General Opera News

Started by uffeviking, April 08, 2007, 06:49:51 PM

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Wendell_E

#160
Quote from: knight on January 16, 2008, 11:47:17 AM
I thought the Traviata had what were once known as the standard cuts, such as one verse of 'Di Provenza il mar' and so forth.

That's how I remember it.  I believe the only non-standard cut is the little scene between Violetta and Anina at the beginning of the last act.  I think it cuts from the prelude to the letter reading.

Agree about the Otello.  Horribly mutilated.  Supposedly to make a shorter running time, but then Signor Zifarillee (if he can mutilate Verdi, I can mutilate his name) adds in the Paris ballet music (and during Act I, not Act III, where Verdi intended it).

The first time I saw it was in a movie theatre, when it was new.  When Otello sings "Sangue! Sangue! Sangue!" one of the "Sangue!"s was missing, and I was fairly sure it was just a few frames missing from the theatre's copy, but wondered if it was maybe Zifarillee "improving" on Boito, Verdi and Shakespeare again.

I really wish the Met would release one of the telecasts of their old Zeffirelli production of the complete opera, preferably the 1978 one with Jon Vickers, Renata Scotto, and Cornell MacNeil, Levine conducting.  They also telecast it the next season with Plácido Domingo, Gilda Cruz-Romo, and Sherrill Milnes, but I think there are already enough Domingo Otellos available.  The only Vickers one is the Karajan film, which also suffers from cutting (nothing near the Zifarillee one though).
"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

Siedler

It seems TDK Music's website has been down for quite a while. I hope they haven't gone bankrupt or something  :-\

knight66

The Karajan has I think one cut of about 70 bars of the ensemble when the ambassador arrives from Venice. I was really jolted by some of the cuts in the Maazel film, quite a lot of significant musical structures were hobbled and that wonderful ensemble was almost non existant..

I have not seen the Traviata since it was released in the cinema, probably in 1983, over 20 years ago now. How time does go by!

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

Sarastro

Quote from: knight on January 16, 2008, 11:47:17 AM
I thought the Traviata had what were once known as the standard cuts, such as one verse of 'Di Provenza il mar' and so forth.

One verse of 'Di Provenza il mar' is not standard, and then a scene with a doctor is cut, all the ensembles are missing a few tacts in different places. And other.

knight66

Quote from: Sarastro on January 16, 2008, 02:53:17 PM
One verse of 'Di Provenza il mar' is not standard,

Actually...it is.
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

Wendell_E

#165
Quote from: knight on January 16, 2008, 03:19:26 PM
Actually...it is.

I'm gonna hafta go with Sarastro on that one.  I've never heard a performance (including MacNeil's in Z's film) of "Di Provenza" that didn't include both verses, though cutting its entire cabaletta ("No, non udrai rimproveri") is one of those "standard cuts" (which the film does take).  Nowadays, we'll sometimes get at least one verse of the cabaletta.
"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

knight66

#166
Not my recollection; but then I may be wrong, I often am. Not the kind of thing I will make a song and dance about, let's assume I am wrong.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

T-C

Quote from: Siedler on January 16, 2008, 01:26:04 PM
It seems TDK Music's website has been down for quite a while. I hope they haven't gone bankrupt or something  :-\

The TDK website is active again...


lesroches

    
New Opera on DVD website: http://stridonolassu.googlepages.com/


The chap who created the site has mentioned that it's still under construction, and he hopes visitors will be patient until the site is fully up and running.  From what I've seen, I think he's already done a wonderful job.

Les Roches

knight66

Here is the most complete list I can find of the Karajan EMI box 2 vocal discs. The EMI site is not working properly. I can see that in the UK these are selling for well under £1 per disc. I have no idea what the packaging is like. There must only be minimal notes.

Herbert von Karajan - Complete EMI Recordings (Opera / Vocal)70 CDs 
Erscheinungstermin: 8.2.2008
Verfügbarkeit: Artikel noch nicht erschienen, voraussichtlicher Liefertermin ist der 8.2.2008.
Sie können den Titel schon jetzt bestellen. Versand an Sie erfolgt gleich nach Verfügbarkeit. 
DetailinformationenMozart:Die Zauberflöte (1950);Figaros Hochzeit (1950);
Cosi fan tutte (1954);Ave verum KV 618 (1955)
+Strauss:Salome (1977 / 78);Ariadne auf Naxos (1954);
Rosenkavalier (1956);Vier letzte Lieder (1956)
+Verdi:Aida (1979);Falstaff (1956);Don Carlos (1973);
Trovatore (1956 & 1977);Otello (1973)
+Bach:Messe h-moll BWV 232 (1950 & 1952 / 53)
+Brahms:Ein deutsches Requiem (1947 & 1976)
+Beethoven:Missa solemnis (1958 & 1974);Fidelio (1970)
+Humperdinck:Hänsel & Gretel (1953)
+J. Strauss II:Die Fledermaus (1955)
+Debussy:Pelleas et Melisande (1978)
+Haydn:Die Jahreszeiten (1972)
+Wagner:Der Fliegende Holländer (1981-1983);Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1951 & 1970);Lohengrin (1975 / 76 / 81);
Tristan & Isolde (1971 / 72);Walküre (3.Akt / 1951)
+Donizetti:Lucia di Lammermoor (1955)
+Puccini:Madama Butterfly (1955)
+Auszüge aus Opern von Mozart, Mascagni, Smetana u. a.
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Irmgard Seefried, Sena Jurinac,
Agnes Baltsa, Jose van Dam, Hildegard Behrens, Jose Carreras,
Nicolai Gedda, Kathleen Ferrier, Christa Ludwig, Josef Metternich, Rita Streich, Helen Donath, Peter Schreier, Gundula
Janowitz, Anna Moffo, Kurt Moll, Leontyne Price,
Wien PO, Wien SO, Philharmonia Orchestra, Berlin PO,
Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele, Staatskapelle Dresden,
RIAS SO Berlin, La Scala Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
*** Inkl. CD-ROM mit den Libretti & Fotogalerie Label: EMI , ADD, 1946-1984
Bestellnummer: 1815685
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

knight66

I usually start a new thread for my reviews, but they then drop like stones, so here goes on this portmanteau thread.



