CARMINA BURANA REVISITED
WHO ISN’T AWED by Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana? Its throbbing rhythm in O Fortuna/Velut luna/Statu variabilis (“O Fortune/Like the Moon/Changeable”). Its salacious lyrics composed for lusty 12th-century monks. And, for … Continue reading
CHECK THOSE TIRES, SIR?
GRANDPA WILL have to explain that “service station” attendants used to ask whether you wanted your tire pressures checked during refueling, this along with giving the windshield a polishing. These … Continue reading
NO MORE “クリスマスケーキ” IN JAPAN?
SLOWLY, BUT SURELY, women’s lib is transforming Japanese society. As reported by Motoko Rich in The New York Times, August 3, 2019, “Craving Freedom, Japan’s Women Opt Out of Marriage.” … Continue reading
A TRANSPORTER OF OPERATIC GRANDNESS
THE ITINERANT PLAYERS in Ruggero Leoncavalo’s I Pagliacci are four in number: Canio, his wife Nedda, Tonio the hunchback, and Beppe. The only other role of note is Silvio, Nedda’s … Continue reading
IS DECENCY STILL COMMON?
COLUMNIST DAVID BROOKS wrote “We need an uprising of decency,” and I agree. His Opinion column in The New York Times, August 1, 2019, carries the title “Marianne Williamson Knows … Continue reading
PAUL SPOONER—AUTOMATIST EXTRAORDINAIRE
I THANK ALICE SPAWLS, assistant editor at London Review of Books, for introducing me to the works of Paul Spooner. Collectively, Spooner and his pals form the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, … Continue reading
BETTER THAN “CALIFORNIA DREAMIN”
THE HEADLINE IN Science, July 12, 2019, was eye-catching: “Solar Plus Batteries is Now Cheaper Than Fossil Power.” Robert F. Service describes the situation “driven by steady price declines in … Continue reading
ON THE MANIFESTO PROJECT’S RIGHT AND LEFT
WHAT FOLLOWS IS a self-encouraged civics lesson concerning political parties, right, left, and center, as identified by the Manifesto Project. This organization’s findings were the subject of “What Happened to … Continue reading
JACOB REES-MOGG—ANOTHER BRIT, ANOTHER REAL PIECE OF WORK
THE NEW BRITISH prime minister, Boris Johnson has made Jacob Rees-Mogg leader of the House of Commons. I’d have thought a prime minister would be the leader, and historically often … Continue reading
YOU CAN’T KEEP A GOOD STORY (OR TRILOGY, EVEN) DOWN PART 2
BEAUMARCHAIS’ STORIES HAD good legs, operawise. Here in Part 2, we’ll continue with lives of the Almavivas and Figaros, sung to our favorite tunes. La Mère Coupable, The Guilty Mother … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 