What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[halochef]

ok so i watched another WEIRD one. why are they finding me this one set in a 50's catholic school....Nuns??? the Papageno last aria has girls dressed very revealing!!

[Clayton]

...the Papageno last aria has girls dressed very revealing!!...

That's going to attract one person to take a glance at this video.

I think everyone here will know who that person is.

[Hoffmann]

Yesterday:





This is recording is of a live performance in 1980. The sound isn't great, though the singing - as you might imagine - is superb.


Today:





I only own 2 Sonnambulas - this one and the (remastered) Callas. The singing is lovely, but I find the performance here to be lackluster compared to the Callas. Callas' singing is riveting, she shows no evidence of vocal issues and demonstrates her fabled vocal dramatic intensity.

[Florestan]

Today:





I only own 2 Sonnambulas - this one and the (remastered) Callas. The singing is lovely, but I find the performance here to be lackluster compared to the Callas. Callas' singing is riveting, she shows no evidence of vocal issues and demonstrates her fabled vocal dramatic intensity.

I have all 24 commercial Sonnambula CD sets. That one is not high on my list. For some reason I have not taken that well to the Callas set, but should certainly revisit it again and again. My two favorites are the NAXOS set with Luba Orgonasova and the Nightingale set with Gruberova.

Thinking I need to listen to Eugene Onegin again soon.

[Florestan]

[Sonata]

I don't think I have posted much here lately!!!!


Tchaikovsky: Mazzepa, conducted by Neeme Järvi. I was overdue for some Tchaikovsky opera!

[Hoffmann]

This morning:





And, after that, it was time for something completely different:




I have owned this for some time, but never listened to it. Not as extreme as I imagined Hindemith might be and, while an interesting listen, I think this is an opera one needs to see performed to be better appreciated. Unfortunately, a lousy pressing, full of skips and repeats (I don't recall if I bought it used or new).

[Florestan]

This lady sound like Maria Callas:


This lady also sound like Maria Callas!

[Florestan]

[MAuer]

Conductor/orchestra: Riccardo Muti, New Philharmonia Orchestra; Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Cast: Sherrill Milnes (Macbeth), Fiorenza Cossotto (Lady Macbeth), Jose Carreras (Macduff), Ruggero Raimondi (Banco), Giuliano Bernardi (Malcolm), Maria Borgato (Lady-in-Waiting), Carlo Del Bosco (Doctor)

What a cast, beginning with Milnes' Macbeth!

[Florestan]

[MAuer]

Conductor/orchestra: Sir Antonio Pappano, Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome
Cast: Anja Harteros (Aida), Jonas Kaufmann (Radamès), Ekaterina Semenchuk (Amneris), Ludovic Tezier (Amonasro), Erwin Schrott (Ramfis), Marco Spotti (Il Re d'Egitto), Paolo Fanale (Messenger), Eleonora Buratto (Temple Priestess)

[Florestan]

This is blowing me away, particularly Waltraud's wonderful voice.
Isolde is supposed to be a soprano, but Waltraud is a mezzo.
I think that may be part of what makes this one so wonderful.
And Waltraud is one of those singers with a unique voice that
you don't have to look at the cast list to know who is singing.
I am putting this recording on my desert island list.

[MAuer]

Conductor/orchestra: Herbert von Karajan, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Vienna State Opera Chorus
Cast: Mirella Freni (Aida), José Carreras (Radamès), Agnes Baltsa (Amneris), Piero Cappuccilli (Amonasro), Ruggero Raimondi (Ramfis), José Van Dam (King of Egypt, Katia Ricciarelli (Temple Priestess), Thomas Moser (Messenger)

More Aida. Baltsa is my favorite Amneris -- she not only has a beautiful voice, but is a powerful actress who is always totally committed to a role. Her confrontation with Carreras' Radamès is packed with high-voltage intensity. And speaking of Carreras, I also like his Radamès, although some have thought his voice too light for the role.

[Sonata]

Conductor/orchestra: Riccardo Muti, New Philharmonia Orchestra; Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Cast: Sherrill Milnes (Macbeth), Fiorenza Cossotto (Lady Macbeth), Jose Carreras (Macduff), Ruggero Raimondi (Banco), Giuliano Bernardi (Malcolm), Maria Borgato (Lady-in-Waiting), Carlo Del Bosco (Doctor)

What a cast, beginning with Milnes' Macbeth!

That's a great recording, perhaps my favorite Macbeth.