What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Clayton]

Schubert: Alfonso und Estrella, D732
Edith Mathis, Hermann Prey, Peter Schreier, Dietrich Fischer‐Dieskau, Eberhard Büchner & Theo Adam
Rundfunkchor Berlin & Staatskapelle Berlin, Otmar Suitner
Recorded 1978 Christuskirche, Berlin



This is lovely, beautiful Schubert melody and singing, despite the fact I was flying blind. I only noticed there was a libretto after I finished listening to the opera.

*Note to recording company
For online libretto availability, please print this at the start of the insert/booklet and not on the back page adjacent to advertising of other records available, especially when you have more than one libretto website.
Thank you

[Nekrotzar]

Schubert: Alfonso und Estrella, D732
Edith Mathis, Hermann Prey, Peter Schreier, Dietrich Fischer‐Dieskau, Eberhard Büchner & Theo Adam
Rundfunkchor Berlin & Staatskapelle Berlin, Otmar Suitner
Recorded 1978 Christuskirche, Berlin



This is lovely, beautiful Schubert melody and singing, despite the fact I was flying blind. I only noticed there was a libretto after I finished listening to the opera.

*Note to recording company
For online libretto availability, please print this at the start of the insert/booklet and not on the back page adjacent to advertising of other records available, especially when you have more than one libretto website.
Thank you

I've been curious about Schubert's operas....is this a good one to start with? Why are they (and Haydn's operas too) performed so rarely?

[Clayton]

I've been curious about Schubert's operas....is this a good one to start with? Why are they (and Haydn's operas too) performed so rarely?

Bernd Crispin writes a brief introductory essay in the insert which talks about a intent to depart from the contemporary opera by Schubert and his librettist, Franz von Schober, and also a reluctance of the company to try something different other than the established names like Rossini (so almost two hundred years later, not much change).

So for this particular opera, interest was little and Schubert proceeded to write the opera without a commission. Webers' Euryanthe did not go down well at all and so any interest was completely lost.

Perhaps it is a case of wrong time and wrong place. I missed the dramatical aspect of this opera as I said I did not have a libretto to hand but the music is certainly worthwhile listening to, especially if you like Schubert's songs.

[Florestan]

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Janacek: Jenufa
Elisabeth Söderström (Jenufa), Wieslav Ochman (Laca), Eva Randová (Kostelnicka), Petr Dvorsky (Steva), Lucia Popp (Karolka), Marie Mrázová (Stařenka Buryjovka), Václav Zitek (Mill Foreman), Dalibor Jedlicka (Mayor), Ivana Mixová (Mayor's Wife), Vera Soukupová (Herdswoman), Jindra Pokorná (Barena), Jana Jonásová (Jano)
Wiener Philharmoniker & Wiener Staatsopernchor, Sir Charles Mackerras
Recorded: Sofiensaal, Vienna, April 1982

Attachment 8168

Intense and dark colours, flavoured with beautiful melodies inspired by Slavonic folk music.

This was my homework CD before I went to see it. Wonderful recording.

[Clayton]

Cavalli: Il Giasone
Michael Chance, Harry Van Der Kamp, Michael Schopper, Catherine Dubosc, Bernard Deletré, Agnès Mellon, Gloria Banditelli, Dominique Visse, Guy De Mey, Gian Paolo Fagotto
Concerto Vocale, René Jacobs
1988

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I've been curious about Schubert's operas....is this a good one to start with? Why are they (and Haydn's operas too) performed so rarely?

Fierrabras



or:

[Clayton]

Someone, somewhere mentioned Alessandrini

I love the work of Alessandrini and Concerto Italiano, especially where it comes to Monteverdi

Monteverdi: L'Orfeo
Monica Piccinini, Anna Simboli (soprano), Sara Mingardo (contralto), Furio Zanasi, Luca Dordoli (tenor) & Sergio Foresti, Antonio Abete (bass)
Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini
Recorded February 2007 Accademia di Santa Cecilia



I've given up trying to decide what my favourite recording is but this is definitely a contender; the finest interpreters and the finest sound, in a beautifully presented book with interesting essays and pictures

[Nekrotzar]

PARSIFAAAAALLLLLL

Which needs more points in the Wagner Game (Almaviva!)

[Hoffmann]

I went with something much less bold, but with a terrific cast, for my walk this morning:





However, it's not all that long, so I was still 4 miles from home when it ended. What next, I thought? I went with another rarity that has some extraordinary singing:






The one caveat is that the role of Prince Charming, which was written as a trouser role is sung by the great tenor Nicolai Gedda. When Cendrillon was staged by WNO (in the early 1980s, if I remember correctly), the prince was sung to great effect by Tatiana Troyanos.

[Florestan]

I bought this one for von Stade, but just didn't like the music, much prefering La Cenerentola by Rossini and von Stade in the Abbado Cenerentola DVD.

[Hoffmann]

I bought this one for von Stade, but just didn't like the music, much prefering La Cenerentola by Rossini and von Stade in the Abbado Cenerentola DVD.

It might be one of those operas one needs to see. Von Stade is wonderful in this. When I saw it, I thought it was sheer magic. Go figure.

[Florestan]

It might be one of those operas one needs to see. Von Stade is wonderful in this. When I saw it, I thought it was sheer magic. Go figure.

Ah yes, I saw you tube clips of her in this and she is wonderful.

[Clayton]

Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Kristina Hammarström (Cesare), Emanuela Galli (Cleopatra), Mary-Ellen Nesi (Sesto), Irini Karaianni (Cornelia), Romina Basso (Tolomeo), Tassis Christoyannis (Achilla), Petros Magoulas (Curio), Nikos Spanatis (Nireno)
Orchestra of the Patras (period instruments), George Petrou
2006



Like L'Orfeo, Giulio Cesare is also an opera where the preference of one recording over the other is gradually diminishing

Petrou, Minkowski, Curtis, Christie (Glyndebourne), maybe slightly less the Jacobs, I like them all. The interpretations may differ but they all work and of course all these are excellent recordings.

[MAuer]

The one caveat is that the role of Prince Charming, which was written as a trouser role is sung by the great tenor Nicolai Gedda. When Cendrillon was staged by WNO (in the early 1980s, if I remember correctly), the prince was sung to great effect by Tatiana Troyanos.

Naturally, this is the recording of Cendrillon that's on my ever-expanding "to buy" list.