I went to the opera with Jay Nordlinger Friday night as advertised, and

learned more about music in three hours than I have formerly learned in the

average year. What Jay doesn’t know in this zone isn’t worth knowing.

Here’s the best part, though. Jay was attending in his capacity as opera

critic for the New York Sun. Well, today’s Sun ran Jay’s review, and I AM

QUOTED IN IT! Listen:

“As for the accuracy and panache with which he [Antonino Siragusa]

dispatched his final, florid music, I can do no better than to quote the man

sitting next to me, an English-born writer and intellectual of exquisite

manners: ‘He kicked a–.’”

That’s ME, folks! Quoted in an opera review!! My cup runneth over.

(Note how succinctly I encapsulate the essence of Siragusa’s performance.

Not: “He kicked a– in an unfamiliar role with a challenging tessitura.”

Not: “He kicked a– with a faultlessly precise portamento and a messa di

voce to rival the great tenors of the past.” Just: “He kicked a–.”

Observe, aspiring opera critics, and learn!)