The Book of Enitharmon

Of course, I can't let talk of sad deaths go without mentioning the demise of Birgit Nilsson.

Wagnerian sopranos are supposed to be immensely fat with a face like a raven's arse. Birgit was the greatest of all Wagnerian heroines and she was not at all like that.

As I write I am listening to her singing Mild und Liese (aka the Liebestod) from Tristan und Isolde. As always, Birgit's rendering of this lifts me above the grey day. I will be clutching this recording on my desert island.

Thank you Birgit!