C of C Challenge No 3

This week it's Challenge No 3 from Linda who asked us to work from page 51 of the Compendium of Curiosities. If you are curious, check out the link. The technique uses alcohol inks for the background and archival ink for stamping.

In my entry I'm celebrating a double dose of serendipity. One day last week I was working at my computer when I hear an email ping in. Now I don't necessarily look at each email as soon as I hear it come in, but that time I did. It was the Royal Opera House telling me that they had some returns for performances of Simon Boccanegra, and from their records they were aware that I had not had the opportunity to buy tickets. Indeed such had been the demand that when I had tried to get tickets at the ROH and for the Proms semi-staged performance, they were sold out. I logged straight in to the website, spotted a £30 ticket and put it in my shopping bag while I tried to find one for a friend. No luck with a second ticket, but I was on cloud nine for the next four days while I counted the hours till the performance.

On the appointed day, after work, I headed for London. I usually try to go to the stage door before the performance to see the great man arrive, but this time I knew I was going to arrive after the time he would get there. However, I decided to go there, just in case. And yes, there he was, taking time to talk to people, letting us know that he was leaving for Vienna after the performance. This meant that there was no time to spend with fans then, and is characteristic of his consideration for the people who have followed him for so many years, not to have us waiting around in vain.

Lots of people there to say hello and welcome back to London, and happy to see him looking so well after his op.

So to celebrate my unexpected opportunity to say hello again to Placido Domingo, and to see and hear him sing a baritone role in a fabulous Verdi opera, my piece has an alcohol ink background using the colours predominating in my memory of the costumes of the singers, and Coffee Archival for the stamping.

Placido's performance was sensational, and his Simon Boccanegra came to life in a way I have never experienced before. He has every quality as a singer, scholar, musician, actor with exemplary character and temperament. I usually judge an opera performance by the number of paper hankies I use, and this was a three-soaked-hankies performance. The tears come from the beauty of the music and the singing and/or from the emotion of the scenario, and when it's from both of these, it's the best. Thank you, Placido. You make the world a better place.