Unkers@TheTheatre - Turandot

It was perhaps a poignant reminder.

That we live in a world where Skinny rules and Fatties have to suck in the adipose and accept that, however talented they may be, their svelte brethren will always take the louder applause.



I just got back from catching the Singapore Lyric Opera's interpretation of Puccini's Turandot at the Esplanade. It is perhaps their biggest and most opulent production to date, compared to Madama Butterfly (2005), Le Nozze di Figaro (2006), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (2007) and La Traviata (2008).

Of course everyone was there for more or less one Aria, the dramatic tenor of Calaf's Nessun Dorma in Act III, Scene I. And although China-born Tao Weilong's Calaf was certainly not disappointing, the late Luciano P. would be pleased to know that he alone holds the key to what must be the most hummable operatic tune to date.

But back to the Fatty issue.

Two sopranos were slated to take the starring role of Princess Turandot, each alternating for every evenings' performance. I suppose those high notes really take a toil on your vocal chords. We got Kim Young-Ae, a Voice major of the Seoul National University. Young-Ae sings beautifully and she has performed the role of Turandot to critical acclaim extensively. Unfortunately, she came across more like a Queen than a Princess. A Princess whose hand in marriage Princes the world over have come to ask with much trepidation.

Young-Ae, you see, is more Lard than Lithe. My partner remarked that perhaps her size gave her a bigger diaphragm and lungs to hit those high notes (alot of good singers are on the big side, consider most recently Paul Potts, who incidentally has a popular rendition of Nessun Dorma as well). But I was too distracted by the Baby Elephant on stage, and I still wonder why SLO Director Lo King-man chose to have such a fatty play a icy-cold and desirable Princess. It certainly spoilt it for me, Big Time (no pun intended!).

So when the opera came to an end, and the cast took turns, one by one, to stand at the edge of the stage to receive the Clapped Accolades from the audience, the loudest applause and Bravos were reserved for pretty and petite Filipina, Rachelle Gerodias instead. Rachelle having played the role of Liu, the young slave girl secretly in love with Calaf.

I felt bad for Young-Ae afterwards. But someone please tell her to take out the Ex-cess before becoming a Prin-cess.

Otherwise, an excellent evening out at the Theatre.

None Shall Sleep! None Shall Sleep!

Ahh Turandot.

Puccini's opera of an evil Chinese Princess who beheads her prospective suitors who come from faraway if they cannot answer three of her riddles.

However, Calaf has correctly answered the trio of questions put to all of Turandot's would-be Princes. She, however, recoils at the thought of marriage. Calaf then offers her a challenge to guess his name before dawn. If she does, she can execute him. But if she does not, she must marry him. The icy-cold princess then decrees that none of her subjects are to sleep that night until his name is discovered. If they fail, they will all be killed.

The final act opens and it is night. Calaf is alone in the moonlit palace gardens. In the distance he hears Turandot's servants proclaiming her command. His aria begins with an echo of their cry and a reflection on the Princess...



Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza, guardi le stelle che tremano d'amore, e di speranza!
(None shall sleep! None shall sleep! Even you, o Princess, in your cold bedroom, watch the stars that tremble with love and with hope)

Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me; il nome mio nessun saprà! No, No! Sulla tua bocca lo dirò quando la luce splenderà!
(But my secret is hidden within me; none will know my name! No, no! On your mouth I will say it when the light shines!)

Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio che ti fa mia!
(And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!)

Il nome suo nessun saprà... E noi dovrem, ahimè, morir, morir!
(No one will know his name... and we will have to, alas, die, die!)

Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!
(Vanish, o night! Set, stars! Set, stars! At daybreak I shall win! I shall win! I shall win)

What's your dilemma today?

After several false starts at starting to blog again, I am determined to get on with it!

I wonder if the obstacle is the nature of Unkster, rather than the issue of blogging itself. When I started Discovering Rijac I was searching deeply and trying to discover who I was and what I wanted. I had reached a stage when I thought I'd found myself and felt that DR was no longer the right avenue for me - the theme was discovery, and all had been discovered...

