Music notes

Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Opera and Orchestra are coming to Washington later this month, to perform Turandot, Parsifal and Verdi's Requiem. I took a cab down to the Kennedy Center this morning to get the goods. Because I'm planning on taking Rebekah my first inclination was Parsifal, just for the spectacle of it. However, knowing of Wagner's penchant for lengthy operas, I wondered if that might be a bad choice for an 11-year-old. I asked the man at the box office, how long is it? His answer was, quote, "Five long-ass hours."

So, Verdi it will be.