Christopher Webber writes:

>It's a shame to be sitting there thinking (as I confess I did listening
>to Gabriele Schnaut's "Elektra" in London last night) "Birgit does that
>phrase so much better in the Solti".  If instead we drop our defences,
>allow ourselves to be drawn in, give a little attention as well as expect
>it all to be done for us, then the experience available to us (even in
>an imperfect production) will be far richer than we could ever get from
>those seductive but moribund racks of CDs.

I take Christopher's point but do not agree 100%.  One of my favourite
recordings (Ariadne auf Naxos, Bohm, live 1944) is full of the life and
magic of a stunning live performance.  Plus there are obviously plenty
of examples where something, that special 'x' factor, flashes in the
studio just as legitimately as it does in the theatre.

Kind regards,

David Harbin
NMottingham, UK