I went to see "La Donna del Largo" on Monday with some friends. It was a bizarre production to say the least. Men tartan kilts, one of the lead "men" is a woman, 2 completely disconnected periods of history sharing the stage simultaneously, historical people in glass cases coming alive, an animal being eviscerated & people smearing themselves with blood......All fairly normal for an opera I suppose - you do have to suspend disbelief.
But the music & the singing was sublime. The cast created the magic which allowed you to lose yourself in the story & be lifted out of the run of the mill daily grind by the vocal virtuosity. Some of the arias, duets & trios made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
It makes you realise what heights human beings are capable of in every sphere. People are born with individual talents & gifts. If they recognise what those are & are prepared to put in the years of hard work to hone their skills they can achieve things which are completely out of the ordinary. A production like this is not just the singers & musicians, I would imagine most of the creative arts are involved, and someone has to have the overall vision.
Woe betide a society which doesn't value the importance of the arts & creativity.
Similarly, I am always amazed at the physical extremes which the human body can operate in. At the level of international competition it seems to me individuals transcend the confines of the human body. Some of the achievements are outstanding & sports science benefits us all in understanding our body & it's capabilities. The prizes don't come cheap though. Athletes have to train their mind and body, and they undoubtedly suffer pain.
Everyone who excels achieves not only for themselves, but for all of us & the world we live in. We should value their huge effort & delight in their success in all it's diversity.
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