Old and New Friends
My recent trip to Sarasota Opera reminded me of some of the enthusiams in my past that I haven't revisited in a while. I probabaly know I Pagliacci better than any opera in the repertoire for the simple reason that when I was in my teens I memorized it. I loved its melodic passion and repeated listenings committed most of it to my memory. It was the second opera performance I saw, at the Metropolitan Opera, Nov. 23, 1974 (I was 12) with Richard Tucker in one of his last performances (thanks to the online Met Annals in the newly redone Met website for that info).
Listening to the opening bars of Cavalleria in Sarasota last weekend, reminded me sitting in my room, putting my birthday present LPs of Cavalleria on my turntable, and trying to picture what that day would have been like in Sicily, which was to begin with such serenity and end with death.
There is a lot of music that brings back memories for me, and I find that not even time can dull my enjoyment, even if I'm now more knowledgeable about the works and their technical shortcomings or failings. Still, I take comfort in the fact that, even after a long absence, I can still experience that same sort of wonder, and enjoyment as I did all those years ago. For me that feeling is enhanced by the passing of years and the accumulated memories that it brings. I can picture the first time I heard the 3rd Act ensemble from Otello, and the physical reaction that I had to it. Please, don't anyone ever try to tell me that Adriana Lecouvreur is a bad opera. It may be, but I won't accept it. Seeing Caballe, Carreras and Cossotto at the Met in the late 70s in this operas, convinced me that it was effective (and luckily I have recordings of Olivero and Tebaldi to help me maintain that myth).
Happily I find that I still have that experience now and then. The richness and depth of the repertoire (not just limited to classical and opera) ensure that I still have those moments of discovery that take my breath away. For years I listened to almost exclusively vocal music, but I've been having some real moments of wonder in expanding my horizons recently. Shostakovich is a composer that I have always taken for granted, but every time I've heard his music "live" (as opposed to on recording), I remember how much his music affects me. Recently hearing concerts of Sibelius and Elgar (whose music I seemed to have entirely missed until recent years) have opened me up to new repertoire and experience.
When people ask me about why I love music (ok, no one has, but that's not the point), it is these moments that I point to. It still, after all these years, has the ability to be new. Even now, it amazes, bewilders and moves me.
Listening to the opening bars of Cavalleria in Sarasota last weekend, reminded me sitting in my room, putting my birthday present LPs of Cavalleria on my turntable, and trying to picture what that day would have been like in Sicily, which was to begin with such serenity and end with death.
There is a lot of music that brings back memories for me, and I find that not even time can dull my enjoyment, even if I'm now more knowledgeable about the works and their technical shortcomings or failings. Still, I take comfort in the fact that, even after a long absence, I can still experience that same sort of wonder, and enjoyment as I did all those years ago. For me that feeling is enhanced by the passing of years and the accumulated memories that it brings. I can picture the first time I heard the 3rd Act ensemble from Otello, and the physical reaction that I had to it. Please, don't anyone ever try to tell me that Adriana Lecouvreur is a bad opera. It may be, but I won't accept it. Seeing Caballe, Carreras and Cossotto at the Met in the late 70s in this operas, convinced me that it was effective (and luckily I have recordings of Olivero and Tebaldi to help me maintain that myth).
Happily I find that I still have that experience now and then. The richness and depth of the repertoire (not just limited to classical and opera) ensure that I still have those moments of discovery that take my breath away. For years I listened to almost exclusively vocal music, but I've been having some real moments of wonder in expanding my horizons recently. Shostakovich is a composer that I have always taken for granted, but every time I've heard his music "live" (as opposed to on recording), I remember how much his music affects me. Recently hearing concerts of Sibelius and Elgar (whose music I seemed to have entirely missed until recent years) have opened me up to new repertoire and experience.
When people ask me about why I love music (ok, no one has, but that's not the point), it is these moments that I point to. It still, after all these years, has the ability to be new. Even now, it amazes, bewilders and moves me.
posted by Rich Russell at
8:11 AM
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