What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Clayton]

...Who can resist this wonderful recording with that stunning voice by Fleming?

momentarily the stoopid prince. but not me.

- - - Updated - - -

Wagner: Das Rheingold
George London (Wotan), Gustav Neidlinger (Alberich), Set Svanholm (Loge), Kirsten Flagstad (Fricka), Claire Watson (Freia), Waldemar Kmentt (Froh), Eberhard Wächter (Donner), Paul Kuen (Mime), Jean Madeira (Erda), Walter Kreppel (Fasolt), Kurt Böhme (Fafner), Oda Balsborg (Woglinde), Hetty Plümacher (Wellgunde), Ira Malaniuk (Flosshilde)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Georg Solti
Recorded September/October 1958 Sofiensaal, Vienna

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Continuing my Verdi journey

Stiffelio



For Verdi enthusiasts there's an interesting piece in Wiki about the critical edition following Philip Goss' discoveries.

[Clayton]

Wagner: Die Walküre
Birgit Nilsson (Brünnhilde), James King (Siegmund), Régine Crespin (Sieglinde), Hans Hotter (Wotan), Gottlob Frick (Hunding), Christa Ludwig (Fricka)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Georg Solti
Recorded October/November 1965, Sofiensaal, Vienna

[Clayton]

Continuing my Verdi journey

Stiffelio



For Verdi enthusiasts there's an interesting piece in Wiki about the critical edition following Philip Goss' discoveries.

This recording still trading on the A site for GBP 2,743 (okay, slight exaggeration, actually GBP 50). I wish recording companies would be more responsive to market demand and reprint or relicense quicker (DECCA also take note Norma/Suliotis).

Is there an other recording (CD) you would recommend?

[Adrian]

Oh nice...



Oh that's a shame. An opera lover's misery; going to see an opera they hold so dearly and then being disappointed by a production they feel just was not to their expectation.
I have only just recently recovered from the shock of over ten years ago of seeing Lucia with mafia and automatic pistols.



Quite. So said and felt Clayton.



However, his view changed a bit after seeing Romeo Castellucci's production of Orfeo ed Eurydice at La Monnaie (through streaming service). There is now a lot more room for modern settings in Clayton. Just got to catch one of those special ones that grab your heart...

The problem started for me long time ago. I was a long time subscriber to the Antwerp Opera.
Then they closed for a while and when the reopened we got that horrible R . Cartstens.
He did a Turandot and I remember (and I tried to block his settings) Ping, Pang and Pong were in those little cabins by the sea in swimwear.
Later we had a act in witch he stripped the complete stage . You could see the stones the building was built with.
In the centre of the stage there was a huge chair (I think symbol of the emperors throne) and from under that
a completely naked young man appeared to be executed.(Another prince who failed to the riddles) .
I can go on and on but it was horrible.

The same happened here in Holland, everything had to change for the sake of changing.
The best example is the Norma set in a dressing room under an big tree.
I see it happening in the Met to, that last Rigoletto was to disgusting.
I can go on and on but I don't want to be that old fellow spoiling it for other people.
Give me a old fashioned production any day.

[Clayton]

...horrible R . Cartstens.
He did a Turandot and I remember (and I tried to block his settings) Ping, Pang and Pong were in those little cabins by the sea in swimwear.
Later we had a act in witch he stripped the complete stage . You could see the stones the building was built with.
In the centre of the stage there was a huge chair (I think symbol of the emperors throne) and from under that
a completely naked young man appeared to be executed.(Another prince who failed to the riddles) .

...
The best example is the Norma set in a dressing room under an big tree.
...

Yup, you've seen some pretty odd ones. That sounds like it would put me off for life too.


I'm having my own big change in different productions.

Der Ring des Nibelungen, Böhm Bayreuth that I only knew to newly acquired Solti studio.

Wagner: Siegfried
Wolfgang Windgassen (Siegfried), Birgit Nilsson (Brünnhilde), Gustav Neidlinger (Alberich), Hans Hotter (Wanderer), Kurt Böhme (Fafner)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Georg Solti
Recorded May & October 1962, Sofiensaal, Vienna

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

This recording still trading on the A site for GBP 2,743 (okay, slight exaggeration, actually GBP 50). I wish recording companies would be more responsive to market demand and reprint or relicense quicker (DECCA also take note Norma/Suliotis).

