According to the website SmartAsset.com, Seattle has the second most depressing winter weather in the country, behind Anchorage. Portland comes in third, followed by other charming places like Cleveland and Buffalo.
During the fall and winter months, it typically rains in Seattle on 20-23 of the 30-31 days. Las Vegas makes the top ten list of the least depressing winter cities, even though it's chilly and windy. But at least the sun shines most of the time.
I think we saw the second most depressing opera yesterday, a seldom performed work called Katya Kabanova by Janacek. Like other tragic operas such as Tosca, La Boheme and Traviata, the heroine dies in the end. Katya takes place in a Russian village in the 1860s along the Volga River. However, I can't remember the last time we saw a production at Seattle Opera with a real period set and costumes.
In this case, the setting was changed to a small Washington town in the 1950's. The idea is that removing an opera from its historical context somehow makes it more relevant and easier to understand. They used a video backdrop showing scenery from the Cascade foothills, so it wasn't clear if poor Katya threw herself off Snoqualmie Falls or jumped into the Columbia River.
It's another dismal Seattle morning, and actually snowing right now. It feels good to stay home in the warm house. I have some sort of weird cold that can't decide what to do next. On a bright note, today is our 24th wedding anniversary. How about that? Steak for dinner.
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