Stiffelio, Royal Opera

I saw the first production of Stiffelio back in the early 90s when Jose Carreras came back to the opera stage singing opposite Catherine Malfitano. It was a seasonal production - Jose was pensive, emotionally torn and his voice had a rare vulnerability that made him the ideal Stiffelio. I saw Covent Garden's latest re-run of Stiffelio with Jose Cura singing the title role, Sondra Radvanovsky as Lina. Unfortunately, this was yet another shouting match - hmm, was it my hearing or every body could only sing f, ff or fff? It's the same production as before - which portrayed Protestant New World very well. However, Jose Cura's voice had just too much heroism in it to make him a believable Stiffelio. Sondra Radvanosky's voice was really not to my taste - that weird fast tremolo coupled with a limited range of facial expressions didn't do it for me. It was also my first time seeing Alastair Miles (as Jorg) with long hair!

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Hearing the Berlin Philharmonic at the Philharmonie

Those of us London-centric folks easily forget there are great concert halls in other parts of the world. I remember as a young kid buying DG LPs with von Karajan on the front cover conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. So as my first visit to the city, a visit to the Philharmonie to listen to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was a must. Ivan Fisher started the evening's concert with Haydn Symphony 88. A light and delightful work. As I'd expected, the acoustic of the hall was amazing - probably a good 2.5 second of reverberation - and much more generous than the Royal Festival Hall in London. The strings sounded sweet and the timpani came through clearly with definition. The audience was then treated to Béla Bartók's Seven Pieces for Choir and Chamber Orchestra: the Berlin Phil reduced in size occupying only half of the stage while the Netherlands Youth Choir took the other half. These young performers (all female) sang in Hungarian from memory - not easy at all - and rea...

The Westin, Shanghai (上海)

It's only 5 minute's from The Bund (外灘) and a relatively new hotel, The Westin Shanghai ought to be a fantastic place for both business and pleasure. Quite a few tourist guides have also rated this highly. It took me about two days to work out why I never warmed to it. The reason? The sense of proportion is erratic across the entire hotel - some corridors are too narrow, beds too close to the wall (even though I was in a mini-suite), some staircases have irregular steps, etc. The list goes on. What was enjoyable? The location. One could stroll down to The Bund for dinner, drinks or the view. The staff are nice too - always trying to help. What was not enjoyable? Where shall we begin - the fake palm trees, the tightly spaced cafe, the finishing touches, etc.

Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna

One can certainly Over Do art in Vienna. The beauty of the Liechtenstein Museum is its fine collection of paintings and architectural features within a manageable space. The building had been lovingly refurbished while the art works and exhibits were beautifully presented. Like Galleria Borghese in Rome, one can spend a leisurely morning strolling through the library and rooms without feeling pressured (unlike Musée du Louvre ). If you have time, enjoy a cup of cafe melange in the court yard.

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