What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Clayton]

I love the Callas version too. I also love the Bonynge.

More impressed though, I am by Hoffmann's walks. 10.6 miles! Then what 6.5?

My exercise regime is shameful.

[Clayton]

Rameau: Zoroastre
Mark Padmore (Zoroastre), Gaelle Mechaly (Amelite), Matthieu Lecroart (Zopire, La Vengeance), Eric Martin Bonnet (Oromases, Ariman), Nathan Berg (Abramane), Anna-Maria Panzarella (Erinice), Francois Bazola (Narbanor) & Stephanie Revidat (Cephie)
Les Arts Florissants, William Christie
Recorded 28 August-10 September 2001, Théâtre de Poissy, France



I prefer this cast to the Rousset DVD. That is except Erinice, in which case I don't mind either.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

More impressed though, I am by Hoffmann's walks. 10.6 miles! Then what 6.5?

Likewise! I walk regularly but I definitely couldn't do 10 miles in one go!

[Hoffmann]

More impressed though, I am by Hoffmann's walks. 10.6 miles! Then what 6.5?

No, 8.1 miles the next day.

My exercise regime is shameful.

The good news is that, barring disabilities, anyone can walk. You don't have to do 8 or 10 miles, maybe start with 1.0 and work your way up. Keep in mind that the longer you walk, the more likely you can get through an entire CD set!

Likewise! I walk regularly but I definitely couldn't do 10 miles in one go!

I miss-judged the route that ended up at 10.6 miles. The problem is that Washington, DC Metro (subway) access is scattershot, so in certain parts of the city, one is stuck and has to get home somehow, and I was stuck. Besides, I'm way too prideful to take a taxi.

[Hoffmann]

I decided on something of a guilty pleasure for today's walk. I won't tell you how far, but I finished with today's listening before arriving home:

[Adrian]

I played this one , lot's of dust on in
I am always very quickly bored by Ricciarelli an even more by the "old " sony recordings. (bad sound almost always)
But I admit it's grows on me, as work in whole .

[Clayton]

Once I've heard Orpheus und Eurydike, I need some more of this composer. I tend to go Gluck, Gluck quite often. Especially near Easter.

Gluck: Paride ed Elena
Magdalena Kozená (Paride), Susan Gritton (Elena), Carolyn Sampson (Amore), Gillian Webster (Pallade)
Gabrieli Consort & Players, Paul McCreesh
Recorded London All Saints Curch, Tooting October 2003



Such a beautiful opera and recording. I can't play this CD without going back and playing back some of the arias at least twice.

[Floria]

POLIUTO - La Scala 1960

Maria Callas, Franco Corelli, Ettore Bastianini

[Clayton]

Huh! So you guys ALL forgot to tell me it was Poliuto day. That's okay.


Clayton walks to the corner of the room and sits down by himself and eats his cheese sandwich all alone.

- - - Updated - - -

Lully: Atys
Guy de Mey, Guillemette Laurens, Agnès Mellon, Jean-François Gardeil, Jacques Bona, Bernard Deletré, Isabelle Desrochers, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt,Véronique Gens, Michel Laplénie, Stephan Maciejewski, Gilles Ragon, Noémi Rime, Françoise Semellaz, Arlette Steyer & Monique Zanetti
Les Arts Florissants, William Christie

[Floria]

Huh! So you guys ALL forgot to tell me it was Poliuto day. That's okay.

Sorry about that.

Right now I am listening to
Bellini: La Straniera 1969 Live Carnegie Hall
Caballe, Sardinero, Zambon

[Clayton]

I spent the day with Tito

Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, K621
Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Anne Sofie von Otter, Sylvia McNair, Julia Varady, Catherine Robbin, Cornelius Hauptmann
English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, John Eliot Gardiner



I like the characters in this recording, especially Tito and Sesto.

[Clayton]

Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, K621
Rainer Trost (Tito), Magdalena Kozená (Sesto), John Relyea (Publio), Hillevi Martinpelto (Vitellia), Lisa Milne (Servilia), Christine Rice (Annio), Ronald Schneider (fortepiano)
Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus, Sir Charles Mackerras



I also like Magdalena Kozená but not as handsome as Anne Sofie von Otter's Sesto. Much better energy from Scottish Chamber Orchestra though, more power for the drama that it is.

[Clayton]

Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, K621
Mark Padmore (Tito), Alexandrina Pendatchanska (Vitellia), Bernarda Fink (Sesto), Marie-Claude Chappuis (Annio), Sunhae Im (Servilia) & Sergio Foresti (Publio)
RIAS Kammerchor & Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs



I finish here, my preference. All round better cast, orchestra and sound.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, K621
Mark Padmore (Tito), Alexandrina Pendatchanska (Vitellia), Bernarda Fink (Sesto), Marie-Claude Chappuis (Annio), Sunhae Im (Servilia) & Sergio Foresti (Publio)
RIAS Kammerchor & Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs



I finish here, my preference. All round better cast, orchestra and sound.

Yup, this is my preferred Tito too.

[Clayton]

I like Alexandrina Pendatchanska (recently rebranded as Penda) here and Sunhae Im (no rebranding necessary). They bring really colourful characters with respect to the story. Though Padmore's Tito and Fink's Sesto might be a little flat (dramatically) with a little missing of the turmoil, their voices are beautiful and all the cast fit so well together.

René Jacobs and Freiburger Barockorchester bring excitement with sympathetic treatment balanced to drama and romance and this is
embraced with excellent recorded sound quality.

Of course we have to mention the wonderful packaging of the box (a box design new to me which had me stumped; I thought they had mistakenly sent me a shop display box without the actual CD) with a beautiful cover display (Giorgio Fuentes, 1799) and great book with sung text, essays and a few small pictures.

This is one of my favourite opera recordings.