What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[Tsaraslondon]

Yeah, but Mme. Mesplé was French, born and bred, which makes it all the more regrettable. The singers in my recording from Florence have names like Luca, Davide, Leonard and Delia, so you could forgive them for not being intelligible.

Bonjour à vous, cher Monsieur!

I have quite a few recordings with Mady Mesplé (Offenbach operettas, Lakmé, Guillaume Tell, Werther etc) and I can't say I've ever found her diction to be bad. Quite the reverse in fact.

[Florestan]

I have quite a few recordings with Mady Mesplé (Offenbach operettas, Lakmé, Guillaume Tell, Werther etc) and I can't say I've ever found her diction to be bad. Quite the reverse in fact.

Well, Auber's Manon Lescaut was my very first encounter with Mady Mesple and I was trully appallled by her diction (only when singing; the spoken dialogues or the recitatives are okay). I don't think it's a recording problem, all other singers, one of them not even a Frenchman, I can understand alright and the orchestral parts are crystal clear. I'm greatly intrigued and will certainly explore more of her recordings.

FWIW, I speak French fluently.

[Mapman]

I've been watching the Moniuszko Vocal Competition. There are lots of impressive young singers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFj_L2XtlIA

[Todd]

Starting in on Zweden's Ring.  Without question, this is the finest recording of Das Rheingold that the Hong Kong Philharmonic has made.  It's just fine overall, and light and small-scaled, sort of like Karajan, but lacking the orchestral wizardry and studio trickery.  I look forward to the remaining installments.

[Tsaraslondon]

Szymanowski's senuous and ambiguously erotic opera is given a gorgeous performance here by Rattle and his superb cast and team.


The opera is quite short so we also get the not inconsiderable makeweight of Leif Ove Andsnes in the Symphony no 4 (Sifonia Concertante).

[Mirror Image]

Szymanowski's senuous and ambiguously erotic opera is given a gorgeous performance here by Rattle and his superb cast and team.


The opera is quite short so we also get the not inconsiderable makeweight of Leif Ove Andsnes in the Symphony no 4 (Sifonia Concertante).

The Rattle performance is pretty good, but this one is even better, IMHO:

[JonSRB77]

Marian Anderson sings 'Ave Maria' at the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtWLZYFfbis

[Tsaraslondon]

I first fell in love with Tchaikovsky's wonderful Eugene Onegin when I was still a teenager. My father got us tickets to see the opera in Glyndebourne's Touring production at the Newcastle-upon-Tyne. We none of usknew a note of the music and my father bought, in preparation, the old Oscar Danon recording on Decca Ace of Clubs, which was the only one available at the time. It's not a great performance and the recording did little to excite my interest, but the Glyndebourne performance certainly did.

Some years later I caught Andrei Serban's superb production for Welsh National Opera when it toured to Southampton, where I was rehearsing for a Christmas show at the Nuffield Theatre. That too was a memorable evening in the theatre.

Listening to this mavellous 1955 set again has renewed my love of the opera and my respect for Tchaikovsky's masterpiece, which I truly believe to be one of the greatest operas in the repertory. For a start, it is perfectly cast with the young Vishneskaya in one of her very best recorded performances. In fact there isn't a weak link. Lemshev, at 54, was probably a mite too old for Lensky, but he certainly doesn't sound like an old man. His Lensky is a poet through and through and is all the more effective for not overdoing the histrionics as some do. Petrov sings Gremin's aria with grave beauty and Belov, suitably distant and sardonic in the opening scenes, is convincingly and passionately desperate in the last. Over all very Khaikin presides, his understanding and control of the score absolutely spot on. This is as much his recording as the famous 1953 Tosca is De Sabata's. The sound is very acceptable mono.

There have been quite a few good recordings since this one, most of them in stereo, but I wouldn't prefer any of them.

[KevinP]

[Todd]

A step up qualitatively from Zweden's Das Rheingold, it's compact and punchy, and some of the singing is quite fine for most roles.  Nice.

