Posted on 06/17/2018 8:14:24 PM PDT by Rummyfan
The World Cup is underway in Russia. I caught a few moments in a favorite Irish pub in Toronto yesterday, in between pints of Guinness with the great John Oakley. Without Cameroon I'm not sure I have a dog in this fight, and it may be that the livelier action is off the pitch, what with the Cossacks promising to ride in and break up canoodling gays. But music-wise there's no doubt about the all-time great World Cup song - from a memorable championship in Italy seven World Cups ago.
Back in the Eighties, when Luciano Pavarotti's people at Decca Records and elsewhere were trying to leverage him into a bona fide pop celebrity, their chosen vehicle was a misbegotten movie called Yes, Giorgio, a Mario Lanza backstage musical for a generation which had never expressed the slightest interest in seeing one. Luciano played an opera singer who loses his voice, and Kathryn Harrold (not the best choice) played the throat specialist with whom he falls in love. The big guy sang a mélange of aria tidbits plus a gloopy power ballad ("If We Were In Love") and, somewhat alarmingly, "I Left My Heart In San Francisco". The movie flopped and that was the end of Pavarotti's Hollywood career. I met him not long afterwards and he seemed to me irked at having been allowed to be talked into doing it.
(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...
Soccer is a bad joke. Nobody watches kick ball. Nobody cares about soccer. Soccer is a foreigners game-in foreign countries. It has no place here now and it will never have a place here! Play American games!!
.
You don’t know we’re hosting the 2026 World Cup and we, Canada and Mexico will automatically qualify because we’re the host nations?
FWIW, the MLS is profitable and plays to sold-out crowds in stadiums specifically built for the game.
We won’t face huge capital outlays because we have the facilities already in place.
I pick dibs on Germany but Brazil could be a stronger contender. Uruguay is s dark horse but it did win twice in 1930 and in 1950.
One of the great arias. It was pretty much Pavarotti’s theme song.
I could not care less. This month is “ gay” pride month ( I can’t guess at what thet are ” proud “ of) but I see it snd kick ball as the same. Not on my screen.
Hey look! It’s the other guy!!!
José Carreras? No, it was Jose Jimenez. He had bad handwriting. Just ask Keith Hernandez.
Well... I guess we must admit that the kickball is more popular than cricket.
Just wow! One of my favorite pieces and she is excellent.
The offsides rule removes speed, defensive skill, and strategy as a factor. The offense has to politely wait for the defense to catch up and get into position before they can advance. WTH?? Take away that one minor, cowardly, pathetic rule, and speed becomes a factor. Paying attention on defense becomes important. Long plays become numerous. Scoring goes up, and the usual insipid 0-0 and 1-1 ties go away. You spend 2 hours watching 8-12 scores per game instead of maybe 2-3, if you're lucky.
Actually soccer’s coming along. Every single young couple I know for the past 20 have their kids in soccer and or volleyball. Basketball and football are dead ends for white boys and while none of the suburbanites will say it, with soccer they don’t have to worry about their safety going to watch their kid play in the inner city.
Not what I’d call major profits, especially if something hinky is going on...
https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2018/2/21/17034108/us-soccer-releases-2017-financial-records
I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing all three of those gentlemen at different times and different places, most recently Domingo last January 2017.
And at the beginning of the third act of Turandot all over the world.
ML/NJ
Amira was 9 at the time this recording was made. She is 14 now and extremely popular in Europe (and perhaps in the U.S. - hard to tell).
Do a YouTube search on Amira or better yet on Amira Willighagen and you will find some great music, most with a full symphony orchestra backup.
And be sure to read some of the YouTube comments. We have a future opera star for certain if her voice holds up.
That's the way I like to hear it. I guess I'm a purist and snob, but I do not like hearing Nessun Dorma in venues like the World Cup (which I don't watch anyway). The lyrics to the piece are very specific to the opera. The title means "No one sleeps tonight" (because everyone in the kingdom is trying to guess the Unknown Prince's riddle). Just because it has a pretty melody does not mean it fits events like the World Cup.
Turandot was the opera that got me into opera. It is loaded with great music and drama from start to finish.
Turned out Mexico beat Germany. Yup, that’s right, world champion Germany!
Frau Merkel isn’t pleased.
The offside rule is to prevent unjustified scoring.
That said, a good football team can rack up multiple goals as we saw Thursday in the openining game between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.