Comedienne Anna Russell Dead at 94
On Oct. 18, famed vocal parodist Anna Russell, 94, passed away in her sleep. Born in London, Russell studied singing at the Royal College of Music and began to sing professionally as a lyric soprano in the 1940s. Later in that decade, she made her New York debut, presenting a wildly successful program of operatic comedy that changed the course of her career. After that, she toured the globe for decades with her programs of operatic comedy.
Some of her performances are available on DVD. Her First Farewell Concert includes her 30-minute version of Wagner’s Ring Cycle and a piece titled How to Become a Singer. A second DVD, The Clown Princess of Comedy, includes hysterically funny lessons on singing German Lieder. The Anna Russell Song Book has been reissued and is available from Deidre Prussak Books of Rosedale, New South Wales 2536, Australia.
www.vaimusic.com/VIDEO/DVD_4208_69019_russell.htm
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102001598.html
Wikipedia Offers Pitch Translation Table
Key signatures in various languages can be confusing. B minor, as in the Bach mass, is si mineur in French, h moll in German, and si minore in Italian. If you need to know the meaning of a key signature written in French, Italian, or German, you can find it in the Wikipedia Pitch translation table.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_signature_names_and_translations
Lyric Opera of Chicago Resumes Broadcasting
The Lyric Opera of Chicago recently announced that shopping mall developer Matthew Bucksbaum is donating $2 million to help make national broadcasts of the company’s performances available through the 2011-2012 season, says the Chicago Tribune. The grant needs to be matched with an equal amount of money, but Richard Kiphart, Lyric Opera board president, is confident of the company’s ability to raise the necessary funds, says the report.
www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0610210282oct21,1,1632638.story?coll=chi-leisuretempo-hed www.lyricopera.org/img/news/05-06Fiscal.pdf www.suntimes.com/entertainment/music/classical/105957,lyric102106.article
Conductor Arrested in Cult Suicide
Swiss maestro Michael Tabachnik is on trial in the French city of Grenoble for his alleged role in the mass suicide of members of the Order of the Solar Temple, the International Herald Tribune reports. Sixty-eight members of the group killed themselves in France, Switzerland, and Canada between 1991 and 1995, according to prosecutor Pierre-Marie Cuny.
Tabachnik allegedly supported the views of the order’s leader, Joseph di Mambo, who died in 1994. Swiss authorities chose not to charge the conductor, but a French magistrate decided there was enough evidence to try him.
www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/24/europe/EU_GEN_France_Cult_Probe.php
Director to Make Film About Venice’s ‘Red Priest’
The Guardian, a British newspaper, reports that Boris Damast hopes to bring the life and work of 18th century composer Antonio Vivaldi before the general public with his projected new movie, Vivaldi. Work is set to begin in April of 2007 and the actors will reportedly include Joseph Fiennes, Gérard Depardieu, Jacqueline Bisset, and Malcolm McDowell. The film’s producers hope to equal Milos Forman’s 1984 Oscar-winning epic, Amadeus.
Vivaldi was the first conductor to allow women to play the cello in the same manner as men, which people of the time considered quite risqué, said Damast in the report.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1928497,00.html
www.playbillarts.com/news/article/5383.html
Stay Healthy on the Plane
Air travel means being squeezed together with lots of other passengers in an enclosed space—all breathing the same air—and sitting in your seat for long periods. You can take action, however, to help you stay healthy.
Some people, for example, seem to catch cold whenever they fly. You can bring small bottles of hand sanitizer on board, and smart passengers might want to use germicidal wipes on their tray tables.
The air piped in to passenger aircraft is filtered and relatively clean but its humidity is very low, and the cabin pressure is equal to an altitude of 8,000 feet. Coffee, tea, and cola drinks tend to dehydrate the body, so it is better to drink water, so long as you know it is pure. You can buy sealed water bottles at the airport once you have passed security.
It is a good idea to get out of your seat and walk up the aisle when you can, so that you keep blood circulating in your legs. You can even do simple exercises with your feet while seated.
www.thirdage.com/healthgate/files/14600.html
www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_2_33/ai_97177915
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=1502971
Unexpected Interlude Adds Dance to ‘Norma’
A small Manhattan opera company was presenting the Bellini opera Norma at a senior citizens’ residence where people could walk through the performance space. When the pianist began to play the martial music that precedes Norma’s entrance, an elderly lady appeared from a nearby elevator, merrily swinging her hips as she danced to the rhythmic piece. She was so much fun to watch that the cast members had all they could do not to burst out laughing. One singer later quipped that it was a good thing they were not doing the more energetic bacchanale from Samson et Dalila.
Posted by baritone Charles Handelman on the Opera-L Listserve
Oregon Opera Company Receives Large Grant
The James F and Marion L Miller Foundation recently presented the Portland Opera Company with a grant of $2.1 million. The company says it will use the money for general operating support and deficit reduction over the next three years. Portland Opera presents five productions per season with an annual budget of approximately $8 million. Although it seldom has a deficit, last year the company finished almost $1 million in the red, said its website.
www.portlandopera.org
Pirates, Beware!
Pianist Krystian Zimerman was accompanying violinist Gidon Kremer in a program of Brahms sonatas says the New York Times, when he noticed a man who appeared to be recording the recital. As the pianist walked off the stage for the intermission, he pointed angrily to the patron in question. He called security back stage and told them he thought he had seen an audience member with a recording mechanism.
Security officials found the ticket holder in question but did not eject him because they themselves did not see him record anything. They did, however, watch him closely for the remainder of the evening.
www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/arts/music/03krem.html
