What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Clayton]

Today, years and a terrifying amount of money after, I am so hyperbolic about pretty much everything I last listened to...

[Clayton]

like todays listening, the best cast for the greatest composer's most beautiful opera with the loveliest melodies ever!

ok, I may have stretched that one a bit but it is very good



Vivaldi: La Verità in cimento
Nathalie Stutzmann, Gemma Bertagnoli, Sara Mingardo, Guillemette Laurens, Philippe Jaroussky, Anthony Rolfe Johnson
Ensemble Matheus, Jean-Christophe Spinosi
Recorded September 2002, Eglise de Daoulas, Bretagne

[Florestan]

^ What a gaudy tattoo she has! Or did she accidentally put her hand on a red hot ornate heater grate?

[Hoffmann]

Poured down rain all day so no walking.

Instead, I sat at home and listened to:





This is a replacement for the copy I bought used a year or so ago that was unlistenable. Excellent early opera of Verdi's! Great voices at or near their peak performance.

[Amfortas]

Excellent early opera of Verdi's! Great voices at or near their peak performance.

Good to hear. I still haven't listened to my copy.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

^ What a gaudy tattoo she has! Or did she accidentally put her hand on a red hot ornate heater grate?

I think and hope it's just henna.

[Hoffmann]

Yesterday morning while contemplating my walk:





and then, later, while walking (and started much too late, so after dark when arrived home...):




Sir Georg Solti; Regine Crespin, Yvonne Minton, Helen Donath, Manfred Jungwirth and Luciano Pavarotti as an Italian tenor

[Florestan]

Arrived in today's mail. Beautifully packaged in a clamshell box with
cardboard sleeves for each of the three disks. My 4th Baroque opera.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

WOW yeah baby!



Listen to this lovely slow aria with oboe obbligato and swoon from pleasure:

[Clayton]

ditto on the Pergolesi. Adam, the postman, delivered it day before yesterday so it was my post cricket opera that day. I didn't swoon but it is lovely.

[Florestan]

Going for Baroque! Listening thru my small Baroque collection of opera (Ariodante, Caesar, Ottone, and Tolomeo)

Just finished this one


Just started this one (which I learned of from someone posting it on OperaLively!)

[Hoffmann]

I've had my eye on that Julius Caesar for a while - maybe more for Norman Treigle than La Sills. Treigle was an ensemble member of the late New York City Opera and a legendary Mefistofeles in Boito's opera - and almost everything else he sang.

What do you think of the recording?

[Hoffmann]

An early polar vortex has hit the U.S., so I was hestitating about heading out for a walk yesterday. While I pondered, I cued up this:





After that, from my famous box of operas, I listened to this, which apparently is an operetta (quite pleasant):





Then, at the last minute, I decided I had to get outside and walk after all, so:




I don't even remember the last time I listened to this. Say what you will about Sutherland, and this recording from 1966 is relatively early, she was just unbelievably good. Also features a very early and unbelievably good and pre self-indulgent Pavarotti as well.

[Florestan]

[Florestan]

I've had my eye on that Julius Caesar for a while - maybe more for Norman Treigle than La Sills. Treigle was an ensemble member of the late New York City Opera and a legendary Mefistofeles in Boito's opera - and almost everything else he sang.

What do you think of the recording?

I like it a lot. The sound quality is very good for a older performance. I haven't listened enough or compared it to any other performances of the same so can't give a definitive response. It gets pretty decent ratings on Amazon, 4.3 out of 5 start on 53 reviews. I think that sample size is big enough to lend some weight to the rating vs something with only a few reviews.