What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Hoffmann]

Conductor: Otto Klemperer

Pamina: Gundula Janowitz
Queen of the Night: Lucia Popp
Papageno: Walter Berry
Tamino: Nicolai Gedda
Sarastro: Gottlob Frick

All around great Zauberflöte - I'm especially fond of Lucia Popp's Queen of the Night and Gundula Janowitz' Pamina on this recording.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Follow the leader...

Haha. I've bought more than a few duds in my time.

Verdi: Oberto
Samuel Ramey (Oberto), Maria Guleghina (Leonora), Sara Fulgoni (Imelda), Violeta Urmana (Cuniza), Stuart Neill (Riccardo)
Academy of st. Martin in the Fields & London Voices,
Neville Marriner
Recorded August 1996 St John's Smith Square, London

Attachment 4218

I like this!

I want this!!!!!

[Clayton]

Mascagni: Iris
Ilona Tokody, Placido Domingo, Juan Pons, Bonaldo Giaiotti, Gabriella Ferroni
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Giuseppe Patané
Recorded 1988, Studio One, Bayerischer Rundfunk



Che bella!

[Clayton]

Inspired by Revenant's recent acquisition... and having wanted to listen to Simone Kermes' voice (though aside from being very beautiful, I can't exactly remember why)...

Handel: Rodelinda
Simone Kermes (Rodelinda), Marijana Mijanovic (Bertarido), Sonia Prina (Eduige), Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Unolfo), Steve Davislim (Grimoaldo), Vito Priante (Garibaldo)
Il Complesso Barocco,
Alan Curtis
Recorded San Martino al Cimino, Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Sala Olimpia Sep/2004; Hamburg-Harburg, Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Nov/2004

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Inspired by Revenant's recent acquisition... and having wanted to listen to Simone Kermes' voice (though aside from being very beautiful, I can't exactly remember why)...

Simone Kermes is a bad-*** baroque tornado:

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Finally the Death in Venice stage version we have all been waiting for. Perhaps not the most beautifully sung, but definitely the most convincing and dramatically effective version out there. Deborah Warner's production is inspired and truly evocative of Venice; Edward Gardner gets a very focused and varied performance out his orchestra; and John Graham-Hall is absolutely triumphant as Aschenbach, - constantly vacillating between haunted, reassured, despairing, yearning and fascinated, and he is ably supported by Andrew Shore and Tim Mead. Recommended to all lovers of Britten, and to all lovers of superlative stagings.

[Revenant]

Inspired by Revenant's recent acquisition... and having wanted to listen to Simone Kermes' voice (though aside from being very beautiful, I can't exactly remember why)...

Handel: Rodelinda
Simone Kermes (Rodelinda), Marijana Mijanovic (Bertarido), Sonia Prina (Eduige), Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Unolfo), Steve Davislim (Grimoaldo), Vito Priante (Garibaldo)
Il Complesso Barocco,
Alan Curtis
Recorded San Martino al Cimino, Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Sala Olimpia Sep/2004; Hamburg-Harburg, Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Nov/2004

Ha ha - il mio velen - lavora! Glad to give back something to the community that has so frequently inspired me. If you don't mind spoilers, listen first to the most famous aria in this opera, as rendered in this recording: Bertarido's "Dove sei, amato bene?" (Act 1 Scena 6).

[Hoffmann]

I've put this on my 'buy' list - I love Simone Kermes!

[Revenant]

I've put this on my 'buy' list - I love Simone Kermes!

For what it's worth, I had time to listen to key sections of this recording and they were truly wonderfully performed by everyone concerned, including the orchestra and the conductor, who really keeps it moving. Looking forward to listening to all of it this weekend. (I hope!)

[Clayton]

Ha ha - il mio velen - lavora! Glad to give back something to the community that has so frequently inspired me. If you don't mind spoilers, listen first to the most famous aria in this opera, as rendered in this recording: Bertarido's "Dove sei, amato bene?" (Act 1 Scena 6).

Also I noted

Act 2, Scene V: Con Rauco Mormorio...

and (arioso) Act 3, Scene III: Chi Di Voi Fu Più Infedele

and Rodelinda (Kermes)

Act 1, Scene I: Ho Perduto Il Caro Sposo

Act 2, Scene VI: Ritorna, O Caro E Dolce Mio Tesoro

Act 3, Scene IV: Se'L Mio Duol Non È Si Forte

A good opera with lots of good arias and a good recording with good cast. A good buy.

(too much use of the word good?)

[Clayton]

So this morning I needed to listen to more Handel.

Handel: Serse
Anna Stéphany (Serse), Rosemary Joshua (Romilda), David Daniels (Arsamene), Hilary Summers (Amastre), Joélle Harvey (Atalanta), Andreas Wolf (Elviro), Brindley Sherratt (Ariodate)
Early Opera Company,
Christian Curnyn
Recorded 13-17 August 2012, Church of St Silasthe Martyr, Kentish Town, London

[Clayton]

...Looking forward to listening to all of it this weekend. (I hope!)

Woops!

Sorry for the "spoiler"...

[Revenant]

Also I noted

Act 2, Scene V: Con Rauco Mormorio...

and (arioso) Act 3, Scene III: Chi Di Voi Fu Più Infedele

and Rodelinda (Kermes)

Act 1, Scene I: Ho Perduto Il Caro Sposo

Act 2, Scene VI: Ritorna, O Caro E Dolce Mio Tesoro

Act 3, Scene IV: Se'L Mio Duol Non È Si Forte

A good opera with lots of good arias and a good recording with good cast. A good buy.

(too much use of the word good?)

Thanks! I used wikipedia's list of "noted arias" for my preview list (reason: had no time for full listening but just couldn't wait so I compromised). This is what I've listened to thus far. All great, by the way. But that Dove sei is a standout even among those selectied items.

"L'empio rigor del fato" - Rodelinda in Act 1 Scena 1
"Lo farò, diro: spietato" - Eduige in Act 1 Scena 4
"Di cupido impiego i vanni" - Garibaldo in Act 1 Scena 5
"Dove sei, amato bene?" - Bertarido in Act 1 Scena 6 (often recorded as "Art thou troubled?")
"Fra tempeste funeste" - Unulfo in Act 2 Scena 4
"Io t'abbraccio" - Duet Rodelinda and Bertarido in Act 2 Scena 7
"Pastorello d'un povero armento" - Grimoaldo in Act 3 Scena 6
"Vivi, tiranno!" - Bertarido in Act 3 Scena 8

- - - Updated - - -

So this morning I needed to listen to more Handel.

Handel: Serse
Anna Stéphany (Serse), Rosemary Joshua (Romilda), David Daniels (Arsamene), Hilary Summers (Amastre), Joélle Harvey (Atalanta), Andreas Wolf (Elviro), Brindley Sherratt (Ariodate)
Early Opera Company,
Christian Curnyn
Recorded 13-17 August 2012, Church of St Silasthe Martyr, Kentish Town, London

I have this on order with the good people at Crochet.

[Hoffmann]

and




Great casts on both. Don G. is remastered from 1962 and features George London!

[Clayton]

...

Great casts on both...

I want this!

but... but... but...

where's Mrs. Bonynge?