What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[knight66]

Three women yelling at one another for 90 minutes is not that far from it. I can imagine it is a Marmite piece for many people.

Mike

[Tsaraslondon]

Today I'm listening to Les Huguenots in the famous Sutherland recording. If I'm honest, it's not really holding my interest any more than it did the last time I listened to it, which must be a god twenty years ago now at least. There are a few good tunes, but generally there's quite a lot of empty rhetoric and padding. The lighter sections of the score reminded me of Offenbach without the invention. The recording has its problems as well, chief of them being Vrenios's Raoul, which seems to me lightweight and a little whiney. Sutherland has her usual problems with diction, but the voice itself is gorgeous of course. I'm into Act II now, but not at all sure I'll persevere to the end.

[mc ukrneal]

I have been listening to Strauss' Elektra. The version is played by the VPO and conducted by Sinopoli. Alexandra Marc has the main role, her mother is Hanna Schwarz and the sister is Deborah Voigt. Jerusalem is Aegisth and Ramey is Orest.

The voices are well forward, but words are frequently indistinct, the men show up the lack of consonants in the other singers. The pacing is fine and all three women's voices cope well with what they have to accomplish. However, those voices are insufficiently distinct, it is often a puzzle to understand who is singing unless the libretto is followed. This rather undermines the central conflict between mother and daughter, as neither establish a vocal personality.

The orchestra sounds terrific both in filigree patches and the occasional wall of sound. I don't sense that push and pull that Sinopoli often imposed and this kind of histrionic piece suits him.

I still prefer the visceral Solti where the voices of the three women are easy to differentiate. And no one has been recorded in such steely vocal health as Nilsson. I saw her in the part and it was not a matter of it seeming easy, rather that she sounded as fresh at the end as at the start. When I have seen other singers in the part, it has really taken it out of them.

Mike

It's not an opera I like particularly. For too much of the time it sounds like a load of women screaming at each other and the Solti recording tends to emphasise the hysteria at the expense of the lyrical side of the score, something that Sawallisch brings out better in his recording. I agree, though, that Nilsson is by far the best Elektra on disc. Marton, who is on the Sawallisch, is not a singer I usually like and, compared to Nilsson, she does occasionally sound strained, but it's a fine performance nonetheless, probably her best on disc. I also prefer Studer to Collier and Lipovsek to Resnik. Weikl is also very fine as Orest. If I were to buy a recording, the Sawallisch is probably the one I'd go for, but it's not something I'd listen to very often.

Have you seen the video with Marton/Fassbender/Abaddo/Vienna State Opera? Marton is pretty great there, though I cannot compare to the Sawallisch having seen this so long ago.  I'm not much a fan of Marton either, and only watched this (it's a DVD or was) because of Fassbender, who is usually so good. The production was quite dark too, but that can be a positive or negative depending on your view. Anyway, perhaps something to keep an eye out for if you get the itch.

[Tsaraslondon]

 

Three women yelling at one another for 90 minutes is not that far from it. I can imagine it is a Marmite piece for many people.

Mike

A friend of mine said that was much like any Sunday lunch at his house. I said he'd forgive me if I declined any invitation to Sunday lunch then. 

[Undersea]

Recent listening:




Received this set yesterday and have listened to it a couple of times already - It's the first time I have heard a complete Rossini Opera.
I loved the work - I will definitely be adding more Rossini Operas to my collection in future.

[The new erato]

Latest arrival in the essential (for barrochists) Vivaldi series from Naive



The usual fine quality to expect from these forces, though slightly too much vibrato from Marie Lys as Osira.

[André]

Cross-posted from the WAYL2 thead.



Schreker's first opera (1901). Libretto on symbolist themes. Despite the wordiness there is a constant lyric flow. The composer could not envision opera without music as its main driving force. The music itself is of the late-romantic persuasion, the musical lines always falling gratefully on the ear (no shrieks or dissonant sounds here). Fortunately it is performed by a strong cast of singers. Conducting/playing are very committed. This being a live production, there are stage noises, but the recorded sound is excellent. One disc, 80 minutes. Fine essays on the composer, music, symbolism in opera at the turn of the century, complete libretto with translation.

[Florestan]

The composer could not envision opera without music as its main driving force.

Was there any opera composer who envisioned opera without music as its main driving force? I am not aware of any.

[Undersea]

The opera gala box certainly has an interesting mix of discs. Some I recognise from way back. I can't remember who the featured singer was, possible Ghiaurov. There do seem to be some deservedly obscure items in, perhaps they will be surprising.

Mike

Haven't listened to all of the set yet but I was pleased with what I heard so far - I have played the Disc with excerpts from Mefistofele (with Ghiaurov) a few times as I liked it so much.

[JBS]

Latest arrival in the essential (for barrochists) Vivaldi series from Naive



The usual fine quality to expect from these forces, though slightly too much vibrato from Marie Lys as Osira.

US release date is Jan. 1. But checking on that made realize I missed this one from earlier this year. Ordered it just now.

Thank you!

