CD cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
I have written several times of how many cycles of my life have come full circle in the last few years. Today, marks the fifth anniversary of one of those cycles not completing nor resolving anything but coming back to me with a fact I just discovered a few days ago. Life is strange, indeed.
In the late '90's, I would go downtown from one of the Mission Street BART stations. In the cavernous, usually not-quite-dim underground entrance, street musicians would perform. This is where I first encountered Thoth. Each encounter was an amazing experience; he would sing, play the violin and with bells around his ankles, dance; all at the same time. Not only that, in his "Soloperas", a one-man opera, he sang in a language he created, the language of the Festad, a mythical people and land. As if that wasn't enough, he sang all the parts of the opera: young, old, male and female. His magnificent voice ranges from a sonorous baritone to a rich countertenor. It was a mind blower to watch him perform, to be sure.
I saw his performances many times; the first time I bought one of his CD albums, The Herma. I got it home and discovered it is just as amazing to listen to it as it is to watch it performed. I subsequently bought several of his other albums each time I saw him but The Herma (see link below) is my love; perhaps that is because it was the first of his CDs I bought. Your first love is always the one you remember.
Flash forward 15 or so years later, five years ago today, on October 12th, 2010, I was in Barcelona rushing down Carrer de Bonsucces when I passed the entrance to Plaça de Vicenç Martorell . . .
. . . and to my complete astonishment, there was Thoth singing, playing his violin and dancing with all his heart!
This time an exotically beautiful woman was performing with him. What a superb team they made! Visually she was the total opposite of Thoth. I was delighted and excited to see he had found a fellow performer that matched his flair!
I was in a hurry and got these quick shots as I passed them but nothing more. It was in the middle of their performance; I didn't have time to wait for them to finish and I figured, as in San Francisco, he would make another appearance there or somewhere in Barcelona and I could get some better shots. Unfortunately, I never ran into them again so that didn't happened.
. . . and to my complete astonishment, there was Thoth singing, playing his violin and dancing with all his heart!
October 12, 2010
photo by Styrous®
This time an exotically beautiful woman was performing with him. What a superb team they made! Visually she was the total opposite of Thoth. I was delighted and excited to see he had found a fellow performer that matched his flair!
I was in a hurry and got these quick shots as I passed them but nothing more. It was in the middle of their performance; I didn't have time to wait for them to finish and I figured, as in San Francisco, he would make another appearance there or somewhere in Barcelona and I could get some better shots. Unfortunately, I never ran into them again so that didn't happened.
October 12, 2010
photo by Styrous®
I found out just a few days ago (the cycle completing) who the woman with him was. She is Lila'Angelique, a coloratura soprano
and an exceptional violinist. Lila'Angelique became Thoth's protege in 2009. They began traveling the
world on November 17th 2009 and have been performing throughout the
world ever since. They got married last year on May 17th, 2014.
I wish them a lifetime of love and happiness.
Thoth and Lila'Angelique on the Net:
Thoth ~ The Herma: Act One
Thoth ~ Tone Poems of the Festad
Thoth website
Lila’Angelique website
Thoth blog
Lila'Angelique blog
Thoth performing on YouTube
Thoth & Lila’Angelique on YouTube
Thoth documentary on YouTube
Thoth Wandrly Magazine interview
Thoth & Lila’Angelique wesufm interview
LA Times article
Metroactive article
Newsreview article
Styrous® ~ Columbus (or Indigenous) Day, Monday, October 12, 2015
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