Nice, good news, my friend!Originally Posted by Ann Lander (sospiro)
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
Natalie
"Ah,non credea mirarti si presto estinto, o fiore." --Bellini, La Sonnambula (also written on his tomb).
I'm always amazed at the way Britten and Crozier managed to turn the quintessential French Catholic story Le rosier de Madame Husson and make completely small town CofE English, keeping the fun all the way through. I was cheering Albert at the end!
My favourite line, as the church committee is desperately trying to find a virginal candidate for "Queen of the May":
"Country virgins, if there be such,
Think too little and see too much."
I also like Albert's explanation for his night on the town:
"You squashed me down and reined me in,
Did up my instincts with safety pins,
Kept me wrapped in cotton wool,
Measured my life by a twelve-inch rule...
Protected me with such devotion
My only way out was a wild explosion!"
Natalie
"Ah,non credea mirarti si presto estinto, o fiore." --Bellini, La Sonnambula (also written on his tomb).
What did you think of it?
Love it! I need to get to know it better but the video with English subtitles I think has been taken down. Watched it once and it is wonderful. More watches would make the CD really come alive. I doubt there is any commercial DVD release of it either.
"Ah,non credea mirarti si presto estinto, o fiore." --Bellini, La Sonnambula (also written on his tomb).
Second half
I'm kind of a piker around all you guys with numerous Fidelio recordings. I'm a little embarrassed to admit this is only my second. I have to say that it runs circles around the Met CD set I have with Nilsson and Vickers and also makes me wonder what made Beethoven so unhappy about his only opera.
This recording really brings Fidelio to life! It also makes me wonder about those critics who forever gripe about Bernstein's conducting - what's up with that?
Ahhhh. This is wonderful. A mezzo lovers dream set. Three disks. This may be the only recording of this opera that does not have a counter tenor, so in that regard it is extra special to me.
"Ah,non credea mirarti si presto estinto, o fiore." --Bellini, La Sonnambula (also written on his tomb).
Natalie
It's such a shame there's no DVD.
I don't know if the CD you've got has a libretto but this one has.
^ Mine does have a libretto but not in English. However, I got it for a great bargain. I could get that one for a reasonable cost, but not sure I need two sets. I do remember the gist and can always look up the synopsis. Best way for me to get deeper in is DVD with subtitles.
Meanwhile, this:
"Ah,non credea mirarti si presto estinto, o fiore." --Bellini, La Sonnambula (also written on his tomb).
Of all the opera in English, this IMO is one of the best, and I have quite a lot of them to compare.
"Ah,non credea mirarti si presto estinto, o fiore." --Bellini, La Sonnambula (also written on his tomb).
This opera is the very definition of sublime.
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