Post by brenda November 30, 2004 (11 of 31)
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Post by tream November 30, 2004 (12 of 31)
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brenda said:
wasn't Archie Leach Cary Grant's birth/real name?
Bingo!
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tream said:
Interesting news. Not familiar with the cast. Wonder if we will see it in the USA.
Well, I asked my uncle, who is an opera critic (and also the founder of the Berkshire Opera Company some 25 years or so ago) about the cast since he is usually pretty knowledgeable about the cast on many of my recordings (actually knowing some personally). However, he has said he has not heard of the singers, and did some research from the last 12 months of Opera news and was unable to find any references to them.
He does say, however, that since it is backed by the Australian govt as well as the Melba foundation (he has a lot of respect for Nellie Melba) that he expects that it should be worthwhile.
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tream said:
Bingo!
No, Bingo was one of the Banana Splits.
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DrOctodivx said:
Well, I asked my uncle, who is an opera critic (and also the founder of the Berkshire Opera Company some 25 years or so ago) about the cast since he is usually pretty knowledgeable about the cast on many of my recordings (actually knowing some personally). However, he has said he has not heard of the singers, and did some research from the last 12 months of Opera news and was unable to find any references to them.
He does say, however, that since it is backed by the Australian govt as well as the Melba foundation (he has a lot of respect for Nellie Melba) that he expects that it should be worthwhile.
All but three or four of the cast are from Australia or New Zealand, so they would not be internationally known. Lisa Gasteen though should be: she sang Brunnhilde in the hideous Stuttgart Ring and will sing the role again in the ROH cycle with Terfel, Domingo, Meier et al. I've heard her sing Senta and she was pretty good.
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Archie Leach said:
All but three or four of the cast are from Australia or New Zealand, so they would not be internationally known. Lisa Gasteen though should be: she sang Brunnhilde in the hideous Stuttgart Ring and will sing the role again in the ROH cycle with Terfel, Domingo, Meier et al. I've heard her sing Senta and she was pretty good.
Yes, I am surprised he did not recognize Lisa Gasteen's name. She has performed at the Metropolitan, and he regularly attends performances there. I will ask him about that, especially since he is an admirer of Melba. Apparently Lisa Gasteen is the first Australian to sing the role of Aida at the Met since Melba sang the role many years ago.
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Post by Dead Man November 30, 2004 (17 of 31)
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brenda said:
Dear deadman, what kind of involvement did the Commonwealth Govt. have with the Adelaide Ring? Why do you attribute foresight to them, - or is this typically aussie dry and ironic humour?
Maybe I wasn't entirely clear in my first exuberant post, please forgive a Wagnerian explosion of passion and joy. And yes there was more than a fair helping of dry wit involved. While the state government supports the staging of the Ring Cycle, it was the five million dollars from the commonwealth to the Melba Foundation that amazed me, and that was the foresight I referred to. And am still amazed at.
Just because magnificent performances of opera, new and old classical and the like take place here in Australia, why should anyone think of doing high quality recordings of any of it for international distribution? Don't we have great sporting teams and Australian Idol? Do we really need any more culture than that?
How's that for the infamously laconic Aussie sense of humour? But it's sadly true that anything more artistic than a burnout is often overlooked, and I'm glad to see that a major production like this is finally being recorded for posterity. I hope it's a huge success for many reasons, one of which is it would prove the viability of doing more recordings like this.
Back to the technical side of things, the very helpful people on the information desk didn't know what sort of equipment was being used for the recording, but one nice lady from State Opera told me to contact her at work and she'd do her best to find out. So when I get some time I'll have to call. At the time they were all busy with people streaming in for Das Rheingold.
All I can tell you otherwise is that a Melbourne based company appears to be doing the recording. Will try to find out more soon. Then it's just waiting until "late next year" for the release of this box set. Enough time for me to save some cash I hope.
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Post by brenda December 1, 2004 (18 of 31)
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Dead Man said:
While the state government supports the staging of the Ring Cycle, it was the five million dollars from the commonwealth to the Melba Foundation that amazed me, and that was the foresight I referred to. And am still amazed at.
dear dead man,
if peter costello and little Johnny H. released $5 million for the recording, my bet is that it could only have been because it was an election promise aimed at S.A. Either that or one or both of them is related to the promoter or owner of the record company. Correct?
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Post by zeus December 1, 2004 (19 of 31)
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brenda said:
dear dead man,
if peter costello and little Johnny H. released $5 million for the recording, my bet is that it could only have been because it was an election promise aimed at S.A. Either that or one or both of them is related to the promoter or owner of the record company. Correct?
Our petrol excise at work.
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Post by Dead Man December 2, 2004 (20 of 31)
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zeus said:
Our petrol excise at work.
Except that I don't drive. Must be the chocolate excise they collect from me, which has surely passed $5M by now.
Not that I'm not cynical about 'big' government handouts, just that I'm surprised to see something I'm (really really) interested in covered for a change. If it was an election promise then I missed it among all the others I assiduosly avoided. Still leaves the nepotism option though...
Here's hoping the Melba Foundation can produce more SACDs of local performers in the future.
Still no contact with the lady from State Opera, but I guess it's still a busy time for her. One more cycle to go, then she'll probably want to sleep for a week. As for me I'm starting to save a little each week for this box, and getting annoyed at the total lack of the Nine Inch Nails SACD in Australia.
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