[Tsaraslondon]

I saw War and Peace on stage once many moons ago in a splendid production by Engish National Opera. This recording, with many of the same soloists who sang at the premiere, is excellent, with Vishnevskaya as Natasha at somewhere near her best. It's also good to hear Pavel Lisitsian as Napoleon and Irina Arkhipova as Elena.

[ritter]

First listen to this new acquisition. Only Act I today.


André Cluytens' performances of Parsifal in Bayreuth (in 1957–when the performances were shared between him and Hans Knappertsbusch—and 1965–when he succeeded Knappertsbusch, before Pierre Boulez took over the production the following year—) seem never to have been released in any format. What we do have by him from Bayreuth (Tannhäuser in 1955, Lohengrin in 1958, and Die Meistersinger in 1956 & 1957) is very impressive, so this 1960 Parsifal from La Scala was something I had been considering for a while.

The cast is strong: Boris Christoff actually sounds younger as Gurnemanz here than in the heavily cut, Italian language RAI broadcast under Vittorio Gui (with Maria Callas) from 10 years earlier, is in impressive voice, but his remains an unsubtle performance. It would also seem that Christoff tries very hard to pronounce correctly, but doesn't quite succeed. Gustav Neidlinger (best known as Klingsor in Bayreuth) is an unexpected, but perfectly adequate Amfortas. Both Sándor Kónya and Rita Gorr sound excellent as the lead role and Kundry, respectively (and Kónya is stronger here than under Boulez in Bayreuth six years later), but we'll only know in Act II if they're really that good (both characters have relatively little to do in Act I).

André Cluytens conducts splendidly, on the swift side (with some minor cuts, the whole opera lasts 3h52m—according to this webpage), but shaping the music magisterially. The La Scala orchestra plays very well, and the chorus is very good too (even if perhaps a bit undernourished at times). The sound is perfectly tolerable, and actually better than what has come to expect from these 1960s La Scala broadcasts. The prompter should be credited in the booklet, though, so prominent is his intervention at some points.

So far, a very good Parsifal.

[Mirror Image]

Cross-posted from the WAYL2 thead.



Schreker's first opera (1901). Libretto on symbolist themes. Despite the wordiness there is a constant lyric flow. The composer could not envision opera without music as its main driving force. The music itself is of the late-romantic persuasion, the musical lines always falling gratefully on the ear (no shrieks or dissonant sounds here). Fortunately it is performed by a strong cast of singers. Conducting/playing are very committed. This being a live production, there are stage noises, but the recorded sound is excellent. One disc, 80 minutes. Fine essays on the composer, music, symbolism in opera at the turn of the century, complete libretto with translation.

I wonder what Schreker's best opera is or regarded to be? Der ferne Klang? Die Gezeichneten?

[The new erato]

Slowly making my way through this gloriously produced set from the early classical period, musically not quite unlike Gluck (who have a more striking melodical vein, though). Not bad at all musically.

Lots of interesting background here:

https://operascribe.com/2019/12/12/165-tarare-salieri/

[André]

I wonder what Schreker's best opera is or regarded to be? Der ferne Klang? Die Gezeichneten?

Both, probably  .

Die Gezeichneten is viewed by some as his most accomplished, while Der ferne Klang is his most often performed (and recorded). I have Der ferne Klang, Flammen and Der Schatzgräber. My preference goes for the latter, followed by Der ferne Klang. Irrelohe is also highly regarded and there is an excellent recording of it.

[T. D.]

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Today I'm listening to Les Huguenots in the famous Sutherland recording. If I'm honest, it's not really holding my interest any more than it did the last time I listened to it, which must be a god twenty years ago now at least. There are a few good tunes, but generally there's quite a lot of empty rhetoric and padding. The lighter sections of the score reminded me of Offenbach without the invention. The recording has its problems as well, chief of them being Vrenios's Raoul, which seems to me lightweight and a little whiney. Sutherland has her usual problems with diction, but the voice itself is gorgeous of course. I'm into Act II now, but not at all sure I'll persevere to the end.

What about that famous duet between Corelli and Simionato in the Italian version (Gli Ugonotti)?     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FTRRtBzT04  I love it!

PD

[Tsaraslondon]

What about that famous duet between Corelli and Simionato in the Italian version (Gli Ugonotti)?     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FTRRtBzT04  I love it!

PD

Well that's just over fifteen minutes in a very long opera.

[Mirror Image]

Both, probably  .

Die Gezeichneten is viewed by some as his most accomplished, while Der ferne Klang is his most often performed (and recorded). I have Der ferne Klang, Flammen and Der Schatzgräber. My preference goes for the latter, followed by Der ferne Klang. Irrelohe is also highly regarded and there is an excellent recording of it.

Excellent, Andre. Thanks for the feedback. I've been meaning to look into more of Schreker's music and it seems since he's an opera composer, it might be a good idea to see where I can start.

[Tsaraslondon]

Smetana's most performed opera is not as popular outside the Czech Republic as it once was, but this is a very enjoyable recording and the work is quite charming.

Strange to think that Jon Vickers once played the role of the stuttering Vasek at the Metropolitan Opera back in the 1980s.