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 Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here Zip Hoodie - Small $52.00 This awesome soft cotton Zip Up Hoodie from Pink Floyd comes in dual colors. The main body is tan and features the artwork from Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here and has two pockets. The arms are in brown and the hood is lined. This Hoodie is a must have for Pink Floyd fans.  Great Operatic Arias $15.98 This is an interesting CD from soprano Elizabeth Futral. The theme of this is a set of operatic arias sung in English, not in the original French or Italian or. . . . I'm not sure how sold I am on the concept, but, after all, it's the singing and musicality that is most important. And, by that measure, Elizabeth Futral does very nicely. The accompanying booklet begins by noting that (page 8) "The voice of the light soprano has enchanted listeners for centuries." Futral's singing is characteristic of this type of voice. In this era, any coloratura soprano has two challenges: first, to compare with the past generation's astonishingly talented practitioners, well exemplified by Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sill. Second, though, there are some wonderful coloratura sopranos today against whom others will be compared, with Natalie Dessay and Sumi Jo among the most adept. Thus, Futral will almost automatically be compared with such exemplars. I do not think one could say she is the equal of those four just mentioned, but she does not compare badly either. From the Wikipedia: "In musical notation, the Italian word staccato (literally detached, plural staccatos or staccati) indicates that notes are sounded in a detached and distinctly separate manner, with silence making up the latter part of the time allocated to each note. The rhythm is not affected. Notes identified as staccato should be played or sung abruptly and short." This is worthy of comment, since the "Bell Song" from "Lakme," one of the selections on this CD, features many such notes. Futral sings them well. Her performance in this work is well done (although it is somewhat jarring, again, to hear it sung in English). She begins with a nice high note and a bang up following trill. She displays good agility and features nice technique on staccato notes. Overall, this is well done. Toward the end, which calls for great ornamentation, she seems a bit hesitant at time, but she concludes with a nicely sung high note. Other examples of her singing. From Handel's "Alcina," she sings "Come take me in your arms." Her voice is a light, standard coloratura voice (although not all coloratura sopranos have such a voice, of course). She displays considerable agility, a decent trill, and good ornamentation. There is a bit of harshness on a high note toward the close, but hardly fatal to the overall positive effect of her singing. From Donizetti's "Linda di Chamounix," there is "My soul is filled with love for you" (otherwise known as "O luce di quest'anima"). Her version is not too shabby when compared with such greats as Sutherland and Jo. The cabaletta shows off, again, her agile voice. Good staccato high notes. Nice trills and a well nailed final high note. Then there is the charming "Son vergin vezzosa" from Bellini's "I Puritani," here entitled "A maiden adorning." Again, nice agility, good trills, well done florid singing technique. While there is some harshness in the penultimate high note, overall, well done. In short, Futral adds to a currently rich supply of coloratura sopranos, and compares well with the best of them.  Teletubbies - Here Come the Teletubbies $19.98 My 18-mo-old and 3-yr-old love this video. I have various Teletubbies tapes, and this one even hold MY attention. There is a segment where children are playing in the rain and splashing in puddles, and it's very cute. There is also a little animal parade with catchy music that my kids like. After saying the names of the animals over and over, my son now says them and recognizes which animals are which. So it's educational, too! |
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