What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[Spineur]

The studio Medea was not re-worked in stereo. It was recorded in stereo. The recording was made by Mercury/Ricordi, and later released by EMI under licence. The ultra conservative Walter Legge wanted nothing to do with it, which is why ended up recording Callas as Nedda, Mimi, Turandot and Manon Lescaut, when he should have been recording her as Lady Macbeth, Anna Bolena, Armida or Alceste.

Sorry, I was refering to the Coven Garden 1959 recording with
Medea - Maria Callas
Giasone-  Jon Vickers
Glauce - Joan Carlyle
Neris - Fiorenza Cossotto
Creonte - Nicola Zaccaria
Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Covent Garden Opera
Nicola Rescigno, conductor

And here is the Pristine classical link
https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/paco119

[André]

An excellent post, but I take issue with your statement that the role isn't extremely difficult. It's actually pretty fiendish, and its creator, Mme Scio, was said to have died from singing it. Though there are few top Cs, the tessitura is very high, and its angular lines and wide leaps extremely difficult to negotiate, added to the fact that Medea hardly stops singing from the moment she makes her entrance. The only rest she gets is when Neris sings her beautiful aria in Act II. Callas's experience of the role was paramount; she knew where to save her voice, and where to let it out full tilt. She tells a student who attempts Dei tuoi figli in one of her master classes, that, if she were to attempt to sing the role with such force, she wouldn't last past the first interval.

There are quite a few recordings of Callas in the role, starting from her very first attempt in Florence in 1953 to her final performances at La Scala in 1961/62.

So far, in my blog, I've reviewed the Florence performance

https://tsaraslondon.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/1986/

The Bernstein La Scala performance

https://tsaraslondon.wordpress.com/2017/11/11/medea-la-scala-1953/

https://tsaraslondon.wordpress.com/2017/01/08/medea/

Not sure why I haven't got round to Dallas yet, which remains my favourite. She is in good voice for 1958 and her portrayal has a degree more subtlety than in Florence or at La Scala in 1953.  The Covent Garden performance of 1959 enjoys better sound than Dallas, but lacks the elemental force, and at La Scala in 1961, her voice is definitely showing signs of wear.

Thanks for the links to your articles, Tsaraslondon. I read all three with much interest.. My first exposure to Medea was some 35-40 years ago, from a budget lp of excerpts from the Serafin version. I had never heard it in its entirety before.

The difference between the Serafin and the Rescigno (Dallas) performances is quite striking. When listening to the first scene in the Serafin reading, the adjectives that crossed my mind were 'staid' and 'decorous'. Not so in the later production, where there is more flow, with the music more insinuating. Glauce's premonitions of looming trouble are also more sharply characterized - quite a difference. I find it striking how every operatic performance is a living organism, distinct from others even when some of the singers are the same. I look forward to hear the 1953 performances as well as the Covent Garden one for a more rounded picture of Callas' portrayal.

[Tsaraslondon]

Sorry, I was refering to the Coven Garden 1959 recording with
Medea - Maria Callas
Giasone-  Jon Vickers
Glauce - Joan Carlyle
Neris - Fiorenza Cossotto
Creonte - Nicola Zaccaria
Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Covent Garden Opera
Nicola Rescigno, conductor

And here is the Pristine classical link
https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/paco119

Ah, I see.

Unfortunately, though the sounds is not at all bad, the performance is but a pale shadow of the one from Dallas the previous year.

[Tsaraslondon]

Just listening at the moment , though this fabulous performance also exists on DVD.

What a superb cast, including David Daniels, Dawn Upshaw and of course the ever radiant Lorraine Hunt Lieberson.

[Tsaraslondon]

I suppose Bonygne's recording is essential for the singing of Sutherland and Horne, but for Semiramide you really need this, which restores all the music cut by Bonynge, and is consequently almost an hour longer.

[ritter]

3 x the finale of Puccini's Turandot:

The standard Alfano ending from this set:

[asin]B000001G9X[/asin]Yes, I am one of those who really like Ricciarelli's portrayal of the title role. 

