like C'MON just unbelievable youtube.com/clip/UgkxTK5...

just realized that Augusta here is Martha Lipton, who sang the role at the premiere in Central City, so this is extra interesting

I tried yet again and I'm sorry y'all, it's still hard to get through

evergreen tweet (though apparently Cassel did make an audio recording of the premier from his dressing room and allegedly that still exists - if you happen to have it please get in touch)

HEYO now someone has uploaded it to YouTxbe youtu.be/3hjiS_HD2GE?...

as a millennial with niche interests, I've been threatening this for ages, but I'm excited to announce that my Ballad of Baby Doe podcast IS GO here's an intro - the first full episode will be out in January! youtu.be/Ilkn0HhA05E?...

hmmmmm #hmmmmmm youtu.be/AS77wB7KcRs?...

I've been thinking about the idea of "shallow" vs "deep" reads of the text a lot the last month or so, both in terms of how it's performed and in terms of criticisms of the opera, and I just re-encountered this walter cassel quote that really confirms for me that I'm thinking along the right lines:

ok this is officially a ballad of baby doe account now if you're here for Sunday Sea Songs, hit me up on my new profile here! bsky.app/profile/sund...

this is jumping-on-a-couch behavior

oh hey turns out the video from the "Live from Lincoln Center" 1976 NYCO Ballad of Baby Doe *does* exist and it's online! AND WE GET FRANCES BIBLE BABEEEEE she's really something else, absolutely breathtaking www.operaonvideo.com/the-ballad-o...

ok so I've watched this particular production twice now (round three tomorrow because grab your joy when you can) and my initial thoughts are: 1. everyone is singing their heart out and it's GREAT. there is not a single person on that stage who doesn't want to be there and bless them

y'all I love this opera so dang much

baby doe, round 2

about to be a big ol' mess, let's goooooo 👏

local opera company's doing baby doe in october and they keep posting rehearsal videos and they have no idea the gift they're giving me by doing it

Y'ALL I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT from Howard Pollack's biography of John Latouche: "in a preliminary draft, Horace negotiates for the mine with this Jake Sands, who provides some information about Bay Doe, a function later assumed by [saloon girls] Kate and Meg" I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I

fucking GET HIM AUGUSTA

oh ho ho look what came today

like compare this promo shot from the 2016 Central City Opera production (which I saw three times and it wasn't enough) to the most affectionate shot I could find in the Omnibus recording look at this CHEMISTRY, look at this LOVE

tonight's reading:

every time I think "no, you know what? I've heard this a dozen times, I can get through Tabor's last aria" he gets to "it's a bang up job" and I crumble

had a thread on the other site about the Omnibus with Alistair Cooke TV staging of Baby Doe, tldr: 1. it exists! yay! 2. Horace Tabor's Slut Era

y'all I don't think the old miner at the beginning of the ballad of baby doe is actually meant to be jake sands this theory is gnawing at me someone talk to me about it please

everything I read about Douglas Moore makes me like Douglas Moore more

diving down the rabbithole today