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A previously unpublished letter by Richard Wagner to a firm of Milanese couturiers offers the intriguing possibility that the great composer was, in fact, a cross-dresser reports today's Guardian.

And I thought Bayreuth already had a Phantom of the Opera
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Pliable said…
Nice headline (and labels).
7:16 pm
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Elgar's other enigma

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Like Pliable Elgar was a keen cyclist , here he is in Malvern with his much-used Sunbeam tourer. Jessica Duchen's classical music blog about Edward Elgar's birthplace at Broadheath, Worcestershire reminded of a link to him sitting on my bookshelf. The score of Elgar's Violin Conerto contains an enigmatic dedication in the form of a mysterious Italian phrase - "Acqui esta encerrada el alma de" - followed by five dots; meaning that the identity of the dedicatee of this perenially popular work is unknown. Some years ago I bought a second hand copy of the autobiography of Mrs Richard Powell, 'Dorabella' of the tenth of the Enigma Variations ('Edward Elgar - Memories of a Variation published by Methuen). Stuck into the book are hand written letters and postcards sent to the original owner by Mrs Powell who was then living in East Grinstead. A letter of 12th Feb 1950 from Mrs Powell in her own hand writing says the following ... "What a curious fac...
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