From: team8martinland@hotmail.com   
      
   Hi guys, may I join in?   
      
   On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:55:37 +0100, Eberhard Schefold  wrote:   
      
   > It’s not so easy to make a Wagner “Greatest Hits” compilation, because   
   > his operas don’t follow the the traditional aria/recitative structure   
   > (where the arias reflect on a particular situation, and the plot   
   > actually develops during the recitatives). They are “durchkomponiert”   
   > (“through-composed”), and it’s hard to find a section that makes sense   
   > as a self-contained piece.   
      
   How about the overtures and prelude ("intermission") music? ;)   
      
   As far as my listening habits are concerned I enjoyed a classical   
   education (violin) but these days (pretty much about 17 years) I'm much   
   more into film music as a listener, e.g. Erich Wolfgang Korngold (who   
   described his music as "Opera without singing"!).   
      
   Since I'm interested in instrumental music and not the vocal acrobatics   
   (excuse me) of the operatic art form that's why I almost always find   
   myself listening to a double album of R. Wagners overtures... ;)   
      
   > have a good translation ready. These pieces are dramatic in the truest   
   > 19th century meaning of the word, and through parts, the music   
   > emphasizes every line of the drama almost to a point of mickey-mousing.   
      
   Like film music... ;)   
      
   Some say the use of leitmotifs constitutes Wagner as the grand father of   
   all (good ole golden age-style symphonic) film music. ;)   
      
   > “Karfreitagszauber” from “Parsifal”, or the orchestra piece   
   > “Siegfried-Idyll”.   
      
   These all can be found on the aforementioned double CD (Wagner: Orchestral   
   Favourites, Wiener Philharmoniker, Solti, Decca 440 606-2), beautiful   
   pieces indeed... ;)   
      
   > Yes, that seems likely. I’d think though that the speech is just using   
   > the name Tannhäuser, not referring to something in the actual plot of   
   > the opera (notably, there’s no gate in it). Of course there is also the   
   > historical Tannhäuser that the opera is inspired from:   
      
   Which reminds me: I played second violin in a performance of the overture   
   of Tannhäuser.   
   Damn tedious to play (speedy string accompaniment figures)... ;)   
      
   Have a better one,   
   Martin   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)