Today I ran across an example of a category most people don’t know about: extremely close translations for opera singers. I say “close” rather than “literal” because it’s not just about communicating the exact meaning, but also keeping words in mostly the same order so that you could basically nail the target sentence on top… Continue reading When bad translations are good
Category: Opera
Senta spinnt
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra put on an excellent concert performance of Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) last week. Soprano Melody Moore brought the house down with her powerful singing and her spirited characterization of Senta. Speaking as someone with a degree in Complaining About Wagner, I must admit I really like this opera. It’s probably my favorite Wagner opera… Continue reading Senta spinnt
Medieval love poetry: sexier than you might think
Richard Wagner mined most of his opera plots from medieval sources. Here’s an intro to Tannhäuser: Legend has it that back in 1207 or so, Landgrave Hermann of Thuringia invited the most accomplished minstrels in the land to battle it out at the Wartburg castle in Eisenach. In German they call this the Sängerkrieg auf der… Continue reading Medieval love poetry: sexier than you might think