What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Hoffmann]

I had a long flight yesterday - my flight from Santa Fe to Dallas (and connection) was cancelled, so spent another night in Santa Fe, then routed through Los Angeles to Washington Reagan. So, Hoffmann had bel canto day, a guilty pleasure:



then, for comparison:




I much prefer this version although the guys' voices are a little eccentric and can't compare with the Ramey/Studer CD, above.
followed by:



These made for seemingly much shorter flights than expected. Also, as a pleasant surprise, American Airlines treated us to a nearly new Boeing 737 - really quite comfortable, even in economy, with spacious overhead bins.

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

This thing I'm really diggin'

I'm glad for that. La Damnation de Faust is one of my very favorite operas (rather an oratorio but very easy to stage as an opera and theatrical enough).

[Nekrotzar]

I could listen to Kaufmann sing in sotto voce for hours. But this CD is probably better.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I could listen to Kaufmann sing in sotto voce for hours. But this CD is probably better.

Did you go to his Melbourne concert, COAG?

[Nekrotzar]

Did you go to his Melbourne concert, COAG?

I wish!!!! I know people who did, not surprisingly it was brilliant.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Having another break from my Verdi trip and listening to this:



Going to see this next year and am slightly disappointed that in the production I'm seeing, Arbace is sung by a tenor. I was surprised to learn that this role could by sung by either baritone or tenor.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I wish!!!! I know people who did, not surprisingly it was brilliant.

I went to the Sydney one. Now I wish I had gone to the Melbourne one because the acoustics would have been better. I also saw Don Giovanni and Rigoletto (because that was what was on.)

[Nekrotzar]

I went to the Sydney one. Now I wish I had gone to the Melbourne one because the acoustics would have been better. I also saw Don Giovanni and Rigoletto (because that was what was on.)

Anything in Melbourne is bound to be better (speaking from experience)

Have you posted anywhere about Don G and Rigoletto?

[Nekrotzar]

Don Pasquale is on the radio right now.

[Clayton]

Staying with the French composers, though I am going back (again) in time.

Rameau: Dardanus
Bernard Richter, Gaëlle Arquez, João Fernandes, Benoit Arnould, Alain Buet, Sabine Devieilhe, Emmanuelle De Negri & Romain Champion
Ensemble Pygmalion
Raphaël Pichon
Live Recording At l'Opéra Royal Du Château De Versailles 14 & 16 February 2012

[Nekrotzar]

Currently my favourite of all th Donizetti operas and bel canto operas I have heard. I'm not that much of a fan of Sutherland, but I think this is a fine performance.

[Nekrotzar]

Why is it mostly me posting? C'mon guys, you need to listen to more opera!!!



French baroque totally beats Italian, German, English etc. baroque

[Soave_Fanciulla]

OKOK



Just finished this - very good opera, and I like Carmen Giannattasio and Colin Lee very much.

Carmen Giannattasio (Ermione), Patricia Bardon (Andromaca), Colin Lee (Oreste), Paul Nilon (Pirro), Bülent Bezdüz (Pilade), Graeme Broadbent (Fenicio), Rebecca Bottone (Cleone), Victoria Simmonds (Cefisa), Loïc Félix (Attalo)

[Clayton]

Why is it mostly me posting? C'mon guys, you need to listen to more opera!!!
...

It is summer in England so cricket and the garden (and cheese and wine that combines with the two excellently) has stolen some opera time. When the summer sun sets and the autumnal winds start blowing in, like a strange vampire, the opera will reawaken.

Sorry for very strange vampire analogy. Too many vampires around these days. Every time I switch the picture box on there seems to be another vampire drama on. Then I switch it off.

However, for this morning, did someone mention Maometto Secondo?

Rossini: Maometto Secondo
Paul Nilon (Erisso), Siân Davies (Anna), Darren Jeffery (Maometto, Sultan of the Turks), Caitlin Hulcup (Calbo), Christopher Diffey (Condulmierol), Richard Dowling (Selimo)
Garsington Opera Orchestra and Chorus
David Parry
Recorded live at Garsington Opera at Wormsley June and July 2013

[MAuer]

I'm listening to opera, but usually don't post here because it's nothing new (yesterday evening, it was the DVD of the Salzburg Festival Don Carlo with Kaufmann and Harteros).