During late June and July, almost immediately after my return from holiday, I had, for me, an incredibly busy diary. My main focus was Simon Boccanegra. Well, let's be absolutely honest here, my main interest was Plácido.
But in that time, there were many other unmissable opera performances in London, plus Labour Leadership hustings, a fullday course at work on my non-working day, the World Cup, a sprained ankle, and so on. Just at a time I was taking on a new role at work with a line manager I barely previously knew.
I was absolutely adamant that I was not going to get ill as a consequence of this madness. Certain things had to be sidelined. Namely, the blog.
I know anyway, and learnt again, that it is very difficult to provide a good report of anything, such as an opera performance, if too much time elapses after the event. To a certain extent, making (near) contemporaneous notes can help, but I am never going to sit in an opera, or other performance, and make notes. (Insight evenings and Labour Leadership hustings are different - although I didn't, in the end).
I have a list of blogposts to write that goes: Manon, Salome, Semele, Meistersinger, omnibus post of Simon Boccanegra the opera; plus various posts about passing observations, or rants that must have been important at the time.
They're not going to get written.
I find that I often defer things - not just blogpost writing - if I think it's going to be too difficult. It's pathetic, yes, I know. And why do I find writing a blogpost about certain opera performances difficult (not, actually, the five mentioned above)?
Because, quite often, there is often very little to say, other than "Yeah, I enjoyed it, it was okay, nothing special". I really ought to do more of those, because they are of value.
Not least to act as ballast to the ones where I write "It was absolutely amazing. A superb orchestral performance, great singing from convincing stage performers, a compelling tale blah blah blah" or "It was so shit I couldn't wait to escape at the interval".
I am not a professional musician in any sense, can't sing to save my life, can't play any musical instrument to any decent standard, didn't study music beyond O-Level. I can only report on my impressions. In any case, I write for me, not for an audience. And, of course, except on the rare occasion I disclose, I pay for my own ticket.
