Meanderings

Once again I’ve been on a social and professional whirlwind. About two weeks ago I saw my last opera of the season, there will be one more, Othello that I will not be seeing. I did however see Pelleas & Melisande by Debussy which is an opera you either love or hate. I realize those are pretty strong words but the libretto was based on a mysterious play and its stark tone, leaves you wondering. It’s devoid of conventional operatic forms. Gone are the arias, the chorus, and the soliloquy. And why the dark restrictive sets you wonder. The truth is Debussy set it up that way. A break from the past, he wanted simplicity and for the focus to be on the music. When it premiered in 1893 it was considered original and initially Parisians rebuked the opera but soon stimulated a new direction in stage design and theatre performance.

Here’s the plot: Golaud the grandson of a King finds the much younger Mélisande by a stream in the woods. They marry, and she instantly wins the favor of Arkël, Golaud's grandfather and king of Allemonde, who is ill. She begins to be drawn to Pelléas, Golaud's half-brother. They meet by the fountain, where Mélisande loses her wedding ring. Golaud grows suspicious of their relationship, and has his young son Yniold from his first marriage spy on them, and discovers them caressing, whereupon he kills Pelléas and wounds Mélisande. She later dies after giving birth to a girl.

Afterwards a jaunt to Perch restaurant with a rooftop view overlooking the metropolis. https://www.perchla.com/gallery

A few days later dining at an Indian restaurant in DTLA, I found out about the venues I enjoyed that had either temporarily or permanently closed. In the autumn of 2019, I was at the Edison DTLA. Like so many places they couldn’t stay afloat during the Pandemic. Not only was it the site of a revolutionary power plant but it was fun and a fabulous place. See the photos here: https://theneverlands.com/edison/

Last Friday I was invited to No Vacancy, https://novacancyla.com/ another historic building, built in 1902, once a speakeasy with its forbidden entrance. I laughed and wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I saw a narrow hallway and a sparsely clothed lady guiding patrons to the bar and explaining the rules of the house. What was more exciting is when she pushed a button and the bed that she was lounging on slid across the room and a stairwell appeared leading to a cavern. I also laughed when I saw a young man on the dance floor staring at his phone stopping intermittently to pause and text while he danced. Needless to say, his dancing skills suffered. I highly recommend No Vacancy.

And finally, last Sunday was the Los Angeles Festival of Books.

So that’s it, folks. No television watching but I’m currently enthralled in two good novels. More on that later…

This song is random, over-the-top dramatic which my style isn’t, and even though I’ve never thought highly of Miley Cyrus I like it and agree all women should buy themselves flowers.