Is there an other recording (CD) you would recommend?

When I went to the Amazon site to collect the image info I was shocked at the price. I've just checked and I paid £7.99 for a 'Used - Very Good'. I have to confess I've never looked for another version so don't have anything else with which to compare.

[Hoffmann]

Kept me calm while seated next to a really big guy in the center seat while flying back to DC from Providence (Rhode Island). Lovely recording and a really lovely opera.

[Gigli13]

This recording still trading on the A site for GBP 2,743 (okay, slight exaggeration, actually GBP 50). I wish recording companies would be more responsive to market demand and reprint or relicense quicker (DECCA also take note Norma/Suliotis).

Is there an other recording (CD) you would recommend?

December 29, 1968 Parma Italy Peter Magg, conductor.

[Clayton]

Wagner: Götterdämmerung
Wolfgang Windgassen (Siegfried), Birgit Nilsson (Brünnhilde), Gottlieb Frick (Hagen), Gustav Neidlinger (Alberich), Claire Watson (Gutrune), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Gunther), Christa Ludwig (Waltraute), Lucia Popp (Woglinde), Gwyneth Jones (Wellgunde), Maureen Guy (Flosshilde), Helen Watts (First Norn), Grace Hoffman (Second Norn), Anita Välkki (Third Norn)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Georg Solti
Recorded May - November 1964, Sofiensaal, Vienna

[Clayton]

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice
1762 Viennese version in Italian
Bernarda Fink (Orfeo), Veronica Cangemi (Euridice) & Maria Cristina Kiehr (Amor)
Freiburger Barockorchester, Rias Kammerchor
René Jacobs
Recorded January 2001 Teldec Studios, Berlin



I detect an Orfeo day coming up soon to compare different recordings but if this is not number one it is very close...

[Clayton]

Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea
Sylvia McNair, Anne Sofie von Otter, Dana Hanchard, Michael Chance, Francesco Ellero d'Artegna, Catherine Bott, Bernarda Fink, Roberto Balconi
English Baroque Soloists,
John Eliot Gardiner
Recorded December 1993, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London



Though it might take a bit longer than a day to make comparisons of recordings of Poppea (slightly longer opera)...

[Clayton]

Bellini: La Sonnambula
Cecilia Bartoli (Amina), Juan Diego Flórez (Elvino), Ildebrando d' Arcangelo (Il Conte Rodolfo), Liliana Nikiteanu (Teresa), Gemma Bertagnolli (Lisa), Peter Kalman (Alessio) & Javier Camarena (Un Notaro)
Orchestra La Scintilla,
Alessandro De Marchi
Recorded 2007/8 Evangelisch-reformierte Kirchgemeinde, Zürich-Oberstrass



Apparently this recording caused a bit of a marmite reaction. Like my marmite; I love it. Of course JDF wonderful.

[Clayton]

Vivaldi: Atenaide
Musical Drama in 3 Acts
Sandrine Piau (Atenaide/Eudossa), Vivica Genaux (Teodosio), Guillemette Laurens (Pulcheria), Romina Basso (Varane), Nathalie Stutzmann (Marziano) Paul Agnew (Leontino), Stefano Ferrari (Probo)
Federico Maria Sardelli
Recorded April 2007, Teatro della Pergola, Firenze



So your regular baroque seven character opera

a quick synopsis

Eudossa, daughter of Leontino, is about to marry Teodosio, brother of Pulcheria who is courting Marziano and rejected Probo, attendant to Teodosio. When Varane, who loves Eudossa but knows her as Atanaide turns up and Teodosio asks Eudossa (Atenaide) to choose between him and Varane and give the message to Probo, who confuses the message and tells Varane to kidnap Atenaide (Eudossa). Then Teodosio banishes Eudossa but Leontino sees Probo’s plans and Marziano frees Atenaide from Varane and returns Eudossa to Teodosio .

Gottit?

I drew a picture first

with coloured crayons

as usual

Though the beautiful music and singing from a superb cast makes it sooooo worthwhile.

[Hoffmann]

I, too, went for a bit of Bellini today: