The actor Rutger Hauer has died, best known for his role in Bladerunner. This makes me very sad, for personal reasons relating to my ex-husband. Rutger Hauer was one of his favorite actors, and we had many good times before the marriage went south watching his movies.
Margaret Fulton, the cook book author down here died yesterday at 94. She revolutionised much Australian cooking from the 1950s and 1960s with her enormously popular books.
Tears in the rain: Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner. It's still on my bucket list to see attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. Or C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate.
Watched the Tears in Rain clip maybe 17X since I heard - got me in the guts at the time (1982) and ever since ... looking forward to seeing them myself ... as RH is no doubt seeing them now
A couple of days late,but RIP Andrea Camilleri, creator of Commission Montalbano. Maybe one day I will know enough Sicilian to be able to appreciate him in the original.
Rest in peace, Father Owen Lee, a brilliant Wagnerian and a very good man. I was once a regular panelist on the Metropolitan Opera’s broadcast quiz. On my first outing, Fr. Owen was another panelist; he turned to me, and said, conspiratorially, “I’ll let you have the first question - but after that, you’re on your own. May he rest in peace and rise in glory; his memory will certainly be a blessing.
Rest in peace, Father Owen Lee, a brilliant Wagnerian and a very good man. I was once a regular panelist on the Metropolitan Opera’s broadcast quiz. On my first outing, Fr. Owen was another panelist; he turned to me, and said, conspiratorially, “I’ll let you have the first question - but after that, you’re on your own. May he rest in peace and rise in glory; his memory will certainly be a blessing.
Oh, that saddens me. Owen Lee has left us. He was one of those people whose existence makes one feel better about one's own existence. In the pub game of 'dinner party' I "invited" him as one of my eleven.
Hal Prince, theatrical director and producer and winner of 21 Tony Awards—more than any other person—died earlier today at the age of 91. Broadway will be more dim.
Hal Prince, theatrical director and producer and winner of 21 Tony Awards—more than any other person—died earlier today at the age of 91. Broadway will be more dim.
I worked with him a couple of times, in opera. I liked him. Unlike most theatrical directors, he read music, and he wasn't a time-waster.
Hal Prince, theatrical director and producer and winner of 21 Tony Awards—more than any other person—died earlier today at the age of 91. Broadway will be more dim.
I worked with him a couple of times, in opera. I liked him. Unlike most theatrical directors, he read music, and he wasn't a time-waster.
Oh, I would love to hear more. The Broadway channel on Sirius satellite radio (my default channel) has, of course, had a number of tributes of various kinds over the last few days. A remarkable life and career.
...Not only am I jealous, but at this point I'm quite glad I've never worked with you. Is it a jinx? They say these things happen in threes.
Oh, I was in the chorus with Hal Prince (and an understudy in another opera), so no one he needed to worry about.
Father Lee was my favorite RC priest, though - a good man, a kind man, a witty man, and a scary-smart man. (On that first quiz, I was dressed all in black, he was in clericals, and the other man, whose name I disremember, was also in all black. I remember thinking that we looked like three crows sitting on a fence, and resolved not to do that again.) He was always a delight, and I barely minded it when his hand got up first.
Reading tributes to the African American writer Toni Morrison (1931--2019) who won the Nobel proze for literature in 1993. I came across The Bluest Eye in my 20s and have read and reread her novel Beloved many times.
Reading tributes to the African American writer Toni Morrison (1931--2019) who won the Nobel proze for literature in 1993. I came across The Bluest Eye in my 20s and have read and reread her novel Beloved many times.
Her work is more than great literature. Is is unapologetically being a black author, writing about black people whilst bring black literature into the mainstream. She is a hero.
Tim Fischer, the Country Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister some years ago died at 73 . He had had cancer for ten years. Many of the obituaries called him an old fashioned gentleman. He married late in life and had two sons, the eldest is autistic. He resigned his positions to be with his family.
This link is a personal reminiscence by a journalist.
Tim Fischer. He was also a very knowledgable aficionado of trains and wrote on them. He spent several years at the Vatican, representing Australia.
He was also instrumental in bringing gun reform after the Port Arthur massacre. He persuaded many of his farming party members to hand in their guns.
David Koch has died. His pipelines, climate denial, right-wing conservatism will live on. He'd have sold crystal meth and nuclear bombs if they'd have let him. As it was he sold everything they did allow. I think they said 89 billion $ or some such. Maybe I was cold-cocked, etherized, soul-dead thinking about the eulogization of such a destructive person. Could have got the number wrong. Get out the chainsaw and give 'em to the trumpetians.
