Culture Week

Well, I had a really nice dose of "culture" this week.

First it started on Wednesday with a lecture by E. O. Wilson.

I have a close friend named Bill and anyone who ever gets into a conversation with him will discover, usually within the first 20 minutes of dialog, that Bill is a Harvard Grad. He did his undergrad work there, then went on to Florida get his PhD in BioChemistry, then on to A&M to pursue his medical degree. Wilson was one of his professors way back when and since has become Bill's number one hero.

Wilson is embarking on an interesting endeavor. To begin, his number one passion and concern is the welfare and condition of the earth's environment. He feels there is an urgent need to stop what we've done this far and begin preserving what's left. His solution is unique and somewhat controversial. He is applealing to the evangelical leaders of the world to help him spread the word. His means is through his latest book titled "The Creation". The book opens up as an open letter to an anonymous pastor and moves on from there.

Then on Thursday, I went to see the Opera Rigoletto at Opera in the Heights at Lambert Hall with my friend, John. Apparently, Opera singers who are not yet ready for the large opera houses, such as Wortham or the Met, need opportunities to perform and better their voices for the big events. It's equivalent to the minor leagues. So, to meet this need, opera houses, like Opera in the Heights, provide these opportunities. It is my understanding that these opera houses exist all over Europe. The performance was OUTSTANDING! It was my first time to see Rigoletto. Thankfully I knew the story because the projector was broken and we were unable to read the translation.

Finally, on Friday, I went to see the ballet Dracula. The music was composed by Franz Liszt. I'm not a ballet fan but I really enjoyed this ballet very much. The costumes were fabulous, especially the cape worn by dracula himself. When he turned his back to the audience and raised his arms, his cape took on the form of moth wings and gave off a powerful sense of control and "thirst" for power. And the stage affects were fabulous. Even if you are not ballet fans, this one is well worth the time to see.

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