What opera have you been listening to, lately?

**Florestan** · February 17th, 2019, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by Ann Lander (sospiro)

I have that! What did you think?

I like it. Kind of a Wagner Ring story. It is not one I will listen to a lot, but it is a nice opera. I will have to listen again and then can give perhaps some more detailed thoughts.

**Ann Lander (sospiro)** · February 17th, 2019, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by Florestan

I like it. Kind of a Wagner Ring story. It is not one I will listen to a lot, but it is a nice opera. I will have to listen again and then can give perhaps some more detailed thoughts.

I have to confess I only bought it because it features David Soar. I'm a huge fan and there's not much available on disc.

**Florestan** · February 18th, 2019, 12:08 AM

Originally Posted by Ann Lander (sospiro)

I have to confess I only bought it because it features David Soar. I'm a huge fan and there's not much available on disc.

Wallace's Lurline is interesting and musically has its moments, but it will never be on my essential operas list. It is part of my attempt to like an opera composed with English text. Don't even bring up G&S. For some reason G&S just does not appeal to me. Among written-in-English operas I think Bohemian Girl rates higher with me, and that for the aria about marble halls.

**Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)** · February 18th, 2019, 12:39 AM

Originally Posted by Florestan

Wallace's Lurline is interesting and musically has its moments, but it will never be on my essential operas list. It is part of my attempt to like an opera composed with English text. Don't even bring up G&S. For some reason G&S just does not appeal to me. Among written-in-English operas I think Bohemian Girl rates higher with me, and that for the aria about marble halls.

Exceptional operas (among the very, very, very best) with English text:

Porgy and Bess
The Rake's Progress
Written on Skin
Peter Grimes
Dido and Aeneas
The Turn of the Screw
Susannah
The Death of Klinghoffer
The Consul
The Minotaur
Doctor Atomic
The Tempest
Amahl and the Night Visitors
Antony and Cleopatra
Gloriana
Nixon in China
The Crucible
Silent Night
The Ghosts of Versailles
Waiting for the Barbarians
Where the Wild Things Are
Treemonisha

And so on and so forth.

There is no shortage of great operas in English.

Just, don't listen to that abomination, Billy Budd.

Help, I'm running from Natalie, she wants to kill me!

**Florestan** · February 18th, 2019, 02:09 AM

Originally Posted by Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

Exceptional operas (among the very, very, very best) with English text:

Porgy and Bess
The Rake's Progress
Written on Skin
Peter Grimes
Dido and Aeneas
The Turn of the Screw
Susannah
The Death of Klinghoffer
The Consul
The Minotaur
Doctor Atomic
The Tempest
Amahl and the Night Visitors
Antony and Cleopatra
Gloriana
Nixon in China
The Crucible
Silent Night
The Ghosts of Versailles
Waiting for the Barbarians
Where the Wild Things Are
Treemonisha

And so on and so forth.

There is no shortage of great operas in English.

Just, don't listen to that abomination, Billy Budd.

Help, I'm running from Natalie, she wants to kill me!

Well, part of the problem here is that we are dealing with modern opera, which I tend to shy from. I do have Dido and Aeneas and Gloriana. Need to give Dido another try for sure. I also have The Tempest and thanks to your list, since Lurline just ended for me (some beautiful singing in the last three minutes too), I'll queue up The Tempest. Now to go out and start shoveling. We just got what looks like about 3 inches in 3 hours and it is still coming down!

I'll look up the others. Don't worry, Billy Bud does not appeal to me at all.

**Florestan** · February 18th, 2019, 03:14 AM

Originally Posted by Florestan

Now to go out and start shoveling. We just got what looks like about 3 inches in 3 hours and it is still coming down!

Nope, it was 4 inches! Just got back in from an hour of shovelling. My son is 3.5 miles north of me, said he had 6-7 inches. The weather website predicted 1-3 inches. Still coming down, but I think at a much slower rate.

Into second disk of The Tempest. Good, but not going to unseat The Bohemian Girl as my favorite so far.

**Ann Lander (sospiro)** · February 18th, 2019, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

Exceptional operas (among the very, very, very best) with English text:

Porgy and Bess
The Rake's Progress
Written on Skin
Peter Grimes
Dido and Aeneas
The Turn of the Screw
Susannah
The Death of Klinghoffer
The Consul
The Minotaur
Doctor Atomic
The Tempest
Amahl and the Night Visitors
Antony and Cleopatra
Gloriana
Nixon in China
The Crucible
Silent Night
The Ghosts of Versailles
Waiting for the Barbarians
Where the Wild Things Are
Treemonisha

And so on and so forth.

There is no shortage of great operas in English.

I would add Thomas Adès' Exterminating Angel.

Originally Posted by Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

Just, don't listen to that abomination, Billy Budd.

Help, I'm running from Natalie, she wants to kill me!

And I'll join Natalie. Billy Budd is outstanding.

**MAuer** · February 18th, 2019, 11:48 AM

Conductor: Michael Halasz
Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, Hungarian Radio Chorus
Cast: Inga Nielsen (Leonore), Gösta Winbergh (Florestan), Kurt Moll (Rocco), Alan Titus (Pizarro), Herwig Pecoraro (Jaquino), Edith Lienbacher (Marzelline), Wolfgang Glashof (Fernando), Péter Pálinkás (First Prisoner), Józef Moldvay (Second Prisoner)

While I was listing my favorite Fidelio recordings with lyric-dramatic singers in the two leads, I'd forgotten about this one -- and with the exception of Wolfgang Glashof's labored, ugly-sounding Don Fernando, it's very good. (Who wouldn't like Kurt Moll as Rocco?)

**Ann Lander (sospiro)** · February 18th, 2019, 12:01 PM

Homework for an upcoming visit to ROH to see this. Not seen it live before so very excited.

**Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)** · February 19th, 2019, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by Ann Lander (sospiro)

I would add Thomas Adès' Exterminating Angel.

Agreed. I loved it too. I did say "and so on and so forth" because there are many other good operas in English.

And I'll join Natalie. Billy Budd is outstanding.

Well, well, well... Not *all* operas in English are good, though... especially the ones that don't have sopranos or mezzo-sopranos with their cough cough assets cough cough.

**MAuer** · February 19th, 2019, 11:51 AM

Yes, where would opera be without (cough, cough) assets (cough, cough)?

**Ann Lander (sospiro)** · February 20th, 2019, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by MAuer

Yes, where would opera be without (cough, cough) assets (cough, cough)?

A lot less boring!

Opera DVDs are the worst! Picture the scene - the bass or baritone is singing and acting his socks off on one side of the stage but the DVD director is concentrating on the soprano who isn't singing just lounging on a sofa looking tragic!

**Florestan** · February 21st, 2019, 06:08 AM

**MAuer** · February 21st, 2019, 12:00 PM

Lamberto Gardelli; Austrian Broadcasting (ORF) Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
José Carreras, Piero Cappuccilli, Katia Ricciarelli, Samuel Ramey, Vincenzo Bello, Elizabeth Connell, Franz Handlos, Mieczyslaw Antoniak

**Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)** · February 21st, 2019, 11:53 PM

Originally Posted by Ann Lander (sospiro)

A lot less boring!

Opera DVDs are the worst! Picture the scene - the bass or baritone is singing and acting his socks off on one side of the stage but the DVD director is concentrating on the soprano who isn't singing just lounging on a sofa looking tragic!

Well, of course, why wouldn't the DVD director be concentrating on the beautiful soprano? He knows what is best for the audience!