What opera have you been listening to, lately?

**HarpsichordConcerto** · August 24th, 2012, 11:49 AM

Interesting lieders by CPE Bach. An unknown part of his repertoire.

**Aramis** · August 24th, 2012, 07:26 PM

Parade of awesomeness.

**Soave_Fanciulla** · August 25th, 2012, 01:31 AM

Weeping like a baby by the end of this. Meier was magnificent in all possible ways, and for once there was a Tristan who sounded good.

**Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)** · August 25th, 2012, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by Soave_Fanciulla

Weeping like a baby by the end of this. Meier was magnificent in all possible ways, and for once there was a Tristan who sounded good.

I'm excited, I got it in the mail yesterday, will probably watch it at some point this weekend.

**Aramis** · August 25th, 2012, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by Almaviva

I'm excited, I got it in the mail yesterday

"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke, "There are many here among us who feel that DVD is but a joke"

**Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)** · August 25th, 2012, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by Anne of Green Gables

"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke, "There are many here among us who feel that DVD is but a joke"

Jokes that include gorgeous Waltraud Meier (who is not only a fine-looking lady but was also voted by our members as the best female singer in activity) are exciting regardless of anything else that might go on.

**Soave_Fanciulla** · August 26th, 2012, 09:05 AM

Everybody needs to have this in their collection. Don't argue, just buy it. And if you have it in your UWP, go and watch it.

**Ann Lander (sospiro)** · August 26th, 2012, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by Soave_Fanciulla

Everybody needs to have this in their collection. Don't argue, just buy it. And if you have it in your UWP, go and watch it.

Yes ma'am!

**HarpsichordConcerto** · August 26th, 2012, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by Soave_Fanciulla

Everybody needs to have this in their collection. Don't argue, just buy it. And if you have it in your UWP, go and watch it.

Again, is it like Claus Gurth's staged version of Handel's The Messiah? I will likely buy it one day when it goes on sale. No hurry at the moment.

**Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)** · August 26th, 2012, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by Soave_Fanciulla

Don't argue, just buy it.

Yikes. Nat has resumed her assertive assaults on people's wallets. We're all doomed!

**Amfortas** · August 26th, 2012, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Anne of Green Gables

"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke, "There are many here among us who feel that DVD is but a joke"

And many, on the other hand, who wonder what took you guys so long to make the discovery.

**Aksel** · August 26th, 2012, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by Almaviva

Yikes. Nat has resumed her assertive assaults on people's wallets. We're all doomed!

She started ages ago, and it's already begun to affect my personal economy. Being an opera obsessed student is not an easy task, I tell you!

But I've heard many great things about that St. Matthew Passion. Is Topi Lehtipuu singing the Evangelist, or is Mark Padmore?

**ValkyrieSue** · August 26th, 2012, 05:17 PM

I have a 40-minute each way bus commute and spend that time with my noise-canceling headphones & iPod. My "heavy rotation" has a lot of "expected" works either burned from CDs or MP3 downloads (which could become an easy addiction but I limit myself to one a month for some reason). Last week I listened to my Carmen with Domingo/Berganza/Milnes/Cotrubas as well as one of my 2 Gluck Orfee et Eurydice, the JDF one, but I also enjoy the other one I have with Jean-Paul Fouchecourt, Catherine Dubosc, Suzie Le Blanc. What I'd have hoped for but will never have is a recording of the one we had a few months ago in Seattle with William Burden, Davinia Rodriguez and Julianne Gearheart, which I hope to give you a review of sorts in the appropriate thread soon.

Now due to a comment about Tancredi (and Ewa Podles) from a different thread, that's the one I will start tomorrow morning for this week.

**Soave_Fanciulla** · August 26th, 2012, 06:45 PM

St Matthew Passion:

It's nothing like the Guth Messiah. It's not staged, per se, but the singers, instrumental soloists and choir move around. Often a soloist and singer will be opposite each other, and play/sing to each other, to great effect (when I mean soloist I mean players like Albrecht Meyer). It feels like a real telling of a heart-rending story.

Mark Padmore is the main Evangelist, and this must be the performance of his life, but Lehtipuu sings some of the tenor parts. Every singer seems completely invested and absorbed by the story he or she is telling, and the story is entirely what is in the text, nothing extraneous.

This had a great emotional effect on me, and on the audience. At the end they were completely quiet for about 40 seconds, and then just erupted.

**Ann Lander (sospiro)** · August 26th, 2012, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by Soave_Fanciulla

St Matthew Passion:

It's nothing like the Guth Messiah. It's not staged, per se, but the singers, instrumental soloists and choir move around. Often a soloist and singer will be opposite each other, and play/sing to each other, to great effect (when I mean soloist I mean players like Albrecht Meyer). It feels like a real telling of a heart-rending story.

Mark Padmore is the main Evangelist, and this must be the performance of his life, but Lehtipuu sings some of the tenor parts. Every singer seems completely invested and absorbed by the story he or she is telling, and the story is entirely what is in the text, nothing extraneous.

This had a great emotional effect on me, and on the audience. At the end they were completely quiet for about 40 seconds, and then just erupted.

Wonderful description. I'm looking forward to seeing this.

Thank goodness premature applause didn't spoil the silence at the end. There was quite a long silence when I went which I found spine-tingling as if nobody wanted to be the first to break the spell.