Works for an Opera newbie?

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I feel that I would be doing you a disservice by not mentioning that opera is best experienced on DVD. 

Welllll....personally I don't feel DVD is so important that great opera recordings never filmed should be overlooked.

Recordings like Martinu's Julietta or Knappertsbusch's 1962 Parsifal NEED to be experienced but have no DVD representation. Ditto a boatload of others.  

[DarkAngel]

  Hello Conor71 and welcome to opera.  I feel that I would be doing you a disservice by not mentioning that opera is best experienced on DVD.  This is especialy true of Wagner's Ring.  I am not saying that you should not have a CD recording of the Ring (I'll aways treasure my Solti Ring Cycle).  But you will always be missing something if you have never seen it performed.  Remember that the visual element to it all is just as important as the libretto and dare I say it the music!   

I also strongly recommend having at least one DVD version of major operas, very important to have visual image of scence depicted by various arias etc, plus because of greater storage of DVD media fewer discs needed compared to CD so price is same and sometimes less........plus you get the visuals with set design, costumes etc (the complete experience)

Best to rent first if possible since poorly done DVD version can actually be a hindrance compared to CD 

[DarkAngel]

If you're interested in the Böhm Ring try and pick up a copy of The Wagner Cube; the set includes recordings of all of Wagner's post-Rienzi operas, including that Böhm Ring. It should be available considerably cheaper than the Ring set.

That is a great tip for Wagners fans!
The "cube" contains the Bohm/Phillips Ring plus his Tristian and many other Wagner operas by various top conductors, 33Cds total for less than $70 at Amazon USA

[Maciek]

Tsaraslondon, thanks for the feedback on the Muti box. I guess I'll skip it for now (I already have at least two versions of each of the Da Ponte operas - including the Bohm Cosi; I wasn't aware of the Colin Davis, I think I'll add it to my wishlist, because of Baker - thanks for mentioning it!).

[Elgarian]

poorly done DVD version can actually be a hindrance compared to CD 

DA speaks truly! This is important and needs stressing.

[Conor71]

Thanks again for the replies and suggestions all, they are much appreciated  - The Wagner Cube is very appealing and is on my Wish List now! 

[Brahmsian]

Thanks again for the replies and suggestions all, they are much appreciated  - The Wagner Cube is very appealing and is on my Wish List now! 

Most awesome!    Perhaps this will spur Karl to revisit the cube. 

[Tsaraslondon]

Tsaraslondon, thanks for the feedback on the Muti box. I guess I'll skip it for now (I already have at least two versions of each of the Da Ponte operas - including the Bohm Cosi; I wasn't aware of the Colin Davis, I think I'll add it to my wishlist, because of Baker - thanks for mentioning it!).

I didn't comment on the Bohm Magic Flute, which is also in Conor71's original list. It may not be a a first choice in this opera, but I would not want to be without Wunderlich's peerless Tamino. I have yet to hear it bettered. The dialogue, judiciously pruned, is included, and, certainly on the male side, the cast is well balanced, with a splendid Speaker from Hans Hotter. Fischer-Dieskau is a surprsingly successful Papageno, though he never performed the role on stage, as he thought he was too large framed for it. Unfortunately Evelyn Lear is not the best Pamina you are likely to hear, and has definitely been bettered by the likes of Janowitz, Popp, Seefried, Margaret Price et al. Nor does Roberta Peters's Queen of the Night fall particularly easily on the ear, though she sounds a mite more dangerous than Dessay on the Christie set, which is the other one I have in my collection.