What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Clayton]

How do you like that? Clayton steals my thunder! I don't typically listen to that much baroque, but it is kind of catchy while walking. This is the second baroque recording I've cued up in less than a week...

By the powers invested in me as the community fool, I hereby cast the spell of baroque magic on Hoffmann; he will listen to Handel...



Hoffmann, Handel, Hoffmann, Handel, Hoffmann, Handel....

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and this morning for me

Handel: Faramondo
Max Emanuel Cencic (Faramondo), Philippe Jaroussky (Adolfo), Sophie Karthäuser (Clotilde), Marina de Liso (Rosimonda), Xavier Sabata (Gernando), Terry Wey (Childerico), In-Sung Sin (Gustavo), Fulvio Bettini (Teobaldo)
Choeur de la Radio Suisse, Lugano & I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis 2008

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

I've had this lingering in my Unlistened to Pile for a couple of months - the older live recordings I own didn't do the opera any favors, so I have been ambivalent about listening to it. Nothing like a good studio recording to renew one's faith in Rossini!


Attachment 7857

Not to mention Ruggero Raimondi, even in a slightly manky beard and wig.

This has also been sitting in my unlistened to pile, now holding the record for the longest time at four months and eight days. I am still waiting for the image of Planet of the Apes to clear from my mind.

This has been in my ULP for ages as well. Remedied that this morning and it is FAB-U-LOUS and great marching music too!!!

[Clayton]

I'm pretty diappointed with myself that the spell I tried to cast didn't work so I went to consult with someone who might be able to help

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 2007

[Clayton]

Whilst the wife is in London for lunch, I invited five titans to the house to let rip and go crazy.

Giuseppe Verdi: Ernani
Anita Cerquetti (Elvira), Mario Del Monaco (Ernani), Ettore Bastianini (Don Carlo), Boris Christoff (Silva), Luciana Boni (Giovanna), Athos Cesarini (Don Riccardo), Aurelian Neagu (Jago)
Chorus and Orchestra of Maggio musicale fiorentino
Dimitri Mitropoulos
Live performance, Florence, 25 June 1957



Sound is okay, it is a live recording from 1957 (mastering by Rich Lamb and AT Michael MacDonald, AlgoRythms NYC) but fine to experience the magnificence of these singers

[Adrian]

On L.P.
Thomas : Hamlet on Decca (no longer available (perhaps eBay )
Joan Sutherland and Sherrill Milnes.

Mine is also singed (on the libretto )

[Clayton]

Another magnificent performance of an opera that is really very exciting, more so with VOLUME!

Verdi: Don Carlo
Carlo Bergonzi (Don Carlo), Renata Tebaldi (Elisabetta), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Filippo II), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Rodrigo), Grace Bumbry (Eboli), Martti Talvela (Il Grande Inquisitore)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Georg Solti
Studio recording, 1965

[Adrian]

Another magnificent performance of an opera that is really very exciting, more so with VOLUME!

Verdi: Don Carlo
Carlo Bergonzi (Don Carlo), Renata Tebaldi (Elisabetta), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Filippo II), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Rodrigo), Grace Bumbry (Eboli), Martti Talvela (Il Grande Inquisitore)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Georg Solti
Studio recording, 1965

For me this is Bergonzi at his very, very best.

[Clayton]

Part three took me to another Decca Legendary recordings series. Has anyone got the Decca Legendary recordings box set? I am very tempted...

I can only remember the record labels of Decca and Deutsche Gramophone in the opera section of Tower Records Piccadilly from twenty-odd years ago. They were the monuments of recordings in those days but now I don't think they are the standard bearer anymore. For good or bad, times change.

I am feeling a little melancholy, which maybe after reading some more of The Gramophone magazines kindly donated to me a couple of months ago. They are very interesting reading and despite my reading difficulties, these are attractive enough to keep my attention.

I am still looking at the May 1965 issue which has the review of the Schippers Il Trovatore recording for which a small excerpt reads:

[Schippers] gets good performances... but has neither the drive of Karajan nor the classical "wrist" of Serafin...
There is some good singing accompaniment, as in Azucena's account...
...the most recalcitrant is Franco Corelli. He has the stamina and the right approach for Manrico, but he has not been on stage for many minutes before his vagueness about note values and the immutable shape of a phrase begins to obstrude...

