tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post3786589340318087603..comments2024-03-26T07:58:59.761+00:00Comments on I'll think of something later: Don't kill LuluDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-84289776982702829972013-10-01T08:32:34.845+01:002013-10-01T08:32:34.845+01:00Anders was a fabulous Strauss interpreter, too. I ...Anders was a fabulous Strauss interpreter, too. I need to hear more. 66 CDs, though, heck: a lifetime is not enough to listen, let alone to have recorded so much...an iron smoker indeed.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-21950151512973414972013-10-01T08:14:52.959+01:002013-10-01T08:14:52.959+01:00Now here's a funny thing, David. Anders and Sc...Now here's a funny thing, David. Anders and Schwarzkopf were both pupils of Lula Mysz-Gmeiner (1876-1948), although I don't think the latter got on with her. LMG was a contralto admired by Brahms. <br />Anders is a constant presence through the Raucheisen big box (66 CDs recorded in Berlin mostly in the latter years of the war). He was as famous in opera and operetta as in lieder. His Winterreise is the business indeed. Roger Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16716925882482994792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-12392283509653002122013-10-01T07:52:36.550+01:002013-10-01T07:52:36.550+01:00One syllable. 'Botty' or 'bottom' ...One syllable. 'Botty' or 'bottom' would have done. <br /><br />Ah well, germane to Lulu's world, I guess. Did you know that Wedekind originally had Geschwitz expiring to an unfinished 'oh shit', or so they think. What a word to end a play trying to avoid a laugh from the audience...<br /><br />If you ain't seen the proper Lulu, you're in for quite an experience. Student of mine last night pointed out that the young crowd who frequents the Young Vic needed more pointers as how to handle such music - pre performance talks should have been essential. They WANTED to know more, she said.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-69126293316388807362013-10-01T02:14:55.576+01:002013-10-01T02:14:55.576+01:00I had NO idea, even after living with a Brit lo th...I had NO idea, even after living with a Brit lo these many years, that the word meant "front bits" in English English (if I even have that right). It's no wonder you couldn't imagine it . . . but why not substitute "bum"?Susan Scheidhttp://prufrocksdilemma.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-5130376404390431212013-09-30T23:19:41.583+01:002013-09-30T23:19:41.583+01:00I'm just doubly confused now, even if I have a...I'm just doubly confused now, even if I have a clear picture of what he WAS wearing.<br /><br />Most embarrassing confusion I've had was over the American and GB uses of 'fanny': neither polite, but picture my consternation when in the Auden/Kallman translation of Brecht's text for Weill's Seven Deadly Sins, which we were performing, I stared at our Anna and wondered how she could sing the line 'now she shows off her little round white fanny' - I didn't much experience of what I thought was meant, but I still couldn't imagine it. To save others' confusion, the word was changed weakly to 'body'.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-65001470668350692082013-09-30T20:42:04.651+01:002013-09-30T20:42:04.651+01:00Catriona's disquisition on being divided by a ...Catriona's disquisition on being divided by a common language is hilarious! So, in American English, then, Gelb was indeed wearing suspenders, that is, straps worn over the shoulders to hold up trousers? (Neither of you need to answer this, please know!) Susan Scheidhttp://prufrocksdilemma.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-88778650638580639672013-09-30T13:40:42.880+01:002013-09-30T13:40:42.880+01:00Not at all, Catriona, though not as excited as fet...Not at all, Catriona, though not as excited as fetishists might be...I think it has been confirmed that Gelb was indeed wearing trouser braces and nothing kinky (alas). And that his reply has pacified the petitioner.<br /><br />That Anders recording, Roger, makes all other Winterreises seem tame, doesn't it, although I know it is unrepeatable. I had special trouble listening to Padmore after it. A certain singer says MP always sounds as if he's had sand kicked in his face. I know what he means, much as I enjoyed his recent Captain Vere.