What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

Started by Tsaraslondon, April 10, 2017, 04:29:04 AM

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GioCar

In a couple of hours, at La Scala

Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Direttore: Zubin Mehta
Regia: Giorgio Strehler
Scene e costumi: Luciano Damiani
Konstanze Lenneke Ruiten
Blonde   Sabine Devieilhe
Belmonte   Mauro Peter
Pedrillo   Maximilian Schmitt
Osmin   Tobias Kehrer
Selim           Cornelius Obonya
Servo Muto   Marco Merlini

A great production of the past (Salzburg 1965) I never had a chance to see it live. Very happy to fill the gap tonight  :)



ritter

Quote from: GioCar on June 29, 2017, 08:29:42 AM
In a couple of hours, at La Scala

Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Direttore: Zubin Mehta
Regia: Giorgio Strehler
Scene e costumi: Luciano Damiani
Konstanze Lenneke Ruiten
Blonde   Sabine Devieilhe
Belmonte   Mauro Peter
Pedrillo   Maximilian Schmitt
Osmin   Tobias Kehrer
Selim           Cornelius Obonya
Servo Muto   Marco Merlini

A great production of the past (Salzburg 1965) I never had a chance to see it live. Very happy to fill the gap tonight  :)
Looks very enticing...I envy you.  ;)

I've seen three Strehler productions; one of a "straight play", Arlecchino servitore di due padroni, and two operas, Così fan tutte and Falstaff (the latter at La Scala), and they ware all memorable. Falstaff, in particular, was breathtakingly beautiful.  :)

GioCar

Quote from: ritter on June 29, 2017, 09:00:01 AM
Looks very enticing...I envy you.  ;)

I've seen three Strehler productions; one of a "straight play", Arlecchino servitore di due padroni, and two operas, Così fan tutte and Falstaff (the latter at La Scala), and they ware all memorable. Falstaff, in particular, was breathtakingly beautiful.  :)

Yes, it was. It was a gorgeous performance indeed  :)
Maybe the stage scenery, although very simple, is a bit dated, but the very lively acting, and the idea to alternate the singers' position from the well-lit centre of the stage (spoken parts) to a darker frontstage (where they sang all arias, duets, etc), thus "projecting" their silhouettes on the bright backdrop, were wonderful.
Here's the Bachtrack review https://bachtrack.com/review-entfuhrung-strehler-mehta-peter-ruiten-la-scala-milan-june-2017

Yes, I remember very well that Falstaff, with Lorin Maazel conducting. A true gem.
And from those years I also remember his medieval, dark & glittering Lohengrin, with Claudio Abbado on the podium.

His Arlecchino is staged every year in Milan...we all miss Strehler's genius here.... :(


ComposerOfAvantGarde

I don't know too much about American opera, but thanks to our friend nathanb I have become very interested in the very intriguing works of Robert Ashley.

This is an opera called 'Concrete' and from his own website it gives this information:

QuoteConcrete follows from Robert Ashley's preoccupation in two previous operas with the kind of speech that has not been explored in opera — in Dust, the speech of the homeless; in Celestial Excursions, the speech of people living together in a home for old people. The three operas are not a "trilogy" in any sense, but they all come from this preoccupation with or fascination with special kinds of speech and special kinds of states of mind.

"The characters I'm interested in," Ashley explains, "are marginal, because everybody is marginal compared to the stereotypes. I am interested in their profoundly good qualities, and I'm not interested at all in evil. The characters in my work are as bizarre and unreal as the characters in William Faulkner. They just happen to be ordinary people who are spiritually divine." (The Wire, 2003).

Though in Concrete it is not made explicit in any way, the libretto might be considered to be the "musings" of an old man alone. He thinks about strange questions and even as the questions are asked they are answered in various forms of sarcasm, indifference, questions about the questions and explanations. In other words, he is talking to himself.

The opera takes the form of five "discussions" about matters he wonders about: Why do people keep secrets about themselves? Why do the buildings in the city all line up perfectly (vertically) when the surface of the planet is round? Why is it that so many things that people do as recreation are played counter-clockwise? What has happened to the many women friends ("lovers") he has had and "left behind" and why were they left behind? And, finally, the fact that he has recently seen a "flying carpet" (in his bedroom.)

