What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Florestan]

This release about the same sound quality as the D'oro release. If you want much better sound in a remaster you have to get the very expensive Orfeo release. Anyway, a great recording with some great names. Sung in German.

[Florestan]

[Povero Buoso]

I was sitting at home in the stifling London heat yesterday (32-33 Celsius or 90-92 degrees Fahrenheit) and wishing i was nearer the sea and having looked at opera lively thought I would listen to the opera that reminds me most of Falmouth where i study. That opera was obviously this:



I have always liked Simon Boccanegra though I do not count it among my very favourites (obviously it is still superior to Aida ). It is however emotionally very powerful and the start of the first act really does capture the sea incredibly the music itself shimmers. A really enjoyable listen and revisiting an opera I had not heard in a long while.(I am still listening to Don Carlos fragments over and over as it is quite addictive!!!!!)

[Florestan]

One of my favorite operas and an awesome recording of it:

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

I was sitting at home in the stifling London heat yesterday (32-33 Celsius or 90-92 degrees Fahrenheit) and wishing i was nearer the sea and having looked at opera lively thought I would listen to the opera that reminds me most of Falmouth where i study. That opera was obviously this:



I have always liked Simon Boccanegra though I do not count it among my very favourites (obviously it is still superior to Aida ). It is however emotionally very powerful and the start of the first act really does capture the sea incredibly the music itself shimmers. A really enjoyable listen and revisiting an opera I had not heard in a long while.(I am still listening to Don Carlos fragments over and over as it is quite addictive!!!!!)

Nice to see my favourite opera getting some love!

[Sonata]

Nice to see my favourite opera getting some love!

I LOVE the soundscape Verdi creates in the opening scene

[Florestan]

Just finished this one. A nice dose of Sonia Prina. The DVD of this one is great too.


Just beginning this one:

Note, I have the D'oro Khovanshchina, but like this cover better. Sound on D'oro is pretty decent.

[Florestan]

[Sonata]

I'm listening to a couple by Kathleen Battle. I don't like what I've heard about her attitude, but I sure am enjoying her voice!


Mozart Arias


French opera arias.

[Florestan]

I listened to all my Khovanshchina sets since last night (Leskovich, Gergiev, and Tchakarov). Then I came back to Leskovich and it is really wonderful. This is it. This is my favorite. Look at the cast (Back cover details here). Cosotto and Souliotis are wonderful!

[Soave_Fanciulla]

[Florestan]

Boris Godunov from this set. It is a two disk set with cuts that has music from the 1862 parts plus some of the Polish scene (where Cossotto sings), but not the Kromy Forest scene. Sound clips here.

[Sonata]

Puccini: Turandot


Verdi: Un Ballo in Mascera

[Florestan]

This just came in the mail today. Quite a nice performance. I got this even though I already had 10 Maria Stuarda recordings, because after seeing Laura Polverelli in Pergolesi's Il Flaminio (a delightful and fast paced opera), I discovered Laura also sings in this Maria Stuarda and could not resist. Can hardly wait for the DVD of this Maria Stuarda performance to arrive.

[Dichteurehalle]

I'm meant to be "studying" up on the operas I'm seeing in Munich for lack-of-subtitle reasons (quick question: there are tickets available for Warlikowski's new production Schreker's Die Gezeichneten, should I go see it? Or better to watch the livestream this weekend and then decide?) so naturally, I've been listening exclusively to Catalani.


This is the one I've been listening to for a while, but I feel I should switch to the Monte Carlo version (also Tebaldi, with Del Monaco and Cappuccili)


There are some lovely bits, but unlike Wally (a parade of hits) there is quite a lot of music that is merely ok. Supposedly this is one of the two Catalani wrote that is more "popular," rather than musically interesting.


This is next! I've read online that it's second best after Wally.