HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"Everything in the world is a jest. Man is born a jester. In his mind, his reason Is wavering always. All mocked! All mortals taunt one another, But he laughs well who has the last laugh." - Fugue from Act 3 of Verdi's Falstaff (libretto by Boito after Shakespeare.)  

After having a few drinks last night at the Woolpack in Slad, I was happy to leave like the Scarlet Pimpernel just prior to midnight and meditate on Jamie Lee Curtis's breasts and Denholm Elliot's emphatic delivery of the line "eggnog!" in 'Trading Places' (1983) whilst eating homemade pizza courtesy of Chadwick's iconic oven and drinking the last of a pint of Uley in a plastic glass which took forever for me to drain.

This morning I dream slept through most of the Vienna New Year's Day Concert, finally rousing myself to sit with a cafetière of coffee (Taylors Of Harrogate Christmas Blend) to herald the first day of the new year with the always transcendent 'Blue Danube' conducted by Christian Thielmann who looks like a Nazi villain straight out of Indiana Jones. I saw him conduct Pfitzner's 'Palestrina' once at Royal Opera and didn't know at the time that the German composer was a Nazi sympathiser. I'm connecting the dots in a hazy hangover kind of way and feeling strangely oblivious about it. 2024 is already a riot.

Now I'm in a post midday slump, pondering whether to get off my arse and go for a symbolic walk as a statement of intent for my ambition for the year ahead whilst casually watching Verdi's 'Falstaff' at the Royal Opera with Bryn Terfel from the Graham Vick stage production from 1999 with its vivid Renaissance colours of red, yellow and green. I was also in attendance when this production first arrived and can remember the charisma of Terfel's old knight permeating the opera house. Sir John seems to epitomise the perfect character for New Year's Day as he is a man who lives very much in the moment with his excesses and schemes. I doubt he would go for a walk right now unless it was to woo Alice Ford.

In this state of non-commiting to some sort of noble act of physical exertion or intellectual exercising, I am writing this current blog post as way of a confession to you all. Can it be the case that it is not yet quite mid-afternoon and I have already succumbed to my worst layabout character traits/flaws. What chance is there for redemption in 2024 if I cannot even muster the momentum to carpe diem this 1st of January.

Maybe I will go for that walk, dammit!

Happy New Year!

Digital Renegade

1st January, 2024