Watch: Mirga on her Baltic beach

Watch: Mirga on her Baltic beach

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norman lebrecht

October 22, 2019

Fabulous mini-doc by Das Erste, worth five minutes of your time.

Shows rare footage of Mirga as a child singer.

Watch here.

 

Comments

  • RW2013 says:

    the usual cliché.
    how do I get my 5 minutes back?

  • double-sharp says:

    How much did the Atlsntic Council pay for this puff piece?

    • Marion Ammicht says:

      Nothing. It was done by me on behalf of ARD/WDR. Stop trying to undercut my journalistic hounourableness this way. Was no puff piece either but a report about a successfull female conductor we found worth to report about. I am sorry if you do not share this opinion.

      Best
      MA

  • Petros Linardos says:

    More promotional material of Slipped Disc’s favorite, overzealously promoted conductor…

    – It’s mostly platitudes and soundbites of fast and loud or contemporary music.

    – Mirga’s collegial approach to conducting is presented as an innovation: did the presenters know anything about Bernstein or Abbado?

    – What is so rare about that soundbite of Mirga as a child singer? Here is the entire clip, admittedly very nice, which already had more than 44,000 viewson youtube:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUXv6uTsIfI

    • Marion Ammicht says:

      OK, it‘s me, the author of this little report. Thanks for watching and for your questions. Here my answers:

      – It is not PR. I am a journalist and I did this on behalf of ARD/ WDR, german public broadcasting. Name of programme is ttt- titel, thesen, temperamente. Most of the footage and all of research, interview etc is done by our own

      – It was not the aim to spread platitudes (whatever you think you would have detected) but to tell the story in such a short slot in a way that it is possible to understand also if you are not well trained in classical music. Music examples had to work quickly, it does not work dramaturgically if you have to tell several aspects choosing long passages revealing in long time which are missing, yes, but if there is not more time for your story you have to deal with it.

      – Yes, I heard about Bernstein and Abbado. No, her collegial approach was not presented as innovation but as a characteristic of her and her way of working. The story was not that she would be the first one doing like this, but one of the current generation of successful and interesting female conductors, and the first who leads CBSO and now being artist in resident at Konzerthaus Dortmund

      – The soundbite as a child singing on TV was not presented (originally by me) as a „rare soundbite“ but in context of her and her families connection to baltic singing tradition which played even an important role thirty years ago when the baltic nations struggled for independency. This all referring to her as a passionate european working in GB during Brexit-Times.

      Best
      MA

  • Gustavo says:

    Searching for Bernstein…

  • double-sharp says:

    “Twenty-something girl from dirt-poor NATO-accession nstion flails her arms in front of once-renowned orchestra”.

    Norman, do you really believe we are that naïve?

    • Terry Gregory says:

      “Dirt poor” country you say. Well, I visited Lithuania regularly for 10 years and experienced a very strong musical and cultural heritage. I attended orchestral and opera concerts in Vilnius with playing of a very high standard, they even converted me to an appreciation of Elgar’s The music Makers with a wonderful choir from Kaunas. Choirs and singing are a national pastime and it is noticeable that concerts are attended by everyone from young children to the “elderly”. Like many iron curtain countries that are still making their way in the world as a small country with just about 3 million people. I suspect there is more cultural heritage in Vilnius alone than in the whole of that tin pot little country you exist in!

    • Saxon Broken says:

      Not particularly poor. In fact, richer than many parts of the North and Midlands in England.

  • sabrinensis says:

    Seriously?

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