Et Resurrexit!

But now it’s done, it’s over, we’ve had our chance. There was even, for a second, hope of resurrection, or almost, Mein junges Leben hat ein End. We must collect our thoughts, for the unexpected is always upon us, in our rooms, in the street, at the door, on a stage. Thank you, Mr. TexasBestGrok.
-Luciano Berio, Sinfonia

Welcome one and all to the Carnival of Music, back from a bit of a year-end vacation.

This is the first carnival since December 19th. Quite a bit has happened since then.

For starters, the year ended. And a new one began. Which means that everybody had to write lists. So, here's a quick list of lists: Alex Ross, Ionarts, Sequenza21 , Night After Night.


Sad news on Christmas: legendary soprano Birgit Nilsson passed away. Here's a nice obit on NPR, an audio-tribute at La Cieca, a tribute by Jane Eaglen, snippets of a 1966 New Yorker profile posted at Hella Frisch, an appreciation of her recordings at Ionarts, and a remembrance by Astrid Varnay at Wagner Operas.


Moving from Wagner to pseudo-Wagnerian news, a movie based on the Tristan legend opened this past week. I think Jerry Bowles said it best in his one-line review: "Oed' und leer das meer." The Wellsungens did an interesting riff on it, and I had a series of questions I hope will be answered.


2006 has been dubbed the Mozart Year (everywhere except Symphony Hall). What better way to celebrate than playing with his remains?


The Grammy Nominations came out, and did include some classical CD's, despite the Academy's best attempts to hide that fact. Naxos was nominated once or twice. The amazing last-ever studio opera recording wasn't. (Big surprise there.)


I hope you've found my classical-centric links interesting. One of the nice things about this Carnival is that each week, it is a reflection of its host. Accordingly, it's very different every week. I encourage you to consider hosting it, so that it's short vacation this past month was just that -- a vacation. Long live the Carnival!


UPDATE:

Er, requiescant in pacem