Some Operas That Could Use New Recordings

[Superhorn]

   Unfortunately,there aren't too many new srudio or even live recordings of operas being made today for economic reasons, except maybe by Chandos and Naxos. Here are my recommendations of some operas which could use first-rate new CD recordings. Please make any recommendations of your own.

  Wagner : Rienzi. So far, there has been only one studio recording, and that's on EMI with Hollreiser and the Staatskapelle, Dresden. It's pretty good, but we could use a new one. All the other recordings have been heavily cut live performances, and the Hollreiser is the most complete so far. How about James Levine, also conducting the Dresden, say with Ben Heppner as Rienzi ? Any takers ?

  Charpentier,Gustave: Louise.  This has yet to be recorded complete digitally, although the Pretre version on CBS, is quite good, but probably not available.
   How about Renee Fleming, with Charles Dutoit or Michel Plasson conducting?

  Richard Strauss: Die Schweigsame Frau.(The Silent Woman). I fell in love with this delightful and sadly underrated opera many years ago from the EMI recording with Theo Adam and Marek Janowski and the Staatskapelle, Dresden.
  IMHO, it's one of the best comic operas of the 20th century, and is sort of Don Pasquale meets Pirates of the Cariibbean!   How about  Christian Thielemann also in Dresden, with  Rene Pape as Morosus, the grumpy retired admiral?

Pietro Mascagni: L'Amico Fritz. I'm not sure if the classic EMI recording with Pavarotti and Freni is still available, but how about Alagna and Gheorghiu, say with Antonio Pappano, or Dessay and Florez?

   Any  other  recommendations ?

[jlaurson]

  Wagner : Rienzi. So far, there has been only one studio recording, and that's on EMI with Hollreiser and the Staatskapelle, Dresden. It's pretty good, but we could use a new one. All the other recordings have been heavily cut live performances, and the Hollreiser is the most complete so far. How about James Levine, also conducting the Dresden, say with Ben Heppner as Rienzi ? Any takers ?


  Richard Strauss: Die Schweigsame Frau.(The Silent Woman). I fell in love with this delightful and sadly underrated opera many years ago from the EMI recording with Theo Adam and Marek Janowski and the Staatskapelle, Dresden.
  IMHO, it's one of the best comic operas of the 20th century, and is sort of Don Pasquale meets Pirates of the Cariibbean!   How about  Christian Thielemann also in Dresden, with  Rene Pape as Morosus, the grumpy retired admiral?

I suggest Thielemann for Rienzi, not Levine. I don't have that much time, you know. And Dresden is already so overtaxed with performances, better to use an orchestra that could really practice these works. Why not Thielemann's own band, the Munich Phil. They have every bit the potential to be a great opera orchestra - in the select repertoire that their dictat, ah... conductor would lead them into.

I am not sure if CT would do Die Schweigsame Frau... but then again, he's enough of a Strauss-nut to do even that (admittedly darling) piece.

[Wendell_E]

How about a recording of Massenet's Cendrillon with Le Prince Charmant sung by the Falcon or "Soprano de sentiment" the composer asks for?

[Superhorn]

   How about Leonard Slatkin conducting Barber's "Antony and Cleopatra" using the original version with music Barber cut after the critical drubbing the opera took at the legendary world premiere in 1966 when the new Met opened in Lincoln Center ?  Possibly with Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson?
  The only previous recording was on New World Records and was taped live at the Spoleto Festival. I don't know if this is still available.

[Wilhelm Richard]

   

  Wagner : Rienzi. So far, there has been only one studio recording, and that's on EMI with Hollreiser and the Staatskapelle, Dresden. It's pretty good, but we could use a new one. All the other recordings have been heavily cut live performances, and the Hollreiser is the most complete so far. How about James Levine, also conducting the Dresden, say with Ben Heppner as Rienzi ? Any takers ?

 

There is a more complete version of Rienzi conducted by Edward Downes that is excellent...
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Rienzi/dp/B000EGEKS8


How about a recording of Arthur Sullivan's Ivanhoe?   I remember reading somewhere that the late Richard Hickox was going to be recording it on Chandos... (that would have been wonderful)

[Brünnhilde forever]

My mention of D'Albert's Tiefland came a tad too late because I found it among the listing of future releases, January 2009. Is there a previous recording of this opera available? This one with Mathias Goerne should be a winner:

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//2344829.htm

[Superhorn]

   I  don't  know  if  it's  still  available, but  I  have  Tiefland  on  Eurodisc 
with  Rudolf  Schock  and  Hans  Zanotelli  conducting,  and  it's  excellent.
  There  is  a  more  recent  Digital  version  with  I  believe  Eva  Marton  amd 
conductor  Marek  Janowski, and  I  don't  know  if  that's available  either.
   There  was  also  a  recording  from  several  years  ago  of  another  D'Albert  opera  called  D"Die  Toten  Augen"(The  Dead  Eyes, which  I  have  not  heard,  but  which  got  some  favorable  reviews  and  sounds  interesting.

