What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Hoffmann]

Thus is my favourite audio Verdi recording, and possibly one of my top 10 CDs. I just love Cotrubas. My everlasting regret is that the video version of it is only available in very fuzzy format on YouTube or bootleg.

I only own this on vinyl - I bought it when it was first released. I recall reading about it at the time that it was considered possibly the best La Traviata of all time. Good to know it's held up so well.

[Clayton]

Thus is my favourite audio Verdi recording, and possibly one of my top 10 CDs. I just love Cotrubas. My everlasting regret is that the video version of it is only available in very fuzzy format on YouTube or bootleg.

It is a beautiful, beautiful opera and a wonderful, wonderful recording. I found it on my first visit to Prestos last year and I love it.

[Clayton]

Verdi: Nabucco
Piero Cappuccilli (Nabucco), Plácido Domingo (Ismaele), Evgeny Nesterenko (Zaccaria), Ghena Dimitrova (Abigaille), Lucia Valentini Terrani (Fenena), Kurt Rydl (Gran Sacerdote), Volker Horn (Abdallo), Lucia Popp (Anna)
Chorus & Orchestra of German Opera Berlin,
Giuseppe Sinopoli
Recorded 1982



- - - Updated - - -

Verdi: Nabucco
Dinon Dondi, Anita Cerquetti, Ugo Trama, Giovanna Fioroni, Gian Paolo Corradi
Hilversum Symphony Orchestra & Chorus,
Fulvio Vernizzi
Live recording, Hilversum, 24th September 1960

[Clayton]

Giuseppe Verdi: Ernani
Anita Cerquetti (Elvira), Mario Del Monaco (Ernani), Ettore Bastianini (Don Carlo), Boris Christoff (Silva), Luciana Boni (Giovanna), Athos Cesarini (Don Riccardo), Aurelian Neagu (Jago)
Chorus and Orchestra of Maggio musicale fiorentino
Dimitri Mitropoulos
Live performance, Florence, 25 June 1957

[Hoffmann]

Verdi: Nabucco
Piero Cappuccilli (Nabucco), Plácido Domingo (Ismaele), Evgeny Nesterenko (Zaccaria), Ghena Dimitrova (Abigaille), Lucia Valentini Terrani (Fenena), Kurt Rydl (Gran Sacerdote), Volker Horn (Abdallo), Lucia Popp (Anna)
Chorus & Orchestra of German Opera Berlin,
Giuseppe Sinopoli
Recorded 1982



- - - Updated - - -

Verdi: Nabucco
Dinon Dondi, Anita Cerquetti, Ugo Trama, Giovanna Fioroni, Gian Paolo Corradi
Hilversum Symphony Orchestra & Chorus,
Fulvio Vernizzi
Live recording, Hilversum, 24th September 1960

and, the verdict (between the two) is...?

[Hoffmann]

No opera today. The car had to go for service and, being too cheap to spring for a loaner, I sat for 4 hours at the dealership watching CNN belabor the missing Malaysian Airlines flight.

Then, another 2 hours after that to replace a tire damaged by the bent rim fixed by the dealership (who did that, anyway?). Jeez.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

No opera today. The car had to go for service and, being too cheap to spring for a loaner, I sat for 4 hours at the dealership watching CNN belabor the missing Malaysian Airlines flight.

Then, another 2 hours after that to replace a tire damaged by the bent rim fixed by the dealership (who did that, anyway?). Jeez.

What a waste of six hours which you could have been listening to opera!

[Soave_Fanciulla]

No opera today. The car had to go for service and, being too cheap to spring for a loaner, I sat for 4 hours at the dealership watching CNN belabor the missing Malaysian Airlines flight.

Then, another 2 hours after that to replace a tire damaged by the bent rim fixed by the dealership (who did that, anyway?). Jeez.

OK you seriously need to get organised.

1. Remember the iPods next time!
2. Get a tablet and download opera YouTubes onto it.

Listen.
Watch.
Repeat according to taste.

[Clayton]

No opera today. The car had to go for service and, being too cheap to spring for a loaner, I sat for 4 hours at the dealership watching CNN belabor the missing Malaysian Airlines flight.