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-64933220003209936702013-09-30T13:34:58.719+01:002013-09-30T13:34:58.719+01:00Picking up two strands, I walked out of a Nottingh...Picking up two strands, I walked out of a Nottingham Playhouse production of Measure for Measure - a favourite play - some Edinburgh Festivals ago. It seemed to me to be running against the grain of the play, so I went home at the interval. <br />On the garters, suspenders and braces issue, this is an example of being divided by a common language. Braces are for teeth or for holding up trousers. A garter belt in American English is a suspender belt in British English. In British English, a garter is a band which goes round the leg to hold up stockings - ornamental and frilly for brides, the origin of garter stitch in knitting. In British English, as well as being that which attaches stockings to the belt (or Liberty bodice, for those who remember such articles of torture), suspenders are also those elasticated bands with clips which men wear to hold up their ankle socks in, for example, Brian Rix farces.<br />You are sorry you asked, now, aren't you, David?Catrionanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-10688081385236733332013-09-28T21:19:12.449+01:002013-09-28T21:19:12.449+01:00Peter Anders. What a singer. What a musician.Peter Anders. What a singer. What a musician.Roger Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16716925882482994792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-36276695135303850652013-09-28T13:00:25.426+01:002013-09-28T13:00:25.426+01:00To be fair, it's said she didn't understan...To be fair, it's said she didn't understand the premise of the programme and thought you had to choose your own recordings. Whatever the case, many of her more famous recordings - the Four Last Songs with Szell, the Rosenkavalier with Karajan - got in the way of appreciating much better versions (the majority) for decades.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-301082925027068492013-09-28T12:45:11.401+01:002013-09-28T12:45:11.401+01:00Elizabeth Schwarzkopf on Desert Island Disks chos...Elizabeth Schwarzkopf on Desert Island Disks chose seven of her own recordings (the eighth being the overture to Rosenkavalier). Well, why not? Better that the pop stuff we have to suffer on DID nowadays. But if you look for her entry in the DID archive it is not available. Wonder why not.David Damantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-28239349674843206162013-09-28T11:31:42.900+01:002013-09-28T11:31:42.900+01:00I don't know Schwarzkopf's wartime recordi...I don't know Schwarzkopf's wartime recordings (isn't Raucheisen the pianist on that most amazing of all Winterreises, Peter Anders'?) I do know her Sophie in a 1947 Presentation of the Rose, and that's the only one of her recordings I can stomach. Seems to me she never had a beautiful voice, and the support is odd.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-50272258210898710512013-09-27T22:20:05.485+01:002013-09-27T22:20:05.485+01:00Gerhardt was thought by the Legge generation to be...Gerhardt was thought by the Legge generation to be the epitome of the lieder singer. Schwarzkopf seems to me to have in several ways followed her mannerisms, encouraged presumably by Legge. She's far better in her wartime recordings with Raucheisen - ie before she met Legge IMO. Roger Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16716925882482994792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-9716483221615205082013-09-27T18:49:10.790+01:002013-09-27T18:49:10.790+01:00Heard Schwanewilms last night in the most astonish...Heard Schwanewilms last night in the most astonishing and unusual performance of Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder: I had to pedal like mad from the opening of the Guildhall School's new complex at Milton Court, but it was well worth it (AS's performance briefly described at the end of the Arts Desk piece).<br /><br />Roger, I know what you mean and I don't have half the knowledge of Wolf Lieder interpretation that you do. Frankly I reckon it's a pity Walter Legge worked with a certain not so heilige Elisabeth, who would surely not have had the career she did - and in fact didn't have on the continent - without his over-promotion. Ask Charles Spencer, Schwanewilms' pianist last night, with whom I remember conversing 20 or more years ago about the undeserved reputation of ES.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-23877420023839830402013-09-27T17:49:14.607+01:002013-09-27T17:49:14.607+01:00It's such a shame that Walter Legge, in his Hu...It's such a shame that Walter Legge, in his Hugo Wolf Society recordings in the 1930s, should have done so much with Elena Gerhardt. She was well past her best and it all seems grossly over-interpreted to me. I have that set on LP and she occupies the first two sides. The remaining twelve sides have a remarkable panoply of great singing.Roger Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16716925882482994792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-59389559305688856382013-09-27T16:29:26.682+01:002013-09-27T16:29:26.682+01:00Another Schwanewilms sale here, David. I go into a...Another Schwanewilms sale here, David. I go into a Wolf deep dive every five years or so, and I expect this will provoke a new attack. Always need a broader diet than DFD though!Roger Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16716925882482994792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-6532320888324969802013-09-27T13:30:29.715+01:002013-09-27T13:30:29.715+01:00To your first question, YES on Rose and Gardner; t...To your first question, YES on Rose and Gardner; the Sophie is Mojca Erdmann. Thrilled to learn about Sindram. Your Elektra sounds fabulous. As to your second question, my fashion knowledge is less than minimal, but when I read braces, I did think suspenders.Susan Scheidhttp://prufrocksdilemma.