Happy New Year - Opera and Wine, redux

Happy 2009, and how cool is it that my Christmas cactus decided to start blooming today. Yes, that's me with Tom in the photo in the background - yummy! he is having quite the year singing Anthanel right now in Thais.
(yes, its official - I am too lazy to type diacriticals - so sue me)

This year, 2x a month, I will feature "Opera & Wine" where I marry my 2 favorites. I will review a DVD performance AND the wine that accompanies the DVD viewing.

Why?

2 reasons - number one, I don't actually WATCH a lot of opera, I LISTEN to it, and I know I am missing out by not watching. Yes, I prefer to watch opera in person, but don't have the $$ to go fly to X,Y or Z to go see them.

Yes, I support the home team of MOT, but will leave the reviewing of them up to the ever so lame Mark Stryker, who most likely will lose his job at the Freep soon enough anyway.

Second reason - I like wine, I make some fun discoveries by experimenting, and what the hell, why not share?

Happy 2009, remember to have your lentil soup, or black-eyed peas, or whatever your culture symbolizes as a good-luck charm for this new year.
(and if anyone can tell me what it is in Hungary, I would be most grateful)

Ciao, tutti!
OGal

Opera and Wine

So over at BOSSY's Poverty Party, we talked about wine.
ALWAYS a favorite subject for OG, although I think that means that I officially have become a middle-aged woman.
My 2 cents: 3-buck Chuck at Trader Joes - buy a case of it.

Anyway, I started thinking about operas that have wine drinking in them, and arias that are devoted to vino.

So here is my small list, which I will continue adding to.

Les Contes D' Hoffmann: the entire opera starts with a chorus to drinking, the "Glu, Glu"
Je suis la biere - We are beer
Je suis le vin - We are wine
(ok, techinically I am beer, I am wine, but the typical translation is "we")

Don Giovanni: The final act where the Don invites the statue to dinner.
"Vivan le femmine, Viva il buon vino"

The Brindisi from La Traviata(link is a You Tube with the Pav and Millo: oh my...you can;t go to any opera gathering without someone (usually who has had a few) breaking out into the Brindisi, which is actually NOT easy to sing at all.
(no amazon link for this one, but a great claymation video of the Choeur Bohemians)

Please feel free to add your own in the comments and I will add them to the post!

1 - How can you forget L'Elsier D'Amore?