Vancouver Opera Performs Verdi’s Rigoletto
March 7 • 10 • 12 • 14 • 17, 2009

All performances 7:30 pm
In Italian with English translations projected above the stage

The performance will last approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission.

Conducted by Leslie Dala
Directed by Glynis Leyshon

Buy Tickets

Act 1

At a riotous gathering, the Duke of Mantua boasts to his guests about his talent with women and especially his excitement over his latest amorous adventure. For the past three months he has been secretly pursuing a young woman he first saw in church.

Seeing the Count and Countess Ceprano, the Duke boldly seduces the Countess while his hunchbacked jester Rigoletto mocks her enraged but helpless husband. The courtier Marullo bursts into the gathering to share the latest gossip: Rigoletto has a mistress! The other courtiers, who all hate Rigoletto, discuss the news while Rigoletto continues to taunt an enraged Ceprano.

The debauchery of the evening is interrupted by the sudden appearance of the honourable Count Monterone, who denounces the Duke for seducing his daughter. Rigoletto delights in ridiculing Monterone as the Duke has him arrested. Turning on the jester, Monterone curses him, leaving him terrified.

Later that night, on the way home, Rigoletto runs into Sparafucile, an assassin. Sparafucile offers his services should Rigoletto ever need them and continues on his way. Forlornly, Rigoletto reflects on the parallels between Sparafucile and himself: one kills with his sword, the other uses his sharp tongue as his weapon.

His mood is lifted as he reaches his home and greets his beloved daughter, Gilda, a convent-raised young girl whom he tries to shield from the ugliness and danger of the outside world. Gilda asks for stories about her long-dead mother and Rigoletto describes her as an angel. He adds that Gilda is all he has left, so he fears for her safety. Gilda reassures him that, while she aches for more freedom, she ventures out only to go to church.

Hearing someone in the courtyard below, Rigoletto warns Gilda’s nurse, Giovanna, not to let anyone enter. As he leaves to investigate the noise, the Duke slips in and bribes Giovanna to leave him alone with Gilda. The Duke, disguised as a poor student, declares his love for Gilda, who has also noticed him at church. Giovanna comes in, warning of footsteps outside. The Duke leaves and an entranced Gilda relives the beauty of their romantic encounter.

Outside, the courtiers have gathered in the street intending to abduct Gilda, whom they believe to be Rigoletto’s mistress. Rigoletto appears, interrupting their plans, so they tell him they are going to abduct Count Ceprano’s wife, who lives nearby. Rigoletto agrees to help and is duped into wearing a blindfold and unknowingly helps them with the abduction of his own daughter. Laughing, the courtiers break into the house and carry Gilda away. Realizing he has been tricked, Rigoletto removes the blindfold and rushes into the house. He discovers Gilda is gone and collapses as he remembers Monterone’s curse.

My fellow blogger/tweeter at the Vancouver Opera tonight is Tris who’s sweetie is soprano Sheila Christie. Sheila is performing in Verdi’s Rigoletto.

Tris says:
Quote:
Tomorrow night I’ll be joining my fellow bloggers for Verdi’s Rigoletto which is done in a new way with a punk-goth-mediaeval feel to it. In fact Sheila had some pink and purple highlight in her hair at the start of rehearsals (which could have been problematic) and they asked her to punch them up a notch for the performance! How rockin’ is that!?!

I’m excited!

Vancouver Opera is sending 4 bloggers to Blogger Night at Rigoletto. My 3 opera-blogging companions are Tris Hussey, Tanya of NetChick, Kimli of Delicious Juice, and Miss604 herself, Rebecca.

Our great opera-blogging evening is happening on opening night, which means fancy fashion, high heels, sparkles along with falsies and falsettos. Vancouver Opera posts their fashion favs in their Fashion at the Opera facebook album.

Want to See Rigoletto? Queen Elizabeth Theatre @ 7:30 pm on the following dates:
Saturday March 7th
Tuesday March 10th
Thursday March 12th
Saturday March 14th
Tuesday March 17th.

Buy tickets from the Vancouver Opera.

Did I mention we get a backstage tour and will be live blogging before the show? Stop by at our table. I’ll let you know the wifi password.

I missed blogging Carmen because I was out of town in San Francisco. Apparently Carmen had actual smoking onstage, but there will be none of that for Rigoletto. I bet Verdi smoked.

Regardless, there will be nudity and suggestive scenes, and, according to publicist Selina, “a cage, and a girl who dies in a sack.”

What the hell is Rigoletto about?

Quote: Rigoletto is a misshapen jester whose barbs enrage the courtiers and induce an ominous curse. Gilda is his adored daughter who becomes the innocent victim of their revenge. Seduced by the philandering Duke, Gilda sacrifices her life to save his. Rigoletto is left broken and alone.

Oh, and did I mention the Manga version.

And did I mention the cool Vancouver Opera blog at http://vancouveropera.blogspot.com/

Christina Aguilera’s new perfume Inspire was a big hit in Tel-Aviv thanks to a great marketing stunt.

Mizbala of Tel-Aviv placed tens of thousands of quality clothes hangers, with a perfume sample and a branded Christina Aguilera label in public locations all over the country. (Via AdPulp c/o James @ AdHack)

The campaign is called “Sometimes It’s All You Need to Wear.”

The perfume sold out in 1 week.