[Tsaraslondon]

An excellent performance of an opera that rarely gets an airing in the West (I remember the ENO doing it once some years ago). I don't think it's on the same level as either Eugene Onegin or Queen of Spades but it's interesting to hear one of Tchaikovsky's other operas occasionally.

[Papy Oli]

After spending the last 3 years or so exploring British then French composers, then JSB and Baroque period with great results, I thought I'd give operas a decent go too.

Prior to this little/massive/rabbit hole project, my only exposures to opera were:

- The Three Tenors 
- A DVD of the Magic Flute (Levine/Met I think) - bought early on in my classical music listening, never seen in full and given back to a charity shop ages ago.
- Attending (as a "blind" ticket purchase) the Touring ENO's Barber of Seville at Snape Maltings, actually a very joyful memory.

The only operas in my collection are:

- The Solti Wagner box - bought dead cheap, 99% unheard.
- The Vaughan Williams operas from the EMI Edition
- Dido and Aeneas (Baker)
- Stravinsky's Operas in the complete Works Craft Box.
- Also Solti's Carmen, Karajan's Fidelio and Gardiner's Fairy Queen.

My starting point is a top 100 operas list found online (as good an anything else):

https://www.top100ranked.com/top-100-operas-ranked/

I'm trying to keep an uncomplicated approach to it for now:

- find recommendations on the Opera board (or ask) for 3 or 4 highly regarded recordings in each opera as I go along.
- Read a basic synopsis before streaming/sampling those versions
- Pick a preferred version (or two tops) based on "Does the music/atmosphere draw me in as it is?" and "do I like the voices, combination thereof, and no voice that actually grates me"?). I have no prejudice or idea yet how a character is meant to sound or if it is technically fitting, so for now it simply boils down to its appeal or how it moves/entertain me.
- Have a full listen with libretto once I have picked a preferred version


So far, in the last few days:

Magic Flute
Narrowed down to Klemperer's and Abbado's. Listened to Klemperer in full and loved it. Abbado was my pick of the rest (while not being sure yet about the dialogues).

Carmen
Thoroughly enjoyed Solti's version (full listen). Abbado (with Berganza), again, ended up as a possible second pick.
(sampled also Karajan/Pryce and Pretre/Callas)

Rigoletto
Top pick was Giulini/Domingo/Cotrubas
(Also sampled Chailly/Pavarotti and Bonynge/Pavarotti)

Aida
Will be a tougher nut to crack than the previous three works but I ended up mesmerized at times by Caballe's singing on Muti's recording and pressed replay on a couple of Arias. A good sign in itself. One to explore further for sure.

Barber of Seville
Started with Abbado/Domingo/Battle, then Abbado/Prey/Berganza. Both seemed ok but then much preferred the male voices in a brief sampling of Gui/Los Angeles/Alva and Galliera/Callas/Gobbi. I'll explore further those latter two. I am not sure what to make of Maria Callas' voice yet though 

Thinking ahead, some questions please:

Q1 - I have bookmarked the following for La Boheme : (Votto, Callas, Di Stefano)   (Beecham, Los Angeles, Bjorling) (Karajan, Pavarotti, Freni).
Any other please ?

Q2 - What would be your 3-4 top recommendations of La Traviatta please ?

Q3 - I have bookmarked the following for Tosca : (Mehta, Domingo, Malfitano, Raimondi) (Davis, Carreras, Caballe, Wixell) (Karajan/Pryce/Di Stefano) (De Stabato, Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi). Does that sound about right ?

Q4 - What would be your 3-4 top recordings of Marriage of Figaro please ?

Exciting times, thank you 

(ps: is that ok to leave this in the listening thread? If it is better to put in a standalone thread, let me know)

[Roasted Swan]

After spending the last 3 years or so exploring British then French composers, then JSB and Baroque period with great results, I thought I'd give operas a decent go too.

