Rysanek, Nilsson, and Varnay in Paris, 1975.
The late, great Astrid Varnay remembers a prank she played on Birgit Nilsson at a time when she was singing Klytemnestra to Nilsson's Elektra: "On one of our many phone calls I feigned one of those very formal secretarial voices and inquired if I might speak to Madame Nilsson – when she took the bait and said: 'This is she speaking,' I switched to my own voice and said 'It’s your mother!'".... Kyle Gann has linked to David Carter's MIDI mockup of Sorabji's Jami Symphony, all four and a half hours of it. Also, Jonathan Powell is performing Sorabji's transcription of the final scene of Salome, something I'd love to hear.... Fingertips writes an excellent commentary on the In Rainbows phenomenon.... Most thinking people agree that Tashi's recording of the Quartet for the End of Time is a modern classic. The good news from the Pacific Northwest is that the foursome has reawakened after thirty years of hibernation. The reunion will take place Jan. 25-27 as part of a Messiaen/Carter festival at Chamber Music Northwest in Portland — the two composers having been born one day apart in December 1908. The organization is offering free tickets to college students in the Portland area, provided the series doesn't sell out.