There are a few good things to be said for this Koch brother, particularly in contrast to his siblings: He was a generous old-school philanthropist, helping the arts, other cultural institutions, and giving generously to medical research; he had no use for Trump, and spoke out against him and his policies. As manipulative plutocrats go, he was better than most of the current crop.
I was quite surprised to read that he had no time for Trump; I imagined that he and his family were a large part of what put the orange snowflake where he is.
I was merely trying to put him into perspective. (Also, if I were in charge, he would get a little time off Purgatory for his support of opera.)
I found this https://newrepublic.com/article/154849/david-koch-1980-fantasy
which is scathing. No idea of the source website's reputation, the article has a lot od details, basically informing that the dead Koch brother will be remembered for his support for the destruction of the earth, and basically being against everything progressive and positive possible. Description includes his dream of an Ayn Rand-inspired hellscape, his creed was greed, and that if we "truly want to right the havoc that Koch wrought, must firmly reject the idea that government is somehow inefficient, wasteful, or tyrannical, and instead unequivocally reclaim it as the best means of solving shared problems". So if we're voting people off the island, he goes without reprieve I think. Someone can sing something tragically operatic as he goes.
Despite the Randian hellscapes, he was generous where it counted, with massive contributions to cancer research and related causes. That should count for something. His brothers didn't do anything along those lines.
The world lost an amazing artist today when the great soprano Jessye Norman died. She was 74.
Here, from Richard Strauss's Vier Letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs), is "Im Abendrot (At Sunset)." It was a voice in a million.
We have through sorrow and joy
gone hand in hand;
From our wanderings, let's now rest
in this quiet land.
Around us, the valleys bow
as the sun goes down.
Two larks soar upwards
dreamily into the light air.
Come close, and let them fly.
Soon it will be time for sleep.
Let's not lose our way
in this solitude.
O vast, tranquil peace,
so deep in the evening's glow!
How weary we are of wandering---
Is this perhaps death?
Wir sind durch Not und Freude
gegangen Hand in Hand;
vom Wandern ruhen wir
nun überm stillen Land.
Rings sich die Täler neigen,
es dunkelt schon die Luft.
Zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen
nachträumend in den Duft.
Tritt her und laß sie schwirren,
bald ist es Schlafenszeit.
Daß wir uns nicht verirren
in dieser Einsamkeit.
O weiter, stiller Friede!
So tief im Abendrot.
Wie sind wir wandermüde--
Ist dies etwa der Tod?
An outstanding and very different voice, one that challenged traditional classifications.
It was not that of a soprano, nor of a mezzo either, covering both and more. Very different to Sutherland or Janet Baker, the only others of that superb quality that we heard live. Madame and I heard her in her tour way back in the 80's.
I challenge anyone to hear her sing Im Abendrot and not be sobbing at the end. With a swift programme change, her recording of all 4 songs was played on our national broadcaster this morning, and we were again in tears.
I was lucky enough to hear Janet Baker and Birgit Nilsson on tour when young and single but by the time Jessye Norman toured, the financial constraints of a young family and distance from the city meant that I was unable to go. It is one of my great regrets, tempered by the recordings of that magnificent voice which we have in our collection.
We heard Janet Baker only in concert, and her voice was truly one to remember. Alas, although we were in the UK at the time of her last Glyndebourne performances we were unable to get tickets. Another sadness was not hearing Birgit Nilsson live.
Many have commented on the steeliness of Nilsson's voice, but in recital with Geoffrey Parsons in the opening week of the Opera House there was subtlety and warmth which belied the Wagnerian heroine.
Nilsson's vocal steeliness depended on what she was singing, to an extent. When I stood next to her (as a newly minted university graduate) in "Götterdämmerung," it was definitely steely (also loud). When hearing her in recital, though, it was a much more approachable instrument.
Norman was amazing. She was also a diva; I think much of that was understandable self-protection.
Nilsson's vocal steeliness depended on what she was singing, to an extent. When I stood next to her (as a newly minted university graduate) in "Götterdämmerung," ...
Nilsson's vocal steeliness depended on what she was singing, to an extent. When I stood next to her (as a newly minted university graduate) in "Götterdämmerung," it was definitely steely (also loud). When hearing her in recital, though, it was a much more approachable instrument.
Norman was amazing. She was also a diva; I think much of that was understandable self-protection.
Earlier in that same week, Nilsson had performed Dich teure Halle and the Immolation Scene with the Cleveland Orchestra under Maazel. We were much closer to the stage that night [at the recital we were in one of the hall's acoustic sweet spots], and the voice just swept us away, soaring over the orchestra.
Nilsson's vocal steeliness depended on what she was singing, to an extent. When I stood next to her (as a newly minted university graduate) in "Götterdämmerung," ...
Wow!!!
