What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Clayton]

no nudity involved with the production of this opera dvd...

[Florestan]

no nudity involved with the production of this opera dvd...

thanks. I will look further into it. A clip at PrestoClassical suggests that Penelope is a very beefy woman. I suppose that could be positive as she would have a lot of weight (weight = power ?) behind her voice. Do you know of any you tube clips of this one besides the little snippet at Presto?

[Povero Buoso]

Recently I took a walk and listened in full to La Traviata (as I have criticized and compared it somewhat unfavorably to other operas recently)

I confess I love La Traviata it is brilliant... and yet I fear Don Carlos may have overtaken it overall for me! (putting Trav in 5th place after it, Un Ballo, Il Trovatore and Rigoletto [which can never be undone from first place!!!!!}). It definitely has one of Verdi's best death scenes in 'O Carlo Ascolta' and i love the Auto da fe scene beyond words (infinitely greater than Aida's procession scene!). This is not to say i do not adore Traviata (I do!) but Don Carlos is immaculately put together. * Hence why i listened to it yet again!


*I'm also adding the Solti version is currently my preferred version in part because i feel the lighter baritone of Dieskau fits Posa better. I know he is not a traditional Verdi baritone and i know that other Verdi baritones style it differently (and most often with an earthier tone) but Dieskaus lighter tone more sincerely fits the character of Posa really really well!!!!(but if anyone can link an immaculate french version with English subtitles i am well prepared to change my mind!!!!)

[Dichteurehalle]

I confess I love La Traviata it is brilliant... and yet I fear Don Carlos may have overtaken it overall for me! (putting Trav in 5th palace after it, Un Ballo, Il Trovatore and Rigoletto [which can never be undone from first place!!!!!}). It definitely has one of Verdi's best death scenes in 'O Carlo Ascolta' and i love the Auto da fe scene beyond words (infinitely greater than Aida's procession scene!). This is not to say i do not adore Traviata (I do!) but Don Carlos is immaculately put together. * Hence why i listened to it yet again!


*I'm also adding the Solti version is currently my preferred version part because i feel the lighter baritone of Dieskau fits Posa better. I know he is not a traditional Verdi baritone and i know that other Verdi baritones style it differently (and most often with an earthier tone) but Dieskaus lighter tone more sincerely fits the character of Posa really really well!!!!(but if anyone can link an immaculate french version with English subtitles i am well prepared to change my mind!!!!)

Oh YES, let's talk about Don Carlo! I adore the first act love duet "Di qual amor" with Elisabeth and Carlo pledging themselves to each other for eternity, as the cannon shots signal the signing of the treaty; the end of the second act confrontation between Posa and Filippo, especially "Oso lo sguardo"; in the third act when Posa and Carlo briefly discuss how Posa has become close to the king ("A te! All'intimo del Re!/Sospetti tu di me?"); and yeah, "Per me giunto"/"O Carlo Ascolta" and the auto-da-fe are amazing. I could go on for days, Don Carlo is nothing less than a continuous string of hits.

And the Solti is also my favorite version too! As for DFD's Posa - it sounds to me like he's pushing in certain sections to sound like/phrase like a traditional Verdi baritone, and it doesn't always work for me. Also, I sat next to a very nice Canadian tenor at Cyrano last weekend and his view of DFD's Posa was that each word is given a different color, which he found to be a bit much. Though certainly DFD's is a nice Posa and there is great beauty in a more lyric Posa; I can highly recommend Peter Mattei's, which you can find on the Hold-Garrido live recording IIRC, they include the part of the fourth act that's been reused in the Requiem.

What do you think of the Abbado Don Carlos? I've thought about trying to insert the appendices back into their pre-cut places, but I imagine the effect is a little jarring, and haven't done it, yet.

