Operatic moments at half-time

Scuttled back to my desk at half time in the England v Italy match this afternoon, intending to do some work, but ended up (this keeps happening to me!) surfing around YouTube.

Here’s one especially for a friend who’s currently off making music in the great churches of Rome while the rest of us battle on with the laundry and the delights of half term - Anna Netrebko singing E Strano from La Traviata.



. . . and to prove that she can act (all tipsy and consumptive) at the same time as singing, you can watch her performing the same aria at the at the Salzburg Festival here . I simply preferred the dress in this one!

Italy wins hands-down when it comes to opera, of course. No contest. But we did manage to beat them at rugby 23 - 19.