It reads as quite negative to start with, though now I understand it as a different writing style. Actually the writing was quite different to the modern style being articulate and passionate and for me, much easier to read.

I've gone way off course

my last listen

Verdi: Simon Boccanegra
Piero Cappuccilli (Boccanegra), Mirella Freni (Amelia/Maria), José van Dam (Paolo), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Jacopo Fiesco), José Carreras (Gabriele)
La Scala Chorus & Orchestra, Claudio Abbado 1977

[Clayton]

Inspired by the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World...

Rimsky Korsakov: The Tsar's Bride
Galina Vishnevskaya (Marfa), Yevgeny Nesterenko (Vasily Stepanovich Sobakin), Irina Arkhipova (Lyubasha), Vladimir Atlantov (Ivan Sergeyevich Lykov)
Choir and Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, Fuat Mansurow
1973



Another superlative recording from the Melodiya catalogue, which holds much treasure from the Soviet era state sponsored arts; here presented with brilliant remastered sound. Hear the stunning voice of Galina Vishnevskaya amongst the rest of the stellar cast

[Hoffmann]

For today's walk, an old favorite I hadn't listened to in a while. Maria Callas never fails in this, her signature role (this is the 1954 recording):






A really beautiful day here in Washington, btw - temps in the high 70s/ca. 25C this morning with reduced (but not really very low) humidity. Anyway, for this time of year, I'll take it!

[Florestan]

Currently listening to this. Think I like the French version better though.

[Florestan]

Up next,

[Clayton]

Tchaikovsky: Oprichnik
Alexei Korolyov (Prince Zhemchuzhny), Natalya Rozhdestvenskaya (Natalia), Vsevolod Tyutyunnik (Molchan Mitkov), Lyudmila Ivanovna Legostayeva (Boyarina Morozova), Boris Tarkhov (Andrei Morozov), Zara Dolukhanova (Basmanov), Konstantin Polyaev (Prince Vyazminsky), Antonina Kleschtschova (Zakharyevna)
Moscow Radio Choir and Orchestra
Aleksandr Ivanovich Orlov
Melodiya studio recording 1948
Pristine Remaster Andrew Rose 2014



This is a wonderful opera; I don't understand why the composer was so unhappy with it. This recording made in 1948 is remarkable good sound, apparently the Russians making good first use of new magnetic tape technology from Germany. The sound is absolutely wonderful especially so heard through the headphones where we can hear the voices of the marvellous cast so clearly.

[Clayton]

Okay, CCBO* highly awaited** weekly news event...

The postman delivered today, and boy was he surprised when I gave him a big hug***

Terradellas: Sesostri
Sunhae Im (Sesostri), Alexandrina Pendatchanska (Nitocri), Kenneth Tarver (Amasi), Ditte Andersen (Artenice), Rafaella Milanesi (Orgonte) & Tom Randle (Fanete)
Real Compañía Opera de Cámara, Juan Bautista Otero
L’Auditori, Barcelona December 2010



In a word: a big fat yes (I was never any good at counting)

I won't lie (I should stop using that nonsensical phrase), it is not on the scale of his Artaserse even though this was his swan song and sometimes described as his masterpiece. I would suggest, however, anyone who likes his Artaserse to go and get this straight away. It is still the very beautiful belcanto opera with the elegant, romantic and melodious composition of an outstanding composer of this era with the rythmic harmonies that are so pleasing that I am left totally astounded as to why these compositions are not more widely known.

What is constant is the quality of the performance in this recording. Sunhae Im again is here, this time in the title role (four arias, a cavatina and a terzetto) and otherwise an excellent cast.

Again very good sound and this time the booklet contains the libretto in English (though again, I don't give a monkeys that Artaserse doesn't; it's like offering caviar and apologizing for the blinis not being of organic wheat).

Back to point, yes, I love this too. There are some passages that will leave you thinking Dear Lord, what the @#&& just happened there?! Highly recommended.

*Claytons Choice of Baroque Opera
**The exact number of people waiting for these reports is disputed but is estimated to lie roughly between zero and zero persons
***These events are entirely fictional and any resemblance to any real life persons is entirely coincidental (we sincerely hope)

[Amfortas]

Sounds good.

This Terradellas guy . . . where's he from again?