Tuesday, May 29, 2012

A freebie to cheer us up


Deutsche Grammophon is paying tribute to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau by playing what appears to be a limitless selection of his songs on their little Internet radio.

I have not yet had the opportunity to explore this windfall in depth but it does look as if you get all of Schumann's "Dichterliebe," then all Schubert's "Die Schoene Muellerin," and then this gigantic set of Wolf's "Morike Lieder," and it goes from there. I do not want to see yet how many albums are included. I want to be surprised.

Tempting, you know, about midnight tonight, to settle in and sit for hours, listening and sipping whiskey.

At work tomorrow, or at school, as the case may be, someone will notice that you are out of it.

And you will truthfully explain, "I could not sleep because I was upset over losing Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau."

The DG tribute cheers me up a little because I have to say, the radio tributes to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau were not what I hoped and expected. I mean, for years, dreading his going, I at least assumed that when he did, the music world would grind to a halt. That did not happen. Even on Twitter, the classical music nerds I run with were mostly twittering about other things.

You would think the Schubert Club would have set up a 24-hour grief hot line where we could call and discuss our feelings. But no.

I guess people get forgotten, you know? People grow old, they fall off the merry-go-round. It makes me feel a little better about Leonard Pennario who, it used to confound me, how he could have fallen off the music world's radar. Now I see, it happens. I read somewhere that Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau himself worried about it, said he thought he was forgotten among the younger generations. Perhaps "worried" is not the right world. Probably knowing him as I do (listen to me!) he simply said it reflectively and philosophically.

Whatever, at least we get to listen to him on Deutsche Grammophon.

Deutsche Grammophon, danke!

12 comments:

  1. freebie.org is the zealous website and it is rattling a pleasant way to signal any day along with the freebies through your entrance.
    freebie.org.uk

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  2. One person's forgotten wo/man is another person's rediscovery -- DFD's work will remain as long as there's a world.

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  3. Bob, you are right. Well said! Speaking of right and well said, I got your note about getting the gizmo that shows the recent comments. That was a great idea! I figured out how to do it and voila, there, to the right, are all our comments, both of them! (Just kidding, but I do not exactly get a lot of comments.. I write this thing pretty much for the heck of it.) Anyway thank you for the fine idea. I would not have thought of that on my own.

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  4. One other thing, the comment track will help me notice when someone writes something, so I can respond. It is always so nice when someone comments and I always hate it when I do not see it until months later...

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  5. Yes, MKG, you the lady! This will make visiting your blog even MORE fun!

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  6. Hahahahahahahaaa! So kind of you, Bob!

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  7. http://www.city-journal.org/2012/bc0615hm.html

    Nice piece on DFD by Heather MacDonald

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  8. No question DFD had a wonderful voice, but frankly I just don't "get" lieder. They always seem to be mooning over love and swanning around forests and fields and whatnot and I just want to say, "Oh go soak your head." I remain to be convinced.

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  9. Solange, I am going to have to convince you!

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  10. And Bob, thanks for the essay about Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau by Heather MacDonald ... she mentions some of the songs I really love! I still can't believe he is gone. Stop me now before I start crying into my Sleepytime tea. ...

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  11. The lyrics in Schubert lieder
    Can be a bit much---
    Perhaps lyrics set by Hugo Wolf
    Have more of a modern touch.

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  12. Of Schubert and poets
    I cannot speak ill
    But perhaps Solange might like
    Wolf's song about the mill!
    (See today's Web log)

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