What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Clayton]

Post from 14 February

...Later morning:

[Roussel: Padmâvatî]



I'm not so sure about this. Opera was composed in 1921 or 23 in the modern style. Marilyn Horne is wonderful - she really stands out in this. Nonetheless, I find modern operas a much harder listen than I do, well, 'regular' operas.

Padmavati doesn't seem to have much of a reputation, so I'm uncertain whether the libretto is dramatically strong enough to sustain interest.

I had never heard of this opera or composer, so it was odd seeing it for sale in the local charity shop so soon after your post. It is not like they have a big selection, only about ten complete operas at any one time. It is as if someone read your post and agreed and decided to dispose of it.
I couldn't remember your exact comments but thought it was somewhere close to a meh category so did not buy it.

So I have not listened to this. Just a bit of idle chat inserted in to the listening thread.

[Clayton]

Cavalli: Artemisia
Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli (Artemisia), Roberta Mameli (Artemia), Valentina Coladonato (Oronta), Maarten Engeltjes (Meraspe), Andrea Arrivabene (Alindo), Marina Bartoli (Ramiro), Silvia Frigato (Eurillo), Salvo Vitale (Indamoro), Alberto Allegrezza (Erisbe) & Alessandro Giangrande (Niso)
La Venexiana, Claudio Cavina
Recorded in Mondovì (Sala Ghisleri), Italy, in October 2010



I love Cavalli. Absolutely without a shadow of doubt my all time favourite composer in the entire galaxy. Well for today, that is.
And this is one of his best.

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

I couldn't remember your exact comments but thought it was somewhere close to a meh category so did not buy it.

So I have not listened to this. Just a bit of idle chat inserted in to the listening thread.

Meh? No, Padmavati is very good. You can see a longer evaluation of it in one of our Beyond the Standard Repertory articles.

[clicky]

[Clayton]

Meh? No, Padmavati is very good. You can see a longer evaluation of it in one of our Beyond the Standard Repertory articles.

[clicky]

okay, you (/superhorn) have convinced me to try. I will see if they still have it (normal pattern: as soon as I decide I want it, it has gone)

[Hoffmann]

Post from 14 February



I had never heard of this opera or composer, so it was odd seeing it for sale in the local charity shop so soon after your post. It is not like they have a big selection, only about ten complete operas at any one time. It is as if someone read your post and agreed and decided to dispose of it.
I couldn't remember your exact comments but thought it was somewhere close to a meh category so did not buy it.

So I have not listened to this. Just a bit of idle chat inserted in to the listening thread.

I would need to go back and re-read my post.

Hoffmann's "Meh" methodology:

Generally, I try and avoid the "Meh" label for operas I've only listened to once and think I need additional listening sessions before dismissing. This especially applies to modern/contemporary operas which comprise, as Luiz has pointed out, a different musical language. I've never had a good ear for languages, so extra effort is required before a proclamation might be issued on any modern works. I think I might have slipped and posted something untoward about Written on Skin a year or so ago, which was before I determined to make the added effort.

Il Trovatore is something of an interesting case. This opera is so beloved - and I can't seem to find much of anything about it that's very interesting - that clearly something is wrong with me so, rather than the opera being deserving of a Meh, I keep on plugging.

[Clayton]

The wife is in London today, so shout, scream, sing tenore forte... go crazy

Ponchielli: La Gioconda
Anita Cerquetti (Soprano), Giulietta Simionato (Mezzo-Soprano), Mario del Monaco (Tenor), Ettore Bastianini (Baritone), Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Chorus), Franca Sacchi (Mezzo-Soprano), Giorgio Giorgetti (Baritone), Athos Cesarini (Tenor), Cesare Siepi (Bass), Giuda Pasella (Bass), Edio Peruzzi (Baritone)
Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Gianandrea Gavazzeni
Recorded July 1957 Teatro Comunale, Florence



at a volume where Gioconda's cry of suicidio could be heard all over Venice. That's seventeenth century Venice.

[Clayton]

mention an opera enough times and the chances are I will end up listening to it

Catalani: La Wally
Renata Tebaldi, Mario del Monaco, Piero Cappuccilli, Justino Diaz, Lydia Marimpietri & Alfredo Mariotti
Coro Lirico di Torino & Orchestre national de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Fausto Cleva
Recorded - Monte Carlo, June 1968



again; the volume. Did I cause that avalanche?

[Clayton]

Verdi: La forza del destino
Renata Tebaldi, Mario del Monaco, Ettore Bastianini, Giulietta Simionato, Cesare Siepi, Silvio Maionica, Gabriella Carturan & Piero di Palma
Orchestra e coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli
Recorded - Rome, July 1955

[Clayton]

For Italian nineteenth century romantic/verissimo/nuova schola (i'm a no good with technical terms yet) this is an industrial strength course taken today.

Was the dose enough to pull me back (or forward) to this period?

You would have thought so

but

no, not yet

Artemisia still haunting me from the day before, I needed to go back there once again.

If I had one word to describe it might be sublime.

or lush

or enchanting

or

aa... forget it

no good with words.

JUST LISTEN TO IT!!!!!

[Soave_Fanciulla]

For Italian nineteenth century romantic/verissimo/nuova schola (i'm a no good with technical terms yet) this is an industrial strength course taken today.

Was the dose enough to pull me back (or forward) to this period?

You would have thought so

but

no, not yet

Artemisia still haunting me from the day before, I needed to go back there once again.

If I had one word to describe it might be sublime.

or lush

or enchanting

or

aa... forget it

no good with words.

JUST LISTEN TO IT!!!!!

OkOk it's third in the queue after La donna del lago (nearly finished) and Samson et Dalila (both from the library hence they have to be heard before being returned).

[Clayton]

Dauvergne: Hercule mourant (Hercules Dying)
Andrew Foster-Williams (Hercule), Véronique Gens (Déjanire), Emiliano Gonzalez Toro (Hilus), Edwin Crossley-Mercer (Philoctète), Julie Fuchs (Ïole), Jaël Azzaretti (Dircé), Alain Buet (La Jalousie, Jupiter), Jennifer Borghi (Junon) & Romain Champion (Le Grand Prêtre de Jupiter)
Les Chantres du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles & Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset
Recorded 19 November 2011 Opéra Royal de Versailles (see, another argument as to why I should next go to Versailles to see an opera)



très, très belle

superbe

[StarThrower]

[Clayton]

Handel: Alcina
Joyce DiDonato (Alcina), Maite Beaumont (Ruggiero), Karina Gauvin (Morgana), Sonia Prina (Bradamante), Kobie Van Rensburg (Oronte), Laura Cherici (Oberto), Vito Priante (Melisso)
Il Complesso Barocco
Alan Curtis
Recorded Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, Tuscania September 2007



I'm so predictable

[Clayton]

Szymanowski: King Roger
Thomas Hampson (King Roger), Elzieta Szmytka (Roxana), Philip Langridge (Edrisi), Ryszard Minkiewicz (Shepherd), Robert Gierlach (Archbishop), Jadwiga Rappé (Deaconess)
City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle



didn't see that one coming

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Szymanowski: King Roger
Thomas Hampson (King Roger), Elzieta Szmytka (Roxana), Philip Langridge (Edrisi), Ryszard Minkiewicz (Shepherd), Robert Gierlach (Archbishop), Jadwiga Rappé (Deaconess)
City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle



didn't see that one coming

didn't see that one coming

How are you getting on with it? I'm still struggling.