If you have never heard her work—well, all I can say is find The Anna Russell Album and listen to her 20 minute The Ring of the Nibelungs, an Analysis.
Rest in peace, Anna Russell.
21
October
2006
9:12 am
“I’m not making this up, you know!”
A sad day: the passing of an icon, the woman who came closest to making me appreciate opera.
posted on October 21, 2006
2 Comments
She will be missed. I had just been talking about her in a class that day, only to find out the next morning that she had died.
One of my favorite moments from the Ring Parody was when she called the Rhine Maidens the “Aquatic Andrews Sisters.”
I recall back in the 70’s taking a tour with a choir to Germany and reciting quite a lot of her routine on a boat sightseeing down the Rhine. The singers with me thought I was quite nuts…
I can’t think of a better place to quote Anna Russell!
One of my favourite quotes from the Ring Parody—apart from the one heading this entry—is the explanation of all the complicated and incestuous relationships, followed by “You cand do ANYTHING in grand opera, so long as you sing it!”