What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Hoffmann]

One of the operas deserving of a respectable placing on the List of Recommended Operas but, alas, is receiving no love...



and another that I've neglected the past couple of months that I like a lot:




Washington Concert Opera performance:

[PoloniumCyanide]

Lots of versions of Cosi, surprisingly, I used to really dislike it, but now it's probably my favourite Mozart opera. Tried my luck with 'Le Comte D'ory' which I quite like. Got Carmen for Xmas so watching the lovely Anna Caterina and Jonas work the stage is always good. Now, I'm trying to re-visit Onegin after some folks here said I should I've also got into Handel recently.

Tried AGAIN to like Dido and Aeneas but it is still just too whiny and although the music is lovely. I do like watching Malena Ernman wobble though, and I can't quite see Christopher Maltman as seriously now after Juan (though it was fun) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_J8BjbvKrg so the Ernman/Maltman is sort of comedic for me

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Wonderful powerful production of a very good contemporary opera. You could watch it as Ariadne auf Naxos, the prequel.



Also my first opera listening with my lovely new headphones, which are AMAZING:

[Clayton]

Washington Concert Opera performance:

Did I just see her in another thread or is my mind messing with me again?

[Clayton]

Also my first opera listening with my lovely new headphones, which are AMAZING:

Fantastic!
Sometimes at night I just "pop downstairs for a glass of water"...
2 hours later "Where the hell did you go to get that water from?"

[Clayton]

In view of the latest round of the OL recommended opera list (on the Sennheiser, late last night), from the unlistened to pile (ULP does not fall under OL UWP goldfish rule)

Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea
Naples manuscript version
Emanuela Galli (Poppea), Roberta Mameli (Nerone), Josè Maria Lo Monaco (Ottone), Xenia Meijer (Ottavia), Ian Honeyman (Arnalta) & Raffaele Costantini (Seneca)
La Venexiana, Claudio Cavina (direction)
Recorded in the Church of San Carlo, Modena, September 2009

[Clayton]

And then this morning

Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer
Live Recording 1955
Ludwig Weber (Daland), Astrid Varnay (Senta), Wolfgang Windgassen (Erik), Elisabeth Schärtel (Mary), Josef Traxel (Der Steuermann) & Hermann Uhde (Der Holländer)
Chorus & Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival,
Hans Knappertsbusch



Particularly amusing as AnaMendoza put Christian Fletcher in my mind so I had a picture of Brando as the Hollander (an older more miserable Marlon)

[Clayton]

Continuing on a theme,

Verdi: La forza del destino
Zinka Milanov, Giuseppe di Stefano, Leonard Warren, Rosalind Elias, Giorgio Tozzi
Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome,
Fernando Previtali,
LONDON 1958

[Dark_Angel]

Also my first opera listening with my lovely new headphones, which are AMAZING:

Money well spent, very comfortable and yes they have amazing sound for a very reasonable price

[Soave_Fanciulla]

In view of the latest round of the OL recommended opera list (on the Sennheiser, late last night), from the unlistened to pile (ULP does not fall under OL UWP goldfish rule)

Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea
Naples manuscript version
Emanuela Galli (Poppea), Roberta Mameli (Nerone), Josè Maria Lo Monaco (Ottone), Xenia Meijer (Ottavia), Ian Honeyman (Arnalta) & Raffaele Costantini (Seneca)
La Venexiana, Claudio Cavina (direction)
Recorded in the Church of San Carlo, Modena, September 2009

This is quite a cool slightly jazzy version, it has my favourite "Pur ti Miro". How did you go with it, Clayton?

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Also my first opera listening with my lovely new headphones, which are AMAZING:

Fab. They look so comfortable! Do they have that noise cancelling widget or are they so padded & foamy, they do the same job?

[Clayton]

Padded and foamy and very comfortable, even for someone not used to wearing speakers on their ears. Highly recommendable. You can hear other noise in the room and other people in the room can hear music (can't call opera noise!) as well though.
Very good sound.

[Clayton]

This is quite a cool slightly jazzy version, it has my favourite "Pur ti Miro". How did you go with it, Clayton?

Er...

I was going to leave it until later to listen to; too much noise in my head about is it Monteverdi or school of M developed in later years. I know this is irrelevant to whether I like the music or not but you know how suggestible I am...
I was a little surprised listening to it, it is a lot more dramatic with passages(?) flowing than I anticipated, this added to the enjoyment. I remember specifically choosing this version for the comments about the style though and am also now interested to hear more (BUT within the next purchasing budget!).
I loved the voices of both Emanuela Galli and Roberta Mameli...

[Clayton]

Continuing on a theme,

Pietro Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana
Leonie Rysanek, Placido Domingo, Astrid Varnay, Benito di Bella, Ruth Falcon
Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Bayerisches Staatsorchester
Nello Santi
Live recording 1978

[Hoffmann]

Continuing on a theme,

Verdi: La forza del destino
Zinka Milanov, Giuseppe di Stefano, Leonard Warren, Rosalind Elias, Giorgio Tozzi
Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome,
Fernando Previtali,
LONDON 1958

Great cast! Zinka Milanov was one of the greatest Leonoras ever. I might have to find me one of those...