tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665236978084294968.post4930941761526711781..comments2024-03-18T09:22:11.316-04:00Comments on OPERA OBSESSION: Rheingold! Rheingold!Lucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02549302523503271428noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665236978084294968.post-74639957551321188172010-10-06T15:20:39.205-04:002010-10-06T15:20:39.205-04:00S.: Lovely to hear. I do love Terfel's tone a...S.: Lovely to hear. I do love Terfel's tone and am eager for the Walküre Wotan. Thanks for the word on Richard Croft, as well.Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02549302523503271428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665236978084294968.post-76757611319010709702010-10-05T20:07:40.621-04:002010-10-05T20:07:40.621-04:00Seconded for Terfel's German diction. A lot of...Seconded for Terfel's German diction. A lot of people in the blogosphere are snarking on him right now, but I found his 2005 Proms Walkuere pretty much revelatory, not only for his diction (upside: you can understand every word; downside: you can tell when he forgets his lines) but for the lyricism that goes with it. After 50-odd years of recorded Wotans, you could finally tell what every note was supposed to be. <br /><br />I was afraid Richard Croft would get lost behind the orchestra and in that huge a space. For the record, he did sound fabulous at 128k.strayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109343770835869181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665236978084294968.post-63039135297400691552010-09-30T18:56:21.182-04:002010-09-30T18:56:21.182-04:00Speaking for myself, I cannot really say of course...Speaking for myself, I cannot really say of course that I do not connect with French or that I would connect less with it, having this Masters degree, but I can say from experience that it is quite different from German. I do have this (highly recommended) Aix-en-Provence Walkure DVD and it is interesting to compare all these different language subtitles. Often these translations from German sung text are inadequate or sort of 'second hand'. The main reason being this particular thing about German (previous post). I think, as you noted yourself, Wagner was very creative with vocabulary, but I doubt he could have been this creative in any other language. So, Cheers to the German language.Rob V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13434887413823111496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665236978084294968.post-75546642680556497212010-09-30T15:12:33.282-04:002010-09-30T15:12:33.282-04:00@Rob: Thanks! I do indeed love the language. (Alt...@Rob: Thanks! I do indeed love the language. (Although I've also studied French, I've never connected with it in quite the same way.) And Wagnerian German is particularly interesting, with all the ways he plays with vocabulary and the texture of sound for his Gesamtkunstwerk.<br /><br />@Zerbinetta: I too would be easier in my mind if there were a clearer impetus behind Lepage's choices. I would not be too surprised to see a feminist twist, or some version of the Nature/flawed human social structures conflict developing, but... who knows. I'll be waiting for "Die Walküre" with bated breath. And possibly chewed nails.Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02549302523503271428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665236978084294968.post-30315599824787606512010-09-30T14:07:15.811-04:002010-09-30T14:07:15.811-04:00A slightly belated thanks for the great review! I...A slightly belated thanks for the great review! I'm so glad it has rewarding parts even though it sounds uneven.... I'm a bit worried about the seeming lack of a directorial point of view, but it's impossible to judge any <i>Ring</i> by its <i>Rheingold</i>, after all, most of the serious stuff is still to come.Micaelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424063023952527613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665236978084294968.post-13659103037225201642010-09-29T18:28:55.739-04:002010-09-29T18:28:55.739-04:00Interesting to learn, Lucy, that you are a 'Ge...Interesting to learn, Lucy, that you are a 'German Language Nerd'. Although I studied French myself (some time ago now), I can see why you would love the german language. I also do. There are few languages I know of that can express so much in so little words. There are a lot of german (single) words that would take multiple words in other languages to express the same. For Wagner, as a poet, it must have been the ideal language. I'm impressed with his poetry throughout The Ring. And some words are delicious of course, 'Riesenwurm' being just one of them. Oh, nice review by the way.Rob V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13434887413823111496noreply@blogger.com