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RE: Tchaikovsky's Francesca, etc.

Satie, this posting of yours stroked two nerves, because of two items. The first one actually made me rush to Amazon to undo a "nostalgic" loss.

In all the years I spent in a music school and a couple later in conservatory, Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini escaped my attention. Then, one day in the mid 70's, while attending a Casals Festival concert, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich conducted a most passionate and mouth-watering rendition of some of Tchaikovsky's works. This included the overture to this symphonic work. It, and the whole concert, which included a Haydn cello concerto played by him, stuck to my heart. I even felt the urge to and did meet him in person at the time.

What I did not know then, and only learned decades later, was that this was among his first concerts after leaving the Soviet Union. No wonder the intensity! I did have a recording of the same work, later in his life, that impresses, though it lacks the same aura. Since I loaned the CD set and did not get them back, I just ordered an upcoming release of what looks like the same recordings (see below). Thanks for the reminder!

The other thing that came to mind is also, in part, related to Tchaikovsky. The opera I went to last weekend was Eugene Onegin. I was mighty pleased with the voices -- exquisite and precisely located on the stage. OTOH, I was furious that they mic'd the orchestra in the pit. An oboe five foot in diameter is not my recollection of real life. And I expect to hear the bass section mostly located where I am looking at it...and not at the other side of the hall. So, your comment about the piano size made me laugh.


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