# When Singers Cancel



## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

I just came across news on the web that Jonas Kaufmann has cancelled at least one or two of his appearances as Cavaradossi at La Scala -- some sort of viral infection, apparently. I hate to say this, because Herr K. is not only my favorite tenor but seems to be one of the nicest people around -- but he is turning into the Cancellation King.

Certainly, no one should expect a singer who is ill or injured to perform. Unfortunately, illness and/or injury seem to afflict Herr Kaufmann with alarming frequency. I wonder if he simply isn't taking on too much of a workload, and needs to reduce the number of performances he commits to. Yes, that would mean fewer opportunities for us to hear him sing. But when his health forces him to cancel, the result is the same.

I speak (write?) from the perspective of someone who has often traveled to hear favorite singers perform. I have been extremely fortunate that, in all the past three decades, I've never been faced with a cancellation by the singer I've gone to hear. However, I can well imagine how disheartening it must be for someone who has spent a good bit of money for a ticket (which, at the major international houses, doesn't come cheap), airfare, and a hotel room (likewise, not exactly cheap), and has looked forward to hearing his/her favorite singer for months, only to be greated by a note in the program or an announcement from the stage that Miss/Mr. X won't be appearing that evening.

I will probably try to go to New York this Fall to hear the Jonas sing Faust, or to take in his recital at the Met. But in the back of my mind, I keep wondering about how much of a risk I'm taking that he'll be a no-show. (It wasn't long after I attended his Met debut that he ended up cancelling a recital at the Kennedy Center in Washington.) 

Again, I know there are occasions when a cancellation simply cannot be avoided. And from everything I've read on the web, as well as my own experience, Jonas Kaufmann is a thoroughly lovely individual who genuinely cares about his fans. But I do wish he could find a way to take better care of his health, even if it means that he comes to the U.S. less often. (It has also occurred to me that his accessibility to his fans could be part of the problem. I would hope that anyone who has a cold and still chooses to attend a performance would have the decency and common sense not to try to meet singers afterward, and risk passing the infection on to them.)


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

greated 

Uh, make that "greeted."


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

MAuer said:


> Jonas Kaufmann is a thoroughly lovely individual who genuinely cares about his fans.


I think that this is the important part. If he was truly ill when he cancelled, then I have no beef with it. Have you tried to sing when you're hoarse? But if it's like Draculette who was rumored to have cancelled because she wanted to go shopping and to spend time with her husband in another city, then it's outrageous.


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## karenpat (Jan 16, 2009)

If the alternative is to croak his way through the opera and get slammed in the media afterward, then a cancellation is better. When I saw Carmen in Oslo a few years ago (at the old opera house!), "Don José" had strep throat.  It was painful to hear him battle his way through it. However this was not a very famous singer and I doubt it made any damage to his career.

By the way, I think Jonas Kaufmann has explained his take on cancellations in general in numerous interviews. He clearly states he would rather cancel than have to worry about opening his mouth and have nothing come out.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

I don't think I'd go to an opera I didn't like just to see a particular singer, like you say it's such a risk. But I was disappointed with what happened with _Boccanegra_ last July.

It was announced that Ferruccio Furlanetto (Fiesco) was unable to sing owing to illness but he would act the role and John Tomlinson would sing the role from the side of the stage. We couldn't understand why his understudy just didn't step up but think it might have been because the performance was being filmed for DVD. To be honest it didn't really work for me & John Tomlinson sounded rusty.

I did go to Munich especially to see Joseph Calleja in _L'elisir_ (& meet up with his Fan Club) but I do love this opera & it wouldn't have been a wasted trip if he'd cancelled. I saw two performances & he was totally spectacular in the first & not so spectacular in the second but there was only one day between. You get a lot of 'tenor for your buck' in _L'elisir_ so surely there should have been at least two days in between. Also Nino Machaidze had a virus on the second night but did sing. Poor girl was very croaky though when we spoke to her at the Stage Door later.