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-9410077900615993752013-09-26T17:25:13.265+01:002013-09-26T17:25:13.265+01:00David - I wish you'd introduced me to the late...David - I wish you'd introduced me to the late Mr Karpeles. He does indeed sound remarkable. Few know their Wolf that well.<br /><br />Sue - Serafin was a glamorous Marschallin when I saw Rosenkav in Vienna, with a sound a bit like Crespin. Not seen her since, but she's done a few Toscas at the Royal Opera House. Sindram is a firebrand: an absolutely magnificent Venus in the Proms Tannhauser. Again, that's the only time I've seen her but no doubt about it - top quality. You do get Peter, though, don't you? And the Sophie and conductor? <br /><br />Our Royal Opera Elektra on Monday was the most gripping I've heard in ages. Pieczonka, the Chrysothemis - now there's a star Marschallin. She's the friend of a friend, who tells me she lives with a very nice woman. Anyway, she's gorgeous.<br /><br />By the way, I gather the rainbow apparel was 'garters' rather than braces - doesn't that mean suspenders?Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-17711183196156820392013-09-26T02:12:16.951+01:002013-09-26T02:12:16.951+01:00PS: David D's story is beautiful.PS: David D's story is beautiful.Susan Scheidhttp://prufrocksdilemma.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-86227518781561172042013-09-26T02:10:37.175+01:002013-09-26T02:10:37.175+01:00Re Der Rosenkav: Marschallin: Martina Serafin,
Oc...Re Der Rosenkav: Marschallin: Martina Serafin, <br />Octavian: Daniela Sindram. Serafin was the draw, based on her performance in The Ring--EG wasn't in the performance we could get to anyway (she was only booked for 3, I think. I don't know anything about Sindram.) Schwanewilms isn't ordered yet, but will be, along with the new Denk. (Did you see he's received a MacArthur award?) I did see a report on the Met opening program note, but didn't know about the rainbow braces. Nice touch, and, overall, a better result than I expected. I think you overcame your "curmudgeonliness" in high style Over My Way, on which I'll respond in due course . . . and as to Sollertinsky, yes, yes, he must not--and in my next Shos post will not--be forgotten, as you'll see. Susan Scheidhttp://prufrocksdilemma.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-47306892600265895612013-09-25T14:38:02.407+01:002013-09-25T14:38:02.407+01:00Once more I tread with care over ground so fertile...Once more I tread with care over ground so fertile with musical knowledge, but several strands come together to remind me of the late Stefan Karpeles, of such happy memory. A Austrian refugee from Hitler, he flew for the RAF in the war and after the liberation of Austria at once flew a plane ( without permission) to Vienna to pick up his beloved fiancee (later wife) who was an opera singer - middle class, spotted by the intendant at a social evening and at once offered Carmen ( "which role?" she asked" Why Carmen of course"), later the Marschallin. After she died, Stefan could speak of her only with tears<br /><br />Stefan's house in London was full of memorabilia of Richard Strauss, and Father Andrew and I made visits especially when Stefan was dying, when A sang for him - Stefan's knowledge was amazing. When a Hugo Wolf ( what a handsome photo) song was sung, Stefan knew where in the oeuvre it appeared and what the next song was like. A sang (Ich habe genug ) at his funeral. I remember to this day the sound flowing across the cemeteryDavid Damantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-65976004507256742062013-09-25T08:57:48.461+01:002013-09-25T08:57:48.461+01:00This might sound curmudgeonly of me, but I read yo...This might sound curmudgeonly of me, but I read your post on Shostakovich 5 and I don't know what to add (though I shall, re-reading carefully). It's the one among the acknowledged greats that's never grabbed me, though I listen with interest and find the context/references fascinating. Of course I know Elina's Carmen well - the very best I've ever seen. I think I have a chunk of her with Alagna from the Met in the final scene way down somewhere.<br /><br />If you don't get quirky Alice, who do you get? I presume EG has pulled out of all performances.<br /><br />Interesting reports, BTW, on how the anti-Putin protests went on opening night. It seems Gelb DID deliver what the petitioner wanted. And he wore rainbow braces!