Here is the real deal; well, at least in the studio. I am not much of a one for collecting CDs of recitals by Tenors, only a few Tenors really excite me. However, reading a review of this singer, he was described as having something of Wunderlich and something of Vickers in his voice. As those are two Tenors who really get my attention, I though I would order the disc.

Using the word 'order' brings me to one drawback here. The ordering of the tracks.

Puccini, Bizet, Flotow, Puccini, Verdi, Weber, Verdi, Massenet, Verdi, Gounod, Wagner, Berlioz, Massenet.

Just what is that about?

As recorded, this is a big voice, refulgent, full from top to bottom. It is a very exciting voice and he uses dynamics, it is not one long shout by any means. When he goes into mezza voce in his upper range, it is constricted rather than honeyed and there is a little grit in the voice sometimes. He is an appreciable actor, he really raises the hairs on the back of the neck. He is also a generous singer, really digging into the music, not oversubtle, he has a fine legato, does not squeeze the tone in full voice and knows just how to build a phrase to a stunning climax.

He seems comfortable in all three languages he showcases here, though the French is good, rather than authentic. (Is there anything more illusive that the tang of a French singer singing French?) The Aria from Don Carlo is a real stunner, The Duke from Rigoletto, very beautifully done, virile as well. Faust by Berlioz, that is especially good, he has a real grip on what he is doing with the music.

The conductor is Marco Armiliato; new to me, he gives good support and nothing is either rushed or allowed to drag. I will be looking for more of this singer. I also ordered a DVD of La Clemenza di Tito, he is in it and I look forward to it all the more now I know what he can do.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

bhodges

Wow, a great-sounding new singer--thanks!  And I heard Armiliato conduct Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac at the Met in 2006, and he was quite good.  Will have to put this on the "to buy" pile...

--Bruce

knight66

Bruce, It is so good, I am immediately giving it another spin. He plays around a bit with the Meistersingers Prize song, that is to my ears the only remotely unsuccessful track; but he seems to have the heft for Wagner.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

MishaK

Hmm. From the samples on Amazon I'm not quite convinced. Kaufmann has a nice, dark masculine voice, but I am not too happy with his control of it. There are times where it seems he cant quite control color or volume adequately and others where he seems to push a bit as he releases a phrase. There is generally some pushing to it that I find a tad grating.

knight66

That is interesting because, I did not think I could tell much at all from the Amazon samples, so I went for the disc. I don't think he pushes, he certainly works phrases and the volume is sometimes a bit overpowering; but I have no idea whether that is a production issue.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

Sergeant Rock

#175
Quote from: knight on February 02, 2008, 09:35:39 AM
Here is the most complete list I can find of the Karajan EMI box 2 vocal discs...I have no idea what the packaging is like. There must only be minimal notes.

I have the box now. Minimal notes is correct. There is a small booklet, listing contents, artists, recording dates and a three and a half page essay by Richard Osborne entitled Karajan and EMI. The box is much smaller than I thought it would be; quite compact: 23.5x13x13 cm. The 72 CDs are in paper sleeves.






Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

knight66

Sarge, Thanks.....I am extremely tempted by this box. I think I will have to give my wife some locking access to Amazon; so I don't just go and do the deed.

I hope you enjoy the discs and can find time to let us have your thoughts as you go along.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

Hector

Quote from: knight on February 05, 2008, 07:26:25 AM
I usually start a new thread for my reviews, but they then drop like stones, so here goes on this portmanteau thread.



Here is the However, reading a review of this singer, he was described as having something of Wunderlich and something of Vickers in his voice. As those are two Tenors who really get my attention, I though I would order the disc.













The Beeb transmitted the Covent Garden 'Carmen' during the Christmas period and he was the very impressive Don Jose. Antonacci was Carmen.

Lilas Pastia

#178
There's a few Youtube videos out there, including the trailer for this album. It's a peculiar voice. His speaking voice is elegant, but it's much darker when he sings.  That kind of back of the throat vocal production is quite ill-suited to French and Italian  repertoire. He sounds like a hefty heldentenor trying his hand at the lighter, romantic. OTOH his bottom notes are very weak. He does have considerable power, especially in the middle range, and he's still obviously trying to marshal it. He reminds me most of Jose Cura.

I wonder what can have possessed the producers of this album to have him sing in all kinds of styles and languages. Decca would have rendered him a service in finding a suitable program (Beethoven, Weber, the lighter Wagner roles). Check the Florestan and especially the Don José  :o scenes. He sounds almost overpowering, if not especially subtle. His Ach so fromm and Che gelida manina OTOH seem totallly devoid of tenderness, almost sounding like Canio. His Martha and Mimi had better watch out...

knight66

Especially for Lis; Salome from Covent Garden; decidedly mixed reviews.



Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.