James Taylor
@jdtaylorwagner.bsky.social
'There is a God! And he's a gag-writer!'
Richard Wagner Society.
Titanic Historical Society.
Member of general human society (reluctantly)
Richard Wagner Society.
Titanic Historical Society.
Member of general human society (reluctantly)
Going through these tapes I'm reminded again how marvellous the Marek Janowski 'Ring' from Dresden is. What a great orchestra, and with none of Solti's hard-driven conducting (or silly sound effects).
And of course always nice to be thrilled by Wagner's masterwork once again!
And of course always nice to be thrilled by Wagner's masterwork once again!
December 13, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Going through these tapes I'm reminded again how marvellous the Marek Janowski 'Ring' from Dresden is. What a great orchestra, and with none of Solti's hard-driven conducting (or silly sound effects).
And of course always nice to be thrilled by Wagner's masterwork once again!
And of course always nice to be thrilled by Wagner's masterwork once again!
Reposted by James Taylor
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD USE HYPHENS
December 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD USE HYPHENS
Manflu still rages on...time to get out the heaviest drugs....
December 10, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Manflu still rages on...time to get out the heaviest drugs....
Some extensive Ravel, including a new Daphnis et Chloe 😎
open.spotify.com/album/5UTi4D...
open.spotify.com/album/5UTi4D...
Ravel Paris 2025
open.spotify.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Some extensive Ravel, including a new Daphnis et Chloe 😎
open.spotify.com/album/5UTi4D...
open.spotify.com/album/5UTi4D...
Caught the manflu. Obviously I'm suffering in unimaginable pain, but fortunately there is relief.
December 8, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Caught the manflu. Obviously I'm suffering in unimaginable pain, but fortunately there is relief.
Bit of Wagner for your Sunday evening sir?
Gwyneth Jones James Morris Wagner Die Walküre Final acte 3 San Francisco... youtu.be/XNYX42_lUDY?...
Gwyneth Jones James Morris Wagner Die Walküre Final acte 3 San Francisco... youtu.be/XNYX42_lUDY?...
Gwyneth Jones James Morris Wagner Die Walküre Final acte 3 San Francisco 04 06 1985
YouTube video by Allons à l'Opéra
youtu.be
December 7, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Bit of Wagner for your Sunday evening sir?
Gwyneth Jones James Morris Wagner Die Walküre Final acte 3 San Francisco... youtu.be/XNYX42_lUDY?...
Gwyneth Jones James Morris Wagner Die Walküre Final acte 3 San Francisco... youtu.be/XNYX42_lUDY?...
Wow I didn't know Solti had composed The Planets!!
Oh wait, the real composers name in a tiny font right up in the corner....
Oh wait, the real composers name in a tiny font right up in the corner....
December 5, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Wow I didn't know Solti had composed The Planets!!
Oh wait, the real composers name in a tiny font right up in the corner....
Oh wait, the real composers name in a tiny font right up in the corner....
Mozart died OTD 1791. Difficult to imagine life without his towering masterpieces.
open.spotify.com/album/7bv09s...
open.spotify.com/album/7bv09s...
Mozart: Requiem
open.spotify.com
December 5, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Mozart died OTD 1791. Difficult to imagine life without his towering masterpieces.
open.spotify.com/album/7bv09s...
open.spotify.com/album/7bv09s...
Karajan in Dresden around 1980, looking at plans for the rebuilding of the Semperoper (and clearly got a bit hammered the night before).
December 4, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Karajan in Dresden around 1980, looking at plans for the rebuilding of the Semperoper (and clearly got a bit hammered the night before).
Postcard of the shrine.
December 3, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Postcard of the shrine.
Act 3, scene 1 of Siegfried mate .... stunning every time.
November 30, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Act 3, scene 1 of Siegfried mate .... stunning every time.
Cathedral moments.
November 29, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Cathedral moments.
Nice to see it back again in P-boro!. Tiny classical section but very decent DVD and Blu-ray choices, and nice to see a fair bit of Chomsky amongst the books!
November 29, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Nice to see it back again in P-boro!. Tiny classical section but very decent DVD and Blu-ray choices, and nice to see a fair bit of Chomsky amongst the books!
If I'm going to listen to Wagner on old East German cassette box sets it's probably only right I do so on a bright orange retro 1970s style player.
Nice solid build quality, but they don't make cassette players as good as they used to... #oldschool #oldman
Nice solid build quality, but they don't make cassette players as good as they used to... #oldschool #oldman
November 29, 2025 at 2:12 PM
If I'm going to listen to Wagner on old East German cassette box sets it's probably only right I do so on a bright orange retro 1970s style player.
