A Masked Ball

Last night Mary Beth and I went to Brooks to see Un Ballo in Maschera, which was a partnership with Opera Memphis. It's sort of based on this Verdi opera (as the guy explained in the beginning) but it's sort of an opera without sound. There is SOUND (footsteps and gasps and stuff) but pointedly no music (you see a guy playing a lyre right in front of the camera at one point but it's silent even though other things in the room make sound) and there's dancing to nothing and people don't talk. Okay, lots of fanciful costumes (in the style of the 18th century or whatever century but with very modern and elaborate patterns). And then there's a section that repeats twice and the end is the beginning going backwards. The director is Yinka Shonibare and they've got an exhibit of his, photographs of street musicians and it makes sense 'cuz it's very costume and design pattern focused. And there's even a movie where each musician is in a different frame "watching" another musician play. It was a short film, only about thirty minutes and it was good. Afterwards there was a performance in the lobby. It's their 30 days of opera thingie, so it's one of those three performances. They did three pieces by Verdi (though nothing from the one the film was based on as it's relatively obscure for him and there weren't any musicians that knew how to play it). It was a pretty cool little mini-opera performance again. I had a mild bit of panic today at work when I lost my wallet. Coming back from lunch I realized it was missing so I started looking all over for it. Even called Mary Beth and the Brooks. I THOUGHT I had it this morning when I left for work, but it's hard to be certain about that sort of thing. Eventually ended up finding it under the cabinet next to my desk. Must have fallen out of my pocked and gotten kicked under. Whew! Scrambled home after work to make it to this lecture at Rhodes by artist Dread Scott on "The Impossibility of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide" as it started at 6, but we got there and the place was packed to capacity so we weren't able to make it in. Alas. Sounded like it would've been good. I guess next time I need to leave work extra early. Oh, also I got a cd in mail today: Giacinto Scelsi: Music for High Winds.