Comments on: Of dodos and dildos

Cocky Kurwenal commented

Cocky Kurwenal — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:17:16 +0000

Yes, I’m familiar with and have copies of both.

HoaxHound commented

HoaxHound — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:32:02 +0000

Sounds exactly like a bent YouTube poster, possibly a Corelli-wannabe.

Quanto Painy Fakor commented

Quanto Painy Fakor — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:27:50 +0000

Still wondering about these so-called INEDIT youtoubes:

Grimgerde2 commented

Grimgerde2 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:19:22 +0000

Er, and he certainly has done that. Both as a baritone and a tenor…

Often admonished commented

Often admonished — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:45:41 +0000

“Alan Oke can actually sing.”

Sure? He was a respectable if anonymous baritone for some while. Emerging from this chrysalis as an “interesting” tenor was an attempt to become employable. Other baritones do this by removing their shirts.

keine gute naechte commented

keine gute naechte — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:53:56 +0000

On the other hand, Brit Diana Montague sang a spectacular Marcellina with the Cleveland Orchestra in March. She was given the aria and did great things with it, even though the terrible Sven-Eric Bechthoff production did everything it could to detract from her performance.

HoaxHound commented

HoaxHound — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:45:41 +0000

(now it makes sense that word was French. I looked at the poster’s page for a linguistic clue – they’re in the USA and their English suggested nothing otherwise.)

HoaxHound commented

HoaxHound — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:35:46 +0000

Well the rest of the information refers to same recording mentioned above, which is well in circulation -
Orchestre de la Societé des Concerts du Conservatoire, Nicola Rescigno, §1964* INEDIT

MontyNostry commented

MontyNostry — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:21:09 +0000

Certainement, rapt.

Baritenor commented

Baritenor — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:18:53 +0000

Alan Oke can actually sing. I see nothing wrong with his casting. Ann Murray I’ll give you.

rapt commented

rapt — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:52:32 +0000

Isn’t “unpublished” one of the meanings of “inedit” (sorry I don’t know how to type the accent over the e)?

HoaxHound commented

HoaxHound — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:13 +0000

Just to note – there are two recordings of Callas’ Liebestod in circulation, the above one and a later one from an Athens concert with Votto.
Antonino Votto, Athens Festival Orchestra, 1957.

HoaxHound commented

HoaxHound — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:55:20 +0000

The poster isn’t claiming this was unpublished – they just have “INEDIT”, in capital letters, whatever that’s supposed to mean…

Krunoslav commented

Krunoslav — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:15:03 +0000

Hijacking the thread from the vocal grave is Our Own (albeit Irish-born) Ann Murray, the shrill shreds of whose once-quite decent voice spoiled several ensembles last night as a Met Marcellina that happened ONLY because of the kind of sentimental UK-crony casting many on this site claim does not exist. I guess it gives her something to do while hubby is guying the dramatic soprano role of the Hexe (to tolerable effect, though a dramatic mezzo would be preferable).

But la Murray in this parlous estate has no legitimate claim on Met’s audiences’ indulgence, and more than do Plowright as Gertrud and Oke as the HOFFMANN servants, soon at an opera house near many of us.

When will Mr. Gelb stop deferring to Fiend and Billingsgate in such matters? I guess we’re to count ourselves lucky to have Peter Mattei rather than Phillip Joll or Jonathan Summerssinging Shishkov.

Quanto Painy Fakor commented

Quanto Painy Fakor — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:59:04 +0000

Hijacking this site from beyond the grave is something Renaay will never do!

Cocky Kurwenal commented

Cocky Kurwenal — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:59:59 +0000

I don’t think this is new. It has the same surprisingly four square treatment of the recit as the widely available version, with the same touches on the chest voice etc. It seems perfectly reasonable that there may be other takes from studio sessions around, but I don’t think this is one of them.

Cocky Kurwenal commented

Cocky Kurwenal — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:47:42 +0000

I’m not sure that Liebestod posted by QPF is the one we are all familiar with. The sound doesn’t seem right to me for a 1947 radio broadcast, yet the performance seems different to me from the widely available one. I should stress that I have not compared them directly – I’m just musing over my breakfast here – but the one posted here on this thread claiming to be from 1947 seems more involved and involving than the later one which I have always found tepid and unappealing. They could, of course, be one and the same, which just goes to show that one can feel very differently about the same thing when encountered at a different time.

It’s always such an exciting thought though that her Isolde, Fedora and Elisabetta from Don Carlo may one day turn out to be available.

mox commented

mox — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:26:45 +0000

As MEDEA in Pasolini’s movie she was fantastic. As a singer she was the first product of a brilliant promotion at the right time, without any question very good but I have my doubts if she would be so successful, if her carriere started in the eighties.

CruzSF commented

CruzSF — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:44:07 +0000

Blame QPF.

javier commented

javier — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:26:48 +0000

Callas has hijacked this thread from beyond the grave.
Callas, Callas, Callas!

From the House of the Dead…leaves me speechless. I have nothing to say about it.

Maybe if there were some women in the opera I’d care about it.