Works for an Opera newbie?

[Conor71]

I am interested in getting into Opera and have been browsing Amazon for sets I would like to try out (see below) - any comments on these recordings and do you think they are appropriate for an Opera newb?.
My only previous Opera ventures have been Fidelio (which I like), Die Zauberflote and Madama Butterfly (ok but need to listen to them more and want to aquire "better" recordings than before)
All being well project Opera will begin sometime early next year - Thanks for any help you can offer :

Die Zauberflote



Da Ponte Operas



Madama Butterfly



The Ring

[Air]

I would go directly to Le Nozze di Figaro.  This was the piece that first helped me appreciate opera anyways.

[listener]

Why not sample some free of charge before laying out cash.
http://www.operacast.com/   is a site that will let you plan your listening, and if you don't like something you can turn it off  without being embarrassed (as opposed to attending a live performance).

[Maciek]

You could also try Opera Today, which has an enormous database of streamable (in fact: downloadable) operas (many of the old ones don't work anymore, though).

You might find some interesting suggestions in this thread: Good introductions to the world of opera.

[Franco]

I am interested in getting into Opera and have been browsing Amazon for sets I would like to try out (see below) - any comments on these recordings and do you think they are appropriate for an Opera newb?.

Currently, Amazon has some incredible deals on complete operas (less than $5 each) by Maria Callas and other greats singers and conductors as MP3 downloads.  If you are just getting into opera as a newbie, you can sample these rather cheaply and then once you find out if it's(or what's) for you then go out and buy the CDs.

[Tsaraslondon]

I am interested in getting into Opera and have been browsing Amazon for sets I would like to try out (see below) - any comments on these recordings and do you think they are appropriate for an Opera newbie

Where are you based? Here in the UK, we have a fantastic resource called Spotify (www.spotify.com). This gives you access to a huge library of music. If you opt for a free account, your listening will be interrupted by short ads every few tracks, but it does give you the chance to sample operas and try before you buy. So far Universal haven't agreed a deal with them, so you won't find any DG, Philips or Decca opera sets. However, pretty much all of EMI's back catalogue is there, as are many of Sony and BMG's recordings. Unlike itunes, you can't download any of the tracks, but you can listen to as much as you like for as long as you like.

[Conor71]

Thanks for the replies and links all  .
I have done some research and bought a few newbie type Operas already: Carmen, Die Zauberflote, Der Frieschutz, Fidelio, I Pagliacci, La Traviata, Madama Butterfly - I have listened to most of them already and have really enjoyed what I have heard so far.
I am happy to have made a breakthrough into this genre and am already planning some future purchases! .

[bhodges]

Also, just noticed your signature, and you might try one of Shostakovich's operas, depending on how much you like his music.  Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is terrific, and there are several fine recordings out there, including a DVD from the Netherlands Opera that is terrific.  And although I haven't yet heard it, the new CD of The Nose, with Gergiev and the Kirov, has received excellent reviews. 

--Bruce

[Brahmsian]

Also, just noticed your signature, and you might try one of Shostakovich's operas, depending on how much you like his music.  Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is terrific, and there are several fine recordings out there, including a DVD from the Netherlands Opera that is terrific. 

Bruce, I saw this one, and I really, really loved it! Highly recommend it too! 

[Superhorn]

 Arkivmusic.com has a huge selection of classical CDs and DVDs, with a whole section for opera, and you can look up any opera alphabetically and see a list of all the CDs and DVDs available of that opera, as well as all kinds of classical music.
Be sure you get CDs with the libretto and English translation , although if
you get one without these you can download many of    them from naxos records.

[Maciek]

Funny thing is, we've got to reply #11 and no one has said anything about the recordings posted by the thread starter. Personally, I'd be interested to know how good or bad the Muti set is. I'm not fond of Muti (to say the least) and for that reason I've steered clear off that set - but I'd be interested to hear any comments about it.

[Tsaraslondon]

Funny thing is, we've got to reply #11 and no one has said anything about the recordings posted by the thread starter. Personally, I'd be interested to know how good or bad the Muti set is. I'm not fond of Muti (to say the least) and for that reason I've steered clear off that set - but I'd be interested to hear any comments about it.

