I am writing this on a rainy Sunday morning from my cozy room at the Ritz in Madrid where I have the privilege of staying thanks to a very special rate that I got through the Teatro Real. As you know, the company has been run by my former boss and mentor Gerard Mortier for two years now and I arrived here yesterday morning for two women and what must have been one of the most important opening nights of the season: Tchaikovsky's Iolanta and Stravinsky's Perséphone, staged by Peter Sellars, designed by George Tsypin and conducted by Teodor Currentzis. I've never made a secret of my admiration of Peter's work, but what he and Currentzis achieved with this new double is a complete re-evaluation of two underrated operatic gems. But above all it was a wonderful gathering of friends from all over the world that had come together for the occasion: the wonderful Dominique Blanc and Paul Groves in the cast of Perséphone, Pierre Audi from Amsterdam, Serge Dorny from Lyon, Alex Poots (Manchester Festival and now also Park Avenue Armory in New York) and the person who taught me everything about being an opera administrator: Evamaria Wieser from Salzburg. A late Madrid dinner ensued.

At the COC, we've been busy with two other women. Getting our two casts of Tosca ready on stage was the task of last week. Only the dress rehearsal on Wednesday separates us from opening night this coming Saturday. We're ready for our public and I'm sure it's going to be a very exciting run.

With Tosca coming to the end of rehearsals, L'amour de loin will move on stage next week and we will add the finishing touches to our second winter production.

Now, I'm off to see Gerard Mortier and then Velázquez and Goya at the Prado!