Alphabet associations - I

[rubbernecker]

There is another living one called Ian Campbell, an Australian who no longer sings but became an administrator of opera companies. (I only said some were closer to home)

Over to you for J.

Who... me again? I don't see why my Ian should be any more 'correct' than Hercule's Ivan, only that it was the answer you wanted. Give me a little time to think about J.

[rubbernecker]

OK, that's long enough.

A bit more testing: What J was responsible for an avuncular ballet, a clementine passacaglia as well as four books about music?

[rubbernecker]

Spot on

So glad I can now absent myself from the board for a while

[Nick Armstrong]

Hang on, hang on...! A chap goes to a meeting for a couple of hours and things accelerate from F to J in no time...

But we never got an explicit answer to F did we? We got as far as Epinards and Florrie Foster Whatsername, plus an enigmatic Rubberknickers reference to Eggs Florentine... ok, there's spinach in that... And Florence - Florentine...

So what was the Spring Festival with F ????

Yours, trailing in everyone's wake

Caliban

[vinteuil]

Hang on, hang on...! A chap goes to a meeting for a couple of hours and things accelerate from F to J in no time...

But we never got an explicit answer to F did we? We got as far as Epinards and Florrie Foster Whatsername, plus an enigmatic Rubberknickers reference to Eggs Florentine... ok, there's spinach in that... And Florence - Florentine...

So what was the Spring Festival with F ????

Yours, trailing in everyone's wake

Caliban

sorry, Caliban !

Stendhal's veg = spinach; the culinary / gastronomic term for stuff with spinach = florentine (eggs florentine, tomatoes a la florentine, fillets of sole florentine)

the spring festival = Maggio Musicale Fiorentino [an annual opera festival in Florence which was founded in April 1933 by conductor Vittorio Gui with the aim of presenting contemporary and forgotten operas in visually dramatic productions. It was the first music festival in Italy. The first opera presented was Verdi's early Nabucco, his early operas then being rarely staged. It now takes place between late April, May and into June, typically with four operas. The first festival's success led to it becoming a biennial event in 1937 with the presentation of nine operas, but after 1937, it became an annual festival, except during the Second World War. Performances take place in the Teatro Comunale and Teatro Piccolo (as the name suggests, for smaller-scale operas), plus the historic Teatro della Pergola. The present Artistic Director is Paolo Arcà and, since 1985, the principal conductor is Zubin Mehta.]

and Florence Foster-Jenkins (the world's worst singer)

[Nick Armstrong]

sorry, Caliban !

Stendhal's veg = spinach; the culinary / gastronomic term for stuff with spinach = florentine (eggs florentine, tomatoes a la florentine, fillets of sole florentine)

the spring festival = Maggio Musicale Fiorentino [an annual opera festival in Florence which was founded in April 1933 by conductor Vittorio Gui with the aim of presenting contemporary and forgotten operas in visually dramatic productions. It was the first music festival in Italy. The first opera presented was Verdi's early Nabucco, his early operas then being rarely staged. It now takes place between late April, May and into June, typically with four operas. The first festival's success led to it becoming a biennial event in 1937 with the presentation of nine operas, but after 1937, it became an annual festival, except during the Second World War. Performances take place in the Teatro Comunale and Teatro Piccolo (as the name suggests, for smaller-scale operas), plus the historic Teatro della Pergola. The present Artistic Director is Paolo Arcà and, since 1985, the principal conductor is Zubin Mehta.]

and Florence Foster-Jenkins (the world's worst singer)

Pigé!!! Merci.

[Don Petter]

Joan left to be replaced by Jennifer who in turn left to be replaced by Jeffrey.

I thought when I first saw it that it could be the personnel of a string quartet, but I can't think of a suitable K at the moment. The names are 'modern' and it's not the Koeckert.

[Don Petter]

OK Kronos? Though Google is at odds with my paper reference.

[Don Petter]

Well done! That's who I was after, rather an unfair question (from me) since I have subsequently found several other past-member names.

David Harrington, John Sherba, Hank Dutt, Joan Jeanrenaud, Jennifer Culp, Jeffrey Zeigler.

I'm sure you'll have a much better L question.

According to my Dictionnaire des Interprètes, from 1995, the personnel up to then had been:

V1: David Harrington (1973-)
V2: James Shaellenberger (1973-75)
Roy Lewis (1975-77)
Ella Gray (1977-78)
John Sherba (1978-)
VA: Tim Kilian (1973-76)
Michael Jones (1976-77)
Hawle Dutt (sic) (1977-)
VC: Walter Gray (1973-78)
Joan Dutcher Jeanrenaud (1978-)

For me then, it's L, but I'll see what I can do. Watch this space.

[Don Petter]

Sorry about the delay - had to feed the inner man while I was pondering. Here's your L:

Given a melodious container by a mischievous lady connected with a mysterious pool, who might you expect to conjure up?

[rubbernecker]

Sorry about the delay - had to feed the inner man while I was pondering. Here's your L:

Given a melodious container by a mischievous lady connected with a mysterious pool, who might you expect to conjure up?

Lyadov would fit. Musical Snuffbox, Baba Yaga and Enchanted Lake...

[Don Petter]

Lyadov would fit. Musical Snuffbox, Baba Yaga and Enchanted Lake...

You've got it! I tried to mislead a bit with the wording, but it was really the plain old three paraphrases.

We await your M ...

[rubbernecker]

You've got it! I tried to mislead a bit with the wording, but it was really the plain old three paraphrases.

We await your M ...

The only reason I got it was the fact that I remembered from my schooldays Lyadov's Enchanted Lake as being a makeweight from the Svetlanov set of Tchaikovsky Symphonies, and I thought a witch was probably involved, making it Russian. I'm not familiar with the piano miniatures which make up the snuffbox.

Which M connects a Teutonic national opera, a group of American melodies, and a monarchical ballet?

[Don Petter]

The only reason I got it was the fact that I remembered from my schooldays Lyadov's Enchanted Lake as being a makeweight from the Svetlanov set of Tchaikovsky Symphonies, and I thought a witch was probably involved, making it Russian. I'm not familiar with the piano miniatures which make up the snuffbox.

The Snuffbox and the Lake seem fairly widespread as fillers and in compilations (wash my mouth out!), though Baba Yaga would have made me think of Pictures rather than Liadov, I must admit. (I needed a third clue, and didn't want to delay further by starting on a completely new L.)

[Don Petter]

Which M connects a Teutonic national opera, a group of American melodies, and a monarchical ballet?

I'm still here, at least, but not getting anywhere on this one. Did think M might be Mother at one stage, but far too tenuous. Time for a hint?