Jessye Norman, 1945 - 2019

I really have nothing to add to the cascade of tributes these last few days. Instead, while her Strauss and Wagner are getting plenty of social media airtime, I thought I'd post a bit of her Carmen documentary. She took a lot of critical heat for this project at the time -- her involvement with the role upset the gatekeepers -- but I like this clip (and the doc in general) because it shows her exercising her tremendous art in the less-guarded environs of the recording studio...which is to say, having fun.

this is what we call blowing the curve

Cian Smith is ten, and he's been playing the pipes for only two years, he is incredibly talented and very hard working,...

Posted by David Power on Saturday, August 15, 2015