What opera have you been watching lately?

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

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My first opera of the new year. It's my personal tradition to start each year with a Verdi opera.

Ambrogio Maestri is a perfect Falstaff. The cutesy backstage interview supports this with evidence that he's a great cook and loves wine & women. And I like this production; I think updating to the 1950s works really well, and begets some colorful costuming. Judging by this and Rosenkavalier I don't think Robert Carsen is the *funniest* director, but he really gets the characters. I had a few good laughs, but felt there were at least a few missed opportunities for more. Then again, it might just be me, I sadly find I rarely rofl at opera comedies.

I saw this at ROH the first time around. It was my first Falstaff and I had nothing to compare it with but I loved it. It's returning to ROH in July with Bryn Terfel as Vecchio John. I hope he's as good as Maestri.

Rupert the horse.



I love the way the handler says they needed an animal to "accommodate Falstaff" which was a diplomatic way of saying they needed a big strong horse to accommodate Maestri.

[Povero Buoso]

Attachment 10857

My first opera of the new year. It's my personal tradition to start each year with a Verdi opera.

Ambrogio Maestri is a perfect Falstaff. The cutesy backstage interview supports this with evidence that he's a great cook and loves wine & women. And I like this production; I think updating to the 1950s works really well, and begets some colorful costuming. Judging by this and Rosenkavalier I don't think Robert Carsen is the *funniest* director, but he really gets the characters. I had a few good laughs, but felt there were at least a few missed opportunities for more. Then again, it might just be me, I sadly find I rarely rofl at opera comedies.

This production is a wonderful one as well. Falstaff surprised me a lot when I first watched it as I had gotten pessimistic on later Verdi after by initial disappointment with Aida. Fortunately Falstaff surprised me with its vitality and has a lot of Verdi's best melodic moments though it does resemble a very long tasting menu rather than a standard 3 courses (lots of lovely melodies but often very short leaving you wanting more)

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

He has a lot of excellent risotto recipes on his YT channel. That glorious "pancia" is the result of many sticks of butter being added at the end of cooking.

There you go, it's the solution for your daughters. Opera and food. Maybe inspired by Maestri mom can watch some opera and do some cooking by the same token so that the poor girls can be fed more regularly than once a year like you just mentioned.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

There you go, it's the solution for your daughters. Opera and food. Maybe inspired by Maestri mom can watch some opera and do some cooking by the same token so that the poor girls can be fed more regularly than once a year like you just mentioned.

The youngest's face if I try to serve up risotto:

[Sonata]

Just finished the delightful L'elsir D'amore with Pavarotti and Battle, and now I have turned to more serious fare:

Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani
I've listened to this opera twice before, but I don't know it very well so I look forward to the viewing

[Sonata]

Verdi: La Traviata
Renee Fleming & Rolando Villazon

I just started this last night, turning it off right before bed before Sempre Libra. I LOVE Renee Fleming! I officially place her on the top of my female opera singer pantheon next to Beverly Sills Renee Fleming has been responsible for my enthusiasm for watching opera videos (rather than just listening to audio recordings). she has such a remarkable stage presence.

[Florestan]

I just started this last night, turning it off right before bed before Sempre Libra. I LOVE Renee Fleming! I officially place her on the top of my female opera singer pantheon next to Beverly Sills Renee Fleming has been responsible for my enthusiasm for watching opera videos (rather than just listening to audio recordings). she has such a remarkable stage presence.

Renee Fleming is AWESOME! My real first experience with Renee is Eugene Onegin on DVD and she and Hvorostovsky are both excellent on that video. Liked it so much I ordered the Musical Odyssey in St Petersburg DVD with the two of them.

Beverly Sills is AWESOME too! Love her Barber of Seville video--a shame it was never put on DVD. Shouldn't be too difficult as there are VHS copies out there.

I was just thinking the other day I would love to have her as Lady Harriet in Flotow's Martha. She would have been excellent in that role.

[Florestan]

Renee Fleming is AWESOME!

And on that note, Up next. Plan to start tonight. Got this for Fleming.
DeShong sang in the Messiah concert I attended a couple years ago.

[Hoffmann]

Renee Fleming is AWESOME! My real first experience with Renee is Eugene Onegin on DVD and she and Hvorostovsky are both excellent on that video. Liked it so much I ordered the Musical Odyssey in St Petersburg DVD with the two of them.

