What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Florestan]

Both from this set (not original jackets, I pulled individual images for the MP3 folders):


BIANCA & FERNANDO:
1991. Young Ok Shin is Bianca, Gregory Kunde is Fernando. Andrea Licata conducts the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo "Bellini" di Catania.

ZAIRA:
1990. Katia Ricciarelli is Zaira, Simone Alaimo is Orosmane. Paolo Olmi conducts the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo "Bellini" di Catania.

ADELSON & SALVINI:
1992. Bradley Williams is Salvini, Acia Nafé is Nelly. Andrea Licata conducts the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo "Bellini" di Catania.

I CAPULETI E I MONTECCHI:
1991. Katia Ricciarelli is Giulietta, Dana Montague is Romeo. Bruno Campanella conducts the Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice di Venezia.

I PURITANI:
1989. Mariella Devia is Elvira, William Matteuzzi is Arturo. Richard Bonynge conducts the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo "Bellini" di Catania.

[Florestan]

[Florestan]

This is an excellent performance and recording and my favorite on CD (also available on DVD).

[Sonata]

Probably my least-listened to Wagner opera recording, Tannhauser. And actually I'm really liking it right now, better than some of his more well known works. The Sinopli recording with Domingo

[Sonata]

Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin
Mirella Freni, Anne Sophie Von Otter, Thomas Allen, Neil Schicoff
Conducted by Levine

I know the work in a couple of other versions (both with Hvorostovsky in the title role), but this is a new recording to me

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

I've not listened to this for ages. Lovely to come back to.

[Florestan]

[MAuer]

I've not listened to this for ages. Lovely to come back to.

Uh oh . . . I see another Verdi opera purchase in my future.

Meanwhile, I decided to have a listen to this one again.



Conductor/orchestra: Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; Ambrosian Singers
Cast: Agnes Baltsa, Francisco Araiza, Ruggero Raimondi, Simone Alaimo, John Del Carlo, Felicity Palmer, Carol Malone

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

This morning's 'marching music'.

We've had some very cold weather - snow and daytime temperatures hovering around - 9°C (15°F) - and an evil ene wind so I didn't venture out. Spring-like now and lovely to be walking again.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I'm in the strange position of being at home when everyone else is out and being forced to do nothing strenuous as I have sprained my ankle.

So I listened to this, quite loud, on my stereo system instead of hunched over headphones. Bliss

I definitely prefer it to any other Norma I have heard (it's not an opera I usually like much):

• Ceci interprets beautifully, lots of vocal colours and characterisation
• John Osborn sings so gorgeously that he (almost) makes me forget what a dick Pollione is (complete antithesis of the usual shouty tenor that gets cast in this role, yes I'm looking at you del Monaco)
• It makes sense to me that Norma, the mature woman, should be a mezzo, and Adlagisa a light soprano (Sumi Jo). Bartoli and the team that prepared the new critical edition used in this recording argue quite persuasively that the original interpreters of Norma mainly sang mezzo roles, while the original Adalgisa premiered Elvira in Puritani.

Bellini: Norma
Cecilia Bartoli (Norma), Sumi Jo (Adalgisa), John Osborn (Pollione) & Michele Pertusi (Oroveso), Liliana Nikiteanu (Clotilde), Reinaldo Macias (Flavio)
Orchestra La Scintilla, International Chamber Vocalists, Giovanni Antonini

[Florestan]

I'm in the strange position of being at home when everyone else is out and being forced to do nothing strenuous as I have sprained my ankle.

So I listened to this, quite loud, on my stereo system instead of hunched over headphones. Bliss

I definitely prefer it to any other Norma I have heard (it's not an opera I usually like much):

• Ceci interprets beautifully, lots of vocal colours and characterisation
• John Osborn sings so gorgeously that he (almost) makes me forget what a dick Pollione is (complete antithesis of the usual shouty tenor that gets cast in this role, yes I'm looking at you del Monaco)
• It makes sense to me that Norma, the mature woman, should be a mezzo, and Adlagisa a light soprano (Sumi Jo). Bartoli and the team that prepared the new critical edition used in this recording argue quite persuasively that the original interpreters of Norma mainly sang mezzo roles, while the original Adalgisa premiered Elvira in Puritani.

Bellini: Norma
Cecilia Bartoli (Norma), Sumi Jo (Adalgisa), John Osborn (Pollione) & Michele Pertusi (Oroveso), Liliana Nikiteanu (Clotilde), Reinaldo Macias (Flavio)
Orchestra La Scintilla, International Chamber Vocalists, Giovanni Antonini

I don't know this opera, but from a cursory look at the synopsis once upon a time I think Norma goes mad? If so, and if Cecilia does it as well as she does in the Nina opera, then yes, this would be exceptionally good with Cecilia.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I don't know this opera, but from a cursory look at the synopsis once upon a time I think Norma goes mad? If so, and if Cecilia does it as well as she does in the Nina opera, then yes, this would be exceptionally good with Cecilia.

Not mad, but she gets rightfully grumpy (her lover Pollione tries to trade her in for a younger model), and then changes her mind about the vengeance she was about to take.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

I'm in the strange position of being at home when everyone else is out and being forced to do nothing strenuous as I have sprained my ankle.

So I listened to this, quite loud, on my stereo system instead of hunched over headphones. Bliss.

Hope your ankle gets better soon but not too quickly so that you can enjoy listening on your stereo for a bit longer!

I definitely prefer it to any other Norma I have heard (it's not an opera I usually like much):

• Ceci interprets beautifully, lots of vocal colours and characterisation
• John Osborn sings so gorgeously that he (almost) makes me forget what a dick Pollione is (complete antithesis of the usual shouty tenor that gets cast in this role, yes I'm looking at you del Monaco)
• It makes sense to me that Norma, the mature woman, should be a mezzo, and Adlagisa a light soprano (Sumi Jo). Bartoli and the team that prepared the new critical edition used in this recording argue quite persuasively that the original interpreters of Norma mainly sang mezzo roles, while the original Adalgisa premiered Elvira in Puritani.

Bellini: Norma
Cecilia Bartoli (Norma), Sumi Jo (Adalgisa), John Osborn (Pollione) & Michele Pertusi (Oroveso), Liliana Nikiteanu (Clotilde), Reinaldo Macias (Flavio)
Orchestra La Scintilla, International Chamber Vocalists, Giovanni Antonini

It's not an opera I've ever taken to but you've certainly tempted me with this write-up.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

It's not an opera I've ever taken to but you've certainly tempted me with this write-up.

You do have to like Bartoli to like this though. Pertusi does a nice job too.

[Soave_Fanciulla]