I only know the Muti Cosi fan Tutte, which is live from the Salzburg Festival, and have to say I've always rather enjoyed it. Being live, it does have a few extraneous stage noises, but benefits from being a real performance. The ladies (Margaret Marshall, Agnes Baltsa and Kathleen Battle) are particularly fine; so is Jose Van Dam as Don Alfonso, and Francisco Araiza and James Morris are only a little behind this general level of excellence. Though I would not place it above either the EMI Bohm (my favourite), or the Colin Davis (on Philips with Caballe and Janet Baker), I'd say it was a thoroughly enjoyable set, with a real sense of theatre and comedy. I seem to remember it being well received when it was first issued. Unfortunately neither the Figaro, nor the Don Giovanni received such a good press, though, I have to admit, I have heard neither. This box may be a cheap way of acquiring all three Da Ponte operas, but I would say you'd be better to shop around. There are some classics now available at pretty low prices (the Giulini and Kleiber Figaro, the Giulini, Furtwangler and Krips Giovanni, for a few).

[Air]

There's a great Figaro from the Met on youtube as well... if that doesn't help you "get into opera" I don't know what will.   

[Xenophanes]

The Beecham recording of Puccini's La Boheme is a classic.  Sure it's in mono but the 1956 sound is pretty good.  But the performance is simply superb with glorious singing by all the major characters--you would never be able to put such a cast together for a live opera.  The only real problem is that it is so lively, so dramatic, that it will spoil you for other recordings.  Just listen to the 30 second excerpts on Amazon.com.  I'll just give the search list.

http://www.amazon.com/Boheme-Puccini/product-reviews/B000063UM0/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

[Josquin des Prez]

The Ring

Great recording but the cheap bastards who released the set didn't include a libretto. BTW, this Bohm ever made a recording of Parsifal? So far i seem to like him best in the late Operas.

[bricon]

The Ring

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.

Don't worry that these bargain sets do not come with libretti; they can easily (and freely) be found on-line.

[Brahmsian]

Don't worry that these bargain sets do not come with libretti; they can easily (and freely) be found on-line.

Hmm, I wasn't aware of this.  I'd be interested in a libretto of The Ring (I have the Levine/Met on DG, bargain price set), as that didn't come with the libretti.

[marvinbrown]

I am interested in getting into Opera and have been browsing Amazon for sets I would like to try out (see below) - any comments on these recordings and do you think they are appropriate for an Opera newb?.
My only previous Opera ventures have been Fidelio (which I like), Die Zauberflote and Madama Butterfly (ok but need to listen to them more and want to aquire "better" recordings than before)
All being well project Opera will begin sometime early next year - Thanks for any help you can offer :

Die Zauberflote



Da Ponte Operas



Madama Butterfly



The Ring

  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!  After all Wagner, Verdi, Mozart etc. were theater composers.  The trick now is to find a production that suites your tastes.  You can switch the subtitles on and let the drama unfold before your eyes.  Personally and others here might crucify me for recommending this to you but I prefer the Levine Ring MET production. The set production is astonishing and it is quite affordable:

 


  I love traditional productions with elaborate sets.  If you prefer modern productions perhaps someone here can recommend some modern productions of the Ring to you.

  marvin

[bricon]

Hmm, I wasn't aware of this.  I'd be interested in a libretto of The Ring (I have the Levine/Met on DG, bargain price set), as that didn't come with the libretti.

Here are some Ring libretti.

In CD booklet form:

Das Rheingold
Die Walküre
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung


Larger format libretti to Wagner's post-Rienzi operas can be found here.

[Superhorn]

  I would recommend starting out with those three Da Ponte /Mozart operas, Gluck's Orfeo&Euridice, Handel's Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar),
Then The Magic Flute, The Abduction from the Seraglio first.
Then proceed to Rossini's Barber of Seville, and La Cenerentola,
(Cinderella) , Bellini's Norma and I Puritani, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, L'Elisir D'Amore, and Don Pasquale, and then to Verdi :
La Traviata, Rigoletto and Il Trovatore, Aida, La Forza Del Destino,
Otello, Don Carlo and Falstaff, possibly Macbeth.
Then Puccini: La Boheme ,Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot.
  Other italian operas: Ponchielli's La Gioconda, Giordano's Andrea Chenier,
Boito's Mefistofele and Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur.
  French : Gounod's Faust and Romeo&Juliette, Bizet's Carmen,
Massenet's Manon and Werther, Debussy's Pelleas&Melisande,Offenbach';s Tales of Hoffmann.
  German: Weber: Der Freischutz. Humperdinck: Hansel&Gretel.
  Then try the Wagner operas. Richard Strauss: Salome, Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier.
Russian: Boris Godunov, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and Pique Dame,
Borodin's Prince Igor.
Czech: Janacek: Jenufa, Katya Kabanova,Cunning Little Vixen.
Smetana: The Bartred Bride, Dvorak, Rusalka.
  This methodical approach might give you a good perspective on opera.