I'm not so sure now. However, there are certain inner thoughts that may be best 'blogged' anonymously and far too many people know the real person behind both unkster and rijac... so what does one do? a third, anonymous blog? yikes!


Dilemma. Thoughts?

Hello, Again

When J talked about Hello, Electrico's hit from their sophomore album Hip City a moment ago, I realised I didn't mention in here that I attended their gig at the Arts House lawn last month.



Truth be told, I'm not particularly enamoured with the their 3rd release, We Satellites. Gone are the radio-friendly, jingle-jangle of guitars from hit-tracks like Runaway, I Want You and Love In New Wave. Instead, the album is decidedly more broody and less melodious. And with Daniel Sassoon gone to pursue his legal career, lead singer Dave Tan has to 'struggle' with the added responsibility of playing Lead Guitar. Something he is not un-capable of, just that he needs a little more practice. Amanda Ling, that oh so babelicous goth-chick, gets much more air-time as a result. Giving Satellites more of an Electronica edge than ever before.

No matter, we still have reason to be proud of our local lads. Last seen, I hear, at the MTV Asia Music Awards in Genting where they were nominated for Favorite Artiste Singapore. Bassist Desmond Goh is no The Edge or Flea. And drummer William Lim Jr is no Larry Mullen Jnr. But together, Electrico is one of the tightest outfits in our part of the world not known to give due credit to non-angmo rockers.

Good luck guys with your current local tour and Hello!, again.

OBS S.A

You know what they say about looking forward to something to keep you sane at work.

Well, from 24th November to 19th December, I'm going to spend 3 glorious weeks in South Africa. Yes, Nelson Mandela land. Where the hypnotic Afrikaans murmur of drumbeats juxtapose the sinister backdrop of Blood Diamonds and the last vestiges of Apartheid. The place has been described as offering the whole world in just one country. And really, from the cliched advertisements of tourists on Safari, there is more than meets the eye.

However, lest you think I am actually going to pay for my passage to the Cape of Good Hope, its an all-expenses paid-for 'training vacation', with the good people down at Outward Bound South Africa.

They call it, The 21-day Classic Challenge.



OBS S.A's national base camp is situated at Willow Point, right on the edge of the great Swartvei Lake not far from the little town of Sedgefield. From what my predecessors tell me, you fly into CapeTown, hop onto internal wings for George, and then travel by bus to Sedgefield. The whole region is the centre of the Garden Route, a scenic coastal drive along South Africa's N2 highway, much like the Great Ocean Road downunder.

Sandwiched between the mighty Outeniqua mountain range and the Indian Ocean, I am sure Trekking, Abseiling, Rock-Climbing, Kayaking, Rope Courses and Sailing will be enjoyed in the balmy Mediterranean-like climate. And we're supposed to scale a peak too I hear. Just smashing!

Like all Outward Bound courses here or abroad, the organization's mission is to lead you on a path of self-discovery. And the 21-day Classic Challenge just pushes you over the edge so you know where your limits are, as far as mental and physical endurance go.

I'll check back here for more updates on the Trip Prep. In the meantime, someone tell me how I can get Internet access in the African Bush.

Wham Bam Damn

Would you?

Tell someone when the loving has stopped. And you know the coordinates are set for an emotional collision in silent space.

Or let nature take its proverbial course?

The Gentle Manly thing to do.

The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you
Yeah

But I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find, you and I collide

I'm quiet, you know
You make a first impression
I've found I'm scared to know
I'm always on your mind

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
You somehow find, you and I collide

Don't stop here
I've lost my place
I'm close behind

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find, you and I collide

You finally find
You and I collide
You finally find
You and I collide

Angel Or Devil

If only life was that easy.

We could separate everything into discrete, manageable, little packets. Discard the greys and the off-whites. Partition our emotions into tidy, compartmentalised, sets to suit every need and occasion.

And explain why we always fall in love with the wrong people.

You see the Angel in the Devil the world makes him out to be. When only yesterday, the Devil in the Angel you once thought he was struck so painfully.

Angel or Devil?

It's not clear anymore, is it?