From: Don Pilarz
I have read John Bell Young's review
of Yvgeny Kissin's Mussorgsky
Pictures at an Exhibition. I and everyone I know who has heard the
recording feel that Mr Young shows very poor judgement indeed! His review is an
example of petty, biased views which can be forgiven in the case of ignorance but
which a reviewer should avoid in favour of a musically and stylistically more broad
minded and perceptive intelligence.
A review should be as creative as any art form.
Diatribe doesn't have sufficient persuasive powers to be of value in good critical
analysis. Please try to require a greater level of perspicacity from your
reviewers. |
From: Jean Peccei
Please give my sincere compliments and a well deserved Bravo! to Roderic
Dunnett for his superb review of the ROH Macbeth.
I was there myself (although on
a night with a different tenor as MacDuff) and found his appraisal very insightful
and such a pleasure to read. Far far better than most of the glib reviews that
appeared in the print press here in the UK. |
From: Jon Krueger
Thanks so much for publishing
Gerald Brennan's article. He is
right-on, and I would like to hear from him again, if possible! |
From: Gabriel Gojon
I hope your site will publish a list of all the small recording labels
that are going to usher the new golden age of classical music recording as
portrayed in Mistaken Catastrophe,
A view from the trenches by
Gerald Brennan, since a single place were one can find such information would
be invaluable if this phenomenom ever happens (if all the alternative labels
get lost in the miriad of useless URL that plague the internet and that search
engines point to, the transition from major label recording to specialized firms
would be useless). Thank you! |
From: Jim Stokes
Love your newsletter. It made my day, which will otherwise turn out to
be a 'downer'. But you surely helped! God Bless You! |
From: Annette Celine
Last December 28 was 10 years since the death of pianist Felicja Blumental.
A Festival in her memory has been created at the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art.
www.blumental-festival.org
Also, new CDs have been issued of a live concert with Villa-Lobos,
and other concertos by Brazilian composers. www.branarecords.com
Is it possible to mention in your site?
|
From: John W Hill
I read with enthusiasm the review of
the recent production of
The Cunning Little Vixen in Wales and
Wilfrid Mellers' perceptive comments on
last year's Opera North production. Since I wrote my master's thesis about the
opera (Russian Academy of Theatrical Arts), I know the score inside out and have
definite opinions about it.
My argument is that the Max Brod German translation
of the opera (and his changes to it) have polluted productions and assessments
of the opera everywhere except the Czech lands ever since the first non-Czech
première. I'm happy to say that based on Wilfrid Mellers' review and the
apparent merits of the two productions reviewed, the spirit of Janácek's
message still
manages to come through. It is annoying, though, that understanding of many
details of the story continues to be clouded for many producers and reviewers
by the Brod botching of the libretto.
Was the English translation made from the
German or the Czech libretto? One has to wonder when Terynka is referred to as
'the gypsy girl'. You can look for the word 'gypsy' in the Czech libretto
(Janácek's) all year: it's not there. Also baffling is the confusion about the
Forester's erotic recollection at the end of the opera. It can be no one other than
Mrs Forester (and to hell with Walter Felsenstein); the Czech line is 'that was
the day after our wedding.' |
From: Jana Statov
Bravura Music have just released an album with the world's first Wagner
music video clip. The album features a new heldentenor, Sasha Novak.
Check www.bravuramusic.com
for details. |
From: (name withheld)
Thanks a lot for your Daily Anniversary ! |
From: Walter W Harp
Thank you for the daily dose of sanity and inspiration. |