The complete, original Alfano ending:



The 2002 Berio ending:

[asin]B00013UKME[/asin]

Most interesting to listen to these in succession. Interestingly, the vocal lines of Alfano's abridged standard ending are closer (at least up to "la tua gloria risplende") to those of Berio than to those of his own original version (for instance, Turandot's cries "Non profanarmi! Non profanarmi!" are completely different between both Alfano versions.

Also, Alfano (in his original version) and Berio introduce an orchestral passage before Calaf's "Mio fiore matutino" which makes Turandot's surrender dramatically more plausible (and which Berio exploits to the full, with dazzling orchestral effects—also using instruments that AFAIK do not appear in the opera in Puccini's orchestration of the parts he completed).

The last measures of the original Alfano ending (with more variation on the theme from "Nessun dorma", with Turandot and Calaf singing the word "amore" in the highest register, and with a staccato figure in the trumpets t) are even more upbeat than the standard version, very impressive, but perhaps a bit over the top. Berio is much more downbeat, changing the theatrical impact of this (dramatically difficult) scene.

I can only suppose that Toscanini's impositions on Alfano to shorten and (in some segments) drastically change his work came from a desire to have as little "non-Puccini" as possible in the complete opera, but the result appears a bit abrupt in comparison to the original version, which dramatically is much more effective (despite the OTT final bars) and contains some fine music.

Berio is an interesting and valid alternative. Of course, one can tell that it was composed almost 80 years after Puccini's death, but its "daring" harmonies and exotic orchestral touches blend well with the chinoiserie of the opera, and there's nothing in it that should create panic among the audience of the Arena di Verona, the MET, or any other venue.

[Spineur]

3 x the finale of Puccini's Turandot:
.

Berio is an interesting and valid alternative. Of course, one can tell that it was composed almost 80 years after Puccini's death, but it's "daring" harmonies and exotic orchestral touches blend well with the chinoiserie of the opera, and there's nothing in it that should create panic among the audience of the Arena di Verona, the MET, or any other venue.

The DVD of Turandot made at the occasion of Puccini 100th anniversary production at Salzburg uses Berio's ending.  It stresses the symbolic nature of Turandot "fable".  For this reason, I feel it is excellent.

[Tsaraslondon]

This new re-mastering by Warner really does live up to the hype. Much warmer than my previous copy, which was the 1997 re-mastering. In consultation with the original stereo engineer, Chis Parker, they have slightly altered the balance in the trio, and it sounds absolutely glorious.

As for the performance, well I'll take it over every other studio recording out there.

[Que]

I don't post often enough in this thread....

Anyway, first run:

[asin]B00H5DNAS4[/asin]
Over two and a half hours on 4 discs, probably will need more than a single sitting.. .. 

Q

[André]

Capy&Paste from the main thread (WAYLTN)

Pacini is a household name here...as a popular italian restaurant chain !

As a classical music composer, however, things are not so good: an almost exact contemporary of Mercadante, Bellini and Donizetti, his many operas (80+) have fallen by the wayside, except for a handful of them: Saffo, The Last Days of Pompeï, The Stone Guest, Charles of Burgundy, to menton a few that are available on cd. Pacini and Bellini were both born in the Sicilian town of Catania.



This performance found its way in the 14 disc Leyla Gencer box. Saffo is of course the greek poetess from Lesbos whose unfortunate infatuation with yet another ingrate, Faone, ends in the death of the spurned heroine. Gencer finds a good vehicle for her trademark portrayal of the doomed lover. Actually, aren't a good 2/3 of 19th century italian operatic heroines the victims of male insensitivity ?

In any case, the opera at hand is much, much better than its comparative neglect would leave one to think. Composed in 1840, its music is interesting, original, non-formulaic, full of deft orchestral touches (he seems to have been a very good orchestrator). The vocal lines are uncomplicated, not as original and plangent as Bellini's or arrestingly expressive like Donizetti's. Nonetheless the show is a good one, with many fine numbers (arias and ensembles). The performance is quite good (Gencer and Quilico are excellent). Saffo's love interest, the fatuous Faone is sung quite badly by one Tito del Bianco. He's the only weak link in an otherwise strong cast. Franco Capuana is an efficient conductor in this Teatro San Carlo production from 1967. The sound is of okay broadcast (mono) quality.

