What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

Michael Spyres was simply born to sing Énée. And everyone else is fantastic too.

Berlioz: Les Troyens
Joyce DiDonato (Didon), Michael Spyres (Énée), Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Cassandre), Orchestre et Choeur philharmonique de Strasbourg, Badischer Staatsopernchor, Choeur de l’Opéra du Rhin, John Nelson

Oh wow, any video of this production? Or was it a studio recording?

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Oh wow, any video of this production? Or was it a studio recording?

It was a concert but as good as any studio recording. It does have a dvd of highlights of the concert.

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

It was a concert but as good as any studio recording. It does have a dvd of highlights of the concert.

Oh, but I was interested in a fully staged version. You know that as much as I like the nice voices, these days I practically only listen to a full opera if it's a DVD or video file, because my unwatched pile is so big that if I have any hope of bringing it down, I can't "waste time" listening to 4 hours of audio-only music, which is what Les Troyens takes. Sure, it's weird to call such a beautiful opera (my second favorite ever, as you know, only behind the Ring) especially if well sung, a waste of time, but I do feel this way about audio-only. Thus my signature. Like with the Akhnaten thing. I'm dying to see this opera, but can't get myself to listen to the full audio which *is* available on YouTube, and I guess I'll wait for the Met staged version in 2019.

Concert versions on DVD are slightly better than audio-only but not by much.

I did listen one of these days to Sciarrino's Macbeth on audio. But then, it's a short opera (and very good).

But lately I've been avoiding audio-only like vampires avoid garlic.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

... I can't "waste time" listening to 4 hours of audio-only music, which is what Les Troyens takes.

I know what you mean; can you not listen in the car during your commute?

99% of my listening is done via my mp3 player while I'm walking to and from town and doing the shopping. It's not a waste of time then.

[Hoffmann]

This morning, while doing laundry (because what else can you do when it's so cold outside??):





I am visualizing the sumptuous LA production while listening. Too bad it's not available on DVD!

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

I know what you mean; can you not listen in the car during your commute?

99% of my listening is done via my mp3 player while I'm walking to and from town and doing the shopping. It's not a waste of time then.

I suppose so. During my commute, though, I find that it's more convenient to just flip between some local and satellite radio stations. I usually listen to the morning national and local news on the local station of the National Public Radio system; in season I listen to comments and news regarding my favorite sport on National Football League Radio (that's American football, not the international footie which I also like; and there's a radio for this too, which I'll be listening to, once the FIFA World Cup gets closer), and the Met Opera Radio, as well as Politics on POTUS Radio (POlitics of The United States) although lately I've been sick and tired of our political scene, understandably (but oops, let's not get into that since it's a forbidden topic here, hehe).

So I do insert opera there, but there isn't much time left to listen to segments of full performances. I do that sometimes when I'm traveling, like when I go to Charlotte for opera - it's a 2-hour drive so both ways I have enough time to listen to a full opera. When I used to travel a longer stretch every other week when my son was in college at Virginia Tech, 3h15' drive, I did listen to a number of operas, especially French ones that I wanted to complete my exposure to, and do not exist in video format.

That was a particularly good occasion because I actually understand sung French much better than Italian (which I understand well in spoken language but not so well in operatic singing) so I didn't need the libretto; would then listen to the full opera often in one leg of the trip, and could bag another one on my way back.

Also, French operas tend to have librettos that are written in fairly standard French, very similar to contemporary French, while Italian librettos can have very ancient language that is more remote from contemporary standard Italian, not to forget that at times it's a dialect (such as Neapolitan). I do speak and understand reasonably standard Italian but it's harder when it's the more ancient kind. My French is better, though, which is a shame because I'm an Italian citizen...

At the time of my son's college years, I was known for doing a very dangerous thing: for operas not in French, at times I'd be driving to Virginia Tech *while reading the libretto* which I held in front of the driving wheel... Fortunately I didn't get killed (and didn't kill any other drivers either).

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

I suppose so. During my commute, though, I find that it's more convenient to just flip between some local and satellite radio stations. I usually listen to the morning national and local news on the local station of the National Public Radio system; in season I listen to comments and news regarding my favorite sport on National Football League Radio (that's American football, not the international footie which I also like; and there's a radio for this too, which I'll be listening to, once the FIFA World Cup gets closer), and the Met Opera Radio, as well as Politics on POTUS Radio (POlitics of The United States) although lately I've been sick and tired of our political scene, understandably (but oops, let's not get into that since it's a forbidden topic here, hehe).

So I do insert opera there, but there isn't much time left to listen to segments of full performances. I do that sometimes when I'm traveling, like when I go to Charlotte for opera - it's a 2-hour drive so both ways I have enough time to listen to a full opera. When I used to travel a longer stretch every other week when my son was in college at Virginia Tech, 3h15' drive, I did listen to a number of operas, especially French ones that I wanted to complete my exposure to, and do not exist in video format.

