I do. I went to see the Ring in NYC, and found it worth the travelling expenses etc. etc. It took me a much longer time to warm to Verdi, and now that I have developed the instrument to do so I would love to sing Verdi, but for sheer listening pleasure... But I can easily see why people might be turned off Wagner - in an age of political incorrectness he expressed many ideas which nowadays would be intolerable, and the way in which the Wagner family and Wagner's music was linked to Naziism must be shocking. Even I, a Wagnerite if ever there was one, cringe when I hear the "heil"s and "ehren ihre deutshcen Meister" in Meistersinger, not because of anything Wagner did or thought but because of subsequent horrible history. But in all conscience I cannot leave the music, and even find his poetry powerful and affective. john
At 02:11 PM 10/2/00 -0700, you wrote: ... >> > > Me, I can sit through Verdi. Four hours of Wagner, that's a >> > > different story. >> > > ... >I have a very strong preference for Verdi over Wagner, because most of >Verdi's arias work beautifully as *drama*, not just music. Perhaps if I >could see a Wagner opera with a bit of action and singers who can *act*, I'd >change my mind. ... John Blyth Baritono robusto e lirico Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
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