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
Why the reference to Dostoyevski?
ReplyDeleteOr was that merely a teaser?
Dear Fred,
ReplyDeleteOther than Joyce Carol Oates (and in the recent past Isaac Asimov) Alexander McCall Smith is one of the most prolific authors writing. He's relatively recent author who is producing a tremendous amount of material all the time--several books a year. That's the reference to Dostoevsky--sheer output. So much so that Dostoevsky is suspected of having temporal lobe epilepsy, which manifests in quite a different way than what we are used to for epilepsy.
shalom,
Steven
Steven,
ReplyDeleteOK. I was wondering. I have read some of Smith's works, and he never struck me as being especially Dostoyevskian in his writings.