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

This thread exactly mirrors my thoughts. I'm so worried that Natalie Dessay will cancel, can't tell you how crushing that would be.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

rgz said:


> This thread exactly mirrors my thoughts. I'm so worried that Natalie Dessay will cancel, can't tell you how crushing that would be.


Someone in the Opera News magazine doesn't like her. In the current issue when they talk about the upcoming Lucia, they included a most unflattering picture of hers.

Nah, don't worry. Natalie is a fierce little thing. She's not known for cancellations.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

I think part of my concern with Herr K.'s cancellations is the sheer frequency of them. He seems to catch every flu bug and cold that comes down the pike (there was a bout of H1N1 flu a year ago), and that makes me wonder if his workload, and the travel connected with it, isn't taking a toll on his health. I would hate, hate, HATE to see what happened to Rolando Villazon happen to Jonas Kaufmann.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

MAuer said:


> I think part of my concern with Herr K.'s cancellations is the sheer frequency of them. He seems to catch every flu bug and cold that comes down the pike (there was a bout of H1N1 flu a year ago), and that makes me wonder if his workload, and the travel connected with it, isn't taking a toll on his health. I would hate, hate, HATE to see what happened to Rolando Villazon happen to Jonas Kaufmann.


Maybe poor Kaufmann has a weak immune system, and since he travels so much, catches different strains of these bugs. It is true that one's immune system gets weakened by stress and lack of sleep/rest.

You're right about these big young stars getting overwhelmed with fame and biting more than they can chew. Rolando is a very unfortunate case but his vocal problems apparently also have to do with overuse of the voice in terms of repertoire choices. I don't know if this is a problem for Kaufmann as well, I don't follow his career as closely, but according to what you've been saying, for Kaufmann it is more of an issue with getting upper respiratory infections and not one of damaging the vocal chords like seems to have been the case for Villazón.


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## the_emptier (Jan 27, 2011)

speakng of, anna netrebko had to bow out of don pasquale today because she is ill


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

the_emptier said:


> speakng of, anna netrebko had to bow out of don pasquale today because she is ill


 Yeah, I was looking forward to hearing her on Radio 3.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

the_emptier said:


> speakng of, anna netrebko had to bow out of don pasquale today because she is ill


Wow! I'm glad that it didn't happen when I travelled to New York City to see here last October!.


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## danslenoir (Nov 24, 2010)

Jessica Pratt cancelled her appearance as Königin der Nacht the other night at the Royal Opera House due to being "indisposed". Luckily it didn't bother me that much as she had gotten some lacklustre reviews singing that role on other dates of the run. The ROH flew in someone from from Germany the morning of the performance to sing the role in Pratt's place as there was no understudy.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

News has just come out that el Guapo has cancelled his participation in the Met's Japan tour next month:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/met-opera-singers-pull-out-of-japan-tour/

I can't say I'm surprised by this development in view of his schedule this year. He is just wrapping up a two-month stay in the U.S.; he's due in Berlin Wednesday for "_Das Lied von der Erde_" and will then travel up to Iceland for a concert next Saturday.
Had he traveled to Japan with the Met, he probably would have been home for only about two weeks before heading out on a huge overseas journey.
He's home in Munich for about the first half of July, and then it's off to London for "_Tosca_" at the ROH. After a couple of days in the UK, he's back home in Germany for the remainder of the month. In August, he has a concert in Denmark followed by two of the "Summit of the Stars" events with La Bellissima and her Better Half (Señor Schrott, not Alma ).
During September, he's supposed to be in Japan for "_Carmen_" and "_Lohengrin"_ as part of guest tours of Bologna's Teatro Communale and BSO (not quite sure which musical organization those initials represent.
From mid-October, he's touring Europe for a few weeks (Essen, Berlin, Munich, Athens, and London) before crossing the Atlantic again for his concert at the Met 30 October, followed by a month and a half-long stay in the U.S. again before heading back home to Germany in late December.
With a schedule like that, it's no wonder this poor guy seems to get sick at the drop of a hat. Perhaps this is a consequence of having to plan his calendar five years out, or an attempt on his part to give as many people a "piece of the cake" (expression he likes to use in his bio) as possible. Trouble is that cake will start to crumble (to continue with his analogy) if it is sliced too thinly.
As much as I love having him here in the States, I really wish he'd slow down a little and not try to cram so many overseas trips in his schedule. It could also mean he wouldn't find it necessary to cancel so often.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Wow that is one heavy schedule. Better not to take on so much and learn to say no. As you say, it's much much better than cancelling.


