From the Vault: 1978 "La Flûte Enchantée" With Alain Lombard

The French label Barclay was purchased by Erato Records and in the late 1970s Alain Lombard teamed up with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg for a series of recordings that included this gem, along with Così fan tutte (Kiri Te Kanawa, Frederica von Stade, Teresa Stratas, David Rendall, Jules Bastine) and Faust (Montserrat Caballé, Giacomo Aragall, Paul Plishka). Now owned by Warner, the below issue has never made it to CD or MP3 format.

Mozart: La Flûte Enchantée [Die Zauberflöte]
Recorded May 29,  & 30; June 1-3, 5-7, 1978
Palais de la Musique et des Congres Strasbourg, France; Orchestre de Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Choeurs de L'Opéra du Rhin, Alain Lombard (cond.); Kiri Te Kanawa (Pamina), Edita Gruberova (Reine de la Nuit), Kathleen Battle (Papagena), Helena Döse (1re Dame), Ann Murray (2e Dame), Naoko Ihara (3e Dame), Peter Hofmann (Tamino), Philippe Huttenlocher (Papageno), Kurt Moll (Sarastro), José van Dam (L'Officiant) and Norbert Orth (Monostatos).
Barclay 960 012/014 P1978 (3 LPs)

Is a High Note Like a Hole in One?

Bryn Terfel tees off at an exhibition match for the Ryder Cup in Wales.

Golf seems to be the chosen sport these days of many type-A opera singers. What is it that attracts these stage animals out into the subdued wilderness of the country club scene? I would guess the discipline that they so aptly apply to their craft is quite easily transferable to the links: skill,  precision and accuracy.