What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Soave_Fanciulla]

No comments? I have this CD and find it incredibly beautiful. One of the best operas out there.

eerm... No baritones

[Clayton]

Someone, somewhere was talking about Wagner or Der Ring des Nibelungen and that set me off...





I do have many ring cycles and I like them all. However, as is often the case, I come back frequently to this, the first recording I heard.

[Clayton]

Then because thirteen-plus hours of Wagner is never quite enough, followed up with a double dose of

[Clayton]

Then back to home territory



Handel: Orlando
Bejun Mehta (Orlando), Sophie Karthäuser (Angelica), Kristina Hammarström (Medoro), Sunhae Im (Dorinda), Konstantin Wolff (Zoroastro)
B'Rock Orchestra
René Jacobs
Recorded Bruges Concertgebouw 2013

A very good production, not least because of the lovely Dorinda

[Clayton]

and Sunhae held my hand as we went together to Persia

Terradellas: Artaserse
Anna Maria Panzarella (Artaserse), Céline Ricci (Arbace), Marina Comparato (Mandane), Sunhae Im (Semira), Augustin Prunell-Friend (Artabano) & Mariví Blasco (Megabise)
La Real Compañía Ópera de Cámara, Juan Bautista Otero
Palau de la Músic Catalana, Barcelona June 2008

[Hoffmann]

Wow! A busy couple of days for Clayton!

How does the Böhm Meistersinger compare with the Kubelik?


For me, I got carried away with walking a new route longer than I thought, so 11 miles today, accompanied by an old Hoffmann fave:





Yesterday, I really had to force myself to get out and walk, so relied on this sturdy walking companion:

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Is this Rameau's best opera? This cast certainly makes a case for it.

[Clayton]

...How does the Böhm Meistersinger compare with the Kubelik?...

It's lighter, faster and gaier. The characters are also generally less depth all round. I'm saying this thinking this is not necessarily a negative aspect, I do like the production very much. The voices of this cast all are very beautiful and it is good sound. I'm guessing that if the prices for Orfeo were not so high, this recording would be more popular.

- - - Updated - - -

Is this Rameau's best opera? This cast certainly makes a case for it.

I like it so much (the opera, I don't have that recording... YET), my playlist has just be altered.

[Hoffmann]

It's lighter, faster and gaier. The characters are also generally less depth all round. I'm saying this thinking this is not necessarily a negative aspect, I do like the production very much. The voices of this cast all are very beautiful and it is good sound. I'm guessing that if the prices for Orfeo were not so high, this recording would be more popular.

It does look interesting. I am intrigued by what Gwyneth Jones sounded like before her vocal troubles - the famous wobble - took over. She sang Leonore in Fidelio when Vienna toured here in DC in 1979. It is hard for me to recall what she sounded like outside of rehearsal, since I was a super in the production.

I remember her as very nice to the supers and very happy to do autographs. Forgive me if I've told this story before, it's brief - I'm sure I have, but maybe someone out there hasn't read it yet.

I have a strong memory of one aspect of the Vienna rehearsals, however, as Fidelio was the opening night performance for the tour, Bernstein was in the pit and Jones was very frustrated by certain elements of the conducting: she kept stopping the action and would then stand and look at the pit and say "Lenny! I told you..." Although I don't recall the nature of her complaints, I stood there mesmerized while the two of them would go back and forth. I also recall that during the dress rehearsal, Jones sang the "Abscheulicher!" in barely a whisper to preserve her voice, which was an issue even in 1979.

[Clayton]

I love it, another one of Hoffmann's tales and a real gem of one too (well, they're all gems actually)!

I've been here for almost 3 years and haven't heard that one yet; well to be honest I don't mind re-reading the ones you've already told too. Please keep 'em coming.

[Hoffmann]

For today's walk, something completely different, something I had only listened to once or twice:





Violanta has some lovely moments, with the lush orchestration typical of Korngold. This opera probably needs a good production to ensure appreciation, however, as the music is not particularly interesting on its own. The cast on this set is excellent, and the singing superb, with the cast singing strongly to emphasize the drama.

However, the opera is fairly short - not even 5 miles worth.

So, for my follow up, I went back to Baroque:

[Florestan]

This one arrived today and blew me away on my first listen.
I never knew what a wonderful voice Marilyn Horne had.

[Florestan]

Listening to a new acquisition - a well-reviewed (Fanfare Magazine) of the famous Beverly Sills - Marilyn Horne production of Rossini's L'Assedio Di Corinto . This is the role that made Sills famous and put her on the front page of the New York Times and Time magazine. According to Fanfare, Legato Classics somehow got hold of the original tape(s).

Attachment 6922

It is a much clearer, far improved recording of the same performance over the one I already had:

Attachment 6923

The bad news is that it seems the Legato Classics CD set also is out of print, i.e., not available new. My copy is skipping all over the place, but gives a much better sense why the performance is so famous.

Back to the drawing board.

There are several covers of that second one, all Opera D'Oro. I'll have to look for the legato edition to come in at lower prices. All are used over $20 each. Also there is another L'Assedio Di Corinto with Sills that may have good sound quality but no Horne (and also expensive used >$25):


EDIT: Wow, after much searching online, I tried a different search and just found the Legato edition for $6.95 used in good condition. Bought it. Now I have two copies. But this performance is so good that I really must hear the better sounding one.

[Clayton]

I obviously hadn't had enough of Wagner last weekend as I came back to



Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Albert Dohmen (Hans Sachs), Robert Dean Smith (Walther von Stolzing), Edith Haller (Eva), Dietrich Henschel (Sixtus Beckmesser), Peter Sonn (David), Michelle Breedt (Magdalene), Georg Zeppenfeld (Veit Pogner), Matti Salminen (Night Watchman), Tuomas Pursio (Fritz Kothner), Michael Smallwood (Kunz Vogelsang), Sebastian Noack (Konrad Nachtigall), Jörg Schörner (Balthasar Zorn)
Rundfunkchor Berlin & Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Marek Janowski

Yes I like this one, a lively and spritely interpretation with a good cast all round and I like Eva, that is a beautiful character without too much complexity and quite pure.

[Clayton]

then, as to balance with something dark, heavy and gooey