-=- Intense Melody -=-

With only one exception in 2010, Thomas Hampson has decided to no longer perform in Austria: a country that has been his home for some years now. Both his apartment on the outskirts of Vienna and his office near the Vienna Staatsoper were sold recently. “My career interests for the United States have been increasing [...]

No my blog isn’t becoming political all of a sudden.  But this article struck a chord.
“I talk a bit too much about politics, right?” – No, of course not. But it’s a bit unusual, on the occasion of an operetta premier interview, more than half of the time to talk about politics. “Yeah I am [...]

Every season the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera) house changes its stage curtain to a new abstract artistic rendition.
When I first moved here in 2006 we had a curtain designed by the Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija with the saying “Angst essen Seele auf” (“Fear eats away at the soul”) over the familiar television SMPTE [...]

It all started when my Italian girlfriend introduced me to “La Bella Figura – A Field Guide to the Italian Mind” by Beppe Severgnini. A comical book written by an Italian journalist who’s lived outside of Italy long enough to view his own people from an outsider’s perspective, and explain the differences. Such as, why [...]