BaL 4.07.15 - Rodgers: Carousel

[MLF]

Opening comment by this week's reviewer, in response to AM's observation many will wonder why this work is featuring on BAL:

"They need to get over themselves".

Boom!

And a live discussion BAL too! Am seriously looking forward to the outrage this will cause.

*retires to a safe distance*

[DracoM]

Not outrage, but frustration. These so-called 'live' BALs are invariably a conflicting mish-mash, lack of identity, arc of argument and conclusion, and tends to be an action / reaction between two minds keen to get themselves heard, one of whom usually has far more knowledge than the other. They are nearly always a confusing mess.

And as for the calculated rudeness of 'getting over themselves' by ES - wonder if it returns to plague the inventor. Is he smarting from not getting the R3 movies music slot?

[DracoM]

Deleted for sending mistake

[mikealdren]

An exception to the Lortzing is that "The Poacher" was performed, necessarily in a slimmed down version, and in translation, at Dauntsey's School in the 1950s and some of the cast were taken to see a performance in the Assembly Rooms, Bristol that same year. The only section of my part that I remember is declaiming "Damn and Blast!"

It was also performed at the ever enterprising Buxton festival in 2008, great fun.

[MLF]

I gave this a chance but have given up - this one is simply not my bag, I am afraid.

[Nick Armstrong]

I gave this a chance but have given up - this one is simply not my bag, I am afraid.

Same here - the tunes are just annoyingly banal I find, starting with the "big" waltz theme (which I think falls totally flat, no matter what orchestration they tried to trick it out with). And all the "Mister Snow"/"My boy Bill ... (will Bill )" stuff is toe-curlingly twee as well as melodically uninteresting, I find.

Definitely a cheap BAL for me... again (one of the bonuses of this Classical Voice thing )

[Alison]

I gave this a chance but have given up - this one is simply not my bag, I am afraid.

My reaction too. I did try.

Old ES needs to get over himself really!

[Loathecliff]

Gott Im Himmel - I switch on only to hear a female singing about fish!
What the hell is radio2 material doing on my one-time sanctuary? (Q is rhetorical)

[Mary Chambers]

Same here - the tunes are just annoyingly banal I find, starting with the "big" waltz theme (which I think falls totally flat, no matter what orchestration they tried to trick it out with). And all the "Mister Snow"/"My boy Bill ... (will Bill )" stuff is toe-curlingly twee as well as melodically uninteresting, I find.

I completely agree. I'm not listening, but I can still object to its being on Radio 3 at all. What's Radio 2 for?

[Flosshilde]

Gott Im Himmel - I switch on only to hear a female singing about fish!
What the hell is radio2 material doing on my one-time sanctuary? (Q is rhetorical)

I didn't realise they were doing Mahler songs?

[Lento]

"Back-phrasing": now I know what the ...... word for it is.

[gurnemanz]

Gott Im Himmel - I switch on only to hear a female singing about fish!

Just checked my record collection. Many "females" do fish: Die Forelle:

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Nancy Argenta
Irmgard Seefried
Lucia Popp
Christa Ludwig
Lotte Schöne
Elisabeth Schumann
Anne Sofie von Otter
Gundula Janowitz
Elisabeth Schumann
Lotte Schöne
Edith Mathis
Erna Berger
Janet Baker

[Stanfordian]

I completely agree. I'm not listening, but I can still object to its being on Radio 3 at all. What's Radio 2 for?

Hiya MC,

Yes, its the sort of music Radio 2 successfully programmes in the evenings which is a much better fit than Radio 3.

[Loathecliff]

Just checked my record collection. Many "females" do fish: Die Forelle:

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Nancy Argenta
Irmgard Seefried
Lucia Popp
Christa Ludwig
Lotte Schöne
Elisabeth Schumann
Anne Sofie von Otter
Gundula Janowitz
Elisabeth Schumann
Lotte Schöne
Edith Mathis
Erna Berger
Janet Baker

I deserved that; but how long did it take you?! :)

[antongould]

I completely agree. I'm not listening, but I can still object to its being on Radio 3 at all. What's Radio 2 for?

Radio 2 nowadays devotes little/no time to this type of music - perhaps there is a FOR2 ????