Author Archives: robhunt510

About robhunt510

Writer, artist

Rigoletto – the opera that is (eventually) set in Mantua

Posted on July 5, 2007 by robhunt510

Rigoletto (1850) is the first operatic masterpiece of Giuseppe Verdi, born in Piacenza, (home of Donatella and Milena) and practitioner in Milan. The opera is based on the controversial play by Victor Hugo, “Le Roi S’amuse”. In fact the 1832 … Continue reading →

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Millions or Dreams?

Posted on July 4, 2007 by robhunt510

“Tycoon: how to turn your Dreams into Millions” is a new book currently being heavily promoted in England it seems. Its author, Peter Jones, is a rich man (I hope) who is now getting richer by fronting reality television about … Continue reading →

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Orfeo

Posted on July 4, 2007 by robhunt510

“In the long run, I shall be happier to be moderately praised in the new style, than greatly praised in the ordinary,” Monteverdi wrote to Giovanni Doni in 1633. What he did was, in the early part of the seventeenth … Continue reading →

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The Stradivarius Project

Posted on July 4, 2007 by robhunt510

Here is the man’s violin in strange kinds of action. Bless the net

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The Betwixt Instrument

Posted on July 3, 2007 by robhunt510

In the 450 years since the violin emerged in Italy it hasn’t changed much: improvements haven’t improved things. Thus the market for Stradivari grows with the bust-proof economic resilience of a north London house. As with many of the best … Continue reading →

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Half the Full Monty

Posted on July 3, 2007 by robhunt510

Cremona is, as I have written already, a music town; it is only in contemplation, which means getting back to real books, and a library, that even a few of its musical hauntings become easier to hear. Cremona is not … Continue reading →

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From a man who was also Tom – not Tim

Posted on July 3, 2007 by robhunt510

A few weeks ago I wrote to one of the people who has made this journey before. I asked the “Peregrine”of Odcombe how his sense of Tom had felt and evolved as he travelled. “I agree with your concerns about … Continue reading →

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Coffee Perfecto

Posted on July 2, 2007 by robhunt510

In 1901 Luigi Bezzera, an engineer from Milan, created the first espresso machine which used steam to make coffee. But espresso as we know it was born in 1947 when Achille Gaggia, a bar owner in Milan, invented a way … Continue reading →

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France: How to Live There in Print

Posted on July 2, 2007 by robhunt510

How to live in France just by reading Picture from Treviso “Francophile porn: Living the ex-pat fantasy Before I had the inspiration of writing posts on the geography of different regions as a way of learning about France, I considered … Continue reading →

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