What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Revenant]

Verdi: Otello
Mario del Monaco (Otello), Aldo Protti (Iago), Renata Tebaldi (Desdemona), Nello Romanato (Cassio), Athos Cesarini (Rodrigo), Fernando Corena (Lodovico), Tom Krause (Montano), Ana Raquel Satra (Emilia)
Wiener Philharmoniker,
Herbert von Karajan
Studio recording, Sofiensaal Vienna, May 1961

Attachment 3682

Clayton, if you ever have the chance, seek also the earlier version conducted by Alberto Erede, helming the Coro e orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. The same headliners, but imo del Monaco and Tebaldi in even better voice (or at least the recording which is London (Decca, by another name??) has them sounding better. I don't hear much about Erede nowadays, but he was a good Verdian. Mono version, though, so YMMV.

[Clayton]

STORMY WEATHER!
Bins, gates and winds screaming and shouting. Given up trying to sleep.

Cherubini: Medea
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, 30 June 1959
Maria Callas (Medea), Jon Vickers (Giasone), Fiorenza Cossotto (Neris), Nicola Zaccaria (Creonte), Joan Carlyle (Glauce), Mary Wells (First Maidservant), Elizabeth Rust (Second Maidservant) & David Allen (Captain of the Guard)
The Covent Garden Opera Chorus & Orchestra,
Nicola Rescigno

[Clayton]

Verdi: Simon Boccanegra
Piero Cappuccilli (Boccanegra), Mirella Freni (Amelia/Maria), José van Dam (Paolo), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Jacopo Fiesco), José Carreras (Gabriele)
La Scala Chorus & Orchestra,
Claudio Abbado
CTC Studio recording, Milan January 1977

[Clayton]

Vesselina Kasarova (Zayda), Giuseppe Filianoti (Dom Sébastien), Alastair Miles (Dom Juam de Sylva), Simon Keenlyside (Abayaldos), Carmelo Corrado Caruso (Camoëns)
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden,
Mark Elder
Recorded concert performance (ROH) 10 & 13 September 2005



Dark and magnificent. Sitting in the glorious morning sunshine, I still have shivers sent through my body. I didn't know this kind of Donizetti opera existed.

[Clayton]

Handel: Rinaldo
Vivica Genaux (Rinaldo), Inga Kalna (Armida/Second Siren), Miah Persson (Almirena/First Siren), Christophe Dumaux (Eustazio), James Rutherford (Argante), Lawrence Zazzo (Goffredo), Dominique Visse (A Christian Magician)
Freiburger Barockorchester,
René Jacobs
Recorded Congress Innsbruck, August 2002

[Hoffmann]

STORMY WEATHER!
Bins, gates and winds screaming and shouting. Given up trying to sleep.

Cherubini: Medea
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, 30 June 1959
Maria Callas (Medea), Jon Vickers (Giasone), Fiorenza Cossotto (Neris), Nicola Zaccaria (Creonte), Joan Carlyle (Glauce), Mary Wells (First Maidservant), Elizabeth Rust (Second Maidservant) & David Allen (Captain of the Guard)
The Covent Garden Opera Chorus & Orchestra,
Nicola Rescigno

My flight flew over the UK - Scotland, anyway, on 2/14 - and they had to stop beverage service due to the severe turbulence, and made everyone batten the hatches. Jeez. Suspending beverage service is inhuman.

