What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Dark_Angel]

Nice version, some interesting overhead camera angles during final death scence using mirors etc........

[Dark_Angel]

Handel Italian Opera today, I much prefer these Italian operas to the later English oratorios by Handel, Alan Curtis very dependable conductor with this style music......

[HarpsichordConcerto]

Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996), The Passenger (1968)

The booklet contains a letter (in full) by Shostakovich from 1974 praising his friend's opera, The Passenger. Maybe I don't understand the opera that well as I didn't find it particularly thrilling.

[Schigolch]

[Soave_Fanciulla]

La Traviata with Jonas Kaufmann, Christine Schäfer and Jose van Dam on Youtube. Beautifully sung and acted but an idiotic and distracting production. At first I was wondering why it was set in a dry-cleaners. Why make Kaufmann try and sing while on his back on a trolley repairing a lawnmower in act 2? And what's with the guests doing some kind of zombie twitching during the brindisi?

This, also on YouTube. Cura sounded bad in act I but was good after. His "e lucevan" was full of despair.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

... At first I was wondering why it was set in a dry-cleaners. Why make Kaufmann try and sing while on his back on a trolley repairing a lawnmower in act 2? And what's with the guests doing some kind of zombie twitching during the brindisi?

Curse you I've just choked on my tea

[Aramis]

This is my 3rd R&J on CD and 4th including Salzburg DVD. All are at least good, but none can touch the Corelli/Freni for me, particularly because of Corelli.

[Schigolch]

[Hoffmann]

I hadn't listened to this in a while and forgot how much I love it:

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Peter Mattei plays Onegin here like a horrible self-centred vain destructive meddler and he's quite hateable except then he opens his mouth and sings and this heavenly sound appears and I want to fall at his feet and worship him and be like the king of Spain with Farinelli and employ him to sing me to sleep every night for the rest of my life.

[Aksel]

Peter Mattei plays Onegin here like a horrible self-centred vain destructive meddler and he's quite hateable except then he opens his mouth and sings and this heavenly sound appears and I want to fall at his feet and worship him and be like the king of Spain with Farinelli and employ him to sing me to sleep every night for the rest of my life.

A-A-Aramis? Wh-wh-where have you left our Natalie? *shifts uneasily*

[Soave_Fanciulla]

A-A-Aramis? Wh-wh-where have you left our Natalie? *shifts uneasily*

Did I say anything about swashbuckling heroes with swords and pencil moustaches and melancholy poets and JDF? NO! I'm still here.

This stream of consciousness thing is quite liberating though.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Peter Mattei plays Onegin here like a horrible self-centred vain destructive meddler and he's quite hateable except then he opens his mouth and sings and this heavenly sound appears and I want to fall at his feet and worship him and be like the king of Spain with Farinelli and employ him to sing me to sleep every night for the rest of my life.

Sort of meh, wot-evva then?

[Hoffmann]

I've seen posts referencing Elena Suliotis, and didn't know who she was. I was listening to this recording this afternoon and thought the soprano might have been a very young Callas.. Suliotis! She's terrific.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

I've seen posts referencing Elena Suliotis, and didn't know who she was. I was listening to this recording this afternoon and thought the soprano might have been a very young Callas.. Suliotis! She's terrific.

She's great isn't she? My favourite recording of Nabucco.