A good find. I'll try to locate other Pacini operas. The Last Days of Pompeï (1825) seems promising (it is not based on the Bulwer-Litton novel, written only in 1834). Things vesuvian were quite popular in the 19th century, inspiring writers and composers. I'll keep an eye on it. The Dynamic release seems interesting, but it is expensive.

[André]

Copied and pasted from the main thread:



From the Gencer box of 7 rarely performed operas.

This is yet another fabrication on the theme of the Virgin Queen and her many actual or imagined loves. Rossini liberally picked numbers from his recycling bin, with numerous and obvious borrowings from Il Barbiere di Seviglia (of all things!).

Even without previous knowledge of this particular opera, it's hard to think of another composer than Rossini. It's quite good actually, suffciently so to have prompted a few revivals and recordings (one with Caballé, one with Jennifer Larmore and one with Daniela Dessi). As is often the case in Rossini operas, the tenor part is an important and very difficult one. It requires a stentorian voice able to sail high up untiringly. I don't know who Umberto Grilli is, but he is very good. The second soprano is Sylvia Geszty, a moderately well know singer (Queen of the Night on the Suitner Magic Flute and Zerbinetta on the Kempe Ariadne auf Naxos). She is strong but pure-voiced, a real asset. Gencer is her usual commanding self. It's easy to see why Caballé liked this opera: it gives ample opportunities to float long legato lines in pianissimo tones. IMO Gencer is just as good in that department and doesn't draw undue attention to that part of the vocal make up. Nino Sanzogno is the fiery conductor. Goodish mono sound. Lots of extraneous noises. With its very strong supporting cast, this is one of the stronger entries in this very valuable box.

[André]

Last week I listened to this recording of Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle:



I was impressed as much by the music (it had been a long time) as by the performance. So much so, in fact, that in the following days I listened also to these two recordings:




And, finally, back to the Ormandy recording for another round of listening

A fascinating journey it was. All three recordings markedly differ from one another. The biggest difference between Ormandy's and the two others is of course the language. I found as much to value as to detract in listening to the work in translation. The familiar hungarian names of Youdit and Kekszakallu become  Jew-dith and Bluebeard, but other than that I did not miss a single word of the original - for the simple reason that I had never aurally mastered any sentence of the hungarian original. Now most of it (Bluebeard's part especially) becomes perfectly clear, enhancing the verbal drama.

There are other differences. I hate do dismiss Dorati, a renowned interpreter of the work and protégé of the composer, but I find his conducting hectic in many places, overdramatizing what ought to be laid out simply for the listener to hear. OTOH he has the advantage of Bartok's interpret of choice, Mihaly Szekely. Then aged 61, he was to die the following year. You'd never think he was old or ill upon hearing his detailed, probing, superbly voiced interpretation.

The famous Decca disc under Kertesz unmistakably bears the imprint of its star Decca producers and sound engineers. It is a superbly played, sung and recorded version. So polished and well done in fact that more than once a feeling of slickness crept in. Slick Bartok ? Heaven forbid ! I've known that recording for the better part of 4 decades and until I had compared it directly with Dorati and Ormandy, it had never occured to me that maybe - just *maybe* - the hype and glamour that have surrounded it all these years may have been slightly exaggerated.

Listening to the Ormandy reveals a level of earthiness and drama that are a touch or two above what is achieved in the Kertesz version. Ormandy is both a great storyteller and a master colourist. Listen to the clarinet part at the end of the first track (door). It is not spotlit by the engineers, simply more characterfully phrased and succulently played by the great Anthony Gigliotti than with the more refined Gervase de Peyer (with the LSO). Similarly, the ghostly wind trills in the 6th tableau are more spooky under Ormandy. The level of orchestral playing is slightly more polished in London, slightly more characterful, section by section, in Philadelphia. I hear the organ better, too.

