Happy 90th Mr. Bradbury
August 22, 2010, Mr. Bradbury celebrates his 90th birthday. He and P.D. James, I believe now are chief members of this very exclusive club of nonagerian writers.
Another Queen of Night
I post this because whenever I recommend to anyone the Queen of Night, I always recommend it in the Lucia Popp rendition. It's a matter of personal taste, but what I love about this is that it is somewhat slower than the other versions and as a result, it would seem to me somewhat more difficult to perform and sustain--those high notes in which the Queen's voice becomes the Magic Flute itself are rounded, full, and deep while remaining light and airy. I have read some rather severe criticism of this ritardando; and while it may or may not reflect Mozart's intent, it is certainly within the options for staging. It creates a real vocal showpiece from what is already a magnificent example of same. It really is an amazing example of a virtuoso composition sung by a virtuoso voice. All of which should not be taken to mean that I do not truly appreciate the version posted earlier by Diana Damrau, it's just nice to see what a difference tempo can make.
I think we can take …
I think we can take …
Steven,
ReplyDeleteAnd both are still writing, although in a recent interview, PD James suggested that she might not write another novel. It depends on her health, and she won't start another unless she thinks she will be able to finish it.
Got me! I clicked to see what someone had posted about Bradbury. [g]
Another of my favorite writers, Russell Hoban, just turned 85 this year, so he's still got five years to go before he's eligible for a very exclusive club.