Yesterday was one of those days with so many different events that thinking about it with a little distance it seems they couldn't possibly have happened all in one single day.

My morning started at the Four Seasons Centre with the presentation of our youngest company members to the press: two colonies of honeybees whose hives we had installed on the roof of the opera house a few weeks ago. They seem to like it on our roof and interacted peacefully with the members of the press who had come to photograph and film them. Observing the enthusiasm of the present COC staff members, our bees already are favourite company pets with substantial star potential.

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This afternoon we had the opening performance of Idomeneo. I don't think I have to reiterate how much I love this piece and I will leave reviewing our production to the critics. Just let me say how pleased I am that everything has worked out so well. This is the third production of Idomeneo I have done in my career and I have seen a few more. François de Carpentries' production serves the piece well and we have a cast, chorus, orchestra and conductor that would do any other company in the world proud. Listening to our Idamante, Krisztina Szabó, when she sings "Chio mi scordi di te. . . . Non temer amato bene" with its wonderful solo part for violin, beautifully performed by our concert master Marie Berard, or Paul Groves with Idomeneo's bravura aria "Fuor del mar," or Isabel Bayrakdarian as the Trojan princess Ilia, or Michael Colvin with Arbace's heartbreaking aria in Act III, or to Tamara Wilson as Elettra, making this horribly difficult part sound so gloriously easy, or—my favourite piece in the opera—the wonderful quartet in Act III this afternoon just reminded me that there is nothing more profoundly human, insightful and breathtakingly beautiful than Mozart's music. First, there is Mozart. Then there's a huge gap. And then come all the others. At least, that's how it is for me.

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I am writing this on a calm Saturday afternoon. In two hours we will open our production of Maria Stuarda. The dress rehearsal this past Tuesday went exactly how a dress rehearsal is supposed to go: well enough to prove that we are ready for opening night, but still with a few little issues here and there that—once they've happened in rehearsal—won't happen again in performance. I am knocking on wood while I write this and look forward to seeing Stephen Lawless's beautiful production with our two queens, Serena Farnocchia and Alexandrina Pendatchanska, released to the public today.

Idomeneo, which will open a week tomorrow, is taking shape as well. Yesterday evening, we had the first stage and orchestra rehearsal. Conductor Harry Bicket and I decided to put the orchestra very high in the pit, and the resulting sound was just incredible. All the details and colours of Mozart's wonderful orchestral writing filled the auditorium with the utmost clarity. I think we have found a new pit position for operas with a small orchestra. I will keep you informed about the progress of this production in the course of next week.

Before I have to go to the theatre, I will continue listening to René Jacob's beautiful recording of Mozart's Clemenza di Tito (with Alexandrina Pendatchanska, our Elisabetta tonight, as Vitellia) and read a few more pages of the Verdi-Boito Correspondence. Have a good weekend.