Prior to this little/massive/rabbit hole project, my only exposures to opera were:

- The Three Tenors 
- A DVD of the Magic Flute (Levine/Met I think) - bought early on in my classical music listening, never seen in full and given back to a charity shop ages ago.
- Attending (as a "blind" ticket purchase) the Touring ENO's Barber of Seville at Snape Maltings, actually a very joyful memory.

The only operas in my collection are:

- The Solti Wagner box - bought dead cheap, 99% unheard.
- The Vaughan Williams operas from the EMI Edition
- Dido and Aeneas (Baker)
- Stravinsky's Operas in the complete Works Craft Box.
- Also Solti's Carmen, Karajan's Fidelio and Gardiner's Fairy Queen.

My starting point is a top 100 operas list found online (as good an anything else):

https://www.top100ranked.com/top-100-operas-ranked/

I'm trying to keep an uncomplicated approach to it for now:

- find recommendations on the Opera board (or ask) for 3 or 4 highly regarded recordings in each opera as I go along.
- Read a basic synopsis before streaming/sampling those versions
- Pick a preferred version (or two tops) based on "Does the music/atmosphere draw me in as it is?" and "do I like the voices, combination thereof, and no voice that actually grates me"?). I have no prejudice or idea yet how a character is meant to sound or if it is technically fitting, so for now it simply boils down to its appeal or how it moves/entertain me.
- Have a full listen with libretto once I have picked a preferred version


So far, in the last few days:

Magic Flute
Narrowed down to Klemperer's and Abbado's. Listened to Klemperer in full and loved it. Abbado was my pick of the rest (while not being sure yet about the dialogues).

Carmen
Thoroughly enjoyed Solti's version (full listen). Abbado (with Berganza), again, ended up as a possible second pick.
(sampled also Karajan/Pryce and Pretre/Callas)

Rigoletto
Top pick was Giulini/Domingo/Cotrubas
(Also sampled Chailly/Pavarotti and Bonynge/Pavarotti)

Aida
Will be a tougher nut to crack than the previous three works but I ended up mesmerized at times by Caballe's singing on Muti's recording and pressed replay on a couple of Arias. A good sign in itself. One to explore further for sure.

Barber of Seville
Started with Abbado/Domingo/Battle, then Abbado/Prey/Berganza. Both seemed ok but then much preferred the male voices in a brief sampling of Gui/Los Angeles/Alva and Galliera/Callas/Gobbi. I'll explore further those latter two. I am not sure what to make of Maria Callas' voice yet though 

Thinking ahead, some questions please:

Q1 - I have bookmarked the following for La Boheme : (Votto, Callas, Di Stefano)   (Beecham, Los Angeles, Bjorling) (Karajan, Pavarotti, Freni).
Any other please ?

Q2 - What would be your 3-4 top recommendations of La Traviatta please ?

Q3 - I have bookmarked the following for Tosca : (Mehta, Domingo, Malfitano, Raimondi) (Davis, Carreras, Caballe, Wixell) (Karajan/Pryce/Di Stefano) (De Stabato, Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi). Does that sound about right ?

Q4 - What would be your 3-4 top recordings of Marriage of Figaro please ?

Exciting times, thank you 

(ps: is that ok to leave this in the listening thread? If it is better to put in a standalone thread, let me know)

Q1 - I love the Solti/Domingo/Caballe/LPO/RCA La Boheme.  It has an urgency which the Karajan - which is fantastic - does not have
Q2 - anything with Anna Moffo in it is worth a hear - so I'd go for her Traviatta.  The Kleiber/Cotrubas is an "easy"/obvious recommendation.  Oddly - this is my least favourite of the big Verdi operas so I don't have any strong preferences
Q3 - Swap out Mehta, Domingo, Malfitano, Raimondi for Mehta/Domingo/Price/Milnes again on RCA.  Issues with the original sound that are a shame but the perfromance blazes
Q4 - not my area of speciality so no opinion here.....!

So many more great operas to hear!

