What opera have you been listening to, lately?

**Florestan** · July 22nd, 2020, 02:28 AM

Rossini - Tancredi

**Florestan** · July 22nd, 2020, 04:03 PM

I am coming to the conclusion that this is the best Don Pasquale recording of all. Pretty hard to beat Eva Mei for Norina.

**Florestan** · July 22nd, 2020, 09:42 PM

Picked this up last year and gave it another listen for Pasquale Act 1. It is so good I located a copy of the Acts 2 and 3 disk and ordered it. I think this is going to be better than the Mei set I posted earlier.

**Florestan** · July 25th, 2020, 12:52 AM

I like both of these and can't really pick one over the other:

**Florestan** · July 27th, 2020, 10:55 PM

Well, after listening all weekend to these two^, I have decided in favor of the Abbado set for better sound and the wonderful voice of Eva Mei!

**Florestan** · July 28th, 2020, 03:27 PM

Mascagni: l' Amico Fritz. I really love the gypsy's lament, "Laceri, miseri."

**Florestan** · July 29th, 2020, 04:08 PM

Live version with Eva Mei vs my favorite studio version with Mei (Abbado). I don't know if its the voices or that the live recording is just not as good, but it has a slightly tinny sound compared to the full bodied sound of the studio Abbado set. I do know the tenor on this live set grates my ear. Much better tenor tonal quality on the Abbado set.

**Itullian** · July 29th, 2020, 09:47 PM

One of my favorite Verdi operas. Always makes me feel good.
How about you Annie?

**Florestan** · July 31st, 2020, 08:18 PM

**Povero Buoso** · August 1st, 2020, 11:56 PM

I've been listening to this a lot lately.

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I love The Rise and Falls score. The sheer grotesqueness at times while remaining tuneful is somewhat unique from the operas I've seen. I particularly enjoy act 2.

**Florestan** · August 2nd, 2020, 09:10 PM

**MAuer** · August 5th, 2020, 11:05 AM

Conductor/orchestra: Peter Maag, Bavarian Symphony Orchestra
Cast: Ursula Koszut (Leonora), Siegfried Jerusalem (Florestano), Norbert Orth (Pizzarro), Giorgio Tadeo (Rocco), Edita Gruberová (Marcellina), Wolfgang Brendel (Giacchino), John van Kesteren (Don Fernando)

Not Fidelio, but still among my favorite operas. Interesting side note: Siegfried Jerusalem, Jonas Kaufmann, and Giulio Radichi, who created the role of Florestan in the final 1814 version of Fidelio, are the only tenors (as far as I know) to sing both Beethoven's and Paer's heroes.

**Florestan** · August 6th, 2020, 03:52 AM

Bought this a year or more ago, and this is only my second listen.

**MAuer** · August 6th, 2020, 10:51 AM

Conductor/orchestra: Lamberto Gardelli, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Ambrosian Singers, Finchley Children’s Music Group
Cast: Ruggero Raimondi (Attila), Cristina Deutekom (Odabella), Sherrill Milnes (Ezio), Carlo Bergonzi (Foresto), Ricardo Cassinelli (Uldino), Jules Bastin (Leone)

Reading reviews of the newest Attila recording prompted me to listen to this one, which I've had since the mid-'80s. I don't know why Opernwelt's reviewer didn't mention it along with the Sinopoli and Muti recordings, since it's still available and is quite good.