Thursday, July 31, 2008

Gratitude - Day 149


So, my last day of gratitude before hopping a plane to a long, wonderful, delicious vacation. You won't hear much from me for the next few weeks - my computer needs a vacation as well, but I'll catch up where I left off (day 150 when I return!), probably with a ridiculous number of photos of beaches and landscapes and blue sky, wine bottles and grapes and olives, and sunscreen! Thank you all so much for your support over the past season - it has been one of incredible intensity, reward and discovery for me, and I thank you for taking the journey with me!

As I sign off for the time being, I am grateful for this reminder of whom I'll have to be paying homage to in preparation for my first big role back: my very first Donna Elvira. (Which, by the way, the opening night will be broadcast LIVE - that's right, my FIRST EVER Donna Elvira broadcast LIVE in theaters across Europe - on September 8. I know it will be here before any of us knows it, but before then, there is some serious "lazy" on order!)

23 comments:

Carlos said...

Joyce, we are grateful to you for sharing with all of us your thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Now, enjoy your vacations and we will meet you again next season.

Kind regards from Barcelona, Spain,
Carlos

poltergeist said...

I hope you have a wonderful vacation. I am looking forward to your Furore here in Spain!!

Thank you very much for sharing all this season.

My best wishes,
Poltergeist.

Kenderina said...

Have a great vacation, Joyce !! See you in London ;)

Mei said...

White churches, blue skyes and turquoise waters... I'm sure you'll get great photos...

Enjoy your vacation, you deserve it...

See you next month as Donna Elvira...

Gi said...

Have a great vacation, and we'll "see" you when you get back.

Ordás said...

Dear Joyce,
We´ll miss your posts while you´re on vacation. I hope you enjoy your free time with lots of music (hehe, work and pleasure sometimes go together) and I´m looking forward to know more about that Donna Elvira!!!
I love your comments about Madrid and I totally agree with those ones about Italy (it´s a so wonderful place...).

My best regards and, as we say in Spain: Besos y abrazos.

Operafan said...

BONNES VACANCES !! I will count the days until September 8 :-)) THANK YOU for enabling us to take this unbelievable journey with you... Cheers!

ACB said...

You've earned it, lovely!! Enjoy some sun and rest. I will eagerly be awaiting your thoughts on Donna Elvira! xoxox

[Lilith] said...

Aw, I just attended a Don Giovanni at the Liceu with Simon Keenlyside as DG (he's AMAZING), Kyle Ketelsen as Leporello (he's GREAT) and Véronique Gens as Donna Elvira (she was NICE but you would have been WONDERFUL lol).

The production was... let's call it 'special'. I could talk to the singers after the performance (I love to do that, if you remember ;) and I'll just say not even Simon Keenlyside liked it lol Too violent for Mozart. But the singing was a real pleasure.

I hope I'll get to hear your Donna Elvira someday!

Love,

Irene

fer said...

Enjoy your vacation!

and thank you VERY MUCH for that great Idamante you sung in Madrid. I _loved_ it!

Parsifal said...

Beaches and landscapes and blue sky, wine bottles and grapes and olives, and sunscreen? Sounds like Greece to me...or maybe Spain? Or Italy? Naaah, definitely Greece.

Brian said...

Joyce~

I just wanted to express my gratitude for your blog! It truly is a gift for all of us on so many different levels. I can't wait to purchase your first (and hopefully autographed:) "coffee table" photo journal!!! Your photo's are quite obviously inspiring, but the narrative is so insightful and inspired that it's hard to discern a favorite between the two.

-oh! and I wanted to say that I'm thrilled to let you know I will be able to attend all 3 of your appearances with the Kansas City Symphony in Spetember!!! :)

~can't wait to open up their new season with you!

Brian~

Rachel Budde said...

So, I just got home from five weeks in Italy and got online for the first time in FOREVER, and low and behold, I find that you're in Italy. And not only that, but that you were in Florence the same time that I was visiting Florence (all of three days in my five week trip). How ironic.

When my friend Catalina (who has coached with your hubby in Santa Fe, I believe) and I were on our way to Florence, we had a little layover in Pesaro before our train left, so we walked around and they let us inside the theatre. I don't know if you've been there, but it's absolutely GORGEOUS. I think I just walked around with my mouth hanging open the entire time. We saw that you were singing there later this month and were both disappointed that we'd miss hearing you.

Enjoy Italia. I love it and miss it already. In Pesaro, you have to see Rossini's house and touch his piano. Very cool. Also, the beach is a lot of fun (but you have to go to the area of the beach without the umbrellas because the umbrellas are all owned by hotels or something), and there's a GREAT gelato place near the beach that has all the fruit actually IN the gelato. I wish I could remember the name of it, it was amazing. The only gelato I had better was in Florence- passion fruit. Mmmm.

Anyway, I hope you have a good time and take lots of pictures to share with us!!

-Rachel

Anonymous said...

Dear Joyce,
I am a fan of yours since a long time. This is my first time to write in this blog. I am from Berlin, Germany, and hope that you will perform here soon.
But - the reason of my writing is the mysterious recording you did in Paris some time ago. Here is my suppose of what you were recording with whom: Monteverdis Lament of Queen Ottavia from La Poppea, with Emmanuelle Haim!!!!!! Am I right?
This CD is scheduled for release in Germany in late September, and starrs also Patrizia Ciofi, Natalie Dessay and Rolando Villazon! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS CD!!!! I AM INCREDIBLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT!!!!!!!
Greetings from Germany!!
Jakob

Operafan said...

Please, please, as soon as you can, let us know WHERE your first Donna Elvira will be broadcast live... so far, no news on the ROH website!! All best:-))

Mei said...

FYI, the list of the participating venues in the opening night of the ROH live broadcast...

Operafan said...

Thanks Mei for the link, no cinema is participating in France, too bad...

Anonymous said...

Thanks a bunch Mei. Didn't I already say you were a gem?! :)

BUT what a bummer to see no France on that list. I guess I should have expected this but still :(

Cara Joyce, hope you had fab vacations and are happy to go to Pesaro. Also hope your concert will be recorded and eventually broadcast on one of the Rai radio stations.

Buon viaggio! ;)

Gi said...

I believe you sing tomorrow at Pesaro, am I right?
So here's wishing you a great performance and huge success.
Hugs :-)

Anonymous said...

Apparently Joyce was fab in Pesaro - especially in the second part of her concert in which she sang Romeo (Capuleti e I Montecchi). Fans LOVED it! Even the Italian critique --who're always super-criticising everyone-- fell in love with JDD's Romeo.

I REALLY hope there will soon be a recording of Joyce's Romeo.

BRAVA!

Brian said...

Brava!!! and thanks for the update!

Operafan said...

Dolcevita, I confirm... Joyce was FABULOUS in Pesaro, I was overwhelmed by her heartbreaking aria of Desdemona "Canzona del Salice", unbelievable... Bellini definitely composed Romeo for HER, it was wonderful to have her sing it so soon after the Bastille performances, Amanda Forsythe was a wonderful Giulietta. Thank you Joyce for having asked her to sing with you, you are both unforgettable!! All best for Donna Elvira :-))

Anonymous said...

Thanks Operafan! Lucky you to actually have been there.

To me reading the italian critique being full of praise about someone [you know who! :D] who's not yet huge there is equal to "Believe it or not" section :)

I know it's not ONLY Joyce who decides what will be recorded and what not but this is really one of those few roles that fits like a glove and why wait 20 years when the voice becomes too mature for Romeo? I mean I like Elina G. but Joyce's Romeo is unbeatable.Oh well