What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Florestan]

[Bertie Wooster]

I'm listening to this on Naxos Music Library as I prepare for finals week.
I love Dvorak.

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

I'm listening to this on Naxos Music Library as I prepare for finals week.
I love Dvorak.

Oh wow, this one I don't know.

[Hoffmann]

I confess I don't find Les Troyens particularly compelling listening, especially while walking when I sometimes need a little inspiration. I think it's one of those operas one needs to see to enjoy how rich it is.


Then, in the evening, for an out of town guest - who isn't an opera lover - but this was playing when he arrived and, since he didn't complain, I left it playing:





This is not my preferred Lucia, but hadn't listened to it in ages. Interestingly, my guest, at one point, looked sort of surprised and said "you know, that's actually pretty good!"

[Hoffmann]

Yesterday's walk: I had the very good company of Marilyn Horne, Samuel Ramey, Kathleen Battle, et al. in





Today's walk, I went with a Verdi I haven't listened to in a while. Once again, Samuel Ramey was the best of company:






Then, while waiting for the ballgame to start:

[Soave_Fanciulla]

[Clayton]

like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like,

[Hoffmann]

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Like like like etc

[Festat]

After I exhausted all remaining Alcinas (Christie-Fleming-Graham, Leitner-Sutherland-Wunderlich, Bonynge-Sutherland-Berganza) I thought I should get out of Baroque at least a little...

[Soave_Fanciulla]

After I exhausted all remaining Alcinas (Christie-Fleming-Graham, Leitner-Sutherland-Wunderlich, Bonynge-Sutherland-Berganza) I thought I should get out of Baroque at least a little...

I just bought this (yes, kill me, I should have bought it years ago, but the Baroque sucks up all my money. Do you KNOW how many operas Handel and Vivaldi wrote between them? And people keep recording new composers!)

[Festat]

the Baroque sucks up all my money. Do you KNOW how many operas Handel and Vivaldi wrote between them? And people keep recording new composers!)

"This month I'm going to finally get this Ring, and that Troyens blu-ray and this new opera so I keep up with contemporary stu-- OMG WHAT IS THIS?? A HANDEL OPERA I ALREADY HAVE SIX RECORDINGS OF???? OBSCURE RENAISSANCE COMPOSER COMPLETE SACRED MUSIC 12 CD SET????? SOME MIDDLE AGE NUN WHO WROTE SOME MUSIC NOBODY KNOWS HOW TO READ CORRECTLY?????? YASSS I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW WAGNER CAN WAIT"

Accurate transcription os my thought process while browsing Amazon.

[Clayton]

oh, we are all so similar here...

[Clayton]

amongst the usual suspects, one that called me to take it out of the tea cabinet was



Vogel, J C: La Toison d’or
Marie Kalinine, Médée (mezzo-soprano), Jean-Sébastien Bou, Jason (baritone), Judith Van Wanroij, Hipsiphile (soprano), Jennifer Borghi, La Sybille (soprano), Hrachuhi Bassenz, Calciope (soprano) & Martin Nyvall, Arcas (tenor)
Le Concert Spirituel & Chor des Staatstheater Nürnberg, Hervé Niquet

It's another composer that died young (and in this case drunk). What a waste, I wonder what could have been with a sober application. I suppose it could have been worse. This is a good opera very much of it's period (late eighteenth) with dramatic and beautiful moments but maybe I like it more beacause of this production, particularily I like the voices of Bou and Wanroij. I think someone, somewhere mentioned Bou not having enough to perform in the theatre for a particular role but his voice works very well on a recording.

One of the cats liked this but that cat is no longer with us. I think it went to that special farm where all the animals play happily ever after.

[Clayton]

another less frequent show from the tea cabinet



Campra: Tancrède
Benoît Arnould (Tancrède), Isabelle Druet (Clorinde), Chantal Santon (Herminie), Alain Buet (Argant) & Éric Martin-Bonnet (Isménor)
Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles & Orchestre Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli

A wonderful, romantic work from a French baroque master; I should be listening to this more often.