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On the first day of the year, Lois and I went to the Teatro Verdi in Florence, for a jolly Capodanno concert featuring popular works by the great Italian opera composers such as Puccini and Rossini, with an enthusiastic orchestra, a large soprano, whose voice filled the cavernous auditorium, and a less voluminous tenor, who might have been her dinner. The jovial crowd enjoyed every minute of it, especially during a quiet passage of Rossini (yes, there are quiet passages in Rossini), when a small child a few rows behind us uttered a loud miaow, followed by a series of infectious giggles, an intrusion that caused delight rather than disapproval.
It reminded me, of course, of Rossini’s famous comic song Duetto buffo di due gatti, which I am sure you will recognise. (Rossini didn’t write it himself, but it is based on a tune of his.) I can only recollect hearing the duet with women singers, so it was a pleasant surprise when I came across the You Tube video above of soprano Branislava Podrumac and tenor Ljubomir Popović (with Aleksandar Kolarević at the piano) performing this vivacious version. Lois and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
It comes with our best wishes for a healthy, happy, prosperous and creative New Year, with many amusing miaows.