October 2023

Hello, everybody. I know I am seven months too late to share this with you, but I want to share with you my first and, so far, only participation in the audience’s first impressions of the premiere of Richard Strauss’s Arabella at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, which happened on March 18, 2023. You will find my appearance from 01:42 to 01:45 where I stated, in German, “The best performer for me was Elena Tsallagova as Zdenka” from an interview conducted by Anatoly Rudnev. That was just one of the many unapologetically genuine sentiments I had before creating my long-form vlog-style review on my channel of that same opera where I went into great detail as to why Ms. Tsallagova as Zdenka stood head and shoulders above the rest of the cast. There was no irony, let alone cynicism, to be found in those sentiments about Ms. Tsallagova’s vocally precise performance as Arabella’s tomboyish younger sister Zdenka. Therefore, I was grateful to have received the opportunity to be interviewed. I also want to dedicate this to my mother who is celebrating her birthday today. She has inspired me to observe my passion for opera and for good singing with a critically conscientious eye and ear. Additionally, my maternal grandmother was my rock in appreciating opera since my earliest childhood and helping me become the online reviewer that I am proud to be today, thanks to all of the vocal and instrumental concerts we attended together. Together, my mother and my maternal grandmother also gave me the boost I needed as a singer by recommending voice teachers who looked after my voice well during my adolescent years and also aided me in not only appreciating opera but also making me understand both the vocal demands of specific roles and the librettos put to life by the composers’ music. On behalf of everybody at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, I wish my mother the most prosperous birthday ever. And, to everybody at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, please provide my dear mother with the best wishes you can ever give to her with your fine artistic value and, of course, thank you so much for your undying support for me as an online reviewer. Lots of love and music to you all.