Diary of a Culture Hedonist

David McVicar's fabulous production of Gounod's Faust makes a return to Covent Garden. The women turned out to be the strong cast of this run - Sonya Yoncheva was fantastic as the alluring, innocent, naive and vulnerable Marguerite. Renata Pokupic's Siébel was also very good. Simon Keelyside (Valentin) was probably the best of the male cast. Could't work out what's wrong with Bryn Terfel (Mephistophélés), but he seemed "distracted" on stage. Joseph Calleja should have been the big draw - but I didn't find his sung French convincing. All in all good, but could be better.

Sometimes it is good to see a traditional opera production. And it doesn't get any more traditional than this Prince Igor from Novaya Opera. Big realistic stage set, sumptuous costumes and good crowd scenes. The main cast Vladimir Baykov (in the title role Igor Svyatoslavich), Marina Nerabeyeva (as Yaroslavna) and Aleksey Tatarintsev (as Vladimir) were all superb Russian singers delivering a rich sound. Vitalay Efanov (as Khan Konchak) was probably the weakest singer - his low notes didn't quite reverberate in the auditorium. The chorus was stupendous - delivering a rich and punchy sound. In the West, we don't seem to do operas like that anymore.

The good : Emily Magee (Empress), Elena Pankratova (Wife of Dyer) and Michaela Schuster (Nurse) made a good trio. Johan Reuter (Dyer) had a lovely ringing tone that fitted the role best. The arm waving of Semyon Bychkov created a stupendous sound from the pit - with punch! The bad : Wayward intonation of Johan Botha (Emperor) and the cello solo. Couldn't decide who was more wayward. The indifferent : Christian Schmidt's design was a wee bit scandic for my liking, a bit dull, a bit "Ikea". Sure, play out the psychoanalytic in the open with images,  animals, children, and the "waking up from a dream" at the end. Clever? Do I care?

New production yes. What's to like? It's three dimensional with top notch projection to make scenery changes interesting yet unobtrusive. Barihunk Mariusz Kwiecień (which translates to Matthew April) was a fabulous Don. The rest of the cast was good too. What's not to like? I think Kasper Holten's production was trying too hard for a different interpretation - that the whole opera was just a dream in the mind of the characters. A good night's entertainment it was. Though not an interpretation of this classic that I buy into.

Sushi Shikon is NOT your everyday sushi restaurant. For a start, you don't have a choice of what to eat. Instead, you are offered the most seasonal, the freshest, and highest quality seafood from Tokyo Fish Market. We sat at the sushi counter which was made of a single piece of maple facing the sushi chef (there is a 50% chance that you will be served by the executive chef). Each course was prepared in front of us with utmost care and attention: the lack of music and noise meant one can maintain focus on the most important thing - the food. The stewed octopus was supple yet full of flavours. The O-toro was stupendous. And the anago (grilled eel) was prepare from fresh eel filets. Everything was exquisitely fresh and tasty. It's over in two hours. But it's an experience that one doesn't forget easily. That's worth it.

Tin Lung Heen is perched on the 102nd floor of this very tall tower, as part of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Hong Kong. It's meant to cater for the very rich by offering them a truly luxurious experience from the moment they walk into the lobby. I went there when the 'hype' of a new top Chinese restaurant has subsided. It was a nice enough lunch with family. We took the executive lunch which offered a choice of BBQ black-foot pork, assorted dimsum and other seasonal dishes. Everything was tasty and comparable to other top Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. The disappointing part for me, however, was the service. Not that there was anything wrong with the service, but it just wasn't quite right. The staff were attentive, but lacking in warmth and smile. They were courteous, but short of making you feel welcome. They were efficient, but clinically so. All in all, I did not feel that quintessentially Chinese hospitality.

I had the most amazing afternoon. Went to an intimate viewing (I was one of six) of a Canaletto (still held in private hands) in a gorgeous monastery next to Salute, in a room where Canaletto had painted the painting. Complete with an armed security guard who explained to us the intricate details of the painting, and allowed us to be within touching distance. And at the end of the viewing, we had the pleasure of taking a cup of coffee or refreshing drink in a delightful salon. That was a "once in a lifetime" experience.