Anna Russell Crown Princess of Musical Parody (vaimusic.com)

[HeidelbergSoprano]

She's reminds me of Diva on the Verge by Julia Migenes!

[Sunflowers159]

I've always loved her act. It takes a really skilled person to be able to do something badly deliberately and she was a master of comic timing.

[ChristophePhilippe]

"The older and rottener, the better." Funny because it's true.

[wattever333]

this is 1964??? it looks more like 1950s (hair and dress).

[stephenc77098]

Birgit Nilsson used to play Anna's Ring analysis and Schreechenrauf for her master classes to get the students to loosen up and have fun.

[jslasher1]

@stephenc77098 Yes, indeed she did. Nilsson told me so herself, backstage following a master class she conducted in Minneapolis many decades ago. She said that Russell managed to make Wagner 'approachable'.

[Babejuda]

She's great! So much laughter!

[dunnhaupt]

I have three of her CD's -- she made four, the rest of her work is on 12" vinyl.

[Oberon90]

I like it...the last word was "Gesundheit", it means the same like "Bless you" in English. Are there more Videos of Anna Russell Crown execpt those three??

[MaskedMan66]

@Oberon90 Actually, it literally means, "Good health!"

[petshopgirl72]

I can't stop laughing!!!

[dinatrageser]

Actually, the text is utter nonsense... but clever German-sounding nonsense. The title, "Schlumf," is the German name for "Smurf," but I think this was recorded before Smurfs...?

[OlafReuh]

@dinatrageser

well the Smurfs were created in 1957 and the first book with them ("La Flûte à Six Schtroumpfs" by Peyo) was first published in 1958. So if this is 1964 it was recorded after the birth of the Smurfs. However "Schlumpf" is also a common name in Germany and in Switzerland. Two swiss Federal Counselors have had this name : Leon Schlumpf who was swiss Preident in the 80's and his daughter Evelyn Widmer-Schlumpf.

[MakkuroHana]

she was an extraordinary lady. An insightful and amusing conversationalist as well as parodist. Her timing as a comedienne was superb. I grew up listening to her recordings, and am saddened to think there will be no more. Thanks so much for posting this.

Hana

[MartinaVonTrapp]

Thanks for posting!!!

Her half hour version of Ring des Nibelungen is probably as famous as the real thing, and also BRILLIANT!!!

:-) La

[nosowisewoman]

i grew up listening to her. wouldn't surpsire me at all if pdq bach was influneced by her.

[lalagonegaga]

"Pregnant with meaning"?! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! You gotta love this stuff!

[gittangran]

There's a DVD available. Her first farewell concert, Wonderfull. Check it out on Amozon or likewise.

[1r1sh52]

Lovely! I have her (First) Farewell Concert on VHS, but have never seen her in her younger years. Such a funny lady, and never more so than when puncturing cultural pretensions and murdering Wagner. "I'm not making this up, you know!" - lol

Thanks for posting!

[rheaturtle]

Very good to see her. Who knew that there was all that physical comedy going along with the vocals? But then there had to be, didn't there, to get all those laughs! She really was quite the gal, wasn't she? Wish I'd seen her!

[TheMikester307]

Great to actually see her!! And so funny! I love her! God Bless, uh, I mean "Geshunteit!"

Oh, yeah, the song's title means "Dumb is My Sitting Tree..."

[ellandelachapelle]

Wait a minute. Maybe I was wrong? Maybe they say it after someone has sneezed? (in Swedish we say "prosit!" which means "may it benefit you!")

[ellandelachapelle]

Wonderful! She has some traces of Birgit Nilsson, some of Schwarzkopf, some of Callas and even some of Peter Pears! Well well so that´s why they have their hand clasped together! (no honestly I think she made that up.) Gesundheit! means health. Germans say this when they toast! (like "Skål!" in Swedish.)

[gittangran]

Oh, so on the spot! A parody and a tribute. Comedy at its best!

[ftbotsb]

Did someone sneeze? Bless You Too!

[DivaDeb1234]

Oh My gosh, thank you.

I've never seen her before! She looks exactly how I imagined her. ! I really thank you for posting..

Love

DivaDeb