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[dissily Mordentroge]

Me aged somewhere around 7 or 8.

[steve ridgway]

Me aged somewhere around 7 or 8.

Cool, a great photo to have .

[steve ridgway]

my avatar is me questioning who i am and who i want to be

It's a massive question, I sometimes wonder what I'd be like without the influences of other people and society, for instance living on a desert island.

[jess]

It's a massive question, I sometimes wonder what I'd be like without the influences of other people and society, for instance living on a desert island.

indeed! Honestly, I can't imagine what kind of person I would be if I were completely isolated from any aspect of society for the rest of my life. Most likely I would be very unhappy.

[aligreto]

my avatar is me questioning who i am and who i want to be

I hope that you find a resolution. Welcome, by the way. 

[Mirror Image]

My avatar is a portrait of a younger Benjamin Britten. I can't find the artist's name at the moment.

[vandermolen]

My avatar is a portrait of a younger Benjamin Britten. I can't find the artist's name at the moment.

Kenneth Green I think John:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/439030663661847398/

[Mirror Image]

Kenneth Green I think John:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/439030663661847398/

Kudos, Jeffrey. I never heard of this artist before.

[vandermolen]

Kudos, Jeffrey. I never heard of this artist before.

Nor me John. I don't think that he's very well known. I'm quite interested in paintings/sculptures of composers. The National Portrait Gallery in London has a good collection of them.
For instance:

[Mirror Image]

Nor me John. I don't think that he's very well known. I'm quite interested in paintings/sculptures of composers. The National Portrait Gallery in London has a good collection of them.
For instance:

That's a good painting of ol' Ralph. I believe I have it saved on one of my flash drives.

[André]

After 5 years I was due for a change. I'm going back to an operatic character.

This is Jean, the antihero of Massenet's Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame. Pictured here in the role ca. 1925 is belgian tenor Marcel Claudel.

[Iota]

Nor me John. I don't think that he's very well known. I'm quite interested in paintings/sculptures of composers. The National Portrait Gallery in London has a good collection of them.
For instance:

What a striking sense of RVW's presence that painting offers! Thanks for posting, I must track it (and others) down when I'm next at the National Portrait Gallery.

[Symphonic Addict]

my avatar is me questioning who i am and who i want to be

That authenticity makes your avatar more unique.

[Iota]

What a striking sense of RVW's presence that painting offers! Thanks for posting, I must track it (and others) down when I'm next at the National Portrait Gallery.

Coincidentally I wasn't far from the National Portrait Gallery today so popped in to see the original, but sadly struggled to see it clearly, hampered by what appeared to be slightly injudiciously directed lighting. The repercussions of a recent op on one of my eyes may also have contributed too, but anyway glad you posted it here, where for me its qualities seem much more in evidence.

Also noticed a Constance Lambert portrait which I associated with GMG, I think somebody here had it as their avatar.

[JBS]

'Tis the season

[ritter]

After 5 years I was due for a change. I'm going back to an operatic character.

This is Jean, the antihero of Massenet's Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame. Pictured here in the role ca. 1925 is belgian tenor Marcel Claudel.

Great stuff, André. I've never been much of a fan of Massenet, and have never heard Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame. But, when I was very young, my uncle used to have an early edition (from the 1930s?) of The Víctor Book of Opera, and this work was discussed at length in it (I suppose in those years it was still being performed every now and then). Perhaps the picture you've chosen as an avatar even appeared in it. Thinking of it, I should get a recording of Le Jongleur... (for old times sake  ).

[André]

Thanks, Rafael, nice story!

I recently acquired a 2 disc set issued by Musique en Wallonie devoted to Marcel Claudel (the Jongleur of my avatar). He was big at La Monnaie and in Paris in the twenties and thirties. Much to my surprise, the list of arias in that set could be a copy and paste of what Alain Vanzo would sing some 30 years later.

There isn't much to choose from for Le Jongleur. It's not an opera, but a 'miracle lyrique' (Massenet's title), and has been neglected by record companies. Fortunately there is a beautiful performance by Vanzo (EMI). He recorded it twice, the later version is also included in the Massenet box on Warner. I will explore the earlier version if I can get a copy at a decent price.

[JBS]

This is the earlier version, I assume.

There also seems to be a OOP recording with Alagna.
And this is right up your alley.

https://www.amazon.com/Massenet-Jongleur-Historical-Recordings-Excerpts/dp/B00004TZBM/

[ritter]

I think I'll go for the Vanzo recording from Montecarlo on EMI, which is available cheap (used) and seems to have a libretto:

[asin]B000063XQQ[/asin]

EDIT: Apparently no libretto, but "livret disponible sur www.emiclassics.com". I suppose that webpage no longer exists, and anyway, in my experience, those links to online librettos usually lead to a dead end. 

[Mirror Image]

'Tis the season

Indeed, Jeffrey. I changed mine to something festive as well.