[Hoffmann]

Recently I took a walk and listened in full to La Traviata (as I have criticized and compared it somewhat unfavorably to other operas recently)

I confess I love La Traviata it is brilliant... and yet I fear Don Carlos may have overtaken it overall for me! (putting Trav in 5th place after it, Un Ballo, Il Trovatore and Rigoletto [which can never be undone from first place!!!!!}). It definitely has one of Verdi's best death scenes in 'O Carlo Ascolta' and i love the Auto da fe scene beyond words (infinitely greater than Aida's procession scene!). This is not to say i do not adore Traviata (I do!) but Don Carlos is immaculately put together. * Hence why i listened to it yet again!


*I'm also adding the Solti version is currently my preferred version in part because i feel the lighter baritone of Dieskau fits Posa better. I know he is not a traditional Verdi baritone and i know that other Verdi baritones style it differently (and most often with an earthier tone) but Dieskaus lighter tone more sincerely fits the character of Posa really really well!!!!(but if anyone can link an immaculate french version with English subtitles i am well prepared to change my mind!!!!)

Walks with opera are a good thing! I hope you like it enough to continue so that it will be you, me and Annie doing opera walks.

The Solti also is my favorite, and I actually like DFD (my only complaint is that he tended to be a little ubiquitous on 70s era recordings, but I always enjoy his singing). When I started maintaining my opera library in iTunes, I had to start from scratch because I didn't have an operating turntable or the ability to convert LPs to digital. I had to have a Don Carlo, so bought the Giulini with Domingo/Caballe/Milnes/Verrett/Raimondi. It's an ok recording and I lived with it - but then one day I was rooting around in my basement for something and found a box with all of my old CDs, including the Solti Don Carlo, which is considerably more satisfying.

I haven't listened to the Giulini in a while, but I think my main complaint is Raimondi seems to have a much lighter voice as Philip II than Solti's Nicolai Ghiaurov. Ghiaurov's "Ella giammai m'amò" stops me dead in my tracks.

[Hoffmann]

Today's walk:




I enjoyed Giovanna and thought I heard hints of melodies similar to some I remember in Attila. So, when Giovanna was done:

[Povero Buoso]

Ghiaurov's "Ella giammai m'amò" stops me dead in my tracks.

Ghiaurov is always great and his voice is quite distinctive as well. Definitely my favourite Bass artist and that Ella giammai m'amo is amazing. Its my third favourite aria in Don Carlos after O Carlo Ascolta and the monks opening aria at the start of act 2.

[Florestan]

[Soave_Fanciulla]

What do you think of the Abbado Don Carlos? I've thought about trying to insert the appendices back into their pre-cut places, but I imagine the effect is a little jarring, and haven't done it, yet.

Did that on my MP3 player. I quite liked it, but it is perhaps unexpected

[Sonata]

Gianni Schicci

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I'm on my third installment of Britten conducted by Britten, and my, you can hear every orchestral detail in this evocative and exciting score. This performance should be renamed Edward Fairfax Vere as it is dominated by an anguished Peter Pears; Peter Glossop very honest and straightforward as Billy Budd but perhaps less individual than Keenlyside in my other favourite recording, and Michael Langdon pure evil as Claggart. A reference performance.

[Dichteurehalle]

Did that on my MP3 player. I quite liked it, but it is perhaps unexpected

Oh interesting, will you check my work please?

Appendix 1 at the beginning, before "Le cerf s'enfuit"
Appendix 2 (this one gave me a ton of trouble, since the music is very familiar, but I couldn't find it in a quick search of the Solti version. Based on the "Pour une nuit me voila Reine" I'm guessing it has to go here, but why on earth is it so familiar?) and Appendix 3 between the instrumental prelude that opens Act 3 and "A minuit, aux jardins de la Reine"
Appendix 4 between "Pitie! Pardon pour la femme coupable!" and "Ah, je ne verrai plus la Reine"
Appendix 5 replaces the 3:42 "Mon fils, reprenez votre epee"
Appendix 6 replaces the 1:34 "Oui, pour toujours!"

[Sonata]

A delectable French Baroque treat. My first listen and I think it's my favorite Ramea Opera so far

[Florestan]

^ Am listening to clips now. I don't have any Rameau. I see he has a lot of operas that I should check out before settling on a first Rameau opera.

[Clayton]

I'm not familiar with this piece but it's in the shopping basket now!