<br /><br />Done your homework as usual, I see. I assume you mean you've ordered up Schwanewilms' disc. That's two I've sold - I claim my Capriccio commission... But I really do think it's one of the greatest Lieder recordings ever.<br /><br />As for Soviet musicologists - and thanks for the compliment - let's not forget DDS's great friend and polymath Sollertinsky, without whose great love of Mahler (and Bruckner) the symphonies from the Fourth onwards would not have taken the shapes they did.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-10436882293414756332013-09-25T00:23:16.699+01:002013-09-25T00:23:16.699+01:00Leave it to wanderer to skip right down to the Eli...Leave it to wanderer to skip right down to the Elina hot spot (and it is, it is, he got exactly where), but I hope you both, well, David, I know you will, will also comment on the "main event" in the post, about which wanderer has raised some interesting points. I have some ideas, but will sit on my hands until I see what others may say. (Sadly, we can't make any of the dates on which Coote is singing Der Rosenkav, or I would have exchanged the tix we have already. I have no doubt but that she would be a perfect Octavian.)<br /><br />Back to one of your main events, David: I have been able to listen side-by-side on Spotify, and it's marvelous to do. Now, I know musicologists in the USSR weren't everybody's favorite, but boy, do I get a lot out of the knowledge you and others impart now. I'm looking forward to getting the CD in my hands (along with Denk's).Susan Scheidhttp://prufrocksdilemma.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-14481425924081066242013-09-24T23:12:36.707+01:002013-09-24T23:12:36.707+01:00No: believe it or not, we don't have subscript...No: believe it or not, we don't have subscription series here (or not that I know of). The Young Vic audience is used to either new plays or very innovative productions of classics. It's a very mixed audience, with a large black following - hurrah - and I just think that Berg's musical language was too tough for many (they escaped before Neuwirth's true horrors began). The loud, underphrasing orchestra didn't help.<br /><br />Well I remember being right in the middle of a row with aisles only at either end at the Lyttleton for Complicite's interminable staging of Out of a House Walked a Man (based on absurdist Russian Daniil Kharms). Two hours and no escape.<br /><br />What have we left halfway through? As students, a two-man (Derek and Clive, was it) 'comic take' on the Ring which involved using nearly every member of the 12 strong audience. We fled, pursued by company members shouting 'please come back, we need you!' More recently, a deadly combo of Belgian early musicians and bad puppetry in Monteverdi's Return of Ulysses (not my thing at the best of times). Our departure caused many others in the stalls to follow our cue in droves.<br /><br />Biggest scandal I can remember musically was Xenakis's already 30 year old Pleiades: heavy metal percussion. I loved it, and relished the walkouts, but I think it was making the Prommers seriously deaf. Have a CD of it which I was playing when Ryzsek our curious-about-everything builder popped his head round the door to ask what it was. He loved it too.<br /><br />You won't regret that Schwanewilms CD. Think of me catching the Wesendoncks on Thursday, if I pedal fast enough over from Milton Court, the new 600 seater concert hall near the Barbican.<br /><br />Over to Sue for hot Elina (who's being replaced in the Rosenkav Sue's supposed to see by Alice Coote, who I think should make an even better Octavian).Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-66702398645884853962013-09-24T22:39:23.992+01:002013-09-24T22:39:23.992+01:00I am reminded of a (dreadful) musical we had occas...I am reminded of a (dreadful) musical we had occasion attend (freebies) where at each of the doors into the theatre boldly stood signs warning there was a 20 minute lock out period. Five minutes in and K leans over to whisper - should have been lock IN.<br /><br />Lulu is a hard listen, and a mighty directorial challenge to get sympathies somewhere, or anywhere. This wasn't a subscription night was it? Performances which actually drive people out are pretty rare. I recall only one, Xanankis's 'Kraanerg' (Sydney Dance Company), where the issue was simply tympanic torture for those escaping. I actually rather liked it - the universe is torture, especially if getting sucked into a black hole, which is how I recall it, and went twice.<br /><br />Anyway, the Divine Miss S is on her way. Thanks for the memories (or mammaries, as the Countess didn't ever get to say).<br /><br />I suppose you've seen the outrageously sexy Ms Garanca by now over at Sue's. Phwaaa.wandererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08196036534397389760noreply@blogger.com