Better? worse? To me, it "breathes".... Leon Dominguez, aka Sieglinde, has been on a tear lately, with raging posts on opera etiquette or lack thereof.... Jason Kottke, master of the coolest links, has bravely quit his day job and is soliciting funds for his blog. Support him if you can.... Please note a new link under "Links & News" to the right — Opus 1 Classical, a UK-based site that lists forthcoming musical events in cities around the world. It's incredibly helpful.... I was going to work up a post on the Gotham Chamber Opera's Ariadne in Crete, but Charles "Boss" Michener says in the New York Observer all that need be said. "Communist Albania" indeed. Good singers, though; Caroline Worra might be a new soprano powerhouse.... Lynn Sislo of Reflections in D Minor passionately defends Classical Etiquette. I don't agree, but I like her style, which, paradoxically, flies in the face of Classical Etiquette.... Endtroducing Pack! I first encountered Patrick Bringley on the Dylan message boards when I was researching my piece on the Maestro. Obviously the world's youngest, smartest Dylan fan, he gave me the precious quote, "Do you have to be from Elizabethan England to appreciate Shakespeare?" He worked two summers ago as my research assistant, looking up crazy articles on Uruguayan twelve-tone music and making uncomfortably sharp comments on my book. Now he's making his career as a poet, and he has a totally unique voice.... For NYC'ers, an extra plug for the NOW Ensemble show at Tenri Cultural Institute on Saturday night. It hasn't been very widely listed, and it should be good. Say "The Rest Is Noise" at the door, and you will get a weird look.
