Mary, Thanks for the interesting background on Anna Russell, who has always
been one of my favorite performers.  Another great example of her affection
for the original is "How to Write YOur Own Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta,"
which I first heard while driving my car.  I had to pull of the road in
order not to write my own libretto for a traffic accident!

Another "pulling off the road" incident for me, this time because I was so
moved by it, was during a program Performance Today devoted to Jacqueline
du Pre -- a couple of years ago, before the rush on reissues occasioned by
"Hilary and Jackie" and its attendant p.r.  The piece of music in question
was her performance of the Elgar Concerto, which affected me deeply.  One
of my favorite living cellists, a fellow artist I work with a lot, says
little about du Pre but I can tell that she doesn't think particularly
highly of her.  Has this list already gone through the reactions to du Pre
and the recent attention to her recordings? If not, anyone want to share
comments on their take on her place in recorded cello literature? I find
her work invariably powerful, conveying a sense of oneness with her
instrument.

Danielle Woerner