tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post8576915386020315049..comments2024-03-26T07:58:59.761+00:00Comments on I'll think of something later: Heavenly conversations in a year of Zoom classesDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-39705395849282105822021-03-29T22:56:34.091+01:002021-03-29T22:56:34.091+01:00You more than make up for that with your e-observa...You more than make up for that with your e-observations between classes - and your comments here. I'm surprised Laurent doesn't ever want to join you, though (partners go free!). So glad, anyway, that you're now a regular. Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-70810440370863497322021-03-29T16:36:56.829+01:002021-03-29T16:36:56.829+01:00As you know I have longed wished to tap into both ...As you know I have longed wished to tap into both your company and knowledge more frequently than I have the opportunity to do - trips to London being sporadic at best. I honestly don't know why I didn't sign on earlier but when Laurent asked me what I wanted for Christmas the day after your teaser on the Nutcracker arrived in DropBox I knew immediately what I wanted from Father Christmas. And He came through. <br /><br />I know I don't put in my two cents worth frequently but we'll put that down to shyness and being a bit overwhelmed by the knowledge that is in the room. But silence does not mean being unappreciative.<br /><br />I'm very much looking forward to the continuation of the Soviet course. I am not terribly familiar with Albert Herring so that will be a voyage of discovery and Clemenza is a work I love dearly so it will be another adventure to see it through your eyes.<br />Willymhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03652532356102638621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-16585526988367982932021-03-28T17:37:11.223+01:002021-03-28T17:37:11.223+01:00Your reports after you've watched the videos h...Your reports after you've watched the videos have been a highlight of each week, too, Sue - not just because I feel stroked, but also because you always hit on what I value. I think that epic was a good point to follow with a break. We all need to digest what we've been giddied with.<br /><br />And thank you, Sarah, for your loyalty over the years, and all the events you've drawn my attention to. See you in Loxford...Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-29928299114764082772021-03-28T16:52:36.013+01:002021-03-28T16:52:36.013+01:00A cornucopia of riches, both in the brilliance of ...A cornucopia of riches, both in the brilliance of the guests AND the brilliance of our host (meaning you). These courses have been the high point of my week every week. As one example, I hope you won't mind if I put here what I wrote to you about the latest Russian Music "bonus" class on War and Peace with Graham Vick:<br /><br />An extraordinary class, David—as I know you know already. Graham Vick is not only fiercely knowledgeable, but also deeply humane, extending not only to his rich understanding of Tolstoy, Prokofiev’s opera, and the character of Russia in all its manifestations, but also to his insights into his own relationship with Russia over time. The historical “accident” of mounting the second production while Russian descended again into authoritarianism, including invading the Crimea, offered a chilling undercurrent to contemplation of War and Peace. His response to Kirk that he would give anything to go back to Russia, “but I would have to go back with my own voice,” offered a poignant reminder of what Russia has become. <br /><br />You and he made a tremendous tag team. There are innumerable examples of this—the way you wove in Grossman, the stunning reading by Dame Harriet and, as always, your wonderfully chosen excerpts from the opera to illustrate Prokofiev’s compositional range. Both your observations in conjunction with the Council at Fili scene offered a powerfully resonant case in point. As Vick said, the whole opera is critical of the French, with the idea that the French version of “civilization” is superficial, but he then turned any easy acceptance of that idea on its head by noting that anti-gay laws and other repressive measures are the other side of the same coin. As one of you noted, there are no new beginnings, everything remains the same—to which Vick offered the resonant parenthetical that “perhaps that’s more Lampedusa than Tolstoy.” As I believe you each concluded, it’s both, hence the timelessness of these great works. That Prokofiev had not only the audacity, but the talent, to successfully create an opera out of War and Peace—particularly given all the obstacles he had to overcome to do that—is all the more astounding when thought of in that light.<br /><br />Thank you again, so much, and I look forward to what comes next.Susan Scheidhttps://prufrocksdilemma.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-91513062539920554702021-03-28T16:37:44.454+01:002021-03-28T16:37:44.454+01:00I have felt so spoilt over the Zoom classes you ha...I have felt so spoilt over the Zoom classes you have given us and thank you so much. It was wonderful to see all those wonderful artists giving their time to talk to us and colleagues with such insights and humour. They are all such a lovely bunch! No wonder we all love opera and thank God I have some tickets for Glyndebourne after far too long without live performances.Sarah Fletchernoreply@blogger.com