The five "internal" discussions alternate with four reminiscences about people the old man has worked with and loved. The reminiscences are short and detailed biographies of seemingly ordinary people who in the past did extraordinary things — sometimes criminal, sometimes just brave in an unusual way — but will never be recognized for what they did. The stories will never be known, except to the audience. No one is named. These are secret lives.

The singers in the opera are not "characters" in any traditional way. They take part in the very fast "discussions" sections as voices in the old man's musings. Then each of the singers is given one of the "biographies" as a solo aria.

The musical technique of the opera allows the singers, in ensemble and as soloists, complete freedom with regard to vocal pitch, speech nuance and inflection. The opera will be sung differently in every performance. The orchestra, recorded in the computer, is made up of some hundreds of composed, short orchestral "samples" which can be chosen at the moment to make up the accompaniment to the singers' decisions about how to tell the story. In short, every performance, but based on the same libretto, will be different.

Listening on youtube here:

https://www.youtube.com/v/SFWYrAVAXrg


I am sure there are other American opera fans here who know more about his works than I do. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts, especially if you have seen any productions live. :)

ComposerOfAvantGarde

#405
The last two operas I listened to, as you can see, were sung with a very definite American accent. One thing I probably have to do to get more into American opera is become used to the way they pronounce things over there. Because I barely hear the accent at all, hardly even spoken, I have to concentrate quite hard to understand what people are saying. This is even more difficult when sung! The Ashley opera is rather easier to understand because the voices are actually closer to speaking than singing quite a bit of the time.

Autumn Leaves

Now playing:



Not long finished work - relaxing for a couple of hours before bed with this excellent recording.

Autumn Leaves

Quote from: Ken B on June 27, 2017, 05:53:44 PM
Oops.

I like to imagine the violinists acting  ;)

TODAY: Wagner, Siegfried, Levine. I do like his Ring.

Haha good stuff :D
I have a number of Levine's (many) Opera recordings and he always pleases my ears - I imagine his Ring Cycle is very good too :).

Ken B

Quote from: Conor71 on June 30, 2017, 07:04:10 AM
Haha good stuff :D
I have a number of Levine's (many) Opera recordings and he always pleases my ears - I imagine his Ring Cycle is very good too :).

I'm on to Gotterdamerung today. It is splendid IMO, helped by terrific sound.

ritter

Revisiting an all-time favourite opera of mine:



Ariadne of Naxos (even if it made good old Igor Feodorovich "want to scream"  ;D ) is a delight from beginning to end. The mix of the buffo and the tragic, the "theatre within theatre", the progression of the plot both in the prologue and the "opera", all these elements are masterfully managed by Strauss and Hofmannsthal (what a great libretto!). And the paired down orchetsration is admirable. 

And as always, Strauss's writing for the soprano voice is stunning. Lines such as Ariadne's "Ein Schönes war"... or "Gibt es kein Hinüber?" are  simply extraordinary. Also, Zerbinetta's tongue-in-cheek self quote "Kommt ein neuer Gott gegangen..." at the very end, never fails to bring a smile to my face.  :)

Excellent performance from all involved. I understand this was Giuseppe Sinopoli's last studio recording...a fine swan song...

kishnevi

Quote from: ritter on June 30, 2017, 12:00:13 PM
Revisiting an all-time favourite opera of mine:



Ariadne of Naxos (even if it made good old Igor Feodorovich "want to scream"  ;D ) is a delight from beginning to end. The mix of the buffo and the tragic, the "theatre within theatre", the progression of the plot both in the prologue and the "opera", all these elements are masterfully managed by Strauss and Hofmannsthal (what a great libretto!). And the paired down orchetsration is admirable. 

And as always, Strauss's writing for the soprano voice is stunning. Lines such as Ariadne's "Ein Schönes war"... or "Gibt es kein Hinüber?" are  simply extraordinary. Also, Zerbinetta's tongue-in-cheek self quote "Kommt ein neuer Gott gegangen..." at the very end, never fails to bring a smile to my face.  :)

Excellent performance from all involved. I understand this was Giuseppe Sinopoli's last studio recording...a fine swan song...

Having listened to the Solti recording the other day,  I can only say, Du hast recht.

I have Voight in this DVD

ritter

#411
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on June 30, 2017, 12:05:05 PM
Having listened to the Solti recording the other day,  I can only say, Du hast recht.
:)

I must say that the idea of Leontyne Price in the title role is very appealing! I should look the Solti up...

