What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Hoffmann]

Not sure what tripped this trigger,
h

Verdi: Nabucco
Elena Souliotis (Abigaille), Tito Gobbi (Nabucco), Carlo Cava (Zaccaria), Bruno Prevedi (Ismaele), Dora Carral (Fenena), Giovanni Foiani (Gran Sacerdote), Walter Kräutler (Abdallo), Anna d'Auria (Anna)
Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Wiener Opernorchester,
Lamberto Gardelli

Attachment 3498

but continue to be greatly excited listening to it.

Great minds think alike, as they say. I've been listening to the very same recording, myself!! I never tire of it.

Started the afternoon with this:

[Clayton]

huh, when people are looking in my direction they normally say fools never differ...

I think if we restarted OLLOMRO now, Nabucco would be top 5 for me at the moment. I think I have listened to this about 9 times in the past 3 months.

What is this Linda di Chamounix like? (seem to remember you have Edita one as well)

[Clayton]

Donizetti: Maria Stuarda
Joan Sutherland (Maria Stuarda), Huguette Tourangeau (Elisabetta), Luciano Pavarotti (Leicester), Roger Soyer (Talbot), James Morris (Cecil), Margreta Elkins (Anna)
Bologna Teatro Comunale Orchestra,
Richard Bonynge

[Clayton]

Verdi: Luisa Miller
Gwynne Howell, Plácido Domingo, Elena Obraztsova, Wladimiro Ganzarolli, Renato Bruson, Katia Ricciarelli, Audrey Michael, Luigi de Corato
Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House,
Lorin Maazel
Recording All Saints Church, London June 1979

[Hoffmann]

I've kind of been in the midst of trying to pack for the long trip ahead, so haven't really focused on much else. In the meantime:



The sound quality of this recording is ok, and although Callas always is compelling, and this is one of her signature operas - I doubt Medea will be on my list of OL's Most Recommended Operas anytime soon.

[Clayton]

...



The sound quality of this recording is ok, and although Callas always is compelling, and this is one of her signature operas...

I did not know this. In fact I do not know the opera. Let's go further, I had not even heard of this opera.
So much for me to explore.

I just saw on Presto's site a new release by ICA "considered by critics to be her best version on the market".

Now do I press buy now, or go to the store on Saturday (as planned) and buy then...

[Hoffmann]

I did not know this. In fact I do not know the opera. Let's go further, I had not even heard of this opera.
So much for me to explore.

I just saw on Presto's site a new release by ICA "considered by critics to be her best version on the market".

Now do I press buy now, or go to the store on Saturday (as planned) and buy then...

My choice would be to keep the poor old bricks and mortar place in business...The music stores in the U.S. are mostly gone and, while it's astonishingly easy to buy just about anything and everything one wants online, it isn't nearly as much fun as shopping in a store and being surrounded by loads of CDs sparkling in their brand new jewel boxes, begging to be bought.

[Amfortas]

I did not know this. In fact I do not know the opera. Let's go further, I had not even heard of this opera.
So much for me to explore.

It's from that roughly twenty-year, post-Revolution period between the death of Mozart and the emergence of Rossini, when the big names in opera were the now largely forgotten Cimarosa, Paisiello, Mayr, Cherubini, and Méhul.

Now how did I know that?

[Hoffmann]

It's from that roughly twenty-year, post-Revolution period between the death of Mozart and the emergence of Rossini, when the big names in opera were the now largely forgotten Cimarosa, Paisiello, Mayr, Cherubini, and Méhul.

Now how did I know that?

While I wasn't particularly impressed with Medea, I rather like Cimarosa's Il Matrimonio Segreto a lot:



I don't know Paisiello, Mayr or Méhul's work at all.

[Amfortas]

I don't know Paisiello, Mayr or Méhul's work at all.

Paisiello wrote a famous opera called The Barber of Seville, destined to make his name immortal.

Until . . . well, you know.

[Clayton]

It's from that roughly twenty-year, post-Revolution period between the death of Mozart and the emergence of Rossini, when the big names in opera were the now largely forgotten Cimarosa, Paisiello, Mayr, Cherubini, and Méhul.

Now how did I know that?

Is this a quiz? Do I get a prize? Is it a custard cream again? Can I upgrade to a Bourbon or a jam sandwich?

It's your favourite.

no that doesn't work.

You remember that period.

no that's just rude.

You're a closet nut of the classical period.

no that's just silly.

um.

Ah! Your writing.

[Hoffmann]

Is this a quiz? Do I get a prize? Is it a custard cream again? Can I upgrade to a Bourbon or a jam sandwich?

It's your favourite.

no that doesn't work.

You remember that period.

no that's just rude.

You're a closet nut of the classical period.

no that's just silly.

um.

Ah! Your writing.

How about a bourbon-jam sandwich? I don't even think I can get that at one of Washington's fabulous new restaurants, which seem to be opening at the rate of about 3 per day.

[Clayton]

Mussorgsky: Khovanshchina
Bulat Minjelkiev (Ivan Khovansky), Vladimir Galusin (Andrey Khovansky), Alexei Steblianko (Vasily Golitsyn), Nikolai Ohotnikov (Dosifey), Olga Borodina (Marfa), Valery Alexeev (Shaklovity), Yelena Prokina (Emma), Evgenia Tselovalnik (Susanna), Konstantin Pluzhnikov (Scribe), Nikolai Gassiev (Kuzka), Vassily Gerelo (Streshniev)
Kirov and Orchestra St. Petersburg,
Valery Gergiev
Recording Marinsky Theatre January & February 1991

[Clayton]

The name has been mentioned so many times (admittedly by myself) that it has reached critical level.



I have discovered "toeing"; adjusting speaker position for a triangulation with Clayton's head at apex.

Yeeeeaaaah!

[Clayton]

Why oh WHY would ANYONE not put this at the top of their favourite operas?

Err...

Wait a minute.

Sorry.

Scrap that.

- - - Updated - - -

got carried away.