[Brünnhilde forever]

You reminded me to check with Google and sure enough, ONLY NINE Tiefland recordings are available, used and new, cheap ones and expensive ones!

But I also found this:

http://www.amazon.com/DAlbert-Die-Toten-Augen/dp/B000006NZA/ref=sr_1_31?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1230165055&sr=1-31

[knight66]

I was going to suggest Norma as a candidate. I think the last mainstream CD issue was June Anderson, clears throat, however; I came across this site.

http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLBLNORM.HTM

It claims 122 recordings of Norma exist and here are the most recent....


112 2005(LI) - Carella Giuliano - Teatro Massimo «Bellini» di Catania**
113 2005(LI) - Reynolds Julian - Nederlands Kamerorkest**
114 2005(LI) - Viotti Marcello - Wiener Staatsoper*
115 2006(LI) - Haider Friedrich - Bayerische Staatsoper***
116 2006(LI) - Paganini Giorgio - Orquesta de la Casa de la Opera de Buenos Aires**
117 2006(LI) - Villaume Emmanuel - L'Opéra de Marseille**
118 2007(LI) - Arrivabeni Paolo - Fondazione Orchestra Regionale delle Marche**
119 2007(LI) - Campanella Bruno - Gran Teatro del Liceo*
120 2007(LI) - Haider Friedrich - Wiener Staatsoper*
121 2008(LI) - Pidò Evelino - Teatro Comunale di Bologna*
122 200?(FI) - Lavchian Karen - Armenian State Opera**

The site then lists more detail on all the recordings.

Mike

[Tsaraslondon]

I was going to suggest Norma as a candidate. I think the last mainstream CD issue was June Anderson, clears throat, however; I came across this site.

http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLBLNORM.HTM

It claims 122 recordings of Norma exist and here are the most recent....


112 2005(LI) - Carella Giuliano - Teatro Massimo «Bellini» di Catania**
113 2005(LI) - Reynolds Julian - Nederlands Kamerorkest**
114 2005(LI) - Viotti Marcello - Wiener Staatsoper*
115 2006(LI) - Haider Friedrich - Bayerische Staatsoper***
116 2006(LI) - Paganini Giorgio - Orquesta de la Casa de la Opera de Buenos Aires**
117 2006(LI) - Villaume Emmanuel - L'Opéra de Marseille**
118 2007(LI) - Arrivabeni Paolo - Fondazione Orchestra Regionale delle Marche**
119 2007(LI) - Campanella Bruno - Gran Teatro del Liceo*
120 2007(LI) - Haider Friedrich - Wiener Staatsoper*
121 2008(LI) - Pidò Evelino - Teatro Comunale di Bologna*
122 200?(FI) - Lavchian Karen - Armenian State Opera**

The site then lists more detail on all the recordings.

Mike

A quick glance, though, shows that the majority of these are live recordings or broadcasts. But of course mention of a new recording of Norma takes us back to the discussion on the opera in this very forum. The opera is pretty much uncastable these days. I can't think of anyone around who could challenge Callas, Sutherland or Caballe in the title role.

Discussion can be found here http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,8112.0.html

[knight66]

Yes, it is a moot point just what a recording means, but out of that number and all the ones from the 10 years prior, I would have thought some would have dribbled out onto disc. But, there are not any mentioned that I am gagging to hear.

Mike

[Superhorn]

   How about a new recording of the powerful "L'Amore dei Tre Re"(The Love of Three Kings), by the now largely forgotten Italian composer Italo Montemezzi, a late 19th to mid 20th century figure ?
  There is a very good analogue recording on RCA with Cesare Siepi and Anna Moffo conducted by Nello Santi with the LSO, but I doubt that this is still available.
  Riccardo Chailly ought to conduct a new version on Decca with perhaps Renee Fleming ,Thomas Hampson,Ben heppner and Rene Pape with the La Scala orchestra. That might be something.
  Back around the 1930s, the composer himself conducted a production at the Met, and that company should definitely revive the opera.