Easter 4 - The Sunday Musical Offering

Today is the Sabbath, I encourage you to attend your parish church and give God thanks for the blessings of the past week. If you are traveling, be sure to visit a local congregation and experience something potentially new and inspiring.

The Sunday Musical Offering for today simply "sparkles" with joy. I do not remember the first time I heard Gaetano Donizetti's comic masterpiece "Don Pasquale" but it has always left me in high spirits and is a delightful evening of theater. Two moments stand out: the first is the overture that never fails to enchant the listener. It is hard to believe that in forty years at the Met, James Levine had never conducted the opera until the 2010 season. Here he leads the "mighty" Metropolitan from a recent Live in HD broadcast.

My other favorite moment comes in the Second Act of the opera. I have often heard singers say that when they are singing bel canto operas they wished that they got paid "by the note!" Listen to this phenomenal duet between Don Pasquale (bass) and Dr. Maletesta (baritone). If you are like me, you will be smiling at the end hoping and cheering for more! 

Love One Another - Brian