Off-Topic Chat Thread (September-December 2012)

[Derek McGovern]

Time for a new off-topic thread, as the last one was getting rather long at 79 posts. As always, please use this thread for any non-Lanza discussions, chit-chat, greetings....whatever you like. 

[Derek McGovern]

Well, I've finally received the Joseph Calleja Lanza tribute CD and the 1959 Student Prince CD. I'm looking forward to listening to both tomorrow, and of course sharing my thoughts on them here :) But I will say for now that the Calleja CD is beautifully presented.

 

 

 

 

[Derek McGovern]

Two items from the world of opera:

 

The wonderful soprano Montserrat Caballe, who (believe it or not) is still performing professionally at the age of 79, has apparently suffered a small stroke (and has also broken her arm):

  
http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2012/10/breaking-montserrat-caballe-suffers-mini-stroke.html

 

Fingers crossed for Ms. Caballe. 

 

And, in happier news, tenor Rolando Villazon has apparently made a return to vocal form. According to one of the Opera-L forum regulars, Villazon was in fine voice last weekend in a performance of Verdi's Requiem:

 

I'm happy to report that he was in splendid voice, singing a
glorious Ingemisco, with golden tones, impeccable Verdian style
and elegance and a fine trill to boot. Hearing him tonight, I heard no
signs of the vocal distress that has sidelined him. Is he back to what he
was? I don''t know, but from what I heard tonight, I think he may well be,

 

Cheers

Derek   

[Michael McAdam]

Easterly gusts really picking up now as "Sandy" approaches US coast not far from us here in Nova Scotia (we have borne the brunt of many winding-down tropical cyclones over the years). They say this is the widest combined US Hurricane / Cdn Cold Front in weather history. Associated clouds stretch from Hudson's Bay down to Jamaica!

 

All public transit (including Subway) in NYC halted; evacuations up and down the coast; states of emergency declared in advance and......the 7.7 magnitude earthquake yesterday out in B.C. the largest Canadian quake ever recorded. Yikes!

 

Mike

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Mike and our other East Coasters: Look after yourselves, please!!! And fingers crossed the forecasters are being (understandable) alarmists!

Would really appreciate an update further down the track just to put our minds at rest.

Best

Derek

[George Laszlo]

My wife and I returned from Pennsylvania to our apartment here in Manhattan just yesterday. It has been overcast here the past 6 days. This morning we woke up to a mild wind which has been getting more powerful as the day goes on. We took a walk earlier and the streets are mainly deserted; pretty eerie for New York. The subways and buses are not running. Taxis are still out there but nowhere near as many as normally. This is because there are no passengers to be picked up. The supermarkets are packed with people who are busy cleaning out the place. I don't really understand this since the storm is only supposed to affect us for about two to three days. Did everybody run out of food and drink all of a sudden? In any case, all is well so far but I think it will be ominous in just a few more hours. A good time to spend listening to Mario!

[Muriel]

An update from Maryland: This storm is huge! It seems to encompass the whole eastern seaboard at one time. We're being inundated with tons of water, saturating the ground and the actual hurricaine has not even reached land yet! Winds are 25-40 mph with gusts of 60 mph. So far power is  still on, but as the ground becomes more soaked, and winds keep up, trees will certainly be going down on electric lines. Backup crews have arrived from Louisiana and Alabama to assist with power outages. They say they cannot begin to send workers up in the bucket trucks until the winds have subsided for 18 hours. So - if we lose power it will not be a quick fix. Schools are closed for at least two days and bus and subway services are curtailed.

 

I've been cooking food for two days to keep spoilage at a minimum. We can eat cold food as long as it's been prepared. A fine welcome home from a very strenuous trip to Sicily and Puglia. At least I didn't have to cook there!!  The hill towns are more than hills...at one point we were over 3500 meters up and met a fellow who rode his bicycle up each day for exercise. Someone in my group asked me to find out how old he was, so I had the opportunity (thanks to Mario in SHOR) to ask, "Quanti anni hai?". Gee he was only sessanta anni - only a youngster!! 

 

Well, that's all for now, but if anything exciting happens, maybe I'll be back. At present, my trees are bending to and fro. This alert will continue from now (3:30 PM Monday) until 8 AM on Wednesday...

Ciao for now.

PS: My daughter just reported that water is coming down her fireplace!! 

