What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Hoffmann]

Spent the day in Jerusalem in the company of Hogwood and jacobs

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I had the good intention of doing a review of the two Rinaldo recordings but got caught up in the magic and my notes has just the one word "sound" written down. I can't even remember where I was going with that.

I can say that they are both excellent recordings and there is very little to choose between them.

I do think the parts of Rinaldo and Argante is much stronger in the Hogwood (David Daniels and Gerald Finley) but I prefer Miah Persson's Almirena and Inga Kalna's Armida in the Jacobs. I can not express any preference with the remainder of the cast; Goffredo is sung equally convicingly and beautifully by Bernarda Fink and Lawrence Zazzo. The same is the case for Daniel Taylor and Christophe Dumaux as Eustazio.

I do prefer the sound of the Jacobs recording, it sounds cleaner and crisper (crispy sound?) and this in turn makes the orchestration preferable. The Jacobs is much more livelier and has more action and magic to the drama.

I can't choose between the two, so I will say you should get both and enjoy them equally.

Handel: Rinaldo
Vivica Genaux (Rinaldo), Inga Kalna (Armida/Second Siren), Miah Persson (Almirena/First Siren), Christophe Dumaux (Eustazio), James Rutherford (Argante), Lawrence Zazzo (Goffredo) & Dominique Visse (A Christian Magician)
Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs
Recorded August 2002 Congress Innsbruck

Handel: Rinaldo
Cecilia Bartoli (Almirena), David Daniels (Rinaldo), Bernarda Fink (Goffredo), Gerald Finley (Argante), Luba Orgonasova (Armida), Daniel Taylor (Eustazio), Bejun Mehta (A Christian Magician)
Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood
Recorded November 1999, Henry Wood Hall

I agree completely. I prefer the Jacobs recording of Rinaldo, for the reasons you list, but the Hogwood still is very good. If you ever have a mind to, I also like this one a lot - and despite the fact that it appears to have significant cuts, probably because anything is better with Marilyn Horne in it:

[Floria]

La Boheme

Sir Thomas Beecham

Victoria de los Angeles, Jussi Björling, Robert Merrill, Thomas Powell, Lucine Amara, Fernando Corena

[Clayton]

I agree completely. I prefer the Jacobs recording of Rinaldo, for the reasons you list, but the Hogwood still is very good. If you ever have a mind to, I also like this one a lot - and despite the fact that it appears to have significant cuts, probably because anything is better with Marilyn Horne in it...

Thank you. I see it is available on Spotify.

Whilst I do not think I am a Horney person...

I do like Rinaldo, so I will definitely visit there soon.

[Clayton]

I come here again

Tchaikovsky: Iolanta
Anna Netrebko (Iolanta), Sergey Skorokhodov (Vaudémont), Alexey Markov (Robert), Monika Bohinec (Martha), Junho You (Almerik), Lucas Meachem (Ibn-Hakia), Vitalij Kowaljow (King René), Luka Debevec Mayer (Bertrand), Nuška Rojko (Laura), Theresa Plut (Brigitte)
Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume
Recorded live at the Philharmonie Essen, November 2012



This is just absolutely stunning. It should win awards.

again, I wonder why it takes 25 months to release?

[Hoffmann]

I realize now how utterly predictable I've become. So, not wanting to disappoint:





This is a shame. This is a stunningly well sung performance, but on a lousy excuse of a CD pressing. Skips, gaps, you name it. One or two of the gaps goes on long enough - minutes - that I wondered if my iTunes had gone down or the sound system had powered off. I guess I should try gently wiping down the discs and re-loading, see if that works.

[Floria]

This is a shame. This is a stunningly well sung performance, but on a lousy excuse of a CD pressing. Skips, gaps, you name it. One or two of the gaps goes on long enough - minutes - that I wondered if my iTunes had gone down or the sound system had powered off. I guess I should try gently wiping down the discs and re-loading, see if that works.

There was an updated version of ITunes last week. It was suppose to fix the skipping issue that I mentioned in another thread. I didn't update yet since I got the skipping fixed with another version I got from their site. I have been so busy with work I didn't want to deal with not having music . Maybe this weekend I will run the update and hope nothing breaks.

[Floria]

Giordano: Andrea Chenier
1960

Corelli, Tebaldi, Bastianini, ConductorLovro Von Matacic

[Clayton]

I realize now how utterly predictable I've become...

Not so; you throw a pretty good curve ball when we're least expecting... (Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Axur Re D'Ormus, Padmâvatî)

[Clayton]

Of course, whether you hit the target or not, that's another matter...

[Clayton]

We have the "swinging ball" in cricket, which came from the curve ball in baseball, which came from cricket from dock workers who couldn't be ar$ed (or who just couldn't afford the time) to play a ball game which lasted all day (or three whole days)...



sorry...

I babble sometimes

[Clayton]

What was I talking about? Oh yes

Handel: Tolomeo, Re di Egitto HWV25
Ann Hallenberg (Tolomeo), Karina Gauvin (Seleuce), Anna Bonitatibus (Elisa), Romina Basso (Alessandro), Pietro Spagnoli (Araspe)
Il Complesso Barocco
Alan Curtis
Recorded September 2006, Chiesa di Santa Maria dell Rosa, Tuscania

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

We have the "swinging ball" in cricket, which came from the curve ball in baseball, which came from cricket from dock workers who couldn't be ar$ed (or who just couldn't afford the time) to play a ball game which lasted all day (or three whole days)...



sorry...

I babble sometimes

According to Sir Geoffrey last night, it seems there are a few English cricketers who can't be ***ed to play ...

[Sorry waaaaay OT - hurries over to Sports Discussion]

[Clayton]

I am spending the morning again with Tolomeo.

I love Handel. 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.

[Adrian]

Verdi : La Traviata.
PIlar Lorengar / D .F-D . G.Aragal

I never know if I like this version (except from Lorengar) or to load it.
Aragall sounds fresh but not the young hot lover , the least said about D.F.D (on this role the better)
Decca on L.P

[Clayton]

I can't remember if I've asked already (sorry if I have but I can't remember and can't find the post) but does Adrian have a turntable?