What opera have you been watching lately?

[Adrian]

Yesterday watching this one with friends.
I love the opera but the staging is very poor and I find Harteros a bit sharp.
The rest of the cast is outstanding.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Yesterday watching this one with friends.
I love the opera but the staging is very poor and I find Harteros a bit sharp.
The rest of the cast is outstanding.

It's really dull, isn't it. Something to show people who yearn only for traditional productions to show them that they too can be ghastly.

[Adrian]

It's really dull, isn't it. Something to show people who yearn only for traditional productions to show them that they too can be ghastly.

Personally I find the Salzburg (Karajan )and The Met Freni / Domingo, the most fascinating.

More boring then this one is the French version wit Alanga , only bearable because of Matilla and Hampson .

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Personally I find the Salzburg (Karajan )and The Met Freni / Domingo, the most fascinating.

More boring then this one is the French version wit Alanga , only bearable because of Matilla and Hampson .

There was one done with Kaufmann and Harteros in Salzburg under Pappano which I saw on YT and really liked - very moving. And I enjoyed the Willy Decker production from De Nederlandse Opera. The French version is really notable for the gloriousness of Hampson's wig. My oh my.

[Adrian]

There was one done with Kaufmann and Harteros in Salzburg under Pappano which I saw on YT and really liked - very moving. And I enjoyed the Willy Decker production from De Nederlandse Opera. The French version is really notable for the gloriousness of Hampson's wig. My oh my.

I saw De Nederlandse Opera in production Amsterdam live in the audience.
I was quit impressed by Roocroft but Villazon failed to impress me.

[Amfortas]

There was one done with Kaufmann and Harteros in Salzburg under Pappano which I saw on YT and really liked - very moving. And I enjoyed the Willy Decker production from De Nederlandse Opera. The French version is really notable for the gloriousness of Hampson's wig. My oh my.

I like the Decker as well. As you've pointed out, he does hit you over the head with symbolism, but somehow it works here to evoke the oppressive, funereal gloom of Philip II's Counter-Reformation court.

The French version has some passionate performances, but I'm not enthralled with the sets. In that respect I'm more partial to the atmospheric ROH with Villazon, Poplavskaya, and Furlanetto. And I still enjoy the slightly stodgy but still moving old John Dexter Met production with Domingo, Freni, and Ghiauruov.

Such a great opera, any way you slice it!

[JohnGerald]

I have two versions of this opera and like them both equally well.

The first is Don Carlos with Alagna, Hampson, Mattila and Van Dam; uncut and in French.

The second is the ROH's Italian version, Don Carlo, with Villazon, Poplavskaya, Keenlyside and Furlanetto.

It's like having twin children: each is different from the other, yet both are loved.

[Adrian]

Last night I started watching this one, a present from my godson, traveling to Japan and both this for me.
It's from 1975 and as you can see the cast is outstanding.

[Amfortas]

Production looks interesting, too. Let us know what you think!

[JohnGerald]

I just received the Mozart three-pack from Opus Arte (Marriage of Figaro, Don G and Magic Flute - all ROH productions) . I have not seen Mozart before, so indulged myself for the very good price. We watched The Marriage of Figaro over the last two evenings. It was lovely, with great singing and acting. I cannot imagine a better performance of this work. Blu ray is simply amazing!

But it left me with a somewhat sensitive issue.

I always associated "Almaviva" with Rossini's upright, moral character. Mozart portrayed Alamviva in a much different light. So, one is forced to wonder which character did our Boardmeister consider as a role model for his nom de plume?

Makes ya go "Hmmm" don't it?

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I just received the Mozart three-pack from Opus Arte (Marriage of Figaro, Don G and Magic Flute - all ROH productions) . I have not seen Mozart before, so indulged myself for the very good price. We watched The Marriage of Figaro over the last two evenings. It was lovely, with great singing and acting. I cannot imagine a better performance of this work. Blu ray is simply amazing!

But it left me with a somewhat sensitive issue.

I always associated "Almaviva" with Rossini's upright, moral character. Mozart portrayed Alamviva in a much different light. So, one is forced to wonder which character did our Boardmeister consider as a role model for his nom de plume?

Makes ya go "Hmmm" don't it?

I can pretty much guarantee that Mozart's Almaviva has a pressing interest in cough cough assets.

[JohnGerald]

That was my first thought, but one hates to pre-judge ...

[Gigli13]

It doesn't make me want to go Hmmm. It makes me want to submit you for the role of Iago.

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

I just received the Mozart three-pack from Opus Arte (Marriage of Figaro, Don G and Magic Flute - all ROH productions) . I have not seen Mozart before, so indulged myself for the very good price. We watched The Marriage of Figaro over the last two evenings. It was lovely, with great singing and acting. I cannot imagine a better performance of this work. Blu ray is simply amazing!

But it left me with a somewhat sensitive issue.

I always associated "Almaviva" with Rossini's upright, moral character. Mozart portrayed Alamviva in a much different light. So, one is forced to wonder which character did our Boardmeister consider as a role model for his nom de plume?

Makes ya go "Hmmm" don't it?

Wrong, wrong. People who knew me from that "other place" before I founded Opera Lively know that Almaviva refers to this:

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Actually the real star here was the guy in the crocodile suit who was so good that he made me wonder when he first came in how you train a real crocodile not to eat your cast.

Where are those real crocodiles when we need them? I'd love to see the cast of a certain Trovatore being eaten, as well as the director of a certain Götterdämmerung.

Last weekend I saw the Met Macbeth at the local cinema. I agree with Alma's ravings about Trebs in this production. Basically I'll never be able to watch another Lady Macbeth again, because she was IT.

Yep. La Bellissima rocks. See, it's not that I'm biased; it's rather that she is that good.

OOOPS, mistake here. Alma here. I was replying to Nat's post and instead of hitting the Reply button by mistake I hit the Edit button, and I wanted to reply to specific paragraphs so I deleted everything while inserting my comments; then pressed save. This resulted in Nat's post being destroyed. I apologize; asked her to repost.

So, while this is under Soave's avatar, the quoted comments here are hers, and the other ones are mine, and her other comments and four cover pictures got accidentally deleted. Sorry, everybody.

Hi. This is Amfortas now. I just wanted to play too.