What opera have you been watching lately?

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Berlioz La Damnation de Faust from Liege. I think I have been spoiled for any other production by the dazzling LePage production from the Met; this was OK but nothing special.

[Florestan]

I don't remember the staging being particularly horrible at all. It's all quite cute if nothing special.

I guess it (Bartoli DVD of the Turk in Italy) is quite that, but I was thinking horrible in that the staging was extremely limited, just costumes, a stage, and a few props.

[Hoffmann]

Berlioz La Damnation de Faust from Liege. I think I have been spoiled for any other production by the dazzling LePage production from the Met; this was OK but nothing special.

I don't know the opera at all - I don't think I've ever even heard it. We have tickets for a new production in Berlin in June, directed by Terry Gilliam and conducted by Simon Rattle. Might prove to be a good intro...

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I don't know the opera at all - I don't think I've ever even heard it. We have tickets for a new production in Berlin in June, directed by Terry Gilliam and conducted by Simon Rattle. Might prove to be a good intro...

You'll probably know this bit:

[Hoffmann]

You'll probably know this bit:

Oh yes! So that's where that comes from!

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Lovely production of Cavalli's Giasone from Geneva with Valer Sabadus in the title role. I LOVE CAVALLI SO MUCH.

[JohnGerald]

Having to wait a week for a replacement Blu ray player almost put me into Betty Ford treatment, but it arrived and we celebrated with the Opera Gala from Baden Baden with Netrebko, Garanca et. al, and then watched most of the Australian Opera's Lakme. We ran out of watching when the last of the wine was poured out.

[Sonata]

[JohnGerald]

Yesterday, the resident female was thinking of baking some goodies (an activity that, unlike re-arranging furniture or hanging pictures, is to be seriously encouraged!) so I found the 2007 Paris concert with Netrebko and Villazon on YouTube in HD. Since it ends with the final Act I duet from La Boheme, I later played the Blu ray movie version with Trebs and Villazon to occupy the eyes and ears while the wine was flowing.

I love it when the wine and Mimi expire at the same time!!

[Dichteurehalle]

Finally got around to watching my newish Andrea Chenier and I have to say, Act 4 is pretty overwhelming! Also bought myself a ticket to tomorrow's I Puritani, since it's the one performance with Pretty Yende (she is covering for Damrau, who is sick).

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Not usually a Strauss fan but I enjoyed act 1, and looking at Morten Frank Larsen (though not so much listening to him).

[Florestan]

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Question - are we sure Wagner composed this? Because, apart from it being in German, and a few seconds of the strings that sounded like Tannhäuser, and a bit of an obsession with sex and repression, I'd swear it was 19th buffo Italian, specially the first part.

Second question, is it really supposed to be comic? Because despite Kasper Holten's best efforts, and some hamming up by the singers, it's not even remotely amusing. Not surprising really because the source material, Measure for Measure, is one of the most unrelievedly glum of Shakespeare's play (I studied it for A level English and have never quite recovered).

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

Question - are we sure Wagner composed this? Because, apart from it being in German, and a few seconds of the strings that sounded like Tannhäuser, and a bit of an obsession with sex and repression, I'd swear it was 19th buffo Italian, specially the first part.

Second question, is it really supposed to be comic? Because despite Kasper Holten's best efforts, and some hamming up by the singers, it's not even remotely amusing. Not surprising really because the source material, Measure for Measure, is one of the most unrelievedly glum of Shakespeare's play (I studied it for A level English and have never quite recovered).

Oh wow, finally a DVD of this! I know it from an audio file, and listened to it with a bilingual libretto in hands, and actually liked it a lot, and yes, found it to be funny. Yes, it is supposed to be musically based on opera buffa and contemporary French comic operas; it's not Wagner's mature style (of course you know that; just saying). I'm highly curious to watch the DVD, now, but I regret the fact that according to you it seems to be a heavy-handed production, while it is supposed to be a light work.

I see it's still pre-order for us in America (Amazon, DVD $30, blu-ray $40, release date 2/24/17).

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Oh wow, finally a DVD of this! I know it from an audio file, and listened to it with a bilingual libretto in hands, and actually liked it a lot, and yes, found it to be funny. Yes, it is supposed to be musically based on opera buffa and contemporary French comic operas; it's not Wagner's mature style (of course you know that; just saying). I'm highly curious to watch the DVD, now, but I regret the fact that according to you it seems to be a heavy-handed production, while it is supposed to be a light work.

I see it's still pre-order for us in America (Amazon, DVD $30, blu-ray $40, release date 2/24/17).

No, it's frothy enough. It's just that blackmailing people into sleeping with you in return for the release of a loved one (sound familiar?) is not that amusing, actually.