I was a newbie in the chorus. The more experienced of my colleagues knew better than to allow themselves to be staged that close to her. (It was still a cool experience, though. Just watching how she used her muscles to breathe...)
At a christmas fundraising function for Wesley Mission in a large park some years ago i was about a metre away from a trombonist. But i sang alto and just upped the breathing and volume.
Some disliked him. His book "Where Shall Wisdom Be Found?" accompanied me on the journey through my best friend's and my beloved in-laws deaths. Ecclesiastes, Job, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Plato at once speaking eternity.
Comments
Oh, that saddens me. Owen Lee has left us. He was one of those people whose existence makes one feel better about one's own existence. In the pub game of 'dinner party' I "invited" him as one of my eleven.
He was also one of the stars in the wonderful film "Ladyhawke".
Bless.
Barrington Pheloung has died. And now I have the Morse tune circling my brain.
Not only am I jealous, but at this point I'm quite glad I've never worked with you. Is it a jinx? They say these things happen in threes.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/lieutenant-governor-death-jocelyne-roy-vienneau-1.5234414?fbclid=IwAR0CLhl_sPNrI7DmoCcOHgPcW2YRCW5UvcZHpjJbUoJGz37e1OZmbwy5Bl0
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-49204090
AG
Father Lee was my favorite RC priest, though - a good man, a kind man, a witty man, and a scary-smart man. (On that first quiz, I was dressed all in black, he was in clericals, and the other man, whose name I disremember, was also in all black. I remember thinking that we looked like three crows sitting on a fence, and resolved not to do that again.) He was always a delight, and I barely minded it when his hand got up first.
This link is a personal reminiscence by a journalist.
Tim Fischer. He was also a very knowledgable aficionado of trains and wrote on them. He spent several years at the Vatican, representing Australia.
He was also instrumental in bringing gun reform after the Port Arthur massacre. He persuaded many of his farming party members to hand in their guns.
(:votive:)
Perhaps he wasn't all bad after all.
I found this https://newrepublic.com/article/154849/david-koch-1980-fantasy
which is scathing. No idea of the source website's reputation, the article has a lot od details, basically informing that the dead Koch brother will be remembered for his support for the destruction of the earth, and basically being against everything progressive and positive possible. Description includes his dream of an Ayn Rand-inspired hellscape, his creed was greed, and that if we "truly want to right the havoc that Koch wrought, must firmly reject the idea that government is somehow inefficient, wasteful, or tyrannical, and instead unequivocally reclaim it as the best means of solving shared problems". So if we're voting people off the island, he goes without reprieve I think. Someone can sing something tragically operatic as he goes.
Here, from Richard Strauss's Vier Letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs), is "Im Abendrot (At Sunset)." It was a voice in a million.
We have through sorrow and joy
gone hand in hand;
From our wanderings, let's now rest
in this quiet land.
Around us, the valleys bow
as the sun goes down.
Two larks soar upwards
dreamily into the light air.
Come close, and let them fly.
Soon it will be time for sleep.
Let's not lose our way
in this solitude.
O vast, tranquil peace,
so deep in the evening's glow!
How weary we are of wandering---
Is this perhaps death?
Wir sind durch Not und Freude
gegangen Hand in Hand;
vom Wandern ruhen wir
nun überm stillen Land.
Rings sich die Täler neigen,
es dunkelt schon die Luft.
Zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen
nachträumend in den Duft.
Tritt her und laß sie schwirren,
bald ist es Schlafenszeit.
Daß wir uns nicht verirren
in dieser Einsamkeit.
O weiter, stiller Friede!
So tief im Abendrot.
Wie sind wir wandermüde--
Ist dies etwa der Tod?
It was not that of a soprano, nor of a mezzo either, covering both and more. Very different to Sutherland or Janet Baker, the only others of that superb quality that we heard live. Madame and I heard her in her tour way back in the 80's.
I challenge anyone to hear her sing Im Abendrot and not be sobbing at the end. With a swift programme change, her recording of all 4 songs was played on our national broadcaster this morning, and we were again in tears.
Norman was amazing. She was also a diva; I think much of that was understandable self-protection.
Earlier in that same week, Nilsson had performed Dich teure Halle and the Immolation Scene with the Cleveland Orchestra under Maazel. We were much closer to the stage that night [at the recital we were in one of the hall's acoustic sweet spots], and the voice just swept us away, soaring over the orchestra.
That is sad. Her rendition of Strauss's Im Abendrot is a favourite of mine.
AFF
Colin Smith - of mine, too.
Some disliked him. His book "Where Shall Wisdom Be Found?" accompanied me on the journey through my best friend's and my beloved in-laws deaths. Ecclesiastes, Job, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Plato at once speaking eternity.