Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader always feels relaxed and refreshed after reading Enoch Soames’ blog, The Charlock’s Shade.

Yesterday, your Maximum Leader wrote a note to himself to be sure to direct his readership over to this post: Ones own library…. He read it last night and loved it. Be sure to click through to the full article on the Chronicle of Higher Education website.

And following other links on The Charlock’s Shade, your Maximum Leader found a fine post on Wagner. Specifically listening to Wagner’s operas in a large opera house versus a smaller opera house. Your Maximum Leader has heard Wagner’s Ring Cycle produced at the Washington Opera house (before it ws refurbished); and he’s heard “Die Walkure” and “Der Fliegende Holländer” at the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, VA. (He’s also seen some Wagner at the Met in New York, but his memory of the music is not as clear as the others.)

As you might imagine, the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk is quite smaller and more intimate than the Opera House at the Kennedy Center in Washington (or Constitution Hall - where the Washington Opera performed most of its last season). And your Maximum Leader’s memory bears out what James Panero is writing on Armavirumque. The music at Harrison was “ringing and resonating.” You could feel it deep into your bones. And frankly, that is the way Richard wanted it.

Mrs. Villain frequently chides your Maximum Leader for playing his copies of Sir Georg Solti’s recording of the Ring very loudly. For some reason she doesn’t like your Maximum Leader “feeling the music in his bones” while in the Villainschloss.

BTW, if some loyal minion out there wants to really really really show how much they love their Maximum Leader they would buy him the Solti recordings on CD. As much as it disgraces your Maximum Leader to say it. His current copies are a combination of LP records and tapes. Weep…

Carry on.