Cheers,

EDIT:

And now listening to the end of the opera (starting at Bacchus's entrance) in the original 1912 version, in this recording:

[asin]B007SAP7A8[/asin]
Substantial differences (and a lot  more music) compared to the "standard" revised 1916 version...

Todd




Some somewhat distracting background music for the afternoon.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Tsaraslondon

Quote from: ritter on June 30, 2017, 12:12:21 PM
  :)

I must say that the idea of Leontyne Price in the title role is very appealing! I should look the Solti up...

Cheers,

EDIT:

And now listening to the end of the opera (starting at Bacchus's entrance) in the original 1912 version, in this recording:

[asin]B007SAP7A8[/asin]
Substantial differences (and a lot  more music) compared to the "standard" revised 1916 version...

Solti is a bit swift for my taste, and Price was a bit past her best by the time of this recording.

My go to remains the mono Karajan, with Schwarzkopf a soaringly radiant Ariadne, Seefried a glorious Composer and Streich a sparkling, but surprisingly sympathetic Zerbinetta. The men may not all be on the same lofty level of achievement, but none of them lets the side down, and Rudolf Schock is at least as good as any other Bacchus I've heard.



Highly recommended.
\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

ComposerOfAvantGarde

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on June 30, 2017, 12:05:05 PM
Having listened to the Solti recording the other day,  I can only say, Du hast recht.

I have Voight in this DVD


Dessay is truly remarkable here. A fun production, I must say, nothing that makes you think, nothing that brings new ideas to the work, but a delight from beginning to end.

kishnevi

Quote from: ritter on June 30, 2017, 12:12:21 PM
  :)

I must say that the idea of Leontyne Price in the title role is very appealing! I should look the Solti up...

Cheers,

EDIT:

And now listening to the end of the opera (starting at Bacchus's entrance) in the original 1912 version, in this recording:

[asin]B007SAP7A8[/asin]
Substantial differences (and a lot  more music) compared to the "standard" revised 1916 version...

That looks most interesting...
Warning : the Solti is represented on CD only by the set I have and by this

If the Amazon US listings are correct. The other CD issue is marked unavailable. Maybe the situation is better in Europe.

I have never heard the Karajan recording.

Autumn Leaves

Now playing:



Listening to this work for the first time - enjoying it so far.
I've gotten to really like Verdi after initially being a bit put off by some aspects of his style.
I haven't heard a poor Verdi work yet though!.

Autumn Leaves

#417
Now playing:



Another first listen.
I'm not sure if I appreciated Birgit's work in the recording of Aida I listened to earlier in the week - She's great in Wagner but perhaps shes a bit much for these Italian roles?.
I haven't listened to her Turandot recording yet (which is also in the Puccini box pictured above)..
Edit: Listened to the first 2 Acts of the work - Pretty much my first experience with the Opera: I liked it (so far). The singing was good as would be expected. I tried to keep an open mind but I still kept thinking that Nillson wouldn't be my ideal choice for this work. I think she is not very "lyrical" if that makes sense? - I realize I'm probably being an idiot and as it was only a first listen Ill probably change my mind later...

Autumn Leaves

Quote from: α | ì Æ ñ on June 30, 2017, 08:41:43 PM
Ligeti - Le Grand Macabre



Everything you could ever want from and opera, and then some! IMO  :D

Good stuff! - I really like Ligeti's music but I haven't listened to his Opera yet.
I do have a recording of it though:



I'll have to check this one out soon - also the recent posts about R. Strauss's Operas got my attention (I may have to listen to these at some stage..) :).

Autumn Leaves

#419
Now playing:



Another one of Birgit's - haven't listened to this is yonks.
This is the only R. Strauss Opera I own ATM - I used to have Solti's Rosenkavalier with Crespin (Jeffrey played it earlier this week I remember) but I appear to have deleted it from my library (which was foolish as I wouldn't have minded giving it another spin :-[)..
Edit: I made it as far as the Dance of the seven Veils before having to stop - Maybe it wasn't the right time to listen to this work but I didn't find it very interesting :-X.
At this stage I think I probably prefer the "older" style of Operas with Arias and such to the "through-composed" format.
I'll return to Strauss Operas at a later date perhaps..

TD:

Now listening to Puccini's La Fanciulla Del West with Nillson again - Act 3.