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## sabrina (Apr 26, 2011)

Almaviva said:


> I think that this is the important part. If he was truly ill when he cancelled, then I have no beef with it. Have you tried to sing when you're hoarse? But if it's like Draculette who was rumored to have cancelled because she wanted to go shopping and to spend time with her husband in another city, then it's outrageous.


I like Angela, but I am not her fan. As far as I know she had never canceled a performance due to shopping or spending time with her husband. That famous cancellation was about some rehearsals. I don't necessarily approve everything she does, but I agree she did not have to wear a stupid blond wig, if she did not like it. She is a wonderful soprano, and I am am an opera fan due to her and Maria Callas.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

You're right, they were rehearsals, not a true cancellation, in that shopping episode. Still, it wasn't professional of her.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

"The star falls sick, the understudy takes over and becomes a star: one of the nice things about opera is the way this time-honoured tradition repeats itself year after year. The latest example was when the much-hyped Italian soprano Micaela Carosi suddenly discovered a few days before curtain-up - suddenly? - that her advanced pregnancy would prevent her starring in Covent Garden's Aida."

:lol: suddenly?

Read more


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

give these folks a break. if they're sick, they're sick...if they fake it well, soon they'll realize they don't truly wish to be performing live any more and all one can hope for from there is that they begin to record more


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## BalloinMaschera (Apr 4, 2011)

I think the key to cancellations is to be optimistic and remember that serendipity may be close by

think of all the singers who have gotten their big break and triumphed on to the operatic scene, due to someone else pulling out last minute...


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

BalloinMaschera said:


> I think the key to cancellations is to be optimistic and remember that serendipity may be close by
> 
> think of all the singers who have gotten their big break and triumphed on to the operatic scene, due to someone else pulling out last minute...


Definitely, it's an ill wind etc

Where others have lost Florez has gained


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

mcamacho said:


> give these folks a break. if they're sick, they're sick...if they fake it well, soon they'll realize they don't truly wish to be performing live any more and all one can hope for from there is that they begin to record more


As I said in my original post at the start of this thread: "Certainly, no one should expect a singer who is ill or injured to perform." And a talented understudy receiving his/her big break when the star is unable to appear is the silver lining in the cancellation cloud.

But there are those occasions when a cancellation does seem questionable. With Micaela Carosi, it's hard to tell, as pregnancy is not an illness and there have been a number of sopranos who have continued to perform during the last months of a pregnancy. It could be that Carosi is really feeling uncomfortable at this point and believes she wouldn't be at her best under the circumstances. If so, fair enough. The story doesn't really give any explanation, and the notion of someone "suddenly" realizing she's in the advanced stages of a pregnancy is pretty silly.


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

Just to add a brief note: as you may know (or maybe it's recent) there is a longish news item on the Deutsch side of JK's website about the Japan cancellation. He goes into a little more detail about not wanting to take his family over there because the extent of the destruction and his family not wanting him to travel alone either.

I have one word for you, Chernobyl. I was living in Munich at that time and while the Armed Forces Network pretty much blew it off (what could you do anyway?) all the German media went nuts, many Germans were buying Geiger counters, etc. So it wouldn't surprise me if they were pretty skittish about anything even approaching that.

Don't know about his fall plans for Japan, but you are correct that schedule sounds backbreaking. Maybe someone (fan of another singer) can tell us if this is typical?

I know I have thought about this because I am going to try to see Les Troyens next year. While it wouldn't be a complete wash (I have friends in London and visit anyway) it would be a huge disappointment.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

FragendeFrau said:


> ... but you are correct that schedule sounds backbreaking. Maybe someone (fan of another singer) can tell us if this is typical?


