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Happy new year to all.
I wholeheartedly agree, Mr Moore has certainly opened my ears to many hidden treasures. That is the main reason why I sorely miss his opinion on some of the big operas he has filed off as untouchables. (Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, Tosca, La Boheme) Collecting opera recording for me is not about finding that one perfect recording but mining for those thrilling moments when a singer or performer is on fire and gives you that rush, as mentioned by the previous commentator about Tebaldi in Giovanna d’Arco. How long such a thrilling momentum lasts in one performance varies, of course. Sometimes it’s a single high note or one phrase you can actually hear the singer suddenly turning flashed eyed and everything lights up.

I have over the holidays been going through my meagre collection of 15 recordings of Lohengrin. Every single recording gives me some pleasure. I agree with the common consensus that the Kempe studio recording is excellent in so many aspects but at the same time there are many other recordings I would not want to be without. Christa Ludwig bringing the house down at the Wiener Staatsoper with Böhm, Grümmer and Konya in Bayreuth (with an all-round great cast), Steber as Elsa in Bayreuth with a fresh-voiced Windgassen (or as fresh as he probably every sounded), Varnay as Ortrud and many more. ( I’m sure you get my point by now)

I have, through Mr. Moore’s writings discovered many thrilling moments, many of which I would never have approached otherwise. But Mr. Moore’s writings have done more for me. He has made me think about how I value music and singing, because of his writing I have re-evaluated my attitude towards singers, but more importantly his writing has strengthened me in approaching operas and music critically and forming my own opinion and standing by it. At the end of the day, of course, this is such a personal choice and a truly impossible and thankless job to be a critic.

So, while I reiterate my plea that Mr. Moore gives us more; I would like to thank him from the bottom of my heart for his work and for his generous collection of surveys.

Thank you Mr. Moore.