This past summer I was experiencing the regret of the “more mature” Wagnerian, when rummaging through the bookstores in Bayreuth. These places were my treasure troves 30 years ago. Now, I realized with the vague remorse of increasing age that I either had these books or knew of them and decided not to acquire them. …
In a perceptive (if wordy and miserably edited) article in the program for this summer’s Bayreuth Tännhauser, Edward A. Bortnichak and Paula M. Bortnichak explain the intellectual basis of Sebastian Baumgarten’s production. It has to do with “bioethics,” or how technological progress may have an adverse influence on traditional (i.e., romantic) notions of human sensibilities, morality, and “rights.”
There is a great deal of excitement in Der fliegende Holländer. The overture is one source. If you ever doubted Franz Lachner’s remark that “the wind blows out at you wherever you open the score,” the truth will be confirmed in the first minute of Christian Thielemann’s vivid conducting. Fresh sound soars out of the invisible pit, …
My absolute favorite Wagner site on the Internet is The Wagnerian. I admire it beyond praise, and one day would seek to emulate it. But the author’s dedication, erudition and, one must conclude, available hours exceed my own by such a degree that I simply include the blog in my daily subscriptions on Google Reader and lap it all …