German-born actress, singer and cabaret performer Marlene Dietrich was born #OTD in 1901. Whilst travelling to London in 1933 Dietrich was approached by Nazi Party members who tried to persuade her to become the ‘pretty face’ of the Third Reich. holocaustmusic.ort.o...

Some love for Notting Hill Gate.

Fascinating footage of the London Underground during WWII, at Christmas... youtu.be/gVrE21EamcQ?...

Still the best Christmas no. 1, a big hit in Leipzig in 1734. (Sorry Mariah)

I'm so easy to buy for...

Frohe Weihnachten!

Another movie night - some Billy Wilder film noir. (Still keeping it festive... 😁)

Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev) 1954 film version youtu.be/mMCGEBRJ-Oo?...

Do love a festive movie night at this time of the year 😁 This is more an experience than a film... Tarkovsky's astonishing masterpiece.

Ah if only..... Christmas Aboard the RMS Titanic - 1 Hour Ambience - 1912 Christmas Music youtu.be/g4gKT3Bf43s?...

This set is on CD and steaming but I'm still digitising these cassette tapes of the Ring from the GDR. Nice to have a record of these tapes now they're getting old (is how I'm justifying it in my head)

Beethoven - Symphony n°7 - Berlin / Furtwängler 1943 youtu.be/-CNrGqHKoa8?...

RIP Humphrey Burton. I'm too young to remember his 60s and 70s era on Aquarius and Omnibus etc, but enjoyed his documentaries and interviews on YouTube. He popularised the arts during a great time for 'serious' culture on TV and radio. youtu.be/PiRySfETBdg?...

Why is it not an international holiday?

German operatic soprano Hildegard Zadek was born #OTD in 1917. She was Kammersängerin at the Vienna State Opera and performed internationally. Aged 16 Hilde punched a fellow student's front teeth out after she said “It reeks of Jews” holocaustmusic.ort.o...

Going through these tapes I'm reminded again how marvellous the Marek Janowski 'Ring' from Dresden is. What a great orchestra, and with none of Solti's hard-driven conducting (or silly sound effects). And of course always nice to be thrilled by Wagner's masterwork once again!

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD USE HYPHENS

Manflu still rages on...time to get out the heaviest drugs....

Some extensive Ravel, including a new Daphnis et Chloe 😎 open.spotify.com/album/5UTi4D...

Caught the manflu. Obviously I'm suffering in unimaginable pain, but fortunately there is relief.

Bit of Wagner for your Sunday evening sir? Gwyneth Jones James Morris Wagner Die Walküre Final acte 3 San Francisco... youtu.be/XNYX42_lUDY?...

Wow I didn't know Solti had composed The Planets!! Oh wait, the real composers name in a tiny font right up in the corner....

Mozart died OTD 1791. Difficult to imagine life without his towering masterpieces. open.spotify.com/album/7bv09s...

Karajan in Dresden around 1980, looking at plans for the rebuilding of the Semperoper (and clearly got a bit hammered the night before).

Postcard of the shrine.

Act 3, scene 1 of Siegfried mate .... stunning every time.

Cathedral moments.

Nice to see it back again in P-boro!. Tiny classical section but very decent DVD and Blu-ray choices, and nice to see a fair bit of Chomsky amongst the books!

If I'm going to listen to Wagner on old East German cassette box sets it's probably only right I do so on a bright orange retro 1970s style player. Nice solid build quality, but they don't make cassette players as good as they used to... #oldschool #oldman

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (London, 1985) youtu.be/6c5bWOdIj8c?...

How does Puccini make such magic? open.spotify.com/album/3s9vA8...

Boring audiophile collectors post - Wagner's 'Ring' box set on 19 cassettes, the Janowski cycle from Dresden. An original from the GDR 😎 Yes the boxes are as utilitarian as you can get but the Chrome tapes mastered in Dolby Stereo are pretty luxurious...dare I even say bougie! But a fine set.

Gustav Mahler being told the same 'funny story' he's heard a billion times before.

Not a fan of how Wagner's music is used in this film, obviously! But intrigued by a 12" record that plays at 45rpm, supposedly giving better sound quality. We'll see... (And Sir Adrian was a pretty impressive Wagner conductor, shame we didn't get more from him)

This trend in cinema also seems to have bled in to theatre lighting too - I’ve lost count of the number of operas where I’ve wished I could see the singers’ faces.

ChatGPT starting a Wagnerian conspiracy theory... so my favourite Meistersinger isn't by Karajan at all but is actually a random East German recording EMI released and just pretended it was?! 😲😂

Berglund's Shosty is bloody good innit! open.spotify.com/album/0Bw9LE...

Rainy Saturday ... guess I'm staying in with Shostakovich.

It's Friday, so as usual it's time for Bruckner's 8th. Obviously. open.spotify.com/album/6D6un9...

Got this box set out intending to watch one of the films - went through a disc of cartoons instead. Laughed like an idiot. No regrets.

Nelsons's Shosty set is a wonder. Marvellous playing and mostly excellent conducting. open.spotify.com/album/7CREZm...

Might start knocking on people's doors and spreading the word... about Bruckner's 7th. If they haven't got the time I'll slip a (CD) booklet through the door. 🤔🙏 open.spotify.com/album/0LFpgJ...

Composer of every week.

Time for the traditional Sunday Shosty*. (*Traditional from hereon)

I'm a vinyl fan but some of the pricing for this stuff is a bit ridiculous... I know it's all remastered and on high quality 180g vinyl, but still... (I got the 1979 New Years Concert discs for a fiver at Notting Hill)

RIP Sir Donald McIntyre, my first Wotan. Wotan's Farewell from Wagner's Die Walküre (musical motifs)(Boulez, McIn... youtu.be/Avfl8pokNLk?...

Blinding Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet suites from Järvi (senior) and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. open.spotify.com/album/0Khi02...

This week I 'ave been mostly listening to Shostakovich. open.spotify.com/album/1OwYNl...

Shosty's String Quartets make a fine evening. open.spotify.com/album/2KKcrs...