;i1r,,*-==::xr - Chandos

phrasing. but he must definitely observe every one
of the long rests. The rests add to the grandew of
the prophet's line. which would be completely
ruined by hunying. The architecture of the phrase
is strengthened by placing the chords on the beats,
but this is not always done. The final two chords
must be on the second and third beats to avoid a
dissonance that Handel certainly did not intend.
The tempo of the aria "Every valley" is twice
as tast as that of the rccitative. This enables the
singer to handle the runs in one phrase, as Handel
obviously intended. It also gives the aria the
necessary elastic lightness.
In the short recitative "Behold! A virgin shall
conceive", Kathleen Fenier's voice still rings
vividly in my ear from our Messia& performances
in Liverpool in 1945. She sang it with all the
etl'ective rests, thus obtaining the strong feeling of
"God with us".
Aksel Schiotz on Dowland:
England in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and
eighteenth centuries produced great song
composers. John Dowland and the other
Elizabethan composers wrote their songs mostly to
lute accompaniment. Dowland himself was one of
the most acomplished lute virtuosi who ever lived.
With their complicated rhythms and great technical
demands, these songs present a challenge to the
singer of today.
Also, their musical value and emotional
impact have such a stimulating effect on both
performer and listener that they re an exciting
asset to every singer's repertoire. Even if they lose
something in being accompanied by harpsichord
(on the lute stop), some of these old songs sparkle
like precious stones. "I Saw My Lady Weep,"
"Flow My Teas," "Fine Knacks for Ladies," "Shall
I Sue," and "Come Again" ile some of Dowland's
best known songs.
(John Dowland was in the service of King
Christian IV 1598-1606. Dowland's "Songs or
Ayres for the Lute", 1597, 1600, 1603. were in part
composed at Elsinore.)
Aksel Schi6tz on Egisto Tango
Gerd Schiotz:
Aksel allowed himself to be really extravagant in
the autumn of 1942, an extravaganza that made
him as happy as an eighten year old receiving a car
for a birthday present - and costing him about as
muchl He hired the Royal Orchestra with maestro
Egisto Tango, and Edith Oldrup, the soprano.
booked our linest concert hall, and invited to a
Mozat-Carl Nielsen concert. It was one of the
biggest days in his life...
Aksel Schiotz:
When my debut as Fenando in "Cosi fan tutte" had
been decided, Egisto Tango gave me every possible
help. I could not have been in better hands. It is an
enormous support for an inexperienced singer to
have a conductor in the dark pit who musically is
holding your hand.
During the Mozarl week in 1941 when the
composer was celebrated in many ways, there was
a concert perfbmance of "Don Giovanni" in which
I sang Don Ottavio together with singers from the
Royal Opera. The rehearsals were sheer delight for
me. I was reminded of the advice once given me by
Tango: "You must try to get in touch with a great
musician. He can teach you more than the best of