I'm a big fan of Joseph Calleja & his schedule seems quite full but I don't know how it compares with JK's. Joseph rarely cancels.

John Relyea is in Japan at the moment but I don't know whether he considered cancelling.


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

According to our friends at parterre, Joseph Calleja has now canceled the Japan tour with the Met. And his schedule looks very similar to JK's, so I guess they are both typical.

I would certainly find that much traveling (and I LOVE to travel) difficult, especially if I had a young family.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

FragendeFrau said:


> According to our friends at parterre, Joseph Calleja has now canceled the Japan tour with the Met. And his schedule looks very similar to JK's, so I guess they are both typical.
> 
> I would certainly find that much traveling (and I LOVE to travel) difficult, especially if I had a young family.


Joseph has just put this on his Facebook (he should really have done it before it was already common knowledge though)



> It is with great regret that I must announce that I will not being joining the Met on its upcoming tour to Japan. It was the most difficult decision I have had to make in my 14-year career. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the best to my colleagues who are in Japan and to express my sympathy to the Japanese people during these challenging times.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

sospiro said:


> Joseph has just put this on his Facebook (he should really have done it before it was already common knowledge though)


Translation: "I couldn't care less for the Japanese people and I'm not risking life and limb in that earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster-infested hellhole, but since they do buy my DVDs, I'll have to write up some politically correct white lie and post it on my Facebook."


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

This is a tough, tough call, and I can kind of sympathize with both El Guapo and Joseph. Although the U.S. State Department has evidently given the Met the go-ahead for the Japan tour, I'm not sure that the equivalent agency in the UK is quite as confident about the lack of risk. Unless there has been a recent (within the past two weeks) change, I think the UK has been advising its citizens not to travel to Japan unless doing so is an absolute necessity.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

More info.

I'm surprised Joseph's cancelled but there's plenty of talent in that line-up so hopefully our Japanese friends won't be too disappointed. I think Rolando Villazón will make a very good Edgardo & I'd rather him than Álvarez.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Some nice photos of the welcome in Japan


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## hemidemisemiquaver (Apr 22, 2011)

Almaviva said:


> Someone in the Opera News magazine doesn't like her. In the current issue when they talk about the upcoming Lucia, they included a most unflattering picture of hers.


That someone probably also edits Wikipedia, because in an article about her photo is not quite the cheese as well.


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

sospiro said:


> Some nice photos of the welcome in Japan


This is great--thanks for sharing. I'm glad those who wanted to/had to go were so warmly received. I'm sure it will be a very successful tour and hopefully brings in some $$$ for the Met. Do they ever travel Down Under? or to Latin America? I have yet to see Sydney Opera House on the artists' schedules I've looked at (remembering that I'm still pretty fresh in the opera love)


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

The Met tour has meant a great deal to the people of Japan

Nice little vid & I even get to see a couple of seconds of John Relyea "Il Cioccolatissimo"


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

Did anyone see Peter Gelb's comments as reported by Alex Ross?
http://www.therestisnoise.com/2011/05/the-met-in-japan.html
He is quoted as saying, "Artists are certainly not necessarily the most stable strata of human society."
I bet that will go down well with the likes of La Bellissima, el Guapo, and Joseph Calleja.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

MAuer said:


> I bet that will go down well with the likes of La Bellissima, el Guapo, and Joseph Calleja.


It occurs to me that we need a nickname for Annie's Joseph Calleja. What's it going to be? The Malteser?


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> It occurs to me that we need a nickname for Annie's Joseph Calleja. What's it going to be? The Malteser?


:lol:

Well he's shaped like one.


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

Thomas Hampson has just tweeted that he has cancelled his Wigmore Hall recital in London, and was sorry there were no alternate Wigmore Hall dates available. It was supposed to be this Monday, and the Guardian ran a really nice feature about him today that Hampson himself tweeted this morning, so it must have come up this afternoon?