That was a particularly good occasion because I actually understand sung French much better than Italian (which I understand well in spoken language but not so well in operatic singing) so I didn't need the libretto; would then listen to the full opera often in one leg of the trip, and could bag another one on my way back.

Also, French operas tend to have librettos that are written in fairly standard French, very similar to contemporary French, while Italian librettos can have very ancient language that is more remote from contemporary standard Italian, not to forget that at times it's a dialect (such as Neapolitan). I do speak and understand reasonably standard Italian but it's harder when it's the more ancient kind. My French is better, though, which is a shame because I'm an Italian citizen...

At the time of my son's college years, I was known for doing a very dangerous thing: for operas not in French, at times I'd be driving to Virginia Tech *while reading the libretto* which I held in front of the driving wheel... Fortunately I didn't get killed (and didn't kill any other drivers either).

[Itullian]

Great singing.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

A libretto by da Ponte based on a play by Beaumarchais, sound familiar? I really enjoyed this.

Salieri: Axur re d’Ormus
Andrea Martin (Axur), Curtis Rayam (Atar), Eva Mei (Aspasia), Ettore Nova (Biscroma/Brighella), Ambra Vespasiani (Fiammetta/Smeraldina), Massimo Valentini (Arteneo), Michele Porcelli (Altamor), Mario Cecchetti (Urson), Sonia Turchetta (Elamir), Giovanni Battista Palmieri (Arlecchino)
Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Rene Clemencic



One of the nice things about this box set is that every opera has a booklet with a synopsis and a libretto in Italian (unlike many budget offerings)

[Hoffmann]

A libretto by da Ponte based on a play by Beaumarchais, sound familiar? I really enjoyed this.

Salieri: Axur re d’Ormus
Andrea Martin (Axur), Curtis Rayam (Atar), Eva Mei (Aspasia), Ettore Nova (Biscroma/Brighella), Ambra Vespasiani (Fiammetta/Smeraldina), Massimo Valentini (Arteneo), Michele Porcelli (Altamor), Mario Cecchetti (Urson), Sonia Turchetta (Elamir), Giovanni Battista Palmieri (Arlecchino)
Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Rene Clemencic



One of the nice things about this box set is that every opera has a booklet with a synopsis and a libretto in Italian (unlike many budget offerings)

That's also the Salieri opera that was satirized as a ponderous gods and goddesses thing in the film "Amadeus"...

I bought a used copy some years ago that had suffered some kind of accident and was unlistenable.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

I know lots of people are raving about it but I'll need a few more listens before I decide whether I prefer it to the Davis. Not impressed by either Stéphane Degout nor Nicolas Courjal.

[Sonata]

Oh, but I was interested in a fully staged version. You know that as much as I like the nice voices, these days I practically only listen to a full opera if it's a DVD or video file, because my unwatched pile is so big that if I have any hope of bringing it down, I can't "waste time" listening to 4 hours of audio-only music, which is what Les Troyens takes. Sure, it's weird to call such a beautiful opera (my second favorite ever, as you know, only behind the Ring) especially if well sung, a waste of time, but I do feel this way about audio-only. Thus my signature. Like with the Akhnaten thing. I'm dying to see this opera, but can't get myself to listen to the full audio which *is* available on YouTube, and I guess I'll wait for the Met staged version in 2019.

Concert versions on DVD are slightly better than audio-only but not by much.

I did listen one of these days to Sciarrino's Macbeth on audio. But then, it's a short opera (and very good).

But lately I've been avoiding audio-only like vampires avoid garlic.

I've come around a lot on video in the last six months or so, but it used to be the very opposite for me. I came to opera through the music (I loved the operatic voices that were present in some symphonic metal bands, so I decided to go straight to the source and listen to opera). I've since developed a taste for the theater of it all (especially after seeing two live operas now!!!!) So while I am developing a small but growing opera video collection; it has to be a very strong production or very visually appealing to my tastes for me to pursue it. I have great difficulty finding time to sit down for a full video. On the flip side, I have a 30 minute commute each way to and from work and will often bring my headphones to listen on my lunch hour.

I go through about 3 opera audio recordings per week, and in contrast 5-8 video recordings per year.

[Sonata]

Verdi: Rigoletto, conducted by Guilini

My second Rigoletto recording in as many day. I'm liking Ileana Contrubas very much for Gilda!

[Soave_Fanciulla]

My second Rigoletto recording in as many day. I'm liking Ileana Cotrubas very much for Gilda!

She is indeed excellent.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Verdi: Rigoletto, conducted by Guilini

My second Rigoletto recording in as many day. I'm liking Ileana Contrubas very much for Gilda!

That's the first Rigoletto I ever bought! One of the best IMO.