[Hoffmann]

This is one of my new acquisitions. Recorded during a live performance in Tokyo in August, 1971, I thought it might have been past the point of no return for La Suliotis, but decided it was worth the risk. I think I can tell the difference in her voice as she sounds a good deal more restrained than in her Verdi roles - though that might be because of her approach to bel canto. I like the recording - she might have been on the downside of her career, but still gives a compelling performance, and the other leads and conducting are great:

[Clayton]

Keiser: Croesus
Dorothea Roschmann (Elmira), Werner Gura (Atis), Roman Trekel (Croesus), Klaus Hager (Orsanes), Johannes Mannov (Cyrus), Markus Schafer (Eliates), Salome Haller (Clerida), Kwangchul Youn (Solon), Graham Pushee (Halimacus), Brigitte Eisenfeld (Trigesta), Kurt Azesberger (Elcius), Johanna Stojkovic (Nerillus), Jorg Gottschick (Hauptmann)
RIAS Kammerchor, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Solistes du Knabenchor Hannover,
René Jacobs

[Dark_Angel]

This is one of my new acquisitions. Recorded during a live performance in Tokyo in August, 1971, I thought it might have been past the point of no return for La Suliotis, but decided it was worth the risk. I think I can tell the difference in her voice as she sounds a good deal more restrained than in her Verdi roles - though that might be because of her approach to bel canto. I like the recording - she might have been on the downside of her career, but still gives a compelling performance, and the other leads and conducting are great:

There exists a Suliotis studio Norma but generally only available as a Vinyl LP, perhaps now as digital download? Shame it is not widely available on reduced price CD set by Decca......

We need turnipoverlord to post HD needledrop version on youtube like his many Callas vinyls

[Dark_Angel]

Handel: Rinaldo
Vivica Genaux (Rinaldo), Inga Kalna (Armida/Second Siren), Miah Persson (Almirena/First Siren), Christophe Dumaux (Eustazio), James Rutherford (Argante), Lawrence Zazzo (Goffredo), Dominique Visse (A Christian Magician)
Freiburger Barockorchester,
René Jacobs
Recorded Congress Innsbruck, August 2002

I hope you did not pay anywhere near asking price listed on Amazon USA.........$465
Nice pick up, I purchased long ago at normal price levels but now absurd pricing being asked

[Clayton]

There exists a Suliotis studio Norma but generally only available as a Vinyl LP, perhaps now as digital download? Shame it is not widely available on reduced price CD set by Decca......

We need turnipoverlord to post HD needledrop version on youtube like his many Callas vinyls

This is exactly why I was thinking about a turntable. If I ever find this record in my record shop, I think I would buy the turntable...

[Clayton]

I hope you did not pay anywhere near asking price listed on Amazon USA.........$465
Nice pick up, I purchased long ago at normal price levels but now absurd pricing being asked

NO, No no no!

It is part of the Baroque Opera Box collection!

Whaaaa! USD 465!!!!!!

The recording in the box collection does not come with this cover box. Just a plain cover. Speaking as a box nut (my box obsession is so much, I can not talk about it frankly in public), 465 is a bit much even for me...

The most I have paid for a premium for an original box so far is USD 70.

[Clayton]

This is exactly why I was thinking about a turntable. If I ever find this record in my record shop, I think I would buy the turntable...

I have seen CDs of this on the interweb by private vendors but am worried about the license and also the quality.

I am only going to buy it from a vendor I trust.


- - - Updated - - -

If any recording came about, I thought you might be one of the first to know...

Your faithful kouhai/student waits patiently...

[Hoffmann]

I would note, for the record (so to speak..) that the sound itself on the Myto Norma is actually very good (and I get very impatient with lousy sound). The problem I had this morning, which is extremely annoying, is skips. The music stops for several seconds, then starts again. I have no clue what that is about - and the CD, while not cheap at around $30 (Euro 21) should not have that kind of issue.

[Clayton]

I would note, for the record (so to speak..) that the sound itself on the Myto Norma is actually very good (and I get very impatient with lousy sound). The problem I had this morning, which is extremely annoying, is skips. The music stops for several seconds, then starts again. I have no clue what that is about - and the CD, while not cheap at around $30 (Euro 21) should not have that kind of issue.

I did not notice this. I am going to have to have another listen.

I was going to anyway...
but was a bit embarrassed that it might be interpreted as Clayton following Hoffmann again

Now I have an excuse.