I'm starting three-days Donizetti/Carreras course, starting today with:
Then moving to:
And finally:
Unless I'll get bored and give up. JOKES. I'm passing on his L'Elisirs (I have two with him) though since I'm not ready to listen to that opera again.
@Aramis
Hope you enjoy these. That Lucia is still my favourite version.
"Every theatre is an insane asylum, but an opera theatre is the ward for the incurables."
FRANZ SCHALK, attributed, Losing the Plot in Opera: Myths and Secrets of the World's Great Operas
Not mine though, I owe it getting into Carreras (it's first recording I had with him, if I remember well) but I don't like Caballe here. As great as she is I fail to find in her voice qualities essential for character of Lucia, I even skipped her mad scene this time. But the whole last part at the cementary alone makes this recording great.
I've been listening to the latest addition to my CD collection:
My reaction so far: silly plot, delightful music, fantastic singing.
I like Messiah and some of Handel's other vocal and instrumental compositions, so I've wanted to explore more of his operas. Given my aversion to countertenors in particular and pants roles in general, it isn't always easy to find recordings where the castrato role has been assigned to a tenor (or possibly baritone). I occasionally do pay a price for this quirk of mine, as with the recording I have of Serse with Luigi Alva in the title role. His voice is definitely not my cup of tea! Fortunately, there are no such problems with this recording.
Sutherland and Wunderlich sing like gods -- they alone would make the recording worthwhile. But there isn't a weak link in the rest of the cast, either: Nicola Monti as Orante, Norma Proctor as Bradamante (the name still sounds to me as though it should belong to a man rather than a woman), Jeannette van Dijck as Morgana, and Thomas Hemsley as Melisso.
Oh, if only Wunderlich's recordings of Serse and Giulio Cesare had been sung in the original Italian instead of "auf Deutsch" . . .
Just bought these two yesterday (on special price : about US$9 each!) Store keeper said there are many more Callas recordings at the store's warehouse that will go on sale. Hooray! Potential shopping spree!
Currently listening to La Sonnambula. Next will be Il Turco.
The only problem is that it's Mono.
EDIT : ... How do I get rid of the unintended thumbnail?![]()
Last edited by Eorrific; February 8th, 2012 at 02:52 AM. Reason: Image too large
My advice is to buy every Callas studio boxset he has for $9......a gift from the opera gods
Some Mozart on my plate:
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The older Fricsay/DG has a bonus recording of Exultate Jubilate by Maria Stader included, has the most ornamented final run in part 1 ever heard by me, I think it works and Wolfgang would approve!
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