Haute couture

Every once in a while it's good to step out of one's comfort zone and try a little something different. While I am involved in the arts, it doesn't mean that every type of artistic endeavor appeals to me. Take opera, for example. While there are many forms of classical music I do enjoy, opera is something I can take or leave. I think it depends on which form of opera I am confronted with at the time. Wagner, for example, makes me want to open a vein. Mozart on the other hand, can be truly delightful. Every once in a while however, I come across something new that for some reason, makes me stand up and take notice. In this case, I got to experience a magnificent piece of work firsthand.

Mrs. Nighttime sings (mezzo-soprano) with a local 45 voice chorale group, the Gregory Kunde Chorale. Who is Gregory Kunde, you may ask? He is an internationally recognized bel canto tenor, and has sung in most, if not all, of the major opera houses in the world. He is ranked in the same league as Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras, et. al. He actually understudied for Pavarotti in the past. While not a household name here in the U.S., Kunde has a large following in Europe.

He is also, a resident of the Rochester area. The man could live anywhere, and he chooses to live right here.

As a working musician, he travels around the world frequently, and as fate would have it, this past Saturday found him in Toronto, a mere 2 1/2 hours from Rochester. He was singing "The Damnation of Faust," by Berlioz at Roy Thomson Hall, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Several members of the chorale decided to make a suicide run (back and forth in the same night, rather than staying overnight) and we hopped along for the ride. As it was a Saturday, the ride across the Peace Bridge from Buffalo to Ft. Erie was uneventful, and even the border guard was pleasant. We got into Toronto at 6 pm, and with the show not until 8, we stopped into the Elephant and Castle across the street from the hall for dinner (We already bought the tickets prior.).

The concert itself was magnificent, the acoustics in the hall were perfect, and we got to see Greg while he was "working." While he often does some solo signing with the chorale, it is quite another thing to see him in action, and what a magnificent voice he possesses. You can get a sample here, and here. Afterward, as we were invited guests, we went back to his dressing room to congratulate him, as well as the others with whom he was singing. Ah, but the night was not over.

Greg invited us to go out with him to Le Select Bistro, a wonderful French bistro off of Spadina Ave. I cannot even begin to describe how perfect the food was in this place. Greg's comment was "You're in France when you eat here." As he has been to France so many times, we took him at his word. He did not disappoint. While we had already eaten dinner, we decided a nice dessert and coffee would top off the evening. I chose the chocolate gateaux with passion fruit sorbet, and fresh blackberries.

Mrs. Nighttime had the creme brulee, and both were done to perfection. This was washed down with Spanish coffee with a liqueur whose name escapes me. Greg had a risotto dish that he passed around for all to try, and it was incredible. After much food and talk, it was time to leave, as it was almost 1 am. Greg was grateful that we made the trip to see him, and we thanked him for the meal, as he picked up the tab.

We made it back to Rochester at 4 am, exhausted, but satisfied with such a great evening. It's a rare treat, but I have bookmarked that bistro, and will find a way to get back there for a full dinner.

Not so silly love songs. (A brief musical interlude before Pt. 4)

I don't know, maybe it's that time of the year. The leaves are just starting to turn to various colors, there was a slight nip in the morning air the other day, and a young man's thought's turn to love...Oh, wait, that's spring. Besides, I'm middle aged. The only thoughts that are turning in my head about this time of year are how I am going to afford a new snow blower for the coming winter.

But I digress.

Love songs. they come in all types, from the sappy, to the profound, to the downright silly. Now, I suppose this is going to take the flavor of a small meme, but I thought I would list those loves songs that still get to me. Here's the catch: They're not usually the ones that you find played on everyday radio. They're the ones that were on the albums that you discovered on your own; little gems that just struck you right where you live. Now, "Unchained Melody" is a fine love song, I daresay a magnificent one. However, the ones that I love best are those that drive deeper. So, here is my list of the love songs that just blow me away:

1. "It Makes No Difference." - The Band - 40 years on, this song still never fails to disappoint. Rick Danko's plaintive wail, and the pain in his voice tear at your soul. Robbie Robertson wrote the words, but Danko's voice and Garth Hudson's searing sax just burn through me every time:

"It makes no diff'rence how far I go
Like a scar the hurt will always show
It makes no diff'rence who I meet
They're just a face in the crowd
On a dead-end street
And the sun don't shine anymore
And the rains fall down on my door"

2. "Sweet Fire Of Love." - Robbie Robertson - The Band's main songwriter penned this beautiful, erotic piece of work from his 1986 solo album. He recorded it with U2, when they were still hungry. His duet with Bono is just an incredible testament to unbridled passion:

"Didn't we break the silence
Didn't we fear the storm
Didn't we move the earth
Didn't we shoot for the sky
And didn't we catch the fire
And didn't we call upon the spirits
And didn't we fall together
And didn't we die for love

Days on the run, Nights in hiding
Hoping that you were, The healing inside me

Breathe in the sweet fire of love"

3. A Little Is Enough - Pete Townshend - England's answer to Bob Dylan, IMHO. Townshend can be direct, pretentious, but never boring; and that's just his opinion. (It's mine too.) He is probably my favorite songwriter, and this one off of "Empty Glass" just cuts through all the bullshit of most love songs and tells it like it is. If you've ever been in a long distance relationship, or one that doesn't allow you to be with the person you really want in your life, this will just cut right through you:

"I'm a connoisseur of champagne cognac
The perfume nearly beats the taste
I eat an oyster and I feel the contact
But more than one would be a waste
Some people want an endless line that's true
But all I have's a little time with you
A smile sets me reeling
A kiss feels like stealing
Your love is like heroin
The addict is mellowing
I can't pretend that I'm tough
Just a little is enough"

4. "Blood of Eden." - Peter Gabriel - What can I say about this song? Gabriel wrote it at the time of his divorce. Pain and confusion, mixed with a longing for what once was hits hard. It did with me:

"My grip is surely slipping
I think I've lost my hold
Yes, I think I've lost my hold
I cannot get insurance anymore
They don't take credit, only gold
Is that a dagger or a crucifix I see
You hold so tightly in your hand
And all the while the distance grows between you and me
I do not understand

In the blood of Eden
Lie the woman and the man
With the man in the woman
And the woman in the man."

5. "One" - U2 - I hesitated adding this to the list, as it had tremendous airplay, and just about everyone on the planet knows this song. That said, it is still a magnificent piece of work. While not originally written as a love song, per se, the lyrics, open to interpretation, can certainly go in that direction:

"Have you come here for forgiveness,
Have you come to raise the dead
Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much, more than a lot
You gave me nothing, now it's all I got.
We're one, but we're not the same.
Well, we hurt each other, then we do it again.
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law.
You ask me to enter, but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on to what you got, when all you got is hurt."

So. What songs do it for you? List 'em on your blog, or just tell me about them.