Sometimes I love the absurdity of my "job". Today, in the line of my research, Patrick forwarded me a CNN article called Sex 'n Violence Mozart Causes Ruckus! Of course, this is mostly about the kind of opera/theatrical direction that drives me crazy in modern performances (I'm talking about you, OperaNorth in Leeds!), but it's so bizarrely over-the-top, I found it amusing. My favorite line: ""When the prostitutes were massacred on stage I had to leave," he [Matthias Kleinert] told Berlin's BZ daily."

I'm telling you, this definitely merits a footnote in my thesis. Who knew that you could infer SO much from that libretto?

But on a darker note...the whole rationale behind this kind of opera production is to "draw in new audiences". This particular director has made a name for himself with explicit gang rapes onstage, among other violent misogynist acts (and no, those weren't called by the librettos, either). Exactly what kind of "new audience" is he trying to market opera to?

I just finished a hard morning's work (no, REALLY! I'm serious!) trying desperately to collate the mountain of disorganization left over from my trip to Vienna. Gaaah. Much moaning to myself in fear and panic. Much intense willpower expended in keeping myself from givip and just going online (until now, that is). I'm back at work AGAIN on my Armida article. Bleaghhhhhhhhhhhh.

The good news is that between 7:50 (when our bus got into town this morning, after major road blockage and traffic jams) and 9 a.m., I managed to write four and a half more pages on the new, untitled story that I started on Sunday. (It's another wolf story. So, yeah, I admit I'm a tad obsessed.) I typed them in before starting on the article, and--in a very, very tentative way--I think I like them. So far. We'll see.