What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Florestan]

[Hoffmann]

I love this recording - it has some of Rossini's flashiest singing with great tunes and Juan Diego Florez really shines. More under-appreciated Rossini.

[MAuer]

This recording was my introduction to Sena Jurinac (I'd actually purchased it to hear Jan Peerce's Florestan). Turned out I was absolutely blown away by her Leonore. For my tastes, she's one of the finest interpreters of the role.

[Florestan]

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Found this on Twitter and the guy who posted it reckoned it was recorded from the prompt box as you can hear the prompter very plainly. Hearing the prompter has never bothered me and I think it's a wonderful recording.

[Florestan]

[Hoffmann]

Found this on Twitter and the guy who posted it reckoned it was recorded from the prompt box as you can hear the prompter very plainly. Hearing the prompter has never bothered me and I think it's a wonderful recording.

Prompters are an interesting element of opera and one we don't really think about all that much. Washington National Opera has never used them or, if they do, it's not the traditional prompter's box positioned at the edge of the stage.

Klaus Florian Vogt is very open about his reliance on the prompter - when taking his bow at the end of Die Tote Stadt in Hamburg, he walked up and reached down to shake hands with the prompter (of course, the prompter might have been a relative or something, I don't know).

There are other instances of singers acknowledging their prompters by way of gestures and winks and nods and such in German opera houses, which I've come to think of as fairly normal if uncommon. I don't think I've seen it in the U.S., but that might be because our repertory is so weighed toward, um, warhorse type operas that singers can do in their sleep.

[Sonata]

Les Troyens-Nelson
I'm trying to make a habit of listening to new purchases right away

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Prompters are an interesting element of opera and one we don't really think about all that much. Washington National Opera has never used them or, if they do, it's not the traditional prompter's box positioned at the edge of the stage.

Klaus Florian Vogt is very open about his reliance on the prompter - when taking his bow at the end of Die Tote Stadt in Hamburg, he walked up and reached down to shake hands with the prompter (of course, the prompter might have been a relative or something, I don't know).

There are other instances of singers acknowledging their prompters by way of gestures and winks and nods and such in German opera houses, which I've come to think of as fairly normal if uncommon. I don't think I've seen it in the U.S., but that might be because our repertory is so weighed toward, um, warhorse type operas that singers can do in their sleep.

Angela Gheorghiu always makes a point of thanking the prompter by reaching down and shaking his/her hand, like Vogt.

[Florestan]

I'm trying to make a habit of listening to new purchases right away

I always do that for most purchases, but not necessarily for library sale hauls. Then I may not listen for a long time. For example, I bought my first Der Freischutz October 2016, then didn't listen for nearly a year. In the past couple months I have listened to it intensely and purchased about 5 more sets on CD.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

OMG you guys are very disciplined. But I do catalogue everything immediately so I know what is in my UWP. And I only listen to recordings that are in my UWP.

(Can't bear to tell you how many recordings are in my UWP)

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

OMG you guys are very disciplined. But I do catalogue everything immediately so I know what is in my UWP. And I only listen to recordings that are in my UWP.

(Can't bear to tell you how many recordings are in my UWP)

Listened to this today while I cooked for the freezer.

[Clayton]

...(Can't bear to tell you how many recordings are in my UWP)

oh do tell

go on

give us a laugh

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

One of those days where I've had to visit several shops in order to get what I want and/or save money so needed something I love and of a decent length to see me through this ordeal!

Only one opera fits this particular bill.

[Florestan]

A great deal here. I see it listed for $4 used on Amazon. It is 4 CDs. Blomstedt's Leonore (1805) and Dohnanyi's Fidelio (1814). Packaged nicely in a clamshell box with the disks in cardboard sleeves. Booklet with some English, but libretto only in German. Listening to the FIdelio part as I already had the Leonore in another set.