I also read somewhere that Anja Harteros cancelled out of a Rosenkavalier that the San Diego Opera had built around her--a month before the performance, citing medical reasons.

hmmm...


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> It occurs to me that we need a nickname for Annie's Joseph Calleja. What's it going to be? The Malteser?


 Huh... the Maltese Falcon?


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

sospiro said:


> :lol:
> 
> Well he's shaped like one.


I was thinking more smooth, delicious and airy!


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> I was thinking more smooth, delicious and airy!


Yikes! I was thinking of one of those little white dogs . . .


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

MAuer said:


> Yikes! I was thinking of one of those little white dogs . . .


Mmmm 










Both cute & friendly though


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

This is a really cute dog. Even I, not the biggest pet lover, wouldn't mind having such a cute dog. What is the breed?


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> This is a really cute dog. Even I, not the biggest pet lover, wouldn't mind having such a cute dog. What is the breed?


Breed?!! Breed??!!!  He's a tenor from Malta - sings stuff like _La donna è mobile_ & _Tu che a Dio spiegasti l'ali_ 

Seriously Alma, Nat said as Joseph is Maltese he should have the nickname 'Malteser' which is a chocolate.










Presumably these have never reached your shores as MAuer thought we meant the dog which is called a 'Maltese'.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

sospiro said:


> Breed?!! Breed??!!!  He's a tenor from Malta - sings stuff like _La donna è mobile_ & _Tu che a Dio spiegasti l'ali_
> 
> Seriously Alma, Nat said as Joseph is Maltese he should have the nickname 'Malteser' which is a chocolate.
> 
> ...


Yep, I don't think I ever had this chocolate.
The dog is really adorable.
I've been thinking - sometimes - of getting a pet. Often I give up when I think of litter boxes and poop scooping. But this Maltese breed is so adorable that I may reconsider.

Edit:



Oh well, such a cute creature, but I was reading about the breed and felt discouraged. It looks like they are very time consuming dogs. They are very lively and hyperactive, crave attention, have separation anxiety, and need detailed grooming to prevent tear stains. Probably not for me.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> ...They are very lively and hyperactive, crave attention, have separation anxiety, and need detailed grooming to prevent tear stains ...


Sounds like the wife of a guy I know


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Almaviva said:


> Yep, I don't think I ever had this chocolate.
> The dog is really adorable.
> I've been thinking - sometimes - of getting a pet. Often I give up when I think of litter boxes and poop scooping. But this Maltese breed is so adorable that I may reconsider.
> 
> ...


Also that's a puppy.

This is the adult.










Looks like hard work to me, and I have to confess to disliking toy breeds.

This is the sort of dog I used to have in England:










Much easier to manage, friendly, gentle and loving (as long as you're not a hare or a deer).


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> This is the sort of dog I used to have in England:


Is that a lurcher?


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

sospiro said:


> Is that a lurcher?


Yes it is, and it looks just like my long-deceased Bill - deerhound/greyhound cross. When you look at that and then the Maltese it's hard to believe that fundamentally they are BOTH wolves.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Nat, I think, based on what I read on Wikipedia, that most owners keep the dog's fur short so that they continue to have the same look from when they were puppies. The long fur is just for exhibitions, dog beauty contests.


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

I had another thought on "when singers cancel" while reading the Jonas Kaufmann book (I'm halfway through and will post my highlights so far in case anyone is interested). I was reading a review on Intermezzo about the Munich Lohengrin and she said how disappointed she was in JK's performance--he later cancelled out of the remaining show(s?) due to illness.

I don't believe these artists (yes, even Draculette) cancel on a whim. After all they wouldn't be performers if they didn't love (crave?) doing their work--performing. (It's certainly clear in JK's book the sheer joy it brings him.) I'm sure they don't cancel unless they are sick (and frankly, would you want someone's open mouth 2 inches away from yours, knowing she or he is ill?)

If a particular singer cancels more than "usual" (whatever "usual" is) than that would seem to be more a question of their health--their schedule, their lifestyle, their technique, and as someone mentioned before their access (or not) to the great unwashed sniffling sneezing masses.

