Magic Stuff - and Not Just the Flute.

I really need to crack on and blog about our truncated time in Glasgow recently which was very enjoyable.

We started off driving to Leeds, which is of course a long way past Glasgow but I was meeting with my Dorothy Dunnett reading friends and we had a good day although one was absent as she is undergoing chemotherapy. There is every reason to expect a good outcome thankfully but it's not a pleasant experience and although she was between rounds she certainly wasn't up to travelling a hundred miles. So we missed her of course, but still enjoyed ourselves. 

The it was back to Glasgow for several Scottish Opera related things. First up was the party for the production supporters on Sunday afternoon. This was great fun; we started off with a tour of the set on stage which was amazing I now some people don't like to do this sort of thing as it lets light in on the magic, and I can understand that, but we really enjoyed seeing the fiery serpent and hearing all about how he is operated and a close up of the set and learning how the three boys  flew - and it was noting to do with their revolving umbrellas! It's a steam punk themed/set production and I much preferred it to the weird version we saw in Stockholm a couple of years ago. 

After the tour we had a beautiful buffet meal and every table had an allotted cast member on it. We were lucky with ours because not only was she great fun and we found we had a lot in common (Leeds mostly as she has sung a lot for Opera North) she also brought lots of other cast members over to our table and introduced them so we got to talk to loads of them. They were bubbly and funny and really good company. 

Monday we had a quick tour round the production studios and saw some costumes and sets being prepared for next season. We were also invited into the session which the Education Department run for dementia sufferers, which was a real privilege and even if it sounds gloomy it wasn't a bit. Lots of laughter and singing and craft going on. 

Tuesday we spent some time in IKEA where we got the last bits of furniture - table and chair - for my craft room . We haven't been able to put them together yet, mainly because A has been away a lot, but they should be up by the weekend and then there will be no stopping my crafty activities (in theory). 

In the evening we actually saw The Magic Flute. I have to say it is far from being my favourite opera. despite the music being lovely and there being some great tunes for baritones. I can't help feeling there is something really really creepy about Sarastro, and certainly in this production he came over to me like one fo those weird cult leaders, like Jim Jones or David Koresh. However the OH loves it; as so often with opera, it's horses for courses. It was certainly an enjoyable evening; well sung and acted and played. What more can you ask for really?

And the next day we got up really early for the long long drive to deepest Devon .....