Nan Merriman

[rich...@gmail.com]

I put on this morning the second Scherchen Messiah. I think Schechen
one of the consistently fascinating conductors of the recorded age,
and although sometimes it could seem wayward, there was always great
musical intelligence (not just 'intellectual' intelligence) behind
what he did, and there are some things he did - for example, the
Geminiani Concerti and the Art of Fugue - which I think have never
really been bettered, and to which I return with great frequency.

So, I'm listetening, and loving the tempi, even if I think some odd,
and then there's the first mezzo aria, and I had forgotten who is was,
and I first think, "Grace Hoffman?", but then it's too much vibrato of
a certain kind, and all this great charm, and of course it's Merriman.
I don't think people think of her much in this - the recording tends
to be overshadowed by the conducting and Alarie and Simoneau (and who
the hell remembers Richad Standed?), but she makes a remarkable
contribution, and has a certain radiance...not sure if that's the
right word....which really makes the arias move and become something
very spiritual. The vibrato actually reminds me of Miss Anderson in a
certain way, although of course the voice is very different.

[Daniel Kessler]

Nan Marriman was my Dorabella at Aix-en-Provence -- back in 1959...Teresa
Stich-Randall was the Fiordiligi. I have fine memories in that
performance at Aix...

[carlo_r...@yahoo.com]

And then, there's his EROICA:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Scalatti#p/c/659C3754EA612AAB

On Dec 25, 8:22 am, "richer...@hotnail.com" <richer...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Dorme Riposa]

On Dec 25, 8:22 am, "richer...@hotnail.com" <richer...@gmail.com>
wrote:

I was gratified to see that Scherchen was a real person--he looked a
little like Stephen Spender--when he came to conduct the San Francisco
Symphony in the Dvorak No. 7. I'd known him only on mysterious foreign
records. I still don't know about Felix Prohaska...

dav

[rich...@gmail.com]

I was fascinated to read about his life, dav, on Wiki

An amazing history, one of his daughters was a founder of Tahara
records, one of his sons apparently was one of the many who had long
time platonic (sic) relationships with Britten, I had known he was
very instrumental in the 20th Century music movement, but didn't know
the half of it.

I believe that Karl Ristenpart and Felix Prohaska are the same
perspon; tellingly, the birthdates are both the identical day that
Judge Crater is said to have disappeared.

Merry Christmas to you, dav.

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