Originally posted by Caliban
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His frustration at his own hubris, I trust
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That had a part to play too, I'm sure. But I'd have got cross with "superstar Carreras" lacking the musicality to do better...*Originally posted by amateur51 View PostHis frustration at his own hubris, I trust
*says the classically-trained rank amateur (no relation!) who couldn't swing if you put a rope round my neck!! 
"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
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I enjoyed hearing Ed Seckerson again. There are many former R3 people who are ignored these days and he's one of the most notable.
Having said that, I can't agree with his complete dismissal of the Bernstein 'operatic' version. The orchestral playing is magnificent and those of us who watched the film of the recording will know how meticulous LB was in bringing out every detail. Kiri is the big obstacle for me in that version.Comment
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I was working this morning and so will listen properly on the iplayer when I get the chance. I do remember seeing the filming of Lenny's DG recording on BBC2 when it was first shown and thinking it was fantastic. However, I bought the CDs eventually and listened... Once!
I do remember thinking that Carreras should have bought himself a metronome...
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I enjoyed the film enormously and would watch it again if it ever comes round.
I ordered the CD of Marni Nixon singing Charles Ives songs - thanks Bryn.Comment
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Yes, I remember the playing of those New York session musicians being a knock-out - completely 'in style', unlike the singing...Originally posted by VodkaDilc View Post
"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
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I am sure many people became aware of the film version first in 1961 - I was 9 years old at the time. It took me many years to realise that it was Marni Nixon and not Natalie Wood doing the actual singing...but she also did Deborah Kerr in The King and I - what a talent! It was HER version of Tonight which excited the eardrum....the Original Broadway cast did not reach the record shops which I frequented. The BAL guy dismissed the film soundtrack because of some sequencing issue compared to the stage version....a pathetic dismissal IMHO....there are imperfections in the film soundtrack version - but many positives...but don't we often love the version of any piece of music which we hear first? Bernstein's attempt to use opera singers was just a joke compared to the original 'street' stuff...like the 3 tenors doing Jingle Bells...a ghastly song (anyway) and an even ghastlier version by them...BTW I hate most musicals, especially the Andrew Lloyd Webber variety....but I spent some time in a Buddhist meditation centre many years ago where, instead of concentrating on my breathing, I realised or discovered the use of the tritone in West Side Story (for a couple of days)!Last edited by Guest; 08-03-14, 22:11.Comment
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I have not yet had a chance to listen to today's BaL but am a little surprised to read that the incomplete 'original cast' recording was favoured over the complete one conducted by John Owen Edwards. Then again, some of the orchestral playing on the latter can be somewhat undercharacterised. Whatever, I'm glad to have ordered a used copy on the basis of a recommendation here.Comment
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Yes - I rather think that that was the moment that Bernstein realized what a terrible mistake he'd made, wanting operatic voices for his recording. Carreras hadn't bothered to learn the song (for which Karajan would've had him thrown out of the studio - and anyone of the blokes in the chorus could've done better job than Carreras' incompetent squarkings) and Lennie finally saw how his wish to present his finest work as an opera manqué had totally ruined what should have been one of the most important of recordings.Originally posted by amateur51 View PostHis frustration at his own hubris, I trust[FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]Comment
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Speaking of Bernstein, I don't suppose anyone has read Tom Wolfe's "Radical Chic?"
If you haven't, it is an unbelievably funny account of a fund-raising party Bernstein hosted in aid of the Black Panthers. It is, roughly speaking, about the way the "patrician" classes appropriate fashionable moral causes to bring glamour to their lives. Well worth a look if you haven't already done so. You can read a longish opening chapter on Amazon for free. Wolfe's non-fiction is among the finest that has ever been written, by the way. His novels are not in the same league, so don't be put off if you only know Wolfe through these.Comment
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What Bernstein actually did with Janowitz as soon as it turned out that she hadn't prepared for the rehearsals for the Missa Solemnis with the Concertgebouw orchestra in 1977Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View PostComment
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Worra TWERP! Janowitz knew the part by heart, having sung it several times with Karajan and others. So he kicks out the best voice for the Soprano solo in the Missa and keeps in Carreras for WSS. Worran absolute TWERP!!!!!Originally posted by Roehre View Post[FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]Comment
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Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View Post
"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
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But that's what made it so much fun to listen to! (I joined it as Westenra was dismissed as 'bloodless'Originally posted by Caliban View Post
Has Ms Jenkins had a go at it?)
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