Comments | strange_complex: Fair to moderate

strange_complex

Fair to moderate

Dec 15, 2005 19:50

Don't you just hate it when, 20 minutes before you're about to go out, you drop the lovely dinner you've just made for yourself all over the floor, breaking a pasta-bowl which you really like and getting spaghetti bolognese up the front of the rather nice skirt you were planning to wear in the process? I do ( Read more... )

excessive clumsiness, countertenors, messiah, handel, iestyn davies, oxford, seasonal good cheer, friends, music, sheldonian

Comments 9

Fantasy Messiah megamole December 15 2005, 21:38:31 UTC

Soprano I: Sophie Daneman (for the trebly bits)
Soprano II: Susan Gritton (for the more florid/emotional stuff)
Mezzo: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (for If God be for us and He shall feed his flock)
Countertenor: Andreas Scholl
Tenor: Mark Padmore[1]
Bass: Peter Kooy.

1: A certain mongoose of my acquaintance will accuse me of heresy. But not until she hears Mark "Mr Tony Blair" Padmore.

I have a recording (Herreweghe) with Scholl and Padmore.

Now, what about a fantasy Bach St. Matthew?

Re: Fantasy Messiah miss_next December 15 2005, 23:09:40 UTC

Well, you'd better play me some of Mr Padmore, then, hadn't you? I am prepared to listen to any good singer, and if you know of a tenor who can knock... *grin* I am now allowed to call him Charles... off his perch, then I want to hear him.

As for the Bach St Matthew, I just have one thing to say. 11 March.

Re: Fantasy Messiah strange_complex December 16 2005, 11:12:42 UTC

Hee, very nice. I do like Susan Gritton - I have a recording of her in Theodora with Robin Blaze. I have not (as far as I know) heard Mr. Padmore, so I cannot comment there ( ... )

Re: Fantasy Messiah megamole December 16 2005, 11:21:41 UTC

My problem with La Schlick is that her name sounds too much like a sound effect one would find on sexylosers.com .

miss_next December 15 2005, 23:26:29 UTC

As you'll have gathered, my personal preference would be for Charles Daniels to sing the tenor part. But then I really enjoy hearing him sing almost anything that isn't out-and-out operatic.

I haven't heard Iestyn Davies yet, but for me it's Michael Chance he's up against (I leave Andreas Scholl out of the running, as I don't think there is anyone who could possibly knock him off his perch). Robin Blaze has a beautiful and ethereal voice, but for me he's just a bit too completely sexless. I like my countertenors to sound like men.

Oh, and on the subject of countertenors, if you've never heard Mole sing you are in for a real treat. I promise you, he's got an impressive voice.

strange_complex December 16 2005, 11:16:06 UTC

I think Robin Blaze is probably best-suited to chamber music: Byrd, Purcell and the like. But I've heard him in opera, oratorio and the B Minor Mass too, and thoroughly enjoyed them all. I just love the delicate purity of his tone.

I've heard Mole over mp3, but that is all so far. I hope I shall get to hear a little of the real thing at the end of the month.

(The comment has been removed)

strange_complex December 16 2005, 11:17:11 UTC

Yep, the Ron and Harry comparison was made in the pub afterwards!

And don't worry, you make perfect sense! Glad you had yourself a good time. :)

purple_peril December 16 2005, 09:36:06 UTC

>scraped up those parts of the bolognese which were on top of other parts of bolognese rather than directly on the floor, and ate it anyway.

Heh, exactly what I would have done :)

strange_complex December 16 2005, 11:18:55 UTC

Oh, good - I'm glad I'm not alone in my disgrace! Anyway, I didn't get food-poisoning, so it was obviously all right.