I AM Pilar Lorengar

A short "debut" post here -- well, the title says it all. I've become quite addicted to the late, great Spanish soprano and have lately been devouring recordings of her Met performances, both broadcast (BUTTERFLY and FAUST) and in-house (HOFFMANN and OTELLO). The shimmering sound, the fearless top (secure up to D live; her fans know she ventured at least one E-flat in the studio), the emotional commitment, the deep musicality -- all these rank her high in my book. I'm hoping to land her DON CARLOS soon. The studio recordings are consistently excellent, but these live things are something else again ...

I hope to write a fair amount about opera here, but anyone who drops by can also expect stuff about movies, theater and TV. In a sense I AM Joan Cusack, Rosemary Harris and Jean Smart, so consider yourself warned.