Lilium "Eurydice"

Funny, all early evening long I was singing Que faro senza Euridice to myself, not remembering the name of the lily outside, just in bloom. Just now a quick visit to its parent-website reminded me. Sweet.

And I'll take Teresa Berganza's version any day over Andreas Scholl's. She's sex. He's...not. My language becomes rather limited when it comes to voices...But I don't suppose they allowed sex into hell. Except the Underworld sounded a lot more fun than hell.

OK, now I'm obsessed and shopping through YouTube: this is Marilyn Horne. All great except the swooping MIO BEN...

More serious old school. Janet Baker: if you can get over the block-of-wood-effect, Italian-massacre and game-show weirdness (just close your eyes), the voice is smoother and more effortless than my chocolate cream. One of my favourite singers. She could sing. The dress is brilliant.

It's all pretty silly, anyhow. Man singing like a woman who's supposed to be a man rescuing his girl from hellfire, or a woman singing like a woman but acting a man rescuing his woman from...hellfire.

And this is before closets were invented to step from. I guess in those days they didn't see a need for them.