Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Toys

I have new toys: an iPod and a digital camera. So I can wander around photographing and listening to Lorraine Hunt Lieberson sing "As with rosy steps of morning" at the same time, producing a puzzling spiritual experience. This tiny camera will make up to 30 minutes of film. I should try to do a pirate film somewhere so I can upload it to YouTube.

I am getting reacquainted with my CD collection, and there is some interesting stuff in here. Lorraine is constantly connecting to the other side, telling us that she will soon leave us. "Deep River," "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen." She speaks to me.

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4 comments:

Dr.B said...

The notes I was singing were perfectly well in tune, but occasionally they just were not the ones the composer wrote. Maybe they could be regarded as ornaments, but so far as I know, no one ornaments Brahms or Wolf. No one caught this until long after the fact.

1:08 PM
Anonymous said...

I obviously do not know which of the late Mrs. Hunt-Lieberson's recordings of "As With Rosy Step" you have, though it _JUST_ _NOW_ dawned on me that I _DO_ in fact, since the recording of _Theodora_ which I have has her in the title role, not that of Irene who sings that wonderful air! She was a _MARVELLOUS_ Theodora, but the performance, conducted by Mr. Nicholas McGegan, is marred for me by a couple of musicological points, what I feel is his excessive use of organ continuo in slow airs and, of slightly-less concern, what I feel is his unnecessary extra dotting in "As With Rosy Step," though again that is not sung by her on this recording. I also have, and still play, their recording together of _Susanna_, and the organ figures a bit less in that performance, though still more than what evidence we have suggested that Handel himself would have allowed. Yet I agree that she was a _WONDERFUL_ singer, and certainly brings her best qualities to their Susanna! My favourite recording of _Theodora_ is conducted by Mr. Paul McCreesh on DG Archiv, and has _MY_ favourite soprano (though strictly speaking Mrs. Hunt-Lieberson was a mezzo of course), Miss Susan Gritton, in the title role! I _DID_ meet her in Avery Fisher Hall on 18 March, 2005, and she was kind enough to give me approximately 10-15 minutes of _SUBSTANTIVE_ conversation, _THANKFULLY_ no awe-struck fan bumbling from me! If you would care to say, do you know her work?
J. Vaughan

11:15 PM
Dr.B said...

I have two versions of Lorraine's "As with rosy." One if from the Wigmore recital recording (with piano) and the other is from the Handel album (with orchestra). Both are terrific. Her Wigmore recital was a while ago.

Don't know Susan Gritton.

11:16 PM
Anonymous said...

Now that you mention it, I have heard of that Wigmore-Hall recital, but do not think I have heard anything from it. The Handel disc is conducted by Mr. Harry Bickett, who I enjoyed when conducting Handel's _Orlando_ in a broadcast from Covent Garden. Yet, if I am not mistaken, he uses an organ as harmonizing instrument for some of that recital disc, something for which, as I mentioned last time, I do not care. And yet, if they are still available, you might do well to seek out those McGegan recordings of Handel's _Susanna_ and _Theodora_ on Harmonia Mundi since I expect you would enjoy Mrs. Hunt-Lieberson's performances in them.
J. Vaughan

11:18 PM

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