orgasms

Have I mentioned that I heart The Guardian (UK)'s theatre blog? No?

Well, consider its tremendousness mentioned. For today.

Here's my current bit of fascination: Peter Conrad writing on the Metropolitan Opera and its new Singles programs.

My first favorite line ever: Classical music, supposedly the purest of the arts, has always been a bit of a floozy.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

And speaking of that, he goes on to say,
Throughout its history, it has been busily working as a pandar, facilitating seduction and extolling the delights of carnal gratification.
OK, I had to look up "pandar." It's a couth word for pimp.

He even discusses orgasms at the opera (in the libretto, dahlings).

But then he lashes out against the corporate shilling now omnipresent at classical music events, especially, he says, opera:
On an average night, Covent Garden is given over to corporate hospitality, with contingents of City networkers braying, swilling and bonding. By contrast, using music as an aphrodisiac seems to me an innocent enterprise.

(Read more about a certain corporation that the UO, er, brays for, after the jump, plus: Classical music stays around in the morning. And no messy wet spots!)