These are the apocryphal words ascribed to Henry Kelly, who vied with namesake Matthew for the title of most annoying man on British television in the 1980s. Kelly was one of the original DJs charged with making Classic FM a more accessible alternative to BBC Radio 3 (which still likes to think of itself as The Third Programme) when it was launched nearly 20 years ago.
One of Classic FM's staples is the famous duet from Georeges Bizet's opera The Pearl Fishers. Such is the popularity of this tune that it is a virtual shoo-in for the BBC’s annual "Hundred Best Tunes" poll, ahead of such stalwarts as Elgar's Nimrod, Pachelbel's Canon and Mascagni's Intermezzo Cavalleria Rusticana.
In the duet, "Au fond du temple saint"” ("In the depths of the temple"), two men fondly recall the time they were both in love with the same girl, but swore to renounce her and remain friends for ever. Unsuprisingly, given their ambiguous proclivities, the protagonists were not given French identities by the composer, who called them Zurga and Nadir to prevent a riot by red-blooded compatriots at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris.
Like most of Bizet's works, including Carmen, The Pearl Fishers was a flop when first performed, and he died of a broken heart aged just 36. To get an idea of the Frenchman's prodigious talents, check out his Symphony in C, written when he was just seventeen.
Back to the duet, here's arguably the definitive recording, made in 1951 by the magnificent Swedish tenor Jussi Björling and the American baritone Robert Merrill (most famous in the USA for his renditions of "The Stars and Stripes" at baseball games). Apparently, it has not been out of print on RCA since its release.
One of Classic FM's staples is the famous duet from Georeges Bizet's opera The Pearl Fishers. Such is the popularity of this tune that it is a virtual shoo-in for the BBC’s annual "Hundred Best Tunes" poll, ahead of such stalwarts as Elgar's Nimrod, Pachelbel's Canon and Mascagni's Intermezzo Cavalleria Rusticana.
In the duet, "Au fond du temple saint"” ("In the depths of the temple"), two men fondly recall the time they were both in love with the same girl, but swore to renounce her and remain friends for ever. Unsuprisingly, given their ambiguous proclivities, the protagonists were not given French identities by the composer, who called them Zurga and Nadir to prevent a riot by red-blooded compatriots at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris.
Like most of Bizet's works, including Carmen, The Pearl Fishers was a flop when first performed, and he died of a broken heart aged just 36. To get an idea of the Frenchman's prodigious talents, check out his Symphony in C, written when he was just seventeen.
Back to the duet, here's arguably the definitive recording, made in 1951 by the magnificent Swedish tenor Jussi Björling and the American baritone Robert Merrill (most famous in the USA for his renditions of "The Stars and Stripes" at baseball games). Apparently, it has not been out of print on RCA since its release.
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