The Met trip to Japan is, I think, a separate issue and a different kind of cancellation, for which at least in JK's case he really did have personal reasons--his family didn't want him to go.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

That picture of the accessory dog with the stupid bows brought on a slow burn in me. Does it belong to Angela Gheorghiu by any chance?


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

elgars ghost said:


> That picture of the accessory dog with the stupid bows brought on a slow burn in me. Does it belong to Angela Gheorghiu by any chance?


 One of the best Angela Gheorghiu jokes I've ever seen!:tiphat:


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

MAuer said:


> News has just come out that el Guapo has cancelled his participation in the Met's Japan tour next month:
> 
> http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/met-opera-singers-pull-out-of-japan-tour/
> 
> ...


*BSO = Bayerische Staatsoper* Just got a link to an article noting that some of the musicians have pulled out but none of the major singers, including Kaufmann, has done so. I guess he is still on schedule to go with Bologna and Munich to Japan for about 3 weeks (it looks to me) end of Sept/beginning Oct.

I don't envy him that schedule at all. But the higher you climb on the ladder, the more people depend on you for their living, beyond just your family. And when in that crazy schedule does he prepare for Les Troyens? Work up new recital pieces? Think about the next CD that I'm sure Decca is already thinking about...Hopefully he can keep his health and stamina up!


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

FragendeFrau said:


> Think about the next CD that I'm sure Decca is already thinking about...Hopefully he can keep his health and stamina up!


I'm kind of hoping Decca will ask him to record a CD of Christmas carols one of these years. His "Cantique de Noel" on YouTube is gorgeous. With his flair for languages, there are so many beautiful items he could include in addition to some of the traditional Weihnachtslieder. And you know such a recording would be a proven money-maker for Decca.


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

I am allergic to "crossover" CDs, and Christmas carols are treading a little close to the line I draw!  However, if he did German Christmas songs I would be right there. (ok, don't kid myself, I'd buy anything. I'm sure he could sing a phone book and make it dramatic.)

I love German Christmas songs, they bring back many happy memories of my time in Munich and Austria. Our choral society is doing some this year along with the Bach Christmas Oratorio which makes me very happy!


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

FragendeFrau said:


> I am allergic to "crossover" CDs, and Christmas carols are treading a little close to the line I draw!  However, if he did German Christmas songs I would be right there. (ok, don't kid myself, I'd buy anything. I'm sure he could sing a phone book and make it dramatic.)
> 
> I love German Christmas songs, they bring back many happy memories of my time in Munich and Austria. Our choral society is doing some this year along with the Bach Christmas Oratorio which makes me very happy!


For me, it depends on the Christmas carols. The traditional sacred ones (as opposed to secular carols such as "_White Christmas_"), when sung by choirs such as the Wiener Sängerknaben, or by opera singers such as Wunderlich and Prey, sound to me to be closer to classical music rather than crossover or pop tunes. I grew up listening to the traditional Weihnachtslieder, and even though I'm not particularly religious these days, I can't imagine a December without these carols. (Or without Stollen, Lebkuchen, Domino-Steine, Niederegger marzipan, etc., etc., but that's another story!)


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## Guest (Jul 6, 2011)

MAuer said:


> For me, it depends on the Christmas carols. The traditional sacred ones (as opposed to secular carols such as "_White Christmas_"), when sung by choirs such as the Wiener Sängerknaben, or by opera singers such as Wunderlich and Prey, sound to me to be closer to classical music rather than crossover or pop tunes. I grew up listening to the traditional Weihnachtslieder, and even though I'm not particularly religious these days, I can't imagine a December without these carols. (Or without Stollen, Lebkuchen, Domino-Steine, Niederegger marzipan, etc., etc., but that's another story!)


Never grew too fond of marzipan, but I would kill for some fresh, warm Lebkuchen. I spent time in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, and there was this little Lebkuchen shop in Einsiedeln, Switzerland, that had the best smells!


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