tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672155175393980448.post4757308518547841349..comments2024-01-22T05:10:11.938+11:00Comments on I am a liminal being: LIKE IT WAS; LIKE IT WASN'Twandererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08196036534397389760noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672155175393980448.post-73148667323223788402012-09-05T02:05:20.479+10:002012-09-05T02:05:20.479+10:00I went to see him after the Philharmonia Wagner co...I went to see him after the Philharmonia Wagner concert and he was so apologetic that his health only permitted bleeding chunks. So typically humble. The Welsh National Opera Tristan was when the press rather belatedly started hailing him as a truly great conductor...Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672155175393980448.post-16899237144638246042012-09-04T19:33:24.367+10:002012-09-04T19:33:24.367+10:00David what a thrill to see you are back, and the h...David what a thrill to see you are back, and the hills are alive!<br /><br />I only heard Birgit on that one visit in 1973 but the video exists and I shall post it sooner rather than later, for you. Mackerras that night single handedly opened my ears to Wagner (as much as i dislike those 'best bits' concerts now). Just to watch him is so special. What a Wagnerian he would have been, although we might not now such Janacek penetration into the rep. <br /><br />I last saw him conducting Katya at ROH in 2007 and was shocked at how frail and spindly he looked, taking his bow after such a powerful performance.wandererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08196036534397389760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672155175393980448.post-27307256919973290632012-09-04T19:11:00.698+10:002012-09-04T19:11:00.698+10:00Susan, I agree the robot riddle thing gets a bit t...Susan, I agree the robot riddle thing gets a bit tedious and I just keep clicking till there's one I can decipher. That's 'blogger' for you but I'm stuck here for the moment; the inertia is great! Thank you for your kind words. I'm off to Prufrocks right now after a week of lying low aka getting the gardens ready for spring with early nights and busy days on top of the usual rhubarb.wandererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08196036534397389760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672155175393980448.post-4049100642108100422012-09-03T22:35:16.919+10:002012-09-03T22:35:16.919+10:00Greetings! What travels you've had. I'd ag...Greetings! What travels you've had. I'd agree that Simone Young is no Charles Mackerras, but I did hear La Brewer with CM, in one of his last concerts, truly magnificent in Isolde's Liebestod and Brunnhilde's Immolation. Though the Wagnerian soprano I was with said she thought there was only one failing - absolute security, no risks. <br /><br />I'm only just old enough to have heard Birgit at the end of her career, in a Prom which was a real curate's egg but had flashes of magnificence (namely 'Barak, mein Mann' from Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten and a 'hoiotoho' encore which brought the house down). Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672155175393980448.post-54631774013470728572012-08-23T06:55:55.025+10:002012-08-23T06:55:55.025+10:00I love the way you write about music. It's not...I love the way you write about music. It's not simply that you're so well-versed, but it's the way you land us there with you (the good and the bad). I remember reading about those instant CDs--maybe it's here I read it. Such a terrific idea, isn't it? And thanks for reminding me of the Messiaen. I hope to spend more time with his music this year, and this piece is one that needs to be on the list.<br /><br />(Just an aside, though I'm not a robot, I do have a terrible time with these character recognition things. Maybe 3rd time will be the charm.)Susan Scheidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09250142489341777926noreply@blogger.com