What opera have you been listening to, lately?

[Yashin]

What is that death in Venice DVD like? I always wanted it but everytime i see it i either choose something else or it is hyper expensive (not paying Euro 48 for it!!). Its not my favourite opera by a long stretch but i decent DVD might help me understand it a bit and Marlin Miller is good in other Britten recordings.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

What is that death in Venice DVD like? I always wanted it but everytime i see it i either choose something else or it is hyper expensive (not paying Euro 48 for it!!). Its not my favourite opera by a long stretch but i decent DVD might help me understand it a bit and Marlin Miller is good in other Britten recordings.

It's very beautiful - lovely sets - and fairly well sung but to me doesn't get to the heart of the opera the way the Tony Palmer film does:



However I'm not sure how easy it is to find my favourite version - I have it as part of a box set:



Although it is available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY7CVdJJnUk

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I'm taking my girls to see this soon so I thought I would familiarise myself with it. The first part of this is taken up with a lot of extraneous business dubbed into English, but the opera itself is quite sweet. My little Rowan will be delighted to discover an operatic Rowan, I'm sure.



This is a very cool opera, although I wasn't entirely taken with the lead's voice, particularly in the upper register. But I love the strong female character who doesn't take any nonsense from anyone ("You're telling me don't open that door? That's the door that NEEDS to be opened. What are you gonna do about it?").

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

This is a very cool opera, although I wasn't entirely taken with the lead's voice, particularly in the upper register. But I love the strong female character who doesn't take any nonsense from anyone ("You're telling me don't open that door? That's the door that NEEDS to be opened. What are you gonna do about it?").

Oh wow, I gotta get this. I've been planning to give this opera another chance, since I only have a CD of it, recorded from a Radio France broadcast, and I didn't like it. I believe it's the first time it comes out on video.

Well, the cover screams "extreme Regie." How bad is the Regie part?

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Mm.... after reading this Amazon customer, I'm not so sure this is worthy of my $24.99 - it is not likely to improve my (lack of) appreciation for this opera:

"Yet another rarely-staged opera gets wretchedly misrepresented/Eurotrashed in its 1st commercial DVD release.

Claus Guth's "updated" staging obsessively ignores the libretto, with nearly every action & object referred to in the text nowhere to be seen.

Making this misguided production even more appalling is the ghastly-looking-&-sounding Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet, dominating every scene as Ariane, her hideous wobble & shrill voice made even uglier by her inability to sing more than 1 out of every 10 notes at the correct pitch.

I forced myself to sit though the entire mess this 1 time, but never again. Consider yourselves warned."

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I didn't find the direction extreme - it was more minimalist. Rather than a castle you get a suburban house - making the point that horrors can exist underneath the blandest façade (Joseph Fritzl anyone?). As I said above, Charbonnet was stretched and sometimes wobbly in her upper register, but otherwise fine and gave a committed performance. She's no Anna looks-wise though. Patricia Bardon was very good and so were the wives. There is a bit of mad-twitchy OCD movements among the wives that would irritate you, Alma. The music is lovely. I enjoyed it and you know I usually like my operas with MEN!

[Herkku]

On January 12th, 2013 I wrote: Waiting for Release on CD
I may have adressed this subject before, but I can't help but ask if you have any favourite recordings heard on LP that have not yet been released on CD? Mine are still the same: Caballe's "Mamma? Io non l'ho avuta mai" from Leoncavallo's Zaza (originally on the fourth side of I Pagliacci) and the end of the first act of Fedora with Domingo and Scotto (on a disc with French duets on the other side, those having been available for a long time).

Lo, and behold! There it is. In fact, I'm waiting for mine to arrive. Sometimes one's prayers are answered. Now I'm a little scared. Maybe time has gilded my memories and I'll be terribly disappointed... Well, it can't be worse than Angela Gheorghiu on the DG Fedora (now that was a disappointment!).

There remains the Caballe Zaza item.

[Itullian]

Capriccio, Bohm, DGG
exquisite recording
great singing
excellent stereo sound.
libretto and notes/pics included.
recommended.

[Itullian]

Listening to the Archipel issue of Rheingold, Furtwangler, Scala live.
this remastering is outstanding
the sound is very good mono.
and the performance outstanding

[Soave_Fanciulla]

[Schigolch]

[Jephtha]

[Itullian]

my fav

[Jephtha]

my fav

Yes, I remember!

I had forgotten just how superlative these performances are. Klemperer's tempi certainly are slower than we are accustomed to, nowadays, but there is always drive and forward motion, with no hint of slackness in the playing of the orchestra. The singers are sometimes stretched to the utmost by the slower speeds, but they do beautifully. Surprisingly, he is considerably quicker in some spots than some modern conductors: Harnoncourt's tempo for Fiordiligi's second aria is astoundingly slow, and his Figaro recording is distinctly more serious and grave than Klemperer's. The way Klemperer highlights the orchestral detail in these scores is a constant delight. Looking forward to repeated listenings!

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Very good to have these together. Highly recommended.

[Soave_Fanciulla]