Thank you so much Alexander! I read your comment to John and he thanks you too. And it is very interesting to hear this about Tchaikovsky's librettos. We love the operas and I think we have every video of them ever made of them, but we do not understand Russian at all.
Strangely that even here one finds a controversy. Most of the composers adjust the texts - sometimes for better, sometimes - not.
One of the awful examples are Thaikovsky's operas ;o). Pyotr Tchaikovsky with his brother's help had re-written Pushkin's texts almost completely. I don't think that Pushkin would ever approve these librettos. But the music is beautiful, and we still have Pushkin originals - for anybody who wants to read them.
I find the music and singing quite beautiful, but object to the fact that the text has been altered a little. In three different editions of Durrell's poetry, I find NO "ever" on the first line, and no "never" on the fourth; instead, Durrell uses "not", on the fourth line. If "ever" and "never" have been inserted for the sake of the rhyme, I must (as a poet myself) in any case object to this tampering with Durrell's poem. Unless he, while he was still among us, approved of these alterations?
The composer and pianist is my husband John Mitchell, the singer is Wendy Lashbrook, and the faces in the video are mine and my cat Shelley's.
bragova 4 months ago
Thank you, freeglitter!
bragova 4 months ago
Oh! Your voice is wonderful! :o Aand the pianist too, and the song... *CLAP*
Lawrence Durrell is the best autor ever, but you are the best "group" : )
freegliter 4 months ago
Thank you so much Alexander! I read your comment to John and he thanks you too. And it is very interesting to hear this about Tchaikovsky's librettos. We love the operas and I think we have every video of them ever made of them, but we do not understand Russian at all.
bragova 1 year ago
Ms Elinor, I'm sorry you disapprove, but you probably don't like Verdi's Shakespeare librettos either.
bragova 1 year ago
Strangely that even here one finds a controversy. Most of the composers adjust the texts - sometimes for better, sometimes - not.
One of the awful examples are Thaikovsky's operas ;o). Pyotr Tchaikovsky with his brother's help had re-written Pushkin's texts almost completely. I don't think that Pushkin would ever approve these librettos. But the music is beautiful, and we still have Pushkin originals - for anybody who wants to read them.
AlexanderFeht 1 year ago
bragova: This is just as I suspected. I can't say I approve, especially if Durrell was dead at the time, and couldn't defend himself.
MsEllinor 1 year ago
MsEllinor, John takes a few liberties with texts. As do most composers of art songs.
bragova 1 year ago
I find the music and singing quite beautiful, but object to the fact that the text has been altered a little. In three different editions of Durrell's poetry, I find NO "ever" on the first line, and no "never" on the fourth; instead, Durrell uses "not", on the fourth line. If "ever" and "never" have been inserted for the sake of the rhyme, I must (as a poet myself) in any case object to this tampering with Durrell's poem. Unless he, while he was still among us, approved of these alterations?
MsEllinor 1 year ago
Hey Vicky!
Cool! You'll have to get some shots of John in on the next one too!
RuthPalmerArtist 3 years ago