The Passion of Opera

As my departure date for London on September 24th rapidly approaches I had the thought that I would like to blog so family and friends can read about my travels, as I did when I was in Vienna. I will post all my musical related reviews, etc. here while I travel, but also copy them to that blog. With this blog's recent incredible  success, skyrocketing first through 3,000, then 4,000, and now over 5,000 views per month and on its way to 30,000 lifetime views, I thought it would be a good time to introduce the second blog again. Once I am no longer studying abroad in London I plan to transform the second blog into a permanent travel blog. The title of the blog has changed from A Sojourn in Vienna  to To Float on a Wayward Wind , reflecting its new, broader character. Check it out at floatonawaywardwind.blogspot.com and see what I'm up to in London and beyond!

Update: After hitting 3,000 views/month the blog rocketed up to 4,000. I wanted to reflect that on this post!! Keep it coming! New posts soon after we move in on Thursday! What with the 20,000 lifetime views and now this post, it may seem like I'm now only writing about the past success of this blog. That's definitely not the case. The new house has finally closed and I should be moved in within a week. Then I can get back to reviewing some DVDs, etc., as promised in the last post. Come September, it's off to London! Still, exciting to see 3,000 views/month over the course of the past month!

I am very pleased to see to see that the blog has surpassed 20,000 lifetime views and sits as of this moment at 20,005. I am looking forward to continuing to post into the future. It's been up and down at points with my school commitments and sometimes a lack of things about which to write. Still, the reviews of operas in Vienna, the profiles of versatile singers, and recent reviews in Virginia have definitely been highlights. Looking forward I will be putting up a review of Leonardo [not da] Vinci's Artaserse , performed in Köln by an all-star cast of countertenors and other male vocalists,  as well as hopefully reviewing a few other DVDs or broadcasts by the end of September. Once I arrive in London I will definitely be reviewing opera performances that I see at the ROH. I am definitely committed for the future! In the meantime, I will leave you with this performance of 10,000 people singing Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Symphony #9  in Japan as a reaction the 2...

The blog was looking a little dated and haphazard. I decided to update it to one of the more modern dynamic templates and to give it a richer feel. I hope the new look improves the experience of viewing the blog. I am certainly open to any comments!

Just wanted to say that I've been on a bit of a hiatus because 1. I've been working a new job and I want to make sure I'm making a good impression and all that and 2. I'm in a temporary apartment with a smaller tv and poor sound system, so I've been holding off on watching DVDS, etc., for a while.

I know it's been a long time since I've been active on this blog, and it will be just a bit yet, before I'm active again. However, it is my intention to blog about performances I see in Vienna. Most will be singing related, of course, but some orchestral stuff may slip in, as well. Stay tuned!

This is, perhaps, an inopportune time to start out a blog about opera. The season is wrapping up; even the prolific Metropolitan Opera is winding down its season for the year. However, for the opera lover, any time is a time for opera. Much of opera even deals with the travails of spring and summer. Young lovers often meet during this time, warm sun reminds us of Aida, and A Midsummer Night's Dream certainly occurred during this time. Therefore with this post and those to follow, I will unreservedly present opera through summer and beyond! This blog will attempt to offer something to both the consummate lover of opera and the beginner just becoming interested in the genre. Profiling artists, reviewing recordings, discussing the industry, talking about performances, etc. can give both an experienced member of the community new things to investigate while also introducing opera's rich history and variety to a newcomer. I've decided to keep this post short before divi...