ASTRID VARNAY

[Richard Loeb]

I have heard from two sources that Astrid Varnay passed away today - she was
the last of the great Wagner singers - terrible news but what a full life
Richard

[Chuckie]

In memory.,.I am upoloading Elektra film and Jenufa live clips....CH

[Donald Grove]

On 4 Sep 2006 15:21:03 -0700, "Chuckie" <vissida...@gmail.com>
wrote:

Viel Dank!

[Behemoth]

Sad news indeed! I wish I had had the pleasure of hearing her live. I
have a few of her CDs and the Elektra film. A marvellous singer she
was. Didn't have the beautiful voice or the Nilsson high C, by my! What
she did with that voice was jaw-dropping. Her autobiography is a page
turner too. I'm jealous of the gods up in Valhalla.... Now that Modl,
Nilsson, Rysanek and Varnay are all there. What a full house they're
having! Will we ever see an era like the one they occupied again, I
wonder.

RIP

Behemoth (really wish there is a pirate DVD of Varnay Elektra out
there somewhere)

[EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)]

Behemoth wrote:
> Richard Loeb wrote:
>
>>I have heard from two sources that Astrid Varnay passed away today - she was
>>the last of the great Wagner singers - terrible news but what a full life
>>Richard
>
>
>
> Sad news indeed! I wish I had had the pleasure of hearing her live.

I was fortunate enough to hear her twice. The first opera I
ever heard was a Valkyrie the Met brought to Minneapolis
shortly after WW2. She sang Sieglinde and Traubel was the
Brunnhilde. (What a cast!) A year or so later, she sang a
Lieder recital for one of the (at that time numerous)
concert series.

[Mark]

When I lived in Vienna (Wien), she was singing Herodias in Salome. She
was imposing and wonderful. Interesting to think that 20 years before
she was singing the title role. She was a star.

[Behemoth]

She was indeed! I wish she wasn't so over-shadowed by her friend Birgit
in later years, but then she probably liked it that way. Not much for
publicity, that one. I'm glad she wrote that autobiography. I made a
mistake of starting on it before going to bed... and ended up never
going to bed that night reading the whole thing. A real page-turner.

That was some era that had just passed, wasn't it? All those great
hochdramatischen... and they got along handsomely! Did you read what
Varnay wrote about Nilsson when the latter passed away earlier this
year? I should be so lucky if my friend would write me an obit like
that when I snuff it.

Hey, does anyone know how I can get a hold of a copy of that 'Never
Before' documentary of Varnay? I would jump for joy if Classic Arts
Showcase air that next week.

Behemoth

[David Melnick]

Behemoth wrote:

Donald Collup, formerly of this newsgroup, made the feature:

http://www.collup.com/

has an email address for him, and

http://www.collup.com/neverbefore/premiere.html

contains some visuals from it. I saw it when he showed it in San
Francisco, and it's worth a detour.

Saw her in person only once, as Herodias in that traveling Salome
show with Rysanek. I was in standing room wearing a long white
cloak with a see-through red nylon stocking over my head to be the
dearly beheaded. (God I hate it when I repeat myself. I've been in
rmo so, sooo long.) Loved her. A memorable evening from many
perspectives.

dav

[Behemoth]

David Melnick wrote:
> Donald Collup, formerly of this newsgroup, made the feature:
> http://www.collup.com/
>
> has an email address for him, and
>
> http://www.collup.com/neverbefore/premiere.html
>
> contains some visuals from it. I saw it when he showed it in San
> Francisco, and it's worth a detour.

Thanks very much, Dav! The links are awesome. :O)

I've been listening to her '55 Knappertsbusch Ring all day. What an
artist she was. I could close my eyes and see what her Brunhilde does
or feel. Will be re-reading her book this weekend, too. Thank god she
was recorded a lot!

Behemoth