and in the middle of the desk is a small book sending out a flood of memories - the program for the opera La Nozze di Figaro.

Visiting Copenhagen a few weeks ago on business, I wanted a couple of extra pleasure days. My good friend Preben invited me to stay with him, and in an email he asked me what I wanted to do on Saturday night.

"A night in the opera" I wrote back. "Are you serious" Preben replied "I am not actually an opera fan. What about a ballett instead? I know of a few good ones. Or a concert? I love classical music."

But I was sure, my dream was to go to the opera, with or without Preben.

A few days later I got another email from Preben. "I have our tickets. I will be going with you to Figaro. A friend have told me that the music will be good actually, so I have started to look forward to the performence :-). And don't send money for the tickets, this is my birthday present for you!"

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       There is no need to tell that the night was a huge success, is there?

Last week was Prebens birthday. I bought him a double cd and mailed it down to Copenhagen. Which cd you ask? Oh, can't you guess.......

The Year of an Opera Listener - Amahl - and some bragging....

It is several months since I wrote my last "the year of an opera listener". I still prefere opera to any other music. If you ask my family they will say I listen too much, if you ask me I will say that there is never enough of the time and peace needed :-). So life is quite normal I guess.

Tonight has been a wonderful opera night though; Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti was performed in Our Lady's Church here in Trondheim, with the charming, great, very talented young conductor Torodd Wigum <drum roll> Yes, it is my little brother Torodd, born when I was 12, the one who should have been a girl (in my dreams), but as soon as a boy was born I loved him with all my heart.......and I still do.

I am so proud of you Torodd.

.......and this is not enough.......One of the child actors in the opera was my niece Mathilde.

Mathilde, you did a great job!

Amahl and the Night Visitors is a beautiful story about the young crippled boy Amahl and his poor mother. One night the three kings (the Magi) comes to visit. When Amahl hears about the little child they are searching, he wants to give the child a gift. All he has is his crutch, and when he gives it away, he is healed and can walk again.

It is not easy in a dark, huge church to take photos trying not to use a flash. I really did my best though..... (to give Mathilde and her proud aunt a good memory)

I haven't bought any opera cd this month yet. Now I am on my way to amazon to buy this one.

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Starting tomorrow I plan to take you on a week's visit to Venice. Have your suitcase and your travel diary ready.

I am writing an article about Venice (in Norwegian), and will share some of it with you......if you want to come along.

The Year of an Opera Listener - May

I grew up in Blåklokkeveien/The Bluebell Street, and since I was a little girl these bluebells have been my favorite flowers.

Somehow I always think of the "blåklokker" when I listen to Delibes' Bell Song from Lakmé.

Lakmé is not among the most well known operas, but the Bell Song should be known by most music lovers. I was well known with it long before I got familiar with the whole opera.

Lakmé takes place in 19th century India, where the English played an important role. The action takes place in a sacred garden, which of course fascinates me. And we follow the Indian priest Nilakhanta and his daughther Lakmé.....and like in all operas there is alot of love and drama. The Bell Song (also called The Flower Duet) is my favorite, but the whole opera is worth listening to.

You can listen here.