Monthly Archives: April 2013

The Pathophysiology of Edematous Diseases

Below is a PowerPoint presentation that I will give to the South Plains Kidney Foundation Medical Symposium this coming Friday, May 3. PowerPoint Edema


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Giulio Cesare in HD

David McVicar’s vaudeville, Giulio Cesare, was telecast in HD on April 27, 2013. The show featured goose-stepping Scottish troopers led by a man in a kilt, cardboard waves rollicking in the background, cutout ships of various periods, the Keystone Cops, Gay Pride, the Daughter of the Regiment, Texas Guinan, Yodel King, a king in a brassiere, the Charleston Q’Tease, Clara Bow, loose order marching drills,…


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Tutto Verdi: Ernani

Verdi’s fifth opera was his first opera to be premiered away from La Scala, the first to be premiered in Venice, and the composer’s first international success. The opera is, in many ways, a dress rehearsal for Il Trovatore which is resembles in setting, tone, melodic fecundity, and ferocious intensity. It also marks the emergence…


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Tutto Verdi: I Lombardi

Verdi’s fourth opera like its predecessors was premiered at Milan’s La Scala – February 1, 1843. It was a big hit, but gradually faded away such that by the end of the century it had all but disappeared. More recently it has reappeared, most recently in New York City last week where it was successfully received in…


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The Queen of the Night’s Aria

Now for something completely different. Here is a portion of the Queen of the Night’s aria sung by the late Menino. She (?he) does it better than some sopranos I’ve heard.   Here’s Diana Damrau singing the aria.


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Tutto Verdi: Nabucco

Verdi’s third opera, Nabucco, was not merely a success, it was an explosion. Its combination of almost ferocious vitality and lyrical beauty was not only entirely new to opera, but was also the herald of the rest of Verdi’s career. Verdi’s mastery of drama, melody, and psychological penetration is what sets him above every other…


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Dumas and Rossini: The Count Goes to the Opera

Chapter 88 of Dumas great novel of revenge and adventure, The Count of Monte Cristo, is called ‘The Insult’. Here are a few excerpts pertinent to this brief note:   Albert went to his room, and dressed with unusual care. At ten minutes to eight Beauchamp arrived; he had seen Chateau-Renaud, who had promised to…


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Tutto Verdi: Un Giorno Di Regno

Verdi’s second opera was premiered, as was his first, at Milan’s La Scala. Unlike Oberto, Un Giorno Di Regno was a complete failure. Its first performance on September 5, 1840 was its last. Verdi was devastated to the point where he considered abandoning his career as an opera composer. In a later reminiscence he attributed…


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