When it comes to the soloists, all three Bluebeards are great, really great. But Jerome Hines towers above the other two by virtue of his velvety tones and deep (but never cavernous) voice, which reminds me of Cesare Siepi's. Szekely is next, a Bluebeard at the end of his life (he says he found his wives in the morning, at noon, at evening and the last at « midnight »). Overrun by his new wife's pushiness and petulance, he does not stand much of a chance. We feel for him. Berry has an incredibly healthy, beautiful voice. I don't feel he offers much in terms of the play's symbolism. He is very much a flesh and blood he-man. No second or third degree of verbal acuity here.

The three Judiths are a more variable lot. It's a difficult part, as it requires a warm, velvety voice that can reach the high C (when the fifth door opens): it's but a brief shriek in the score, but Ludwig makes it into a prolonged scream of ecstasy, much like Rysanek/Sieglinde when Siegmund pulls the spear from the ash-tree : very effective and hard to forget once you've heard it. Rosalind Elias is a girlish Judith, a curious, engaging youth going from discovery to discovery. I find the soloist in the Dorati recording too eager and dominating. No wonder her Bluebeard sounds so world-weary.

A magnificent work that straddles both the expressionist and impressionist aesthetics, and one of the XXth century's undisputed masterpieces.

[Daverz]

So Elias's yelp at the opening of the 5th door is more in keeping with the score?  I'm rather spoiled by Ludwig here.

I thought the singing in the Ormandy was excellent, but the orchestra sounded very dry and lacking in presence at my "evening" volume level.

[Wendell_E]

Copied and pasted from the main thread:



Rossini liberally picked numbers from his recycling bin, with numerous and obvious borrowings from Il Barbiere di Seviglia (of all things!).

Actually it's the other way around. Elisabetta premiered on 4 October 1815, Barbiere a few months later on 20 February 1816. Rossini did re-use music from other, earlier operas, in Elisabetta.

[André]

Actually it's the other way around. Elisabetta premiered on 4 October 1815, Barbiere a few months later on 20 February 1816. Rossini did re-use music from other, earlier operas, in Elisabetta.

How do you like Elisabetta, Wendell ? I found it to be more interesting musically than I expected.

[André]

So Elias's yelp at the opening of the 5th door is more in keeping with the score?  I'm rather spoiled by Ludwig here.

I thought the singing in the Ormandy was excellent, but the orchestra sounded very dry and lacking in presence at my "evening" volume level.

It's true, it was recorded rather drily, probably at a different venue than usually with the Philadelphia in 1961.

And, yes, the lusty Ludwig cry of ecstasy is an indulgence  . That's what I read, anyway. I haven't seen the score.

[Draško]

Last week I listened to this recording of Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle:

...

I was impressed as much by the music (it had been a long time) as by the performance. So much so, in fact, that in the following days I listened also to these two recordings:

...

A magnificent work that straddles both the expressionist and impressionist aesthetics, and one of the XXth century’s undisputed masterpieces.

Andre, if you are in the mood for more Bluebeards  do consider this one:



https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Bela-Bartok-1881-1945-Herzog-Blaubarts-Burg-in-frz-ungar-Spr/hnum/6040790

I has two recordings of Bluebeard. One in French led by Ansermet, and the other Hungarian with 10-12 years younger Szekely and my favorite Judith, Klara Palankay.

[André]

Thanks, Milos ! Will definitely give this a look. Just placed my JPC order an your ago, though...


Geez, that label has THREE double-bill issues of historic performances:





The Fricsay/Ferencsik is enticing...

[Draško]

The Fricsay/Ferencsik is enticing...

I think Ferenscik is Hungaroton studio recording:


https://www.amazon.com/Bluebeards-Castle-Bela-Bartok/dp/B00000303Q

Geez, that label has THREE double-bill issues of historic performances:

That label has enormous quantities of mostly rare historical performances of whatever opera you can think of.
Even such a rarity as bunch of Russian operas recorded with Belgrade Opera forces in early 50s for Decca and never reissued in any form whatsoever. 

[Roasted Swan]

For this opera in English - there was a fine version free on the front of BBC Music Magazine from Mark Elder- worth trawling the 2nd hand shelves for