Beverly Sills is AWESOME too! Love her Barber of Seville video--a shame it was never put on DVD. Shouldn't be too difficult as there are VHS copies out there.

I was just thinking the other day I would love to have her as Lady Harriet in Flotow's Martha. She would have been excellent in that role.

The only time I saw Beverly Sills live, it was in The Barber of Seville. That was the New York City Opera production in the late 1970s - I wonder if it's the same production?

In any case, Sills was a riveting singer and a total charmer in opera's most famous comedy. I met her several years later while I was working for the National Endowment for the Arts and she was one of the agency's consultant panelists - and got her autograph.

[Florestan]

The only time I saw Beverly Sills live, it was in The Barber of Seville. That was the New York City Opera production in the late 1970s - I wonder if it's the same production?

Here it is, with English subtitles. At 2:34:26 it is identified as New York City Opera Nov 3 1976 Julius Rudel. Surely that is the one you were at. This is the video that really set me off on Barber of Seville. Sills is great, but Figaro in this is wonderful too. It is a shame this never got on video. And I like this one better than the CD recording with Levine.

[Hoffmann]

Here it is, with English subtitles. At 2:34:26 it is identified as New York City Opera Nov 3 1976 Julius Rudel. Surely that is the one you were at. This is the video that really set me off on Barber of Seville. Sills is great, but Figaro in this is wonderful too. It is a shame this never got on video. And I like this one better than the CD recording with Levine.

I don't think that it is the NYCO production I saw - the opening credits here say that the production was devised by Sarah Caldwell (who also is conducting). I think Caldwell's career as a director was pretty much only in Boston. She certainly could have guest-conducted in NY, but the NYCO production I saw had Sills make her stage entrance in a huge bird cage-like structure with her on a swing in the center (instead of the building and balcony seen here). The birdcage definitely was memorable.

[Itullian]

Nibelung is back

[Florestan]

My first full listen and viewing of this opera. Awesome! I don't recall ever watching an entire opera on one evening, but I could not stop. I am sure glad I have three more DVDs to watch. It will be Domingo Neblett next, then Domingo Daniels. And finally (no not finally because I think I will want all the DVDs available on this opera), but after three Domingos, it will be Kaufmann Stemme, unless I buy more before that. Tomorrow I will listen to the CD set of this same performance.

[DasNino]

so yesterday I have seen Tosca Live in HD from MET, it was my first time seeing live in HD in Cinema, and it was really nice. Hey I LOVE Tosca so it is always a good choice. Sonya Yoncheva was great as Tosca but star of the night was Zeljko Lucic as Scarpia. Oh boy that man can sing, has a great stage presence, he is Scarpia, fantastic I was blown away. I must say i was a bit dissapointed with picture quality, it should be live in HD and picture was blurry. Sound was kinda low for the fisrt 10 minutes, but that was fixed fast (it must be something with the theatre where I was, Cinemaxx in Heilbronn, DE).
off topic, I think moving to Germany was the best thing that could have happened to me as a opera fan. Classical music is really respected here anyway I hope I'll find time to see few more of these live transmissions from MET, La Boheme is a must, but I'll see

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

so yesterday I have seen Tosca Live in HD from MET, it was my first time seeing live in HD in Cinema, and it was really nice. Hey I LOVE Tosca so it is always a good choice. Sonya Yoncheva was great as Tosca but star of the night was Zeljko Lucic as Scarpia. Oh boy that man can sing, has a great stage presence, he is Scarpia, fantastic I was blown away. I must say i was a bit dissapointed with picture quality, it should be live in HD and picture was blurry. Sound was kinda low for the fisrt 10 minutes, but that was fixed fast (it must be something with the theatre where I was, Cinemaxx in Heilbronn, DE).
off topic, I think moving to Germany was the best thing that could have happened to me as a opera fan. Classical music is really respected here anyway I hope I'll find time to see few more of these live transmissions from MET, La Boheme is a must, but I'll see

Yes, it must be the theater because in all venues where I saw Met Live in HD including some three or four different theaters in the United States and a couple abroad, the picture was indeed high definition and the sound was great. Yes, Lucic was a very good Scarpia.

Yes, I envy you; apparently Germany has almost as many opera houses as the rest of Europe combined!