The "companion piece," if I may (I always thought of it that way!), to my Rigoletto from yesterday: Of course, right? Verdi, composer. With Pav, Sutherland, Horne, Bonynge. Watch out for that "Di Quella Pira"! (I miss Lucien.)
No "thunder" to steal; in fact, the more the merrier! A couple of other notables born on this date: French composer Jean Philippe-Rameau (1683).... ...and English conductor Sir Colin Davis (1927). Cheers and Happy Birthday to all.
Do you hope it's the Lepage production too, Monsieur Vinyl? (I'm sorry, I'm almost a senior citizen, and I do tend to repeat myself.) Or do you have another one in mind? I'm very interested.
I. Know. Everything. Beware, blue... You will be amazed, and sometimes a little bored, but overall flabbergasted by the visuals + that wagnerian splendor. Excellent choice, mon ami. Then, later, when you see older productions of The Ring, you will snort and turn to your partner: "Well, I've seen MUCH better..."
I received the DG Originals Vol. 2 box set last week and really enjoyed these two recordings this afternoon:
RIP. Alicia de Larrocha, Poetic Interpreter of Mozart and Spanish Composers, Dies at 86 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com
Yes, she did. (It's all good, Bubba.) She is "the greatest Spanish pianist in history," or so they say. People, please: your favourite de Larrocha recordings? Rachmaninov, Mozart, Isaac Albéniz?
For Sir Colin Davis... I'm playing Mozart's Requiem, K. 626 from this box set. Davis leads the BBC Symphony Orchestra and John Aldis Choir.
De Larrocha made some wonderful Mozart recordings for London and RCA, including some Mozart piano concertos with Sir Colin Davis. But I'm especially fond of her recordings of Enrique Granados, through which I learned to really appreciate his music.
Now streaming on Spotify, "Vivaldi: Concerti per viola d'amore" performed by Europa Galante led by Fabio Biondi on Erato.