[F_MINOR] OT: Valkyrie biker chicks wail Wagner at Glastonbury Festival

[Elmer_Elevator <bobmer.javanet@RCN.COM>]

The Glastonbury Festival, a spear-toss from Stonehenge, is Europe's biggest
and longest-running midsummer Woodstock-style rock mudflop.

But, as the BBC reports, festival-goers this week found no guaranteed escape
or protection from classical music. If the photo at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3843901.stm

is of the "Valkyries," they appear to have costumed themselves as biker
chicks. A real crowd-pleaser; Glastonbury is a favorite haunt of Euro
bikers. (Melanie is their Earth-mother-goddess and in recent years sings
late-night campfire lullabyes for her adoring biker fans.)

BBC had links to streaming audio and video, live and replays, from the
Festival, so if you're curious and lucky, you might be able to hear or even
see the Glastonbury Valkyries. Let me know if anybody tries and succeeds,
what link worked.

So ... like ... what other classical romps, opera or instrumental or
symphonic, would you gift to this kind of crowd to introduce and seduce them
to classical music? Remember, you are competing with James Brown for the
audience's attention.

Elmer

===================

Opera rocks Glastonbury's finale

Storm clouds gathered as the performance went on

The English National Opera brought high culture to Glastonbury on its final
day with a performance on its main stage.

The lunchtime rendition of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries came ahead of
performances by rock band Muse, R&B hero James Brown and singer Morrissey.

<snip stuff about crime (lower than in past years) and drugs, 1 lousy
suspected OD death>

Morning sunshine gave way to showers on the festival's final day, with the
ground staying muddy after the downpours which marked Saturday at the Worthy
Farm site.

'Special' opera

The English National Opera requested its slot on the Pyramid Stage to reach
a new audience not usually interested in opera.

Some 91 musicians and 11 soloists performed The Ride of The Valkyries, which
was made famous by the film Apocalypse Now.

The opera company wanted to reach a new audience with its performance

Festival founder Michael Eavis said he was no opera buff but had come round
to the idea after being persuaded by daughter Emily.

The performance - played out under gathering storm clouds - attracted
thousands of curious onlookers.

Hayden Tomlins, 22, from Liverpool, told BBC News Online: "I have seen a few
operas in the past, but never in a field. It was great, really special."

Kathie Woo, 16, from north London. "It was really cool. I wasn't really
following the story, I just liked looking at the singers -- they had real
presence."

SUNDAY'S HEADLINERS

Pyramid stage: Muse, Morrissey, Supergrass
Other stage: Orbital, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Belle & Sebastian
Dance: Ozomatli, Future World Funk, Goldie Lookin Chain
New Tent: Television, Stellastar, Delays

**************************************************
Signoff instructions, and user preference interface:
http://email.rutgers.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=f_minor&A=1

F_minor Website (with early archive):
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mwatts/glenn
**************************************************