Then, another 2 hours after that to replace a tire damaged by the bent rim fixed by the dealership (who did that, anyway?). Jeez.

They don't charge extra for a "loaner" when I get my car serviced. It is already included in the service fee of an arm and a leg, the shirt off my back, a pound of flesh, etcetera etcetera...

Problem last time was I could not figure out how to switch the engine off. It switches off each time you brake at the traffic lights (very wierd when you're not used to it) but once home and on my drive... nope. Had to sit there for ten minutes reading the instruction manual. Could not find the section on how to switch it off. Recruited help of passer-by. Felt really daft!

[Hoffmann]

OK you seriously need to get organised.

1. Remember the iPods next time!
2. Get a tablet and download opera YouTubes onto it.

Listen.
Watch.
Repeat according to taste.

I know. I did all that, but the TV in the waiting room was loud enough that I would have had to operate my earplugs at full power to override the sound. I buy my tires at Costco (I don't know if you have those outside of the U.S., but huge wonderful discount warehouses - nothing like Walmart), so shopped for a while, had lunch at the snackbar and read my newspaper. I was waiting for the tire people to call and tell me my car was ready, so didn't want to miss the call while listening to my iPod.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I know. I did all that, but the TV in the waiting room was loud enough that I would have had to operate my earplugs at full power to override the sound. I buy my tires at Costco (I don't know if you have those outside of the U.S., but huge wonderful discount warehouses - nothing like Walmart), so shopped for a while, had lunch at the snackbar and read my newspaper. I was waiting for the tire people to call and tell me my car was ready, so didn't want to miss the call while listening to my iPod.

Oh horrible. I hate loud TVs and loud music in public places.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I just finished watching an utterly brilliant, harrowing, compelling, fantastically sung and inspiringly staged version of Dialogues des Carmélites from Paris. It is available free on Arte TV: click here



Here is the cast:

Sophie Koch, Patricia Petibon, Véronique Gens, Sandrine Piau, Rosalind Plowright, Topi Lehtipuu, Philippe Rouillon, Annie Vavrille, Sophie Pondjiclis, François Piolino, Jérémy Duffau, Yuri Kissin, Matthieu Lécroart,

Conductor: Jérémie Rhorer, Philharmonia Orchestra, Chœur du Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
Director : Olivier Py
Sets : Pierre-André Weitz, Bertrand Killy

I feel like becoming world dictator so I can pass an edict forcing people to watch it, it's so good. Seriously, don't dwawdle, it's been up for a while.

[Dark_Angel]

Verdi: Nabucco
Dinon Dondi, Anita Cerquetti, Ugo Trama, Giovanna Fioroni, Gian Paolo Corradi
Hilversum Symphony Orchestra & Chorus,
Fulvio Vernizzi
Live recording, Hilversum, 24th September 1960

Also must own the 1957 studio Decca Gioconda with Cerquetti and even better superstar cast........

[Dark_Angel]

Giuseppe Verdi: Ernani
Anita Cerquetti (Elvira), Mario Del Monaco (Ernani), Ettore Bastianini (Don Carlo), Boris Christoff (Silva), Luciana Boni (Giovanna), Athos Cesarini (Don Riccardo), Aurelian Neagu (Jago)
Chorus and Orchestra of Maggio musicale fiorentino
Dimitri Mitropoulos
Live performance, Florence, 25 June 1957

This is truly great Ernani with very good live sound, we will never hear singers like this again today bravo......

[Hoffmann]

New acquisition:



Conductor: Ion Marin

Semiramide: Cheryl Studer
Assur: Samuel Ramey
Arsace: Jennifer Larmore
Idreno: Frank Lopardo
Azema: Julia Faulkner
et al.

Cheryl Studer and Jennifer Larmore are very good in this recording from 1994 - not as good as Sutherland and Horne in the Decca CD set with Bonynge, of course (imo) - but Ramey and Frank Lopardo are much better than their counterparts on that recording.

Bought used off Amazon -

If you don't know this opera, this is great, undervalued Rossini at his opera seria best.