Let’s Be Positive!
Good news: in about a year, Opera Australia will present Parsifal with the famous Heldentenor Jonas Kaufmann. Now, the Varnished Culture has but two questions: Will it be the whole opera or just a concertized flummery? And Will Kaufmann make the trip? We do not wish to cast nastersians, but in January 2016, Classicalite [http://www.classicalite.com/articles/36294/20160128/jonas-kaufmann-cancels-manon-lescaut-performance-met-opera-replaced-roberto-alagra.htm] reported: “Jonas Kaufmann, in an unfortunate recurrence, has canceled his performances of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at the Metropolitan Opera. Filling in for Kaufmann is none other than fellow star, tenor Roberto Alagna…Details of Kaufmann’s illness are unknown but he did cancel performances earlier this year due…
Continue Reading →You’re So Vain
Songs in Our Heart # 42 You’re So Vain (Carly Simon) (Written by Carly Simon; released November 1972) [We’re calling our racehorse “Naturally.”]
Continue Reading →Slave to the Rhythm
(photo of Grace by Stuart Sevastos)
Songs in Our Heart # 41 Slave to the Rhythm (Grace Jones) (Written by Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow, Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn; released October 1985) [A 1980s orchestral dream enlivened by a primal force of nature – Miss Grace Jones.]
Continue Reading →Arthur Hiller Streaks Up and Away
Arthur Hiller (13 November 1923 to 17 August 2016) was a journeyman director, an old pro, product of the later Golden Age, who could, from time to time, rise above his material. Obviously, we will pass over the bulk of his films, which were from hunger. We make no shot at him for this – after all, only the folks at The Varnished Culture are completely disinterested, But we honour Arthur for his staunch work down the years, and particularly The Americanization of Emily (1964), Popi (1969), The Hospital (1971), Plaza Suite (1971), The Man in the Glass Booth (1975), The Silver Streak (1976),…
Continue Reading →Das Ende
"Wakey, wakey Brunhild!" (Otto Donner von Richter) (c. 1892)
17 August, 1876 In Bayreuth, Wagner’s great dream of a music festival playing nothing but Wagner (specifically, the Ring Cycle), concluded today 140 years ago. How many in the crowd cried “Danke Gott!” Or maybe, being mostly Bavarian and made of sterner stuff than most, many said “Grüß got!” For it had been a good day, a great week in fact. The Twilight of the Gods ended some 16 hours of music drama that left the audience drained and etiolated, but in a good way, like a pious married couple on the morning after the wedding. For his part Wagner…
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