Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Soprano goes overboard



 It is a long story why, but I wound up just now looking at this video of Lotte Lehmann and Eleanor Steber discussing their work with Toscanini.

Again, amazing, all the stuff on YouTube! You can sit around all day listening to dead musicians and if I had my druthers that is what I would do.

Although I have to say this: Sometimes these people annoy me.

Here is Lehmann at the start of this video. Lehmann sang "Fidelio" with Toscanini in 1935.

"It is rather difficicult to talk about the Maestro Toscanini. Can one describe ze beauty of ze sunset -- or, more appropriately, ze beauty of ze thunderstorm?"

Oh, Miss Lehmann. You're great and everything, but put a lid on it, you know?

But then she continues:

"I heard him say, as he said once to me, that I expressed my admiration for him in glowing terms, 'Don't exaggerate. Don't you see that I am nobody to be glorified? I am just a good conductor, that's all.' He was quite annoyed with me ..."

Hahahaaa.

Toscanini felt the way I do!

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