What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[Tsaraslondon]

I have never heard the Karajan recording.

You should. It's a classic.

[Tsaraslondon]

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!.

The thing that puts this recording out of the running for me is the heinous cut Karajan makes in the great Act III ensemble (which he didn't do in his earlier Decca set with Del Monaco). Otello is a work of Verdi's mature genius, and there isn't a wasted note. It's a shame because Vickers is definitely one of the greatest Otellos on disc, and Freni is a most affecting Desdemona.

I usually turn to Vickers's earlier recording under Serafin, with Gobbi superb as Iago. Unfortunately Rysanek is not really suited to the role of Desdemona, but the set still ranks very high.

[Tsaraslondon]

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 .
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.

This set has its fans, and the recording is pretty spectacular, but Nilsson never sounds remotely like the spoiled teenager of Strauss's imaginings. Remember he once stated that Elisabeth Schumann had the ideal voice, though whether she would have been heard above the orchestra is a moot point.

Ljuba Welitsch has always been my yardstick, though she is only represented in distinctly lo-fi live recordings, the best of them being from the Met in 1949 under Reiner. There is a later one from 1952, but her voice was already beginning to show signs of wear by this time. Anyone who loves this opera should also seek out a stunning recording of the Final Scene made for radio in 1944 under Lovro von Matacic.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8hCm-M-dI0

Of more modern recordings I tend to prefer the Karajan, with Hildegard Behrens a superbly silvery voiced Salome, and a starry cast that includes Jose Van Dam as Jokanaan and Agnes Baltsa as Herodias.



Sinopoli is also an excellent choice, and Studer too is more suited to the role than Nilsson (though hers is a voice I've never quite taken to).

[Tsaraslondon]

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...

You've actually hit on something that I have a problem with too. Except for Turandot, Nilsson just never sounds right in Italian opera to me, not even as Lady Macbeth. Her Turandot was a marvel it is true, but even here I prefer Sutherland under Mehta, or Callas under Serafin.

Fortunately there are two other great recordings of La Fanciulla del West.



and



My preference would be for the latter with Neblett, which actually won the Gramophone Award for Best Opera Recording the year it was released. Neblett has a large lyrical voice, which is never taxed by the upper reaches of the role, where Tebaldi can sound a bit strained. She also has the benefit of Domingo as Johnson, and Milnes as Rance. It's a superb set.

[Spineur]

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 .
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..

The french version of Salomé which uses the original Oscar Wilde text has been entirely rewritten by Strauss to match the french text and accentuation.  The result is a less agressive Salomé than in the german version.  In a staged version, it is more easily understandable why Salome is so aggressive.  When I am just listening to the opera, this version is more pleasing to the ear.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

That Neblett recording of Fanciulla is the one I liked the best. And Fanciulla is, in my opinion, Puccini's greatest opera, even greater than Tosca or Turandot. Speaking of Turandot, Nilsson sings her absolutely gorgeously in that recording with her and Corelli.

Solti's Salome recording is a great favorite of mine.

[ritter]

The french version of Salomé which uses the original Oscar Wilde text has been entirely rewritten by Strauss to match the french text and accentuation.  The result is a less agressive Salomé than in the german version.  In a staged version, it is more easily understandable why Salome is so aggressive.  When I am just listening to the opera, this version is more pleasing to the ear.

Good day, Spineur!

I've been considering that recording for quite a while now, as this "revised yet original" French Salomé looks very interesting. And (almost ) everything I know by Kent Nagano on his enterprising Lyon years is superb...

THREAD DUTY:

And now for something completely different (or perhaps not so much  ); Manuel de Falla's El retablo de Maese Pedro, under the great Pedro de Freitas Branco, from this set:



I got to know this gem of an opera in this recording (on an Hispavox LP almost 40 years ago), and it remains my favourite. Even if Falla's music is very distant from R. Strauss's sound world, as with Ariadne auf Naxos I was listening to last night, we have a pared-down instrumentation and metatheatrical "play within a play".

Falla resolutely abandons any Andalusion colour and, so to speak, moves north to the much sterner Castillian Weltanschaung. Some very subtle neo-classicism (but with no real direct allusion to any "classical" composers) and a real feel for the folk aspects of Castille and the spirit that imbues Don Quixote (the libretto being based  on an episode of part II of Cervantes's novel). Thus, this work oscillates between folklorism, classiscism and full modernity, and IMHO represents the zenith of Falla's small but extraordinary output. I can understand why a man like Boulez felt inclined to conduct this late in his career (in a triple bill, along Renard and Pierrot Lunaire in Aix-en-Provence in 2006--what an evening that must have been!).

Half an hour of pure joy. 

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I had the pleasure of seeing a performance in Melbourne of El retablo de Maese Pedro (along with Carter's What Next?) several years ago. A wonderful opera! Shame it seems difficult to come by recordings of it.

[mc ukrneal]

You've actually hit on something that I have a problem with too. Except for Turandot, Nilsson just never sounds right in Italian opera to me, not even as Lady Macbeth. Her Turandot was a marvel it is true, but even here I prefer Sutherland under Mehta, or Callas under Serafin.

Fortunately there are two other great recordings of La Fanciulla del West.



and



My preference would be for the latter with Neblett, which actually won the Gramophone Award for Best Opera Recording the year it was released. Neblett has a large lyrical voice, which is never taxed by the upper reaches of the role, where Tebaldi can sound a bit strained. She also has the benefit of Domingo as Johnson, and Milnes as Rance. It's a superb set.

Pretty much agree on all points. The DG recording is fabulous.

[cilgwyn]

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.

That would be my choice,too!

