What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Povero Buoso]

Got an essay back (high 2;1 that was 70% of a module) and had a presentation for 30% of another module hence rewarded myself with a listen of this.
.


I like rewarding myself

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Got an essay back (high 2;1 that was 70% of a module) and had a presentation for 30% of another module hence rewarded myself with a listen of this.
.


I like rewarding myself

Well done!

I didn't do anything at all but I rewarded myself anyway.

[Clayton]

[Clayton]

all this Maria Stuarda from Florestan and of course I need to listen to it myself

and of course I get distracted at the tea cabinet

and went for a different Maria



Donizetti: Maria di Rohan
Krassimira Stoyanova (Maria di Rohan), José Bros (Riccardo), Christopher Purves (Enrico), Brindley Sherratt, Loïc Félix (Armando di Gondì), Graeme Broadbent (Il Visconte di Suze), Christopher Turner (Aubry), Riccardo Simonetti (Un Familiare di Chevreuse); Enkelejda Shkosa (mezzo - appendix arias)
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Sir Mark Elder

[Clayton]

I got distracted again

wha was I talkin' 'bout?

Oh yes, what I have been listening to lately...

I think I was more in a Rohan mood this morning than a Stuarda mood. Well that in turned put me in a Katya mood, so following morning listening



Janacek: Káta Kabanová
Elisabeth Söderström (Katya), Peter Dvorsky (Boris), Nedezda Kniplová (Kabanicha), Vladimir Krejcik (Tichon), Libuse Márová (Varvara), Dalibor Jedlicka (Dikov), Jaroslav Soucek (Kuligin), Jitka Pavlová (Glasha), Gertrude Jahn (Feklusha)
Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Charles Mackerras

[Clayton]

Then because I can only stay away from baroque for so long, I decided on Handel, Orlando but which one?

This one has the benefit of a lovely Dorinda...



Handel: Orlando
Bejun Mehta (Orlando), Sophie Karthäuser (Angelica), Kristina Hammarström (Medoro), Sunhae Im (Dorinda), Konstantin Wolff (Zoroastro)
B'Rock Orchestra, René Jacobs

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

all this Maria Stuarda from Florestan and of course I need to listen to it myself

and of course I get distracted at the tea cabinet

and went for a different Maria



Donizetti: Maria di Rohan
Krassimira Stoyanova (Maria di Rohan), José Bros (Riccardo), Christopher Purves (Enrico), Brindley Sherratt, Loïc Félix (Armando di Gondì), Graeme Broadbent (Il Visconte di Suze), Christopher Turner (Aubry), Riccardo Simonetti (Un Familiare di Chevreuse); Enkelejda Shkosa (mezzo - appendix arias)
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Sir Mark Elder

Interesting. How big a role is Enrico and also Il Visconte di Suze? Are the roles big enough to satisfy my bass and baritone addiction?

PS Does it include a libretto?

[Clayton]

This is a good recording, but... I just don't really get Schumann. I'm glad the library bought it rather than me!

I'm interested in hearing this

[Clayton]

Interesting. How big a role is Enrico and also Il Visconte di Suze? Are the roles big enough to satisfy my bass and baritone addiction?

PS Does it include a libretto?

Well that's a big requirement!

Actually it's quite a small piece, even by Donizetti, barely an 90 mins and is more the Conte and Maria. Enrico has just one aria and the Visconte is a small part.
I do think it is a lovely opera with beautiful melodies of his later works and as most, this is a very good production by Opera Rara which comes with book including full libretto, synopsis, essays, history of productions and (for clayton) pictures.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I'm interested in hearing this

Well the recording itself is excellent, and it's very melodic (if dramatically a bit saccharine). It's just that it goes in one ear and out the other with me.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Well that's a big requirement!

Actually it's quite a small piece, even by Donizetti, barely an 90 mins and is more the Conte and Maria. Enrico has just one aria and the Visconte is a small part.
I do think it is a lovely opera with beautiful melodies of his later works and as most, this is a very good production by Opera Rara which comes with book including full libretto, synopsis, essays, history of productions and (for clayton) pictures.

Thanks. I'm certainly tempted.

... and (for clayton) pictures.

[Povero Buoso]

Dipped in and out of this while walking around campus today.



Il Trovatore is an opera I rarely listen to all the way through but it does have a lot of highlights including Di Due Figli near the start which is one of my favourite Verdi bass showpieces.(Below is the great Ghiaurov proving this!)

[Florestan]

[Povero Buoso]

Listened to it a month ago but It's Puccini.....



I have no idea where I rank any of Puccini's opera bar Il trittico (1st place) and Manon Lescaut (8th place) anymore. The rest (La Rondine, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, La Boheme, Turandot and La Fanciulla De West) are constantly fighting out for supremacy over other competitors. The best I can say is that Tosca and La Boheme are in a constant feud (A feud more vicious than an angry Tosca!) for 2nd place while the others vary day by day. I don't know what I'd do without any of them now... *

*Except Manon Lescaut it's nice but probably not the greatest idea to buy an opera on iTunes after several glasses of Gin and soft drink lucky that my itunes still has some of the Christmas present iTunes cards left over (Opera loving student troubles...)

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Listened to it a month ago but It's Puccini.....



I have no idea where I rank any of Puccini's opera bar Il trittico (1st place) and Manon Lescaut (8th place) anymore. The rest (La Rondine, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, La Boheme, Turandot and La Fanciulla De West) are constantly fighting out for supremacy over other competitors. The best I can say is that Tosca and La Boheme are in a constant feud (A feud more vicious than an angry Tosca!) for 2nd place while the others vary day by day. I don't know what I'd do without any of them now... *

*Except Manon Lescaut it's nice but probably not the greatest idea to buy an opera on iTunes after several glasses of Gin and soft drink lucky that my itunes still has some of the Christmas present iTunes cards left over (Opera loving student troubles...)

My "Top Ten" have been evolving constantly for the last 6 years. I'm not even sure that any of the operas that would have been in 6 years ago would still be in there now.