Sir Almaviva
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ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
Sir Almaviva
@ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
590 followers 970 following 5.4K posts
Lover of trams, classical music, maths, tea and cats. Member of the cycling lobby. 🇮🇹 immigrant in 🇬🇧. Refugees are welcome, racists are not.

Lover of "Italian Effeminacy and Italian Nonsense" (i.e. opera, according to Jonathan Swift)
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ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
This interesting DG recording combines Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with Xiaogang Ye's musical setting of the poems in the original Chinese, which I thought was quite good, and completely different from Mahler's [I did not listen to M. this time, so I can't say anything about the performance]
Gustav Mahler - Xiaogang Ye The Song of the Earth Michelle DeYoung, Brian Jagde, Liping Zhang, Shenyang Shanghai Symphony Orchestra - Long Yu
November 26, 2025 at 7:19 AM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
#NowListening to more of his music
Spring in the Forest — Xiaogang Ye's Music Collection
November 23, 2025 at 5:01 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
Just pure nonsense.
“To me, Shabana is like Elizabeth I – someone who is not only devoted to her job, but who never expected it.” He believes that the Home Secretary is here to redeem Labour and re-establish the integrity for the state. And though she’s “utterly unique”, in her “courageousness, her talents, her beliefs, her religion”, she’s not got her eye on the leadership. “She will do her job. She will stop the boats. She will bring order to the immigration system. She will sort the police. Keir must know that she will do what she wants, to fulfil what she considers the most vital role in the Government.”
November 23, 2025 at 4:42 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
St Martin's church, Castleton Moor, March 2025.

#photography
A church with a steeple next to it. In the foreground a graveyard with stone tombs scattered among the grass. Behind the church a slightly grey and cloudy sky.
November 23, 2025 at 4:05 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
#NowListening to orchestral music by Chinese composer Ye Xiaogang
Xiaogang YE Mount E'mei Scent of Green Mango Lamura Cuo The Silence of Mount Minshan Wei Lu, Dan Zhu, Violin Shengnan Hu, Percussion Xiaotang Tan, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Gilbert Varga Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz Stefan Malzew Franck Ollu NAXOS
November 23, 2025 at 3:20 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
The splendid interior of the town hall in Rochdale.

#photography
A staricase surrounded by tall windows with pointed arches and stained glass, reminiscent of those in Gothic churches. A chandelier is hanging from the ceiling.
November 23, 2025 at 2:27 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
A swan on the Rochdale canal, March 2025.

#photography
A white swan on some dark water.
November 23, 2025 at 2:14 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
Portland Basin, near Ashton-under-Lyne, in the point where the Ashton Canal and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal meet, with the river Tame also nearby.

#photography
A water basin with red-brick buildings on the other side. These are former industrial mills, now converted into a museum and café. It is a beatiful day and the buildings, the clear blue sky and some puffy white clouds are reflected in the water.
November 23, 2025 at 9:51 AM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
The magnificent Beverley Minster, September 2020.

#photography
A tall and large Gothic church with a green lawn in front of it. A clear blue sky with some light white clouds.
November 23, 2025 at 9:38 AM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
A cow grazing in a field on the hills near Verona, between the Val Squaranto and the Val d'Illasi, summer 2020.

#photography
A brown and white cow is grazing in a field with grass and white flowers. Behind it the slop descends gently towards the valley below and we see fieds, trees and a few houses and farms alternating. In the background we can see the plain, with its more densely populated settlements. A bit of mist in the distance means we cannot see as far away as on a clear day. It is still a sunny day.
November 23, 2025 at 9:25 AM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
Boats on the river Trent in Beeston, 5 years ago today.

#photography
A calm river with a few sparse trees on the opposite side. It is afternoon and the sun is setting already. A few very light clouds have a soft rosy colour. Both the clouds and the trees are reflected in the clear water of the river. Closer to the viewer are some canal boats. The scene is very peaceful.
November 22, 2025 at 1:12 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
The National Space Centre in Leicester, November 2023.

#photography
A sculpture of an astronaut floating in space with a space suit and tied to a safety tether. In the background a modern glass building.
November 22, 2025 at 12:54 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
#NowListening to some music for violin and piano by Chinese composer Ma Sicong
MA SICONG (1912-1987) Music for Violin and Piano Hsiao-mei Ku, Violin Ning Lu, Piano NAXOS
November 22, 2025 at 10:06 AM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
A peaceful scene on the river Trent, in Beeston, five years ago today.

#photography
A calm river with a few sparse trees on the opposite side. It is afternoon and the sun is setting already. A few very light clouds have a soft rosy colour. Both the clouds and the trees are reflected in the clear water of the river. The scene is very peaceful.
November 22, 2025 at 9:30 AM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
That is a take, I guess.
PATRICK MAGUIRE Believe it, there is such a thing as Mahmoodism In a party whose leader stands for nothing, the home secretary Shabana Mahmood is singular: a devout outsider driven by conviction
November 21, 2025 at 6:26 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
Horse in a field on a frosty morning, three years ago today.

#photography
A horse near a wooden fence. Behing the horse, a frosty field in the light of dawn, with its rosy colours, illuminating the scene from the left.
November 21, 2025 at 6:56 AM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
Chinese Arch in Chinatown, Liverpool.

#photography
A big Chinese arch, brightly coloured in red, yellow and other colours.
November 20, 2025 at 6:58 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
The Yorkshire coast near Barmston.

#photography
The North Sea seen from the coast, beind a wooden fence which can be partially seen. Behing the fence is some grass with some yello flowers. Some waves hit the shore but overall the sea is calm and puffy white clouds are in the blue sky. It is a beautiful sunny day.
November 20, 2025 at 6:43 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
The North Sea at Withernsea.

#photography
A view of the sea from a beach. The small waves are hitting the shore, and the sea is calm. In the distance we can see several small wind turbines. The sky is blue with some light white clouds. The light of the sun illuminates the scene from the right, giving some of the clouds a yellowish tinge, and is reflected in the water on the right-hand side.
November 20, 2025 at 6:41 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
Some original art in Hull.

#photography
A bear made of metal wire, hanging from a post with three paws and extending the right front paw towards the sky. The sky is blue and without clouds.
November 20, 2025 at 6:14 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
I like (seeing and taking) photos of beautiful places in the UK, so I follow a few pages/people on social media.

Sadly, this is not the first of them that goes on an anti-immigrant rant, which obviously resulted in me unfollowing them.
The Facebook page "Photography of England" going on an anti-immigrant rant.
November 20, 2025 at 12:49 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
A beautiful illuminated building in Manchester.

#photography
A large building with many windows and turrets of each corner, with red brick and white stone walls. It is dark and the building is beautifully illuminated.
November 19, 2025 at 6:59 PM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
Piazza San Zeno, Verona

#photography
A photo of the square in front of the Church of San Zeno in Verona. THe square is pedestrianised and a person is seen walking on it. The Church stands at the end of the square, with its steeple on the right, and a red-brick tower with merlons. The sky is blue and clear, it is a very sunny day.
November 19, 2025 at 6:58 AM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
Peterborough Cathedral.

#photography
The central nave of Peterborough Cathedral, seen from the choir, where we can see some beautiful wooden stalls on aither side. A large golden cross is hanging from the ceiling in the centre.
November 19, 2025 at 6:51 AM
ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social
Hull Minster, May 2024.

#photography
A gothic church seen from the side, with an imposing tower. A planter with some grass is seen in the foreground.
November 19, 2025 at 6:46 AM