Sunday 24 October 2010

Absent

I didn’t write for the past several days because I wasn’t there. I’ve had an overwhelming weekend in Italy. And I had to get away from the computer because my back and my neck were in pain. Now I’m back and I have a lot to share. Hopefully I’ll find a way and the time to catch up.

2 comments:

  1. A little story to start with to make a swift switch from Ukrain to Italy through some musical history;

    In winter 1903 Vladimir Horowitz was born in Kiev. Vladimir soon made it being a well known pianist and wanting more from life, defected in december 1925 to the west. In that period he climbed the podia of many great concerthalls. Even in the US. When it was 1933 he met Toscanini who became a close friend aswell as his conductor.
    Toscanini was born in march 1867 in Italy, made fame in 1886 as a 3rd substitute conducting Aida in Rio. His rapid career made him conductor at La Scala, he even took the Scala orchestra on tour in the US. He became really famous when he left Italy for political reasons. He went to the US and conducted all the great operas, led opera world premieres and became NBC conductor. Vladimir married Toscaninis daughter Wanda in 1933. And so the two became even closer.
    In 1946 the Toscanini was impressed by a 24 year old girl which had a so called voce d'angelo. Renata Tebaldi was discovered and made her first La Scala performance that year. In the years following Renata Tebaldi became a well known and much applaused opera singer and actor.
    Ultimately it lead to her final performance and in many opinion the greatest, together with Franco Corelli; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyEGRFPBnfo
    She died in 2003 in San Marino-Italy but remains, according to many, the best soprano ever in history.

    Well, perhaps you can take it from here with your stories about Italy (San Marino?)....

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  2. San Marino is a very good idea actually. It would add to my number. :)

    ReplyDelete

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