[Papy Oli]

Q1 - I love the Solti/Domingo/Caballe/LPO/RCA La Boheme.  It has an urgency which the Karajan - which is fantastic - does not have
Q2 - anything with Anna Moffo in it is worth a hear - so I'd go for her Traviatta.  The Kleiber/Cotrubas is an "easy"/obvious recommendation.  Oddly - this is my least favourite of the big Verdi operas so I don't have any strong preferences
Q3 - Swap out Mehta, Domingo, Malfitano, Raimondi for Mehta/Domingo/Price/Milnes again on RCA.  Issues with the original sound that are a shame but the perfromance blazes
Q4 - not my area of speciality so no opinion here.....!

That was quick! thank you for your suggestions RS, much appreciated.  0:)

So many more great operas to hear!

A mere handful !!

[JBS]

After spending the last 3 years or so exploring British then French composers, then JSB and Baroque period with great results, I thought I'd give operas a decent go too.

Prior to this little/massive/rabbit hole project, my only exposures to opera were:

- The Three Tenors 
- A DVD of the Magic Flute (Levine/Met I think) - bought early on in my classical music listening, never seen in full and given back to a charity shop ages ago.
- Attending (as a "blind" ticket purchase) the Touring ENO's Barber of Seville at Snape Maltings, actually a very joyful memory.

The only operas in my collection are:

- The Solti Wagner box - bought dead cheap, 99% unheard.
- The Vaughan Williams operas from the EMI Edition
- Dido and Aeneas (Baker)
- Stravinsky's Operas in the complete Works Craft Box.
- Also Solti's Carmen, Karajan's Fidelio and Gardiner's Fairy Queen.

My starting point is a top 100 operas list found online (as good an anything else):

https://www.top100ranked.com/top-100-operas-ranked/

I'm trying to keep an uncomplicated approach to it for now:

- find recommendations on the Opera board (or ask) for 3 or 4 highly regarded recordings in each opera as I go along.
- Read a basic synopsis before streaming/sampling those versions
- Pick a preferred version (or two tops) based on "Does the music/atmosphere draw me in as it is?" and "do I like the voices, combination thereof, and no voice that actually grates me"?). I have no prejudice or idea yet how a character is meant to sound or if it is technically fitting, so for now it simply boils down to its appeal or how it moves/entertain me.
- Have a full listen with libretto once I have picked a preferred version


So far, in the last few days:

Magic Flute
Narrowed down to Klemperer's and Abbado's. Listened to Klemperer in full and loved it. Abbado was my pick of the rest (while not being sure yet about the dialogues).

Carmen
Thoroughly enjoyed Solti's version (full listen). Abbado (with Berganza), again, ended up as a possible second pick.
(sampled also Karajan/Pryce and Pretre/Callas)

Rigoletto
Top pick was Giulini/Domingo/Cotrubas
(Also sampled Chailly/Pavarotti and Bonynge/Pavarotti)

Aida
Will be a tougher nut to crack than the previous three works but I ended up mesmerized at times by Caballe's singing on Muti's recording and pressed replay on a couple of Arias. A good sign in itself. One to explore further for sure.

Barber of Seville
Started with Abbado/Domingo/Battle, then Abbado/Prey/Berganza. Both seemed ok but then much preferred the male voices in a brief sampling of Gui/Los Angeles/Alva and Galliera/Callas/Gobbi. I'll explore further those latter two. I am not sure what to make of Maria Callas' voice yet though 

Thinking ahead, some questions please:

Q1 - I have bookmarked the following for La Boheme : (Votto, Callas, Di Stefano)   (Beecham, Los Angeles, Bjorling) (Karajan, Pavarotti, Freni).
Any other please ?

Q2 - What would be your 3-4 top recommendations of La Traviatta please ?

Q3 - I have bookmarked the following for Tosca : (Mehta, Domingo, Malfitano, Raimondi) (Davis, Carreras, Caballe, Wixell) (Karajan/Pryce/Di Stefano) (De Stabato, Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi). Does that sound about right ?