[Derek McGovern]

Well, if anything, Sandy seems to have intensified since Muriella and George posted their (much-appreciated) reports nearly a day ago, so these are anxious times! Please spare a thought for Joe and Mike OK too. (Lee Ann I don't need to worry about; she's safely ensconced in Vancouver.) 

[Joseph Fagan]

Hi Derek, we are fine here ( about 30 mi N of Philadelphia). Did not lose power, even though many around me did. Many trees down and much damage at the shore. I am ca 35

[Michael McAdam]

Hey Kiwi,

 

Appreciate your concern but we ended up on the outer "rings" or bands of wind and precip. from "Sandy". It's a massive low-pressure system and doesn't seem to want to leave the Sylvan Land of William Penn. Some of the tropical characteristics are evident here in central NS as thunderstorms are rumbling merrily away right now while occasional heavy downpours occur with gusty winds from the SE (NS is used to howling gails and lashing rain from the plethora of Nor 'Easters which come up the Atlantic coast).

 

Rec'd a post card from Muriel this AM and she has just returned from the sunny Med. to a mostly-flooded Maryland. What a homecoming! Lee Ann, out on our "left" Coast only had a 7.7 scale earthquake to contend with!

 

Incidentally, I don't think I've ever seen the NYC subway tunnels with so much waist-deep water over the tracks. Unreal.

The weather "experts" say that the damaging factor was not so much the modest amount of rainfall (sorry, snowed in W. Virginia!) but the full moon and tidal storm surge caused by the hurricane winds effectively propelling the ocean up and over any seawalls or barricades. The number of people in the US without electricity* is staggering!

 

Hang in there, Yanks. We're thinking of ya!

Best, Mike

 

* we do take our home and business electricity so much for granted, don't we? We were withpout power for 6 days in Sept. 2003 when Cat. 2 Hurricane Juan rolled directly through our area (almost lost my roof) and again 'powerless' for 5 days during an early November wet snowstorm in 2004 (dubbed "White Juan") which toppled txmission towers and tree limbs like Meccano set pieces. To most citizens, no power ranked higher than no water!!

Sorry....I wrote another book! ;-)

 

 

 

[leeann]

Well, the earthquake was quite a bit north of Vancouver, and it would seem that the Virginia side of the District of Columbia was not hit as hard as the Maryland side, and certainly felt the giant storm far, far less than points north. Film footage of floods and fire are, truly, unbelievable. It's good to have news from those who are safe.

I was interested in this article in The New York Times, "Two Films in Which Classical Music is Much More Than a Score"
an article about two forthcoming movies which explore "t the entanglement of musical professionals in a cherished composition." The compositions are Beethoven's Quartet in C sharp minor and "Bella figlia dell'amore" from Verdi's Rigoletto--a piece featured in snippet in For the First Time.

I've never been a proponent of the idea of a film about the life of Lanza. The risks of dwelling on a his life from the standpoint of yellow journalism sensationalism seem to great. And given recent attention to Michael Harrison's highly regrettable and erroneous approach to the Lanza story, fears don't seem unreasonable. (I'd be interested to hear any opinions about RAI's recent production on the life of Enrico Caruso--which seems at least to take place amid spectacular cinematography.)

But this article about films in which the lives of the characters revolve around the music--well, it just seemed like an interesting approach to telling the stories of people's lives (fictional or not). A gifted director and writers could do much--not only with Lanza, but with a number of fascinating classical musicians. Best, Lee Ann

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Lee Ann: Thanks for alerting us to those two films; I'll definitely be looking out for both of them. How unfortunate, though, that their titles are so similar! Quartet and Late Quartet; that's going to confuse quite a few people. (In fact, right this moment I can't even remember which film was which!)

I don't favour a Lanza film biopic either---unless, that is, Armando gets to write the screenplay and the voice on the soundtrack is Lanza's! While I'm all for an honest approach to Lanza's life, the potential for sensationalism, as you say, is so great that I'm convinced we'd end up with a cinematic merger of Bessette's characterization of the man (mentally ill womanizer and musical illiterate) and Terry Robinson's Mafia tall tales. No thank you!

As for the recent RAI two-part series on Caruso, from the bits of it I've seen of it, yes, the cinematography is excellent, and certainly it's a more factually accurate depiction of old Enrico's life than The Great Caruso was. (That wouldn't be hard!) But I also found it very soap opera-ish and musically unexciting. Honestly, I can't see the point in making a film or TV series about a great singer if the person providing the subject's voice is nowhere near as good as the original! 