Nice solid build quality, but they don't make cassette players as good as they used to... #oldschool #oldman
Nice solid build quality, but they don't make cassette players as good as they used to... #oldschool #oldman
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (London, 1985) youtu.be/6c5bWOdIj8c?...
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (London, 1985)
YouTube video by Paukenbecken
youtu.be
November 28, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (London, 1985) youtu.be/6c5bWOdIj8c?...
How does Puccini make such magic?
open.spotify.com/album/3s9vA8...
open.spotify.com/album/3s9vA8...
Puccini: Madama Butterfly (2025 Remaster)
open.spotify.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:17 PM
How does Puccini make such magic?
open.spotify.com/album/3s9vA8...
open.spotify.com/album/3s9vA8...
Boring audiophile collectors post - Wagner's 'Ring' box set on 19 cassettes, the Janowski cycle from Dresden. An original from the GDR 😎 Yes the boxes are as utilitarian as you can get but the Chrome tapes mastered in Dolby Stereo are pretty luxurious...dare I even say bougie! But a fine set.
November 26, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Boring audiophile collectors post - Wagner's 'Ring' box set on 19 cassettes, the Janowski cycle from Dresden. An original from the GDR 😎 Yes the boxes are as utilitarian as you can get but the Chrome tapes mastered in Dolby Stereo are pretty luxurious...dare I even say bougie! But a fine set.
Gustav Mahler being told the same 'funny story' he's heard a billion times before.
November 26, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Gustav Mahler being told the same 'funny story' he's heard a billion times before.
Not a fan of how Wagner's music is used in this film, obviously! But intrigued by a 12" record that plays at 45rpm, supposedly giving better sound quality. We'll see...
(And Sir Adrian was a pretty impressive Wagner conductor, shame we didn't get more from him)
(And Sir Adrian was a pretty impressive Wagner conductor, shame we didn't get more from him)
November 25, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Not a fan of how Wagner's music is used in this film, obviously! But intrigued by a 12" record that plays at 45rpm, supposedly giving better sound quality. We'll see...
(And Sir Adrian was a pretty impressive Wagner conductor, shame we didn't get more from him)
(And Sir Adrian was a pretty impressive Wagner conductor, shame we didn't get more from him)
Reposted by James Taylor
This trend in cinema also seems to have bled in to theatre lighting too - I’ve lost count of the number of operas where I’ve wished I could see the singers’ faces.
Read my latest piece for the Guardian, asking what happened to vibrant and saturated colour in film! I chat with experts and critics to get to the bottom of it: www.theguardian.com/film/2025/no...
Hollywood’s dark era: where did all the colour from movies go?
Blockbuster sequel Wicked: For Good has become the latest film to receive complaints about both the lack of colour and the inconsistent lighting
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:39 AM
This trend in cinema also seems to have bled in to theatre lighting too - I’ve lost count of the number of operas where I’ve wished I could see the singers’ faces.
ChatGPT starting a Wagnerian conspiracy theory... so my favourite Meistersinger isn't by Karajan at all but is actually a random East German recording EMI released and just pretended it was?! 😲😂
November 23, 2025 at 5:07 PM
ChatGPT starting a Wagnerian conspiracy theory... so my favourite Meistersinger isn't by Karajan at all but is actually a random East German recording EMI released and just pretended it was?! 😲😂
Berglund's Shosty is bloody good innit!
open.spotify.com/album/0Bw9LE...
open.spotify.com/album/0Bw9LE...
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 7 "Leningrad" & 11 "The Year 1905"
open.spotify.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Berglund's Shosty is bloody good innit!
open.spotify.com/album/0Bw9LE...
open.spotify.com/album/0Bw9LE...
Rainy Saturday ... guess I'm staying in with Shostakovich.
November 22, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Rainy Saturday ... guess I'm staying in with Shostakovich.
It's Friday, so as usual it's time for Bruckner's 8th. Obviously.
open.spotify.com/album/6D6un9...
open.spotify.com/album/6D6un9...
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C Minor
open.spotify.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:33 AM
It's Friday, so as usual it's time for Bruckner's 8th. Obviously.
open.spotify.com/album/6D6un9...
open.spotify.com/album/6D6un9...
Got this box set out intending to watch one of the films - went through a disc of cartoons instead. Laughed like an idiot. No regrets.
November 19, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Got this box set out intending to watch one of the films - went through a disc of cartoons instead. Laughed like an idiot. No regrets.