Monday, January 31, 2005

Thanks to ACD...

...for his additional remarks on Wagner's counterpoint, Wagner at the Festspielhaus (which I intend to visit, though likely not for a few years), and Nilsson. A minor point of remaining disagreement would be that I have complete faith that Wagner wrote trills, however rarely, because he knew what he was doing. (I expect ACD does too.) To my ear it does make a difference when they're executed and executed well. I've heard Brünnhilde's trills executed on record by Frida Leider and live by Jane Eaglen; I hope to hear them again.

I love Baroque opera, but I spare myself most Donizetti, Rossini, and Bellini, trills or not.

I'm afraid I can't agree to the criminality of Boulez; I consider his Ring among the best-conducted, but that's what makes horse races, and very likely it's one area we won't ever agree.

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