[kishnevi]

This set has its fans, and the recording is pretty spectacular, but Nilsson never sounds remotely like the spoiled teenager of Strauss's imaginings. Remember he once stated that Elisabeth Schumann had the ideal voice, though whether she would have been heard above the orchestra is a moot point.

Ljuba Welitsch has always been my yardstick, though she is only represented in distinctly lo-fi live recordings, the best of them being from the Met in 1949 under Reiner. There is a later one from 1952, but her voice was already beginning to show signs of wear by this time. Anyone who loves this opera should also seek out a stunning recording of the Final Scene made for radio in 1944 under Lovro von Matacic.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8hCm-M-dI0

Of more modern recordings I tend to prefer the Karajan, with Hildegard Behrens a superbly silvery voiced Salome, and a starry cast that includes Jose Van Dam as Jokanaan and Agnes Baltsa as Herodias.



Sinopoli is also an excellent choice, and Studer too is more suited to the role than Nilsson (though hers is a voice I've never quite taken to).

I found Nilsson to be downright screechy in that Salome. But I think I don't really like the opera. I have the Sinopoli, and it didn't gel with me. The two best things in that Solti Strauss box are Ariadne and FrOSch.

TD
Siegfried, from this cheapo hotch potch set I got a few years back for about $1.00 per CD.
[asin]B009P4LVUK[/asin]

No indication of what the source material was, or even a full cast list, just a track list, but the sound is relatively good

[kishnevi]

Balance out Wagner with some frothy Mozart

[Autumn Leaves]

The thing that puts this recording out of the running for me is the heinous cut Karajan makes in the great Act III ensemble (which he didn't do in his earlier Decca set with Del Monaco). Otello is a work of Verdi's mature genius, and there isn't a wasted note. It's a shame because Vickers is definitely one of the greatest Otellos on disc, and Freni is a most affecting Desdemona.

I usually turn to Vickers's earlier recording under Serafin, with Gobbi superb as Iago. Unfortunately Rysanek is not really suited to the role of Desdemona, but the set still ranks very high.

Good stuff - thanks for your reply and recommendation.
I didn't know about the cut in Karajan's EMI version - I have 2 more Otello's in my collection (one of which is Karajan's other version on Decca) so I do possess an "intact" version for comparison.
I really enjoyed Otello and thought it was one of the best Verdi Opera's I have heard so far - I intend to listen to the work more intently over the next few days.

Now playing:



For a first listen.

[Autumn Leaves]

You've actually hit on something that I have a problem with too. Except for Turandot, Nilsson just never sounds right in Italian opera to me, not even as Lady Macbeth. Her Turandot was a marvel it is true, but even here I prefer Sutherland under Mehta, or Callas under Serafin.

Fortunately there are two other great recordings of La Fanciulla del West.



and



My preference would be for the latter with Neblett, which actually won the Gramophone Award for Best Opera Recording the year it was released. Neblett has a large lyrical voice, which is never taxed by the upper reaches of the role, where Tebaldi can sound a bit strained. She also has the benefit of Domingo as Johnson, and Milnes as Rance. It's a superb set.

That Neblett recording of Fanciulla is the one I liked the best. And Fanciulla is, in my opinion, Puccini's greatest opera, even greater than Tosca or Turandot. Speaking of Turandot, Nilsson sings her absolutely gorgeously in that recording with her and Corelli.

Pretty much agree on all points. The DG recording is fabulous.

Thanks for all your replies.
I did enjoy Nilsson's La Fanciulla Del West despite my misgivings - I have the DG recording of the work with Domingo & Neblett on order (and it should arrive in the next couple of weeks) so I look forward to hearing that one (especially now as it has been recommended a number of times).

[Autumn Leaves]

Recent listening:



Thanks for the recent replies and recommendations about this Opera.
I got the urge to try the work again (despite my negative comments yesterday) - I have no idea what happened but to cut a long story short I did enjoy this listen..
I'm quite interested in exploring R. Strauss other Operas and may pick up the Box-Set from Warner Classics (which would appear to have some popular versions of these works).

[Tsaraslondon]

Good stuff - thanks for your reply and recommendation.
I didn't know about the cut in Karajan's EMI version - I have 2 more Otello's in my collection (one of which is Karajan's other version on Decca) so I do possess an "intact" version for comparison.
I really enjoyed Otello and thought it was one of the best Verdi Opera's I have heard so far - I intend to listen to the work more intently over the next few days.

Now playing:



For a first listen.

Another favourite of mine.

Domingo's Otello is not quite here the towering achievement it was to become, but he still sings superbly, Milnes is a formidale Iago, if not quite in Gobbi's class, and Renata Scotto makes more of the role of Desdemona than anyone. Others (Tebaldi, Te Kanawa, Rethberg, Freni) might sing the role with more consistent beauty of tone. None of them probes so deeply into Desdemona's tragedy. An excellent set.

[Autumn Leaves]

Another favourite of mine.

Domingo's Otello is not quite here the towering achievement it was to become, but he still sings superbly, Milnes is a formidale Iago, if not quite in Gobbi's class, and Renata Scotto makes more of the role of Desdemona than anyone. Others (Tebaldi, Te Kanawa, Rethberg, Freni) might sing the role with more consistent beauty of tone. None of them probes so deeply into Desdemona's tragedy. An excellent set.

Thanks, I enjoyed this one too (plan to give it another spin soon!).

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Some really fantastic music here

[ritter]

Some really fantastic music here

indeed. Actually, Krenek almost made it on my "10 favourite opera composers" list  (I mentioned him among the runner-ups). I highly recommend his magnum opus Karl V, and also Orpheus und Eurydike, with a libretto by Oskar Kokoschka. Both have been released on the Orfeo label  (live recordings from Salzburg).

[Todd]