What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Soave_Fanciulla]

This is the most enchanting score. If you are not transported to a summer forest in Moravia while listening to this there is something wrong with your ears.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

This is the most enchanting score. If you are not transported to a summer forest in Moravia while listening to this there is something wrong with your ears.

It's brilliant. Been in my ULP for ages and only just got round to listening to it.

[Sonata]

Verdi: La Traviata, conducted by Kleiber.

I didn't intend on listening to another Traviata already, but I kept getting the tunes in my head and I couldn't resist! This has moved to top-flight Verdi for me. Believe it or not, that didn't use to be the case. I'm not sure why...but it was one of the first non-Puccini operas I listened to completely and it still have been something about getting used to the genre. That and the third act of the first recording I bought was just kind of a boring version to me. Even as I fell in love with many other Verdi operas, La Traviata didn't stand out for me. I think it was simply the memory of my first experience. Well no more. This is fantastic!

[Florestan]

[MAuer]

Another recording I hadn’t listened to in a while. Weber’s music is lovely (even if the plot is more far-fetched than usual and the text is occasionally downright silly) and the cast here is first-rate.

[Sonata]

Can't stop listening to Verdi He's already my favorite opera composer but I seem even more hooked than usual.
Right now listening to this Rigoletto with Callas, Gobbi, and Stefano, conducted by Serafin.

[Clayton]

I blame the Cardiff Singer of the world competition for my listening choice...



Verdi: Don Carlo
Five-act version in Italian
Carlo Bergonzi (Don Carlo), Renata Tebaldi (Elisabetta), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Filippo II), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Rodrigo), Grace Bumbry (Eboli), Martti Talvela (Il Grande Inquisitore)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Georg Solti

very exciting competition as always... looking forward to the final round tomorrow

[Clayton]

Grace Bumbry is one of the judges this year...

I blame Cardiff Singer of the world competition for my listening choice



Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Giulio Cesare), Karina Gauvin (Cleopatra), Romina Basso (Cornelia), Emoke Barath (Sesto), Filippo Mineccia (Tolomeo), Johannes Weisser (Achilla), Milena Storti (Nireno), Gianluca Buratto (Curio)
Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis

very exciting competition as always... looking forward to the final round tomorrow




uh oh...

brain short circuit

[Florestan]

Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Giulio Cesare), Karina Gauvin (Cleopatra), Romina Basso (Cornelia), Emoke Barath (Sesto), Filippo Mineccia (Tolomeo), Johannes Weisser (Achilla), Milena Storti (Nireno), Gianluca Buratto (Curio)
Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis

I was checking that one out yesterday, but what need have I of another when I have the Jacobs set, the Chandos English set, and the Rudel set with Sills. But hey, did you know that there is a Giulio Cesare sung in German featuring Lucia Popp as Cleopatra!
This is the one to get: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4V41MH/
Don't get the D'oro set, which is about 1/5th the price, but has terrible sound.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I was checking that one out yesterday, but what need have I of another when I have the Jacobs set, the Chandos English set, and the Rudel set with Sills. But hey, did you know that there is a Giulio Cesare sung in German featuring Lucia Popp as Cleopatra!
This is the one to get: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4V41MH/
Don't get the D'oro set, which is about 1/5th the price, but has terrible sound.

YESBUT the Curtis set is the best....

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

I blame the Cardiff Singer of the world competition for my listening choice...



Verdi: Don Carlo
Five-act version in Italian
Carlo Bergonzi (Don Carlo), Renata Tebaldi (Elisabetta), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Filippo II), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Rodrigo), Grace Bumbry (Eboli), Martti Talvela (Il Grande Inquisitore)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Georg Solti

very exciting competition as always... looking forward to the final round tomorrow

Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar? He was excellent.

[MAuer]

I was checking that one out yesterday, but what need have I of another when I have the Jacobs set, the Chandos English set, and the Rudel set with Sills. But hey, did you know that there is a Giulio Cesare sung in German featuring Lucia Popp as Cleopatra!
This is the one to get: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4V41MH/
Don't get the D'oro set, which is about 1/5th the price, but has terrible sound.

That's one of the drawbacks to Opera d'Oro recordings -- you really take chances where the sound quality is concerned. I have several that are just fine, and a couple of others that are tolerable only because of the outstanding cast.

[Florestan]

YESBUT the Curtis set is the best....

To me, the Curtis set and the Jacobs set are both great and I lean towards Jennifer Larmore, although Marie-Nicole Lemieux is fantastic too. Both are strong contenders for first place. As I recall, Jacobs is about 4 hr and Curtis about5 3 hr 40 mn. At the time I went for max length too.

[Sonata]

Finally getting around to Solti's highly acclaimed Figaro, and am I ever glad I took the time. I'm enjoying this recording very much. I'm not in love with Samuel Ramey's super deep base Figaro, but he's not off-putting either and the other voices are wonderful.

[Florestan]