Perfumer Notes

Inspire is a beautiful white floral, with a lightness of touch, twisted with colourful fruit notes. This is a fragrance that’s classic and enduring; sweetly feminine and sexy, with a vibrant freesia top note and a heart of beautiful Tuberose flower, one of Christina’s favourite ingredients.

Top: Mango, Hydroponic Freesia, Citrus Complex
Heart: Tuberose, Rose, Frangipani
Base: Valencia Orange, Musk, Sandalwood

Apparently the bangers and mash really hit the fan in Christopher Moore’s new novel Fool.

Published by Harper Canada

Travis introduced me to Christopher Moore a while ago. I read his copy of Fluke. If I had more than 2 minutes to myself in the next month, I’d be getting my hands on a copy.

Aside from that I’m reading Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (distributed by Raincoast Books).

It’s down to the final 3 contestants in the “Show Us Your Balls” campaign.

And now we dance! Script by Ren

No Good Deed. Script by Jordan Behan

Beer Balls. Script by Ryan Kurr
Vote for the script that you think should win.

And watch the Balls Music Video. Oh it’s on baby.

“It Stinks Like Sex in Here” is not the subject line of an email that I was eager to open. Funny enough, it was a forward of an article on Heartbreaker by Jenna Jameson. Yes, sex pots now get into the perfume game. The perfume industry can generate more money for celebrities than the movie industry, apparently more than the porn movie industry too.

Heartbreaker, eau de parfum spray 100ML/3.4OZ, item#1207, $50.00

Quote: Heartbreaker is young and sexy, with an attitude! The top note, is a fresh splash of sparkling raspberry Champaign garnished with lovely rose petals. After a taste of champagne, the middle note or the heart of the fragrance, takes us into the night of blooming jasmine and magnolia flowers, to keep the mood casual but seductive. The base note, surprises us with the infusion of sophisticated sandalwood and tonka bean wrapped in an intoxicating morning of amber.

(Source: Mediabistro.com “It Stinks Like Sex in Here” via James)

Oh and there’s a poster. *eye roll*

Tiny Art Director is one of those projects that gets me giggling like a school girl. Tiny Art Director is an illustrator in collaboration with his 4-year-old daughter, who he claims is actually a sweet kid but by the look on her face has a lot of spunk with which her first teacher is going to have to contend.

I love that this is a blog and a book project.

Quote:
Help support the Tiny Art Director’s college fund (She’ll be going to RISD in 2023), and get a great present for the beleaguered parent on your list – or anyone else who loves a three year old.

52 pages 7.5″ x7.5″ full color printed by lulu.com. $19.75+shipping from Lulu.com by clicking here

The creative briefs on the site and the critiques of each illustration are close to real, adult conversations I’ve been a part of doing web design. I also appreciate this whole parent-daughter process because my mom used to draw me colouring books as a kid. “Mom, draw me a giraffe. No not like that!” I have to say the follow-up conversation on her side was less congenial. “Do it yourself then.”

http://tinyartdirector.blogspot.com/

Brett Macfarlane talks about brands behaving badly. Excess content. The lack of meaning.

What is the Coke side of life?

Isn’t brand more than colour and logo? Do brands really care?

Where are the guys saying: Let’s not suck. Let’s be good.

Your brand does not equal your identity (name, logo, colour scheme). What a brand really stands for is a bundle of meaning. And it’s a bundle that is completely out of your hands. It’s in the hands of the people.

Brett says the king of brands is Nike.

Building Brand

1. Who’s really interested in what you’re trying to do? Who is the actual audience?
Ok, so now you have a demographic.

2. Now what do you stand for? What’s the tangible value and meaning here?
You might not have anything meaningful behind you. “If you stand for something, you’ll have some people for you and some people against you. If you stand for nothing, you have neither people for you or against you.” Indeed.

3. What makes you you? What’s your point of difference?

4. A lot comes through in your tone of voice?
Should we be optimistic? How optimistic? Hmm, what does that mean. The fluff, the fabrication are done. Tell your story well. Then we’ll gravitate towards you.

(Monocle magazine: Check it out.)

5. Storytelling.
There’s a shortage of good stories told well. People want to believe in something, support something.

ACTION

Blogs that Brett likes as brands.

Russell Davies
Miss604
TechCrunch
Adbusters (They are influential to ad agencies, agencies have these kicking around. The art direction is great. They do not waiver.)
Innocent (Juice company with a bigger purpose: healthy shouldn’t be hard. Great, open tone of voice.)
Nike Running blog

These examples all follow this:
Know your audience. Stand for something. Authenticity. Speak like a human being. Try not to suck.

Hey Brett, what’s your brand?
“Ah that sucks …
“Being informed and independent. Think what you really think. Personally that frankness is in deficit. I like risks. I like be open, honest and frank.”

Els Kushner is Librarian Mom
Started blogging in 2004 because she was a writer who wasn’t writing.

Lynna Goldar-Smith 101 Nights (art blogger, wrote for Sesame Street)
Started to blog as a challenge to herself. She was going to blog only 101 nights.

Anthony Nicalo Farmstead Wines
Why blog? Because there are skilled, artisan farmers making love to the land (in the best sense of that) and Anthony started the blog as a way to bring people closer to this process.

Rahel Anne Bailie (moderator)

31 Days to Better Blogging