Cheers

Derek

[zsazsa]

This is the award he has got after the movie, beeing the best actor as the movie has got the same award as the best movie!

Hi Derek,

sorry, but I am very surprised about your post. I have never thought that yo would say a statement about a movie which you have never seen, only with your words `bits` of it. We (I and my husband) have seen the whole move (in two parts, nearly 4 hours long!) in the Cinema Massimo in Torino and also in the TV two and three days later and it is just fantastic!! Gianluca Terranova in the title role, is really GRANDIOSO as a singer as well as an actor! He doesn`t play Caruso, he IS Caruso! Dear Mario`s Caruso movie was unforgettable because of Mario`s singing and this movie is just unforgettable because of Gianluca`s honest and charismatis performance (singing and acting!)! The two movie are not rivalisiring each other, they are great and fantastic for themselves! Do hope that the movie `Caruso - the voice of love` will be avaiable soon on DVD and then you all can see and hear! I am sure, dear Derek, then, when you have seen the whole movie, then your oppinion will be changing to the best! Best to you all, from Susan and my husband Helmut

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Susan: I had a feeling my passing comments about the Caruso series would bring you back to this forum :) 

Yes, you're quite right that I shouldn't be passing judgement on a programme that I haven't seen in full yet. I simply felt---perhaps incorrectly---from the various extracts that I'd watched that it was more about Caruso's private life than his singing (in spite of the title "Caruso: The Voice of Love"). If I'm wrong, I apologize!  

However, I'm afraid I can't agree with you that Gianluca Terranova is vocally in the same league as Caruso. I realize that he's a friend of yours, and that he is also closely associated with the British Mario Lanza Society---an organization you hold dear---but I have to be honest about my opinion. What I hear is an accomplished singer with a good lyric voice, but not an exceptional one.  

Please don't be offended. We're all entitled to our opinions, and I certainly wouldn't be upset if you didn't share my enthusiasm for, say, Carreras or Wunderlich. Or, for that matter,  Calleja, whom I prefer to Terranova. (But I wouldn't want him lending his voice to a Caruso series either!)   

Best

Derek 

[Barnabas Nemeth]

Well, Probably I will also watch the DVD, but If had been Gianluca Terranova I would not undertaken this role. He similarly not a handsome man like Caruso was, and he has a robust tenor voice without attraction, warmth, etc., in my opinion. I appreciate the voice and musicanship of Caruso but I dont not prefer him compared some others. Frankly, Lanza's voice cannot be compared to that of Caruso or anyone else. He has been in special category suprising and  mesmerizing people even after half a century and further on... Barnabas

2012/11/4 Derek McGovern <derek.m...@gmail.com>

[Barnabas Nemeth]

For instance, this is one of the worst renditions I ever heard.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-u6r3VxkO8

 

Sorry for my taste, Barnabas

2012/11/4 Barnabas Nemeth <barnaba...@gmail.com>

[zsazsa]

Hi Derek, thanks a lot for your mail. That is your oppinion and that is mine. By the way I think that sometimes somebody can change his own oppinion. Don`t you think. I can only tell, that we have heard live Gianluca already many times, in such great operas as I Puritan from Bellinii, Damnation of Faust from Berlioz, Lucia di Lammermoor from Donizetti, Duke of Rigoletto, La Boheme , Maschenball and he has a voice, that we have fallen in love with, together with my husband, who is also a learned tenor. Maybe you should hear him live!! I wish you from the whole heart. And his Caruso movie is really fantastic! Dear Mario would love it and congratulate to Gianluca! And it is not because we are his friends, we have heard him at first and than became his friends! Have a great coming week and thanks for your post. Best as always from Susan

[zsazsa]

Yes Barnabas, you have really a funny taste, I agree! And are you kidding with the comparison of Gianluca`s look and Caruso`s? I think you are joking!! Ciao from Susan

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Susan: Thanks for your post. I am curious to watch the whole Caruso programme, and if I do, I'll certainly let you know my opinion of it.  

As for Caruso's looks versus Terranova's, I took Barnabas' comment to mean that neither man was handsome! I can't say I agree---Gianluca definitely has the edge in that department :)

 

Cheers

Derek 

 

[zsazsa]

Hi Derek, thanks a lot for your mail and I am very glad to hear that you`ll be looking the whole Caruso movie of Gianluca and thank you that you`ll let me know about your oppinion about it!

