Are Carlos Alvarez & Marcelo Alvarez related?? Curious. Ciao.

Matt: Still working on them - I should have 2 CD's completed and in the mail to you, by the end of this month. Ciao.

To Fred Day:
                May 14-
Franco Corelli C.D. in transit?
MATT MINZER

I saw Macbeth at the Met last night and while I didn't fully enjoy the production the singing was first rate. Carlos Alvarez in the title role is a true Verdi baritone and was excellent in the part as were Hasmik Papian, Rene Pape, and Joseph Calleja in their respective roles. Best, Bill

The good news of Paul's recovery is most welcome news indeed.

From Terry Velda:

Hi Bill,
 
Just a little note to let you know that Paul is making good progress now, it's still slow but now that he's looking much better and his mood is getting better time seems to be moving faster.
 
I would once again just like to say a really big THANK YOU to everyone on the LANZA LEGEND
and JEFF RENCE sites for all their kind messages of support and all their prayers, it's been such a pick-me-up for me and Paul, but especially for me, at what's been a very difficult time.
 
Once again. "THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART"
 
I am sorry I'm not posting so much now but I am spending a lot more time with Paul helping him to try and get strong and mobile again and of course because it's a slow job there just isn't much to report, but I will keep you updated when I can.
 
I've also now been able to tell Paul all about all the support that he's received and he also sends all his THANKS
 
I would be grateful if you could post this on both sites for me Bill.
 
Lots of Love Terry XXXXXX

Edited by author 05-14-2008 10:19 AM
Thank you, Eugene, for your so helpful clarification.

Dear Rob: I am not talking about the CD set where 2 pieces are included. Rather, I'm pointing to the forum that's referenced in the page. Click on the link I've provided and you'll find 30 posts (in 2 pages). Therein are 10 good people who are not inclined to listened to the music. But he's in good company, Mozart and Brahms are amongst the nay-nays.

Dear Gabi: If you can make out the accented Anna Russell, you'll find her in YouTube sending up (or is it down?) RW in her parodies. This lady sprung to life probably in Canada and departed the scene 2 years ago in New South Wales, Australia, 90 some years later. After I followed her through the Ring, I emerged more dazed than enlightened. Here's a starter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH70fP8vq-w

Happy confusion to you.

Yes, Gabi, I remember very well those Winter stockings. Please enjoy a chuckle, then, that my own Winter garb is donned for Der Winterreise, a journey from which one looks only forward.

Edited by author 05-14-2008 08:58 AM
Yes, there are some tunes which go to heart, very true.
Haha, Rob, do you remember the "Winterstrümpfe"?

Hello, dear Eugene, Dennis, et al - what a good chuckle I had about your Wagner posts. Haha, I think everybody knows by now that I dislike this guy. The only opera I ever got through was the Flying Dutchman. But there was a reason why I did this to myself: Dirk sang Erik.

With the time I became more tolerant to this music and find some of his chorus-work quite good, and the Flying Dutchman is comparatively endurable. The early music - well! But the Ring is a horror, oh yes.

I have found that the Wagner fans are a special folk, often musicians themselves. I prefer the other Richard, the Strauss. Paul Velda (any news?) is a big Wagner fan; as far as I know the only one among us posters.

However, Wagner is the one who is most appropriate to make fun of. This is an amusement you non-German speakers must miss, unfortunately. You will know that Wagner wrote his own texts, and as bombastic is his music, so are the texts. Stuff for infinitely many and hilarious puns. Some of them, made by the great Wagner singers, have become history. I spent hours with laughing myself almost to death listening to the tales about text-changing when Dirk was involved in the work on Wagner operas.

The genial Rossini's generous praise of Wagner comes to mind: "His music contains lovely moments - divided by rather long quarter hours".

There are certainly some wonderful Wagner tunes. 'In fernem land' from Lohengrin is certainly one of these. In the fantasy broadcasts that increasingly occupy my mind as I dodder to the end of things, I enjoy hearing Caruso, Lanza and others sing that noble melody.

Perhaps the Internet works differently in our different hemispheres, Eugene, for the link that I gave before, when I review it, still only shows two Wagner items, one each from Tannhauser and Lohengrin, from a total of 108.
Thank you for highlighting this interesting oddity.

Edited by author 05-14-2008 08:18 AM
MARTINO AND DENNIS..i also share your feelings towards wagner perhaps more so in dislike..it brings back a cute story which ill relay here.in my home town of utica ny there were 4 old timers that were great opera lovers.they were friends for years.paisons from the old country and for over 50 years traveled to ny city together about 8 times a year to the met..they heared the whos who in opera from caruso to distefano and yes mario although 1 missed a lanza concert.the original odd couple was tony tomanio and benny danella.tony was a bootleger stood 5 ft tall and had forever a de noble stogie in his mouth and spoke broken english that hollywood used as a model for films.danella was a highly educated business man always dressed with suit tie dapper.danella followed singers tony operas when they did not travel together.visting relatives in ny city tony got a ticket to wagner opera at the met..he walked out in the middle of act 2..telling his dislike for the opera to danella..danella then spent 10 minutes telling tony the fine points of wagners operas..tony then said...benny youra mouth tella me one ting my ears tella me another..noooo more wagner..i was about 15 when i heared that conversation live and had to go outside to laugh out of respect for the old timers.