What opera have you purchased recently?

[Florestan]

Thanks to a suggestion by Sonata, I just ordered this:

[Nemorino]

Holy heck, that cast! I think I might have some Vivaldi on order, too...

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Thanks to a suggestion by Sonata, I just ordered this:

A very excellent recording.

[Florestan]

Holy heck, that cast! I think I might have some Vivaldi on order, too...

Yes, I forgot to mention the great cast. But, I seriously consider not including the Jaroussky tracks on my mp3 player. I'll never know the difference. Nothing against Jaroussky. He has a right to sing and a great voice too, just not my cup of tea. Like trying to breed cats with dogs or something.

A very excellent recording.

Absolutely. And while it has recitatives, they do not overwhelm the recording as they do (for me) with Griselda.

[Florestan]

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Yes, I forgot to mention the great cast. But, I seriously consider not including the Jaroussky tracks on my mp3 player. I'll never know the difference. Nothing against Jaroussky. He has a right to sing and a great voice too, just not my cup of tea. Like trying to breed cats with dogs or something.

He is one of the finest singers on stage today. But OK, I do appreciate the voice is not everyone's cup of tea.

Absolutely. And while it has recitatives, they do not overwhelm the recording as they do (for me) with Griselda.

I tend to cut the Naive Vivaldi recits off my mp3 player. But I keep Handel ones in.

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

He is one of the finest singers on stage today. But OK, I do appreciate the voice is not everyone's cup of tea.

One of my very favorite singers.

[Hoffmann]

During my stay in Berlin earlier this summer, I took a walk thru the Tiergarten one afternoon (one of my favorite places to walk) and did a little shopping at Dussmann - a true corner of civility in an otherwise chaotic world. I tried to buy recordings that offer some savings over what I might have to drop on Amazon, but most of what was offered was at full retail.

[Florestan]

Discovered this gem from reading a book, Opera Every Child Should Know, by Delores Bacon.



The book, Opera Every Child Should Know, is pretty nice. Bought it for Flotow's Martha, which it tells in story book fashion. I see there are electronic copies available if you Google for it could read online. Dates back to 1913.

Table of contents:

I. Balfe: The Bohemian Girl 3
II. Beethoven: Fidelio 35
III. Berlioz: The Damnation of Faust 51
IV. Bizet: Carmen 69
V. DeKoven: Robin Hood 95
VI. Flotow: Martha 105
VII. Humperdinck: Hänsel and Gretel 135
VIII. Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana 152
IX. Meyerbeer: The Prophet 163
X. Mozart: The Magic Flute 191
XI. Sullivan: Pinafore 218
XII. Verdi: Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Aïda 238
XIII. Wagner: The Nibelung Ring, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, Lohengrin 306

[Florestan]

Two years ago I got this with Te Kanawa. I really wanted it with Fleming, but prices deterred me. The Te Kanawa was $10 shipped, but then I found this Fleming set today for $10 shipped and went for it. I did not like the opera that much two years ago, but will give it another try with Fleming, whom I have more or less ignored in the past but now am discovering that she is a fine soprano with a unique voice, well worth exploring further. Had I paid up for the more expensive Fleming set in the first place, the outcome would have been better, but perhaps it was not until now that I get Fleming-itis. I had plenty of other diversions back then.


It is a binge. My first discovery of Fleming and I am digging in:






I also do have a couple sets with Fleming that I will be revisiting today: Elijah, and Handel Alcina.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

During my stay in Berlin earlier this summer, I took a walk thru the Tiergarten one afternoon (one of my favorite places to walk) and did a little shopping at Dussmann - a true corner of civility in an otherwise chaotic world. I tried to buy recordings that offer some savings over what I might have to drop on Amazon, but most of what was offered was at full retail.

Nice haul and that's my favourite Boris.

I love Dussmann's, spent hours in there last time I was in Berlin.

[Clayton]

... now that I get Fleming-itis...

one treatment sometimes prescribed for this condition



Massenet: Thaïs
Renée Fleming (Thaïs), Thomas Hampson (Athanaël) & Michael Schade (Nicias)
Orchestra & Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Jesús López-Cobos (conductor) & John Cox (stage director)

[Florestan]

one treatment sometimes prescribed for this condition

Massenet: Thaïs
Renée Fleming (Thaïs), Thomas Hampson (Athanaël) & Michael Schade (Nicias)
Orchestra & Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Jesús López-Cobos (conductor) & John Cox (stage director)

Or this,

[Florestan]

Forgot to mention in post 2965 above that my Lucrezia Borgia DVD set also comes with this one, in a double package on sale at PrestoClassical right now.

[Florestan]

Reviewed here.