Like a Box of Chocolates

I figure I can get away with a gratuitous opera clip on the weekend.  Most people only check the blog during the week from work.

This is a great, fun duet from Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers).  In this duet, Mustafa', the Algerian chieftan (the guy in the big hat), is trying to foist his wife off on his Italian slave, Lindoro.  Lindoro has his own love interest, so he resists.  This duet is their back and forth over the qualities of the perfect woman.  It's in Italian, though.  I couldn't find a clip with English subtitles, like you'd get at a performance in the States.  This is my take:

Lindoro:  I don't know, the woman for me must be perfect (loosely translated).
Mustafa':  This one has everything: beauty, wealth, grace.  She's one in a million.
Lindoro:  Yeah, but she has to be sweet, too, and make good biscuits (very loosely translated).
Mustafa':  I got you covered, Bro. She's all that and a bag of Bugles. . . .




Mari and I saw this opera in Dallas last spring.  There was some other big event going on at the fairgrounds that weekend, so the Dallas Opera e-mailed ticketholders warnings about snarled traffic and advisories to leave two hours early.  I'm not a big fan of gridlocked traffic, so we decided to go extra early, and we tailgated in the opera hall parking lot like people do at the Santa Fe Opera.  I'm pretty sure we're the only people to ever tailgate before a Dallas opera.  We skipped the fancy tablecloth and crystal that the uppity people use and had peanut butter and raspberry preserves sandwiches with Fritos in them, and whole milk in glass glasses, sitting in the back of my SUV with our legs dangling out the back, me in a suit (no tie) and Mari in a gorgeous dress.