Attachment 6257
I decided to listen to the Böhm Das Rheingold, as I didn't have time to listen to all of Die Walküre by the time I thought of it.
Despite the age of Solti's Rheingold (1958), I think with the most recent remastering the sound is superior to Böhm's live recording - which is to be expected from a studio effort. There also are places in the live version where the microphone placement leads to singers sounding distant (which they probably were).
I found that Böhm seems to conduct the introductory chords too quickly - I prefer Solti's more stately pace, which would reflect a calmer Rhine before Alberich came along sowing chaos.
The Böhm CD, overall, benefits in dramatic emphasis from having been recorded live. There is a big difference in how the singers respond to each other, which is more effective.
I vastly prefer George London's Wotan, who does sound 'godly' and grander to that of Theo Adam, who is effective but seemingly more prosaic.
The clincher, though, is the finale where Solti's bold brass and pacing are stunningly beautiful and, well - grand. I think the finale may be where the live sound of the Böhm CD provides a more diminished effect - sounding sort of laid back, rather than a chest thumping Wotan pointing to his creation.
I bow to Clayton's thoughtful analysis of Die Walküre, a far more complex undertaking.
Puccini: Madama Butterfly
1955
Maria Callas (Butterfly), Nicolai Gedda (Pinkerton), Mario Borriello (Sharpless), Lucia Danieli (Suzuki), Renato Ercolani (Goro), Mario Carlin (Yamadori), Plinio Clabassi (Lo zio Bonzo), Enrico Campi (Il commissario imperiale), Luisa Villa (Kate Pinkerton)
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan
Herbert von Karajan
Recorded 1-6 August 1955, Teatro alla Scala, Milan
Rene Jacobs conducting for Harmonia Mundi
Maria Bayo
Marcello Lippi
Simon Keenlyside
Graham Pushee
Alessandra Mantovani
et al.
Puccini: La Bohème
1956
Maria Callas (Mimi), Giuseppe di Stefano (Rodolfo), Rolando Panerai (Marcello), Anna Moffo (Musetta), Nicola Zaccaria (Colline), Manuel Spatafora (Schaunard), Franco Ricciardi (Parpignol), Carlo Badioli (Alcindoro/Benoit)
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan
Antonino Votto
Recorded 20-25 August, 3-4 September 1956, Teatro alla Scala
Long walk, squeezed in two Verdis:
Ah, Samuel Ramey! What more does one need?
I tend to overlook this because the studio recording is one of my very favorites. This is very good - Suliotis sings thrillingly, as always, and with conviction. Nicolai Ghiaurov probably is in better voice than Tito Gobbi, hitting some amazing low notes. Gobbi, though, is way more expressive, so the studio recording (in my opinion) still rules.
Puccini: Turandot
1957
Maria Callas (Turandot), Eugenio Fernandi (Calaf), Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Liù), Mario Borriello (Ping), Renato Ercolani (Pang), Piero De Palma (Pong), Nicola Zaccaria (Timur), Giuseppe Nessi (L'imperatore Altoum), Giulio Mauri (Un mandarino)
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan
Tullio Serafin
Recorded 9-13 & 15 July 1957, Teatro alla Scala
Puccini: Manon Lescaut
1957
Maria Callas (Manon Lescaut), Giuseppe di Stefano (Des Grieux), Giulio Fioravanti (Lescaut), Franco Calabrese (Geronte), Dino Formichini (Edmondo), Fiorenza Cossotto (Madrigal singer)
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan
Tullio Serafin
Recorded 18-27 July 1957, Teatro alla Scala, Milan
I have had a Puccini revelation over the past couple of days. Not one of my favourite composers but working so much better for me with these recordings at La Scala in the fifties with Callas. These four have climbed a total of over 400 positions in the Clayton charts, with number one being Madame Butterfly. It was languishing somewhere in the lower 200's but mein Gott! Now I really see the beauty of this opera.
I had been struggling with listening to this:
This is a 1956 recording of a live performance of a seemingly not very interesting opera - and, at least from what I see on the CD, not remastered. Murky 1950s sound.
So, taking a cue from Clayton (I also don't listen to Puccini very often), I decided to give up Mose and just put on the remastered, but languishing, Callas Madama Butterfly. Just to start, Nicolai Gedda is terrific!
Handel: Teseo HWV 9
Franco Fagioli (Teseo), Helene Schneiderman (Medea), Jutta Böhnert (Agilea), Kai Wessel (Egeo), Matthias Rexroth (Arcane), Olga Polyakova (Clizia)
Staatsorchester Stuttgart
Konrad Junghänel
Live production, Stattsoper Stuttgart, May 2009
Handel's third opera for London, a very good opera with fine performance from cast. If it was not for the fact that I know not many people can afford the time to listen to an obscene amount of opera, I would question why this opera is not heard more often.
OH NO. I didn't know about this version. Franco Fagioli! I can feel my finger dragging me to Presto!Originally Posted by Clayton
Handel: Teseo HWV 9
Franco Fagioli (Teseo), Helene Schneiderman (Medea), Jutta Böhnert (Agilea), Kai Wessel (Egeo), Matthias Rexroth (Arcane), Olga Polyakova (Clizia)
Staatsorchester Stuttgart
Konrad Junghänel
Live production, Stattsoper Stuttgart, May 2009
Handel's third opera for London, a very good opera with fine performance from cast. If it was not for the fact that I know not many people can afford the time to listen to an obscene amount of opera, I would question why this opera is not heard more often.
Natalie
Provenzale: La Stellidaura vendicante
Jennifer Rivera, Carlo Allemano, Adrian Strooper, Enzo Capuano & Hagen Matzbit
Academia Montis Regalis, Alessandro de Marchi
Natalie
Oh do tell more...Provenzale: La Stellidaura vendicante
Jennifer Rivera, Carlo Allemano, Adrian Strooper, Enzo Capuano & Hagen Matzbit
Academia Montis Regalis, Alessandro de Marchi
Isn't Provenzale: La Stellidaura vindicate a sandwich?
Yesterdays listening began with:
in the afternoon:
Many lovely moments in Guillaume Tell, but it is a little difficult to acclimate oneself after listening to his earlier, flashier compositions.
may be but I still want to know more
What's innit? Does it work?
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