About Barnabas`comment I can only tell, that all the singers of the south of Italy (our dear Mario, Di Stefano, only name two! ) they cam all from the edge in the departement as Gianluca and Caruso! It is also a question of test, for us (me and my husband)  our dear Mario and Gianluca are really beautiful, we love very much the look of the type of the south as they have strong charisma, which is the most important. For me, someone without charisma, just can not be handsom or beautiful!  Have a great and very happy week! Love from Susan

[Derek McGovern]

Any Gregory Peck admirers here? I've always loved this actor. He may not have had the greatest range---and could sometimes be a little stiff or studied---but the man endowed his characters with such warmth and fundamental decency that his best films (Roman Holiday, The Gunfighter, etc) are among my favourite movies. The man himself was pretty special, as this delightful 1999 documentary, A Conversation with Gregory Peck, reveals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEotCS6PNvI

The entire 97-minute film is available on YouTube in eleven installments. I was very touched by the 83-year-old Peck's reminiscences, gentle humour, and candour (loved the story about his second encounter with the woman who became his wife of 48 years), and am looking forward to watching this documentary with my father (a big Peck fan) next time I'm in New Zealand. 

Incidentally, I wonder if Lanza and Peck ever met? Two very different personalities, of course, but I know that Mario once singled out Peck as one of the great film stars of his time. They may well have met at MGM, where they both made films in 1949.

Cheers

Derek       

[Steff]

 

Here's a new article about the 70th anniversary of death of the tenor Joseph Schmidt:

 

http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/new-york-theater/the-jewish-caruso-joseph-schmidt-died-70-years-ago

 “The ‘Jewish Caruso,’ Joseph Schmidt, died 70 years ago”

 

 Maybe I missed something, but I had never heard this before:

“Mario Lanza, the famous American tenor of the 1950s and 1960s, is said to have admired Schmidt’s voice.”

 

Steff

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Steff: That's news to me too that Lanza admired Schmidt, though the wording "is said to have admired" is unhelpfully vague! Who "said" it? David Bret?! The fact that the article writer thought Mario was alive in the 1960s doesn't exactly help his credibility either :)  

Lanza would certainly have been aware of Schmidt, though, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he'd admired him. 

Incidentally, isn't it uncanny to think that Schmidt and Lanza were almost exactly the same age when they died? Schmidt lived 38 years, eight months and twelve days---just five days longer than Lanza's lifespan.

Cheers

Derek     

[Steff]

Hi Derek,

 

The remark "famous tenor of the 1950s and 1960s" might mean that Lanza's impact continued beyond

the 1950s .... smile....

 

However, last Sunday, on our local radio station they mentioned Joseph Schmidt and his wonderful

"microphone voice" (hmmm, remember Christa Ludwig?) and they played "Heut' ist der schönste Tag

in meinem Leben."

 

Yes, I noticed, both tenors died at the same age ... yet such different stories...

 

Steff

 

 

[Derek McGovern]

Happy Thanksgiving to all our U.S. members! (Here in South Korea, we had our equivalent back in September.) 

[Michael McAdam]

Yes, ditto that for all you Yanks. Even tho, we share a four time zone border with you and sound....almost...the same (eh?), we celebrated our Thanksgiving earlier in October. Probably a Canuck excuse for an earlier long weekend? :-0

All the best, U.S. brethren and.......don't get trampled on "Black Friday"?

Cheers, Mike

[Derek McGovern]

Hey Mike: Knowing what a techno-whizz you are, I thought of you when I stumbled upon this interesting article about Pavarotti's 1972 recording of Turandot:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may08/articles/classictracks_0508.htm

The article is quite fascinating in its detailing of the sheer amount of talent and effort required to make a great-sounding recording. If only we'd had the same engineers and producers working at Lanza's sessions! 

The writer goes a little overboard in his descriptions of Pavarotti's vocal quality (not to mention overstating the size of the voice) for my liking---after all, Carreras in his glorious prime arguably had a far more beautiful instrument---but it was nice to see Lanza getting a passing reference early in the article. 

Cheers

Derek 

[Steff]

Those of you who love just looking at pictures might find the following link interesting.

 

http://tenorenricocaruso.blogspot.de/2012_10_06_archive.html

 

This blog offers a great deal of terrific pictures of various male singers – mainly tenors- (a publicity still of Mario from “The Toast of New Orleans is included), and especially some great shots of Enrico Caruso which might not be so well-known (note the one of Caruso with Jesse Lasky).

 

Steff                                                                                                                                                                   

 P.S.: You might find some inaccuracies, for example a picture of Plácido Domingo captioned “Franco           Bonisolli" J

 

 

[George Laszlo]

On this last day of November, I wanted to share with you an RCA advertisement that appeared in The New Yorker magazine in 1956 

Happy December! 

[Derek McGovern]

Great advertisement, George! Love the layout!

Cheers

Derek

P.S. No matter how hard we try, this supposedly non-Lanza thread always seems to come back to him! 

[Steff]

 

   Hello everyone,

 

Maybe you would like to watch the "2012 Royal Variety Performance" which will be shown on ITV 1 this coming Monday (Decembre 3) starting at 7.30 p.m. (ends at 10.15 p.m.)This is British time!

"David Walliams hosts the 100th Royal Variety Performance from The Royal Albert Hall. The star-studded line-up includes Robbie Williams, Neil Diamond, Girls Aloud, One Direction, Rod Stewart, Kylie Minogue, Ashleigh and Pudsey, the cast of the hit musical Matilda, Katherine Jenkins and Placido Domingo, Andrea Bocelli and Alicia Keys. Amanda Holden also introduces a celebratory anniversary performance from the stars of Britain's Got Talent, and more laughs are provided by Alan Carr, Rhod Gilbert, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Ronnie Corbett, Bill Bailey, Bradley Walsh, Jimmy Tarbuck and Des O'Connor." (from the TV-guide of ITV1)

 

 

   AND there will also be a documentary on Friday, Decembre 7, "100 Years of the Royal Variety Performance"

   on the same TV station. starting at 9 p.m. (ends at 10.30 p.m.) British time.

 

   "Documentary marking the 100th anniversary of The Royal Variety Performance, a show that has entertained

    generations of the Royal Family and raised huge sums for charity. Among the stars sharing their memories are Sir

    Bruce Forsyth, Barry Manilow, Ronnie Corbett, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Liza Minnelli, Dame Edna Everage,

    Katherine Jenkins, Mel C, Emma Bunton, Diversity, Jason Manford, Cilla Black, Ken Dodd, Miss Piggy and Al

    Murray. The documentary also charts the show's evolution from the first ever Royal Command Performance

     in 1912 into the television era, recalling classic moments from its illustrious history and finding out what happened

    behind the scenes." (from the TV-guide of ITV1)

 

   

    Maybe you can try the following link, which offers a live stream to ITV 1 (at least the link works here in

    Germany)

 

    http://fancystreems.com/itv-1-uk-stream.php

 

 

    Steff

 

[jora...@gmail.com]

 

What's in the DNA of "good music" lovers

 

What is in the DNA of the lovers of “good” music? I know, I know,…I have opened up a can of worms by deciding that I am a judge of music….and I am clearly unqualified in this area. So let me then confine it to anything BUT some of what today passes for music (the non-melodic screeching and metallic noise accompanied by lyrics that are undistinguishable)…I think you all know what I mean.

 It remains one of life’s great mysteries to me as to why anyone is NOT moved by a great voice like Lanza’s as well as many other singers, or a great song e.g. from some of our B’way musicals. I simply “don’t get it”. It is not environment: I am from a family of eight and all I ever heard as a kid was “Turn down that darned phonograph”. I first fell in love with Mario’s on hearing BML over the radio during High School days. The impact was like getting hit with a bolt of lightning. From there it was giving up Sat nights with the guys so I could listen to the Coke radio show. (You can imagine the needling I got from my gang over that). Could it be something physical? I am blessed with extraordinary hearing (as tested by machines). My only gift (damn, why couldn’t it been be brains, good looks or money!). I openly confess that I have been moved to tears by Lanza as well as others, yet I don’t think I am unusually emotional. All of us here share some characteristic (and a gift at that) that brings us to this forum. What accounts for it?  Have any studies ever been conducted in this area?

Now, on the “other side of the coin”, I’d would have to be physically chained to a post to listen to some of the “music” concerts done today; it would be torture for me. Please forgive my rambling and lengthy post, but I really do wonder if others have felt this way as well………Joe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, September 8, 2012 10:20:30 PM UTC-4, Derek McGovern wrote:

Time for a new off-topic thread, as the last one was getting rather long at 79 posts. As always, please use this thread for any non-Lanza discussions, chit-chat, greetings....whatever you like. 

