I'm in Munich !!! The beer here ...mmmmmmmmmmm

Yes, here in Bavaria where even I drink the sweet beer and it doesn't make me tipsy - well, I guess half a glass is not going to make many people very excited ! Staying with my Goddaughter, Celeste - the mellifluous voiced lyric soprano, and her gifted partner Richard - composer, arranger and pianist with inspired fingers - (as well as brain!)- I'm having a great time - guess what ? Going to the Opera... one a day ...for me ...bliss... It's fascinating "catching up" on what's going on down here in the land of Black Forest cherry cake.....ooohh..mmmm Richard is a senior, and highly respected member of the music staff at Bayerische Oper - oh, what a beautiful house, and excellent performance standard. Until recently the Intendant was an ex-pupil of mine at the Royal College of Music in London, in the 1960´s, and has just retired. In my various career occupations I have, inadvertantly, steered many young people at different educational establishments, in to the magical, and crazy, world of opera. Such has been my life long passion after being taken to a performance of Bizets´ "Carmen" at the age of fifteen - once hooked, never retrievable ....'spose one could say I've been obsessed ever since...now it's the breathing that has joined in....? Which brings me back to my main fixation - "breathing anyone ?". Attending performances of vocal works is always of interest to me, and if a piece is really well sung, with air supported phonation, I usually leave "up on a cloud" - (very appropriate for a breathing pedagogue), but usually there is at least one person with their head down, closing the windpipe, or singing out of frequency, "in the nose" - my throat always comes out in sympathy... happy to say that here I can swallow comfortably and enjoy some very fine performances - many thanks Richard and Celeste...What have I been treated to? "The Bassirids" - Hans Werner Henze, who was present at the general rehearsal - haven't seen him since "Elegy for Young Lovers" at Glyndebourne yonks agooo..., "Werther" - excellent cast, and last night a bizarre production of "Fliegende Hollander ", mercifully, well sung.... Apart from indulging in my favourite pastime, we`ve also found time for some "rubber necking" - and I'm not joking. We took the tram(I just love tram rides - they're my era..!!) to the Nymphenberg palace - aaaah ...ooooh.-- how does one describe such wonderful works of art and inspired imaginative creativity ? My head almost fell off I was gawping at the ceilings in amazement at the baroque embellishment - the real thing, which I have spent many a happy hour "faking" for theatre designers... so, 'bye for now ...back to the U.K. tomorrow...k..p b.......g........