You might have wondered already why I haven't posted any photos from this trip so far. I did try, but the beauty of this place has shown me the limits of technology. On my blackberry camera it just doesn't come out the way it really is. When I was driving to the performance of Madama Butterfly yesterday there were dark black clouds hanging over the mountains, a huge, beautiful rainbow stretching out from the mountains to the clouds and flashes of lightning coming down from the clouds. Impossible to capture.

For a change, the performance of Madama Butterfly didn't have to compete with the forces of nature, but Lee Blakeley's efficient production allowed us nice views of the New Mexican Moutains at night. I'm always surprised that the story of this unlucky Japanese geisha continues to move me after having seen it so many times. It is the world's most frequently performed opera for a reason. Kelly Kaduce's intense Cio-Cio San, Brandon Jovanovich's deliberately unsympathetic (and very well sung) Pinkerton and James Westman's warm Sharpless did a lot for credible drama on stage, but for me the true star of the evening was the Suzuki of Elizabeth DeShong with her dark-coloured warm mezzo. She will be our Cenerentola next season and I truly look forward to having her on our stage.