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Joe: I've met more than a few dedicated music lovers who don't care for Lanza, and as long as they don't make condescending/snobbish comments about him, or regurgitate nonsense about his voice or musical memory, etc, I'm not bothered in the slightest. We all hear voices differently, after all, and certain timbres are always going to appeal to certain people more than others. Pavarotti's silvery timbre, for example, may simply be more pleasing to some ears than Lanza's luscious sound. I can't argue with that, but what does bother me---and what I will always challenge---is the suggestion that Mario Lanza didn't possess a phenomenal instrument. A person may not respond to his timbre, or---more often---not like his style of singing (though I'm quick to point out that for every "offending" performance, there is often a very different Lanza version to be heard!), but if s/he can't recognize the inherent quality of his voice, then there's really no point in going any further.

What I've found over the years---and this is hardly scientific!---is that those people who respond most to Lanza's singing are generally either hopeless romantics or celebrants of life (or both). There's a reason for that: listening to Lanza is life-affirming. Terminally dull people almost never appreciate him (though I can think of a few Lanza devotees---mercifully, not members of this forum---who fit that description :)) I'm not claiming for a second, of course, that every classical music lover who's a hopeless romantic or a celebrant of life will appreciate Lanza's style of singing. They may be bothered by his tendency to sing sharp, or cite any number of stylistic blemishes. And, again, I can't really argue with those things---even though, for me, such criticisms pale into insignificance when compared with Lanza's strengths. 

Cheers

Derek   

[zsazsa]

May I wish you all a very happy, merry Xmas and all the very best, good health and happiness in the New Year 2013!

[jora...@gmail.com]

For reasons I can’t share right now, I want to advise that I am leaving the forum for a while. It’s nothing to do with my health or the forum or any its members….but please know this: each and every one of you has been a great joy to me and I will miss you all. I am happy to have contributed to some of the recent innovations. I particularly want to thank Lee Ann and Derek for creating and maintaining such a vehicle of pleasure and for preserving the legacy of Lanza. My best to you all in 2013! ………………..Joe Fagan

On Sunday, December 23, 2012 1:13:49 PM UTC-5, jora...@gmail.com wrote:

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Joe: I'm very sad to hear that you won't be with us for a while, but I trust your absence will only be temporary. You will be missed, and I'm very grateful for your help in keeping the forum ticking along so nicely with your many excellent suggestions (the trivia thread, "rate these recordings," etc).

My very best to you and your family, and I look forward to your being among us again in the (hopefully) near future!

Derek     

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for your Christmas greetings, Susan. It wouldn't be the same here without your annual Lanza Christmas card!

All my best to you for 2013.

Cheers!

Derek

[Lou]

So sorry that you're leaving the forum for a while, Joe, but it's reassuring to know that at least it's not for health reasons. I'll miss you and your creative turn of mind. Do take your own advice and try your darndest to continue to stay on the right side of the grass. The very best to you and your family.

Lou

[leeann]

I hope you're back soon, Joe, and that you'll keep a list of great ideas for questions and projects at the ready for your return.Thank you for your kind words about the website, but it starts with content, content, content and Derek's inexhaustible creativity! All the best while you are away. Lee Ann

[Steff]

 

Merry Christmas & a happy, healthy & successful 2013

to all of you!

Greetings from Freiburg im Breisgau!

 

Steff

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwXCJUsrlZY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZhcNjyuoEo

 

 

[Steff]

 

Come back soon, Joe!

All the best to you for 2013!

 

Steff

[Steff]

 

This article might be interesting (from January 4, 2013):

 

 

“Music Controversy: Should Operatic Singers Sing Popular Songs and Is it ‘slumming’ if they sing Gershwin and Porter?”

 

http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/movies/music-controversy-should-operatic-singers-sing-popular-songs-and-is-it-slumming-if-they-sing-gershwin-and-porter

Steff

[Armando]

Interesting article. However, Bing was a stuffed shirt and a bureaucrat who understood nothing about voices and Traubel, high notes or not, was one hell of a singer!

As Nicolai Gedda observes in his autobiography, “ Bing was a consummate businessman and very demanding in regard to artists, but there are many who think that the Met lost much of its old reputation during his time there…….  Rudolph Bing amateurishness and lack of judgment caused the theatre to decline. He did not understand voices, for one thing. His gravest mistake lay in engaging good and able singers for inappropriate parts. He also had no visual sense.”