Tabuteau Book: Toscanini and Puccini
Wednesday May 07 2008
A major event of Tabuteau’s third season with the Met was the December 10, 1910, world premiere of Puccini’s new opera, La Fanciulla del West. Toscanini conducted, with Caruso and Destinn creating the leading roles. John de Lancie remembered Tabuteau once telling him about the rehearsals: “The masses did not have money to go to the opera in New York, so the public would attend dress rehearsals. There were many Italian immigrants. As rehearsals with Toscanini were conducted in Italian, of course they could understand him. Puccini was in the audience. He stood up and spoke to Toscanini about something. Toscanini turned around and said, “I know your music better than you do. Just sit down!”
Wow. That’s all I can say. WOW…!
Update:
Saturday May 03 2008
Practicing a lot. Got in a solid focused 3.5 hours in two sittings today.
My recital is in T-17 days and I need to build up that endurance—
And three days after the recital I have to do the Mozart C minor Serenade. Woah, that’s a mouthful! And what an awkward trill in the last movement in the “trilly” variation, going from Eb to a Ab-Bb trill (starting on the upper note of course).
Making a billion reeds for a billion people. The weather predicts solid nice weather for the next couple of days, which is a nice change considering the weather wouldn’t stay the same for 6 hours for the past week.
And the wife is sick—
Band concert tomorrow. I’m only play oboe on one piece where I’m 1st on the Stravinsky Symphonie for Wind Instruments. Weird counting on that baby.
And that BIG… YAWN… I just let out probably means it’s time for my bedtime.
Anyone else play chess on Facebook?
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