Unpopular Opinions

[Wanderer]

...(with very few exceptions).

*cliffhanger*

Such as?

[Lisztianwagner]

*cliffhanger*

Such as?

Falstaff, Otello, Tosca and Madame Butterfly.

[Brahmsian]

Great C minor Mass > Requiem in D minor

[Jo498]

Great C minor Mass > Requiem in D minor

I agree. With some qualifications. They are both uneven works mostly but not only because of their state of incompletion and the Introitus (despite being strong indebted to both Handel's "Ways of Zion..." and Michael Haydn's Requiem) and maybe two more pieces of the Requiem I find more convincing than the c minor mass. But the Requiem is far more incomplete and more uneven than the c minor Mass.

[MusicTurner]

Great C minor Mass > Requiem in D minor

The Great c-minor Mass has suffered from a lot of rather poor recordings and performances, not giving the work sufficient justice.

[Jo498]

I am not sure about that but I think it might be more demanding than the Requiem in some ways. One needs a great soprano, especially for the Et incarnatus, some of the ensemble pieces also need both virtuoso and homogeneous soloists and some of the choirs are 8 part double choirs although I don't know in which work the choir parts are more difficult.

[DavidW]

Great C minor Mass > Requiem in D minor

I would say that they are on par with each other, but the Requiem is so overplayed that it is hard not to appreciate the C minor mass more.

[Spotted Horses]

I find the Kyrie of the c-minor mass miraculous. I normally don't listen to the rest. In the Requiem, the Requiem aeternam and especially the Kyrie fugue are miraculous. I normally don't list to the rest.

[Mirror Image]

Ditto, indeed a great favourite of mine is Ottorino Respighi.

Respighi wrote some fine operas! For me, his opera Belfagor is one of his great masterpieces. You should definitely check it out along with La fiamma.

[Lisztianwagner]

Respighi wrote some fine operas! For me, his opera Belfagor is one of his great masterpieces. You should definitely check it out along with La fiamma.

Yes, that's true, but he is best known for his symphonic music and anyway he was an eclectic composer (orchestral and chamber works, ballets, operas, etc). What I meant, he can't be considered an opera composer like Verdi.
Thank you for the suggestion, John, I know them, but I have never listened to those works.

On second thought, more than Italian Opera, I should have said Melodrama.

[Mirror Image]

Yes, that's true, but he is best known for his symphonic music and anyway he was an eclectic composer (orchestral and chamber works, ballets, operas, etc). What I meant, he can't be considered an opera composer like Verdi.
Thank you for the suggestion, John, I know them, but I have never listened to those works.

On second thought, more than Italian Opera, I should have said Melodrama.

He was rather eclectic, but I generally like composers who wore many different hats as long as they wrote within each genre convincingly, which I believe Respighi did. I think you'll enjoy the sound-world of Belfagor. It's a magical opera.

[LKB]

Most new music sucks a$$.

[Madiel]

Most new music sucks a$$.

This has in fact been a VERY popular opinion for many centuries, only the definition of what counts as "new music" keeps getting revised by each succeeding generation.

Plus, a lot of what previously sucked is simply forgotten by the time anyone is doing the revising. I suspect the truth might actually be that a lot of MUSIC sucks a$$, and the main difference between new music and old music is that the new stuff hasn't had time for the crud to be filtered out.

But of course there's also stuff that is famous now that wasn't much liked when it was new.

[Lisztianwagner]

He was rather eclectic, but I generally like composers who wore many different hats as long as they wrote within each genre convincingly, which I believe Respighi did. I think you'll enjoy the sound-world of Belfagor. It's a magical opera.

Certainly, me too.  Thank you anyway, I'll try Belfagor after exploring Zemlinsky a little longer. 

[Florestan]

On second thought, more than Italian Opera, I should have said Melodrama.

A few examples would be helpful, Ilaria, please.

[Lisztianwagner]

A few examples would be helpful, Ilaria, please.

Well, about Italian Opera, despite many attempts, I have never been particularly interested in Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Leoncavallo, Mascagni and Verdi. Their music is not appealing to me, I'm sorry.

[Florestan]

Well, about Italian Opera, despite many attempts, I have never been particularly interested in Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Leoncavallo, Mascagni and Verdi. Their music is not appealing to me, I'm sorry.

Okay, thanks --- but why calling them melodramas instead of operas?

[Lisztianwagner]

Okay, thanks --- but why calling them melodramas instead of operas?

I apologize, I recognize it wasn't correct.
But apart from Mascagni and Leoncavallo, those composers are included in the Melodrama.

[Florestan]

I apologize, I recognize it wasn't correct.

No, it's actually my bad, I had in mind only a particular meaning of melodrama. You were correct.

But apart from Mascagni and Leoncavallo, those composers are included in the Melodrama.

Well, Pagliacci and Cavalleria rusticana are typical melodramas when it comes to the operatic sense of the word. 

Once again, it's my bad. Never mind any more.

[71 dB]

Well, about Italian Opera, despite many attempts, I have never been particularly interested in Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Leoncavallo, Mascagni and Verdi. Their music is not appealing to me, I'm sorry.

Same here, but I certainly enjoy Puccini!  0:)