What opera have you been watching lately?

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Hey, Clayton! I'm always glad to be back.

We're having an unusually hot winter down here. We spent most of July between 12°C and 22°C, but since last week afternoons are really hot — it is now 15h and 27°C! At night the temperature drops suddenly to 14°C or 13°C, though. Dry as usual for winter time, not a single drop in the last two weeks, no clouds at all in the sky. At least we have nice starry nights, as much as the city lights allow anyway.

I have no memory anymore of what being cold feels like.

Oh so you lot are the ones who sucked any warmth out of winter!!

[Clayton]

I have no memory of what being hot feels like.



ugh wait a minute


that sounds odd

[Amfortas]

I have no memory of what being hot feels like.



ugh wait a minute


that sounds odd

Sadly, it doesn't sound odd to *me*.

[Clayton]

Sadly, it doesn't sound odd to *me*.

try one of these then


microwave lavender pillow

[MAuer]

Hey, Clayton! I'm always glad to be back.

We're having an unusually hot winter down here. We spent most of July between 12°C and 22°C, but since last week afternoons are really hot — it is now 15h and 27°C! At night the temperature drops suddenly to 14°C or 13°C, though. Dry as usual for winter time, not a single drop in the last two weeks, no clouds at all in the sky. At least we have nice starry nights, as much as the city lights allow anyway.

I have no memory anymore of what being cold feels like.

If we had highs of 13° or 14°C up here during the winter months, I'd be cheering!

[Nekrotzar]

Talking about weather...

This year has apparently been the coldest winter in about 20 years in Melbourne. Temperatures have been as low as 2° on some mornings (waiting for a late tram in that weather just sucks). On a normal year it isn't unusual for max winter temperatures to hang around 12° to 15° and getting to about 6° at night. That's a nice winter where I come from.

When summer comes around it's usually a very nice 24° throughout December, perhaps the occasional 30° degree day but not often...but come February and early March there is always a week or two that never gets below 37°

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I have no idea what this was about, as I watched it on YT without subtitles and it bore little resemblance to the published synopsis. Never mind, the singing was wonderful particularly Anita Rachvelishvili and Johannes Martin Kränzle.

[DasNino]

I have just seen der Rosenkavalier with Schwarzkopf, Jurinac and Rothenberger (I had no idea she was in it!!! She is one of my recent discoveries)
all I can say is wow... just wow... is there any more videos with Rothenberger, I mean full operas with her??

[Festat]

[JohnGerald]

One of my great joys is the availability of quality performances of early Verdi operas. Whichever musicologis(s) confined them to the self styled "junk pile" of history did us no service.Even the less than good libretti (Alzira) do not diminish the quality of the music.

The C Major Tutto Verdi Blu ray of Foscari with the indestructible Nucci and a better tenor (di Biasio) and soprano (Serjan) is better than the pictured disc, but Nello Santi is the more authentic conductor (at least to my mind).

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I'm still a bit grumpy about the music stands and the lack of staging and the uninspired costumes - basically concert dress with the odd bit of mock-armour - but the conducting, playing and singing have softened me. I think Clayton would die at Roberta Mameli singing "Quell'usignolo" (they do like their tweetie-birds, those Baroque composers), but Mary Ellen Nisi and Sonia Prina are also fantastic. I reckon I'd have been as happy with the CD version though, so caveat emptor.

[Clayton]

I'm still a bit grumpy about the music stands and the lack of staging and the uninspired costumes - basically concert dress with the odd bit of mock-armour - but the conducting, playing and singing have softened me. I think Clayton would die at Roberta Mameli singing "Quell'usignolo" (they do like their tweetie-birds, those Baroque composers), but Mary Ellen Nisi and Sonia Prina are also fantastic. I reckon I'd have been as happy with the CD version though, so caveat emptor.
...

In to the shopping basket goes the CD version but I really should be taking items out as the total has just cleared GBP 227...

seeing as I have no more kidneys to sell

until it grows back...


it will grow back won't it?

[Amfortas]

I'm still a bit grumpy about the music stands and the lack of staging and the uninspired costumes - basically concert dress with the odd bit of mock-armour -

Been reading some interesting online reviews of this production. Apparently, it's being widely hailed as a brilliant Regie metatheatrical behind-the-scenes making-of statement, along the same lines as Christoph Loy's Salzburg Die Frau ohne Schatten staged as a historic studio recording session of the opera.

Who knew?

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Been reading some interesting online reviews of this production. Apparently, it's being widely hailed as a brilliant Regie metatheatrical behind-the-scenes making-of statement, along the same lines as Christoph Loy's Salzburg Die Frau ohne Schatten staged as a historic studio recording session of the opera.

Who knew?

Aaargh, that Frau upset (and bored) me too. The Farnace singers were definitely staring at their scores quite frequently, so I think it's a brilliant metaphor for putting an opera on quickly and on the cheap with singers who didn't have to memorise too much..

[Amfortas]

Aaargh, that Frau upset (and bored) me too. The Farnace singers were definitely staring at their scores quite frequently, so I think it's a brilliant metaphor for putting an opera on quickly and on the cheap with singers who didn't have to memorise too much..

Since I was being entirely tongue in cheek, you're probably right.