Q4 - What would be your 3-4 top recordings of Marriage of Figaro please ?

Exciting times, thank you 

(ps: is that ok to leave this in the listening thread? If it is better to put in a standalone thread, let me know)

Q1 and Q2
I don't have any particular favorites in these 2.  Perhaps the Solti recording with Caballe/Domingo/Milnes for Boheme.
Q3
Callas is the clear winner here
Q4
Herreweghe
Solti
Davis

[Papy Oli]

Q1 and Q2
I don't have any particular favorites in these 2.  Perhaps the Solti recording with Caballe/Domingo/Milnes for Boheme.
Q3
Callas is the clear winner here
Q4
Herreweghe
Solti
Davis

Thank you Jeffrey. I'll check your recs for Q4.

Edit: I have found a couple of different Davis and the Solti but I can't find the Herreweghe (either for streaming, nor on Presto or on a Google search. Would you have a link to the recording you had in mind please ? Thanks.)

[JBS]

Thank you Jeffrey. I'll check your recs for Q4.

Edit: I have found a couple of different Davis and the Solti but I can't find the Herreweghe (either for streaming, nor on Presto or on a Google search. Would you have a link to the recording you had in mind please ? Thanks.)

Herreweghe Jacobs is on Harmonia Mundi: maybe that affects streaming opportunities.

The Davis I mean is the one originally on Philips. (I've never heard the one on RCA.) Presto has the full opera for download only or highlights CDs.
The most recent issue seems to be


ETA:
Blessed be. My brain said Herreweghe but it's really Jacobs! No wonder you couldn't find it!
As atonement here's the Presto listing. DL only it seems.
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7928701--mozart-le-nozze-di-figaro-k492

[Papy Oli]

No worries, You had me questioning meself for a bit there 

I have found the Jacobs on Idagio too. All queued up, thank you again.

[Tsaraslondon]

Magic Flute
Narrowed down to Klemperer's and Abbado's. Listened to Klemperer in full and loved it. Abbado was my pick of the rest (while not being sure yet about the dialogues).

Carmen
Thoroughly enjoyed Solti's version (full listen). Abbado (with Berganza), again, ended up as a possible second pick.
(sampled also Karajan/Pryce and Pretre/Callas)

Rigoletto
Top pick was Giulini/Domingo/Cotrubas
(Also sampled Chailly/Pavarotti and Bonynge/Pavarotti)

Aida
Will be a tougher nut to crack than the previous three works but I ended up mesmerized at times by Caballe's singing on Muti's recording and pressed replay on a couple of Arias. A good sign in itself. One to explore further for sure.

Barber of Seville
Started with Abbado/Domingo/Battle, then Abbado/Prey/Berganza. Both seemed ok but then much preferred the male voices in a brief sampling of Gui/Los Angeles/Alva and Galliera/Callas/Gobbi. I'll explore further those latter two. I am not sure what to make of Maria Callas' voice yet though 

Thinking ahead, some questions please:

Q1 - I have bookmarked the following for La Boheme : (Votto, Callas, Di Stefano)   (Beecham, Los Angeles, Bjorling) (Karajan, Pavarotti, Freni).
Any other please ?

Q2 - What would be your 3-4 top recommendations of La Traviatta please ?

Q3 - I have bookmarked the following for Tosca : (Mehta, Domingo, Malfitano, Raimondi) (Davis, Carreras, Caballe, Wixell) (Karajan/Pryce/Di Stefano) (De Stabato, Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi). Does that sound about right ?

Q4 - What would be your 3-4 top recordings of Marriage of Figaro please ?

Exciting times, thank you 

(ps: is that ok to leave this in the listening thread? If it is better to put in a standalone thread, let me know)

A few more suggestions to add to what you have above, in the hope that it doesn't further confuse you. After all what one opera lover will love, another will not like at all. We can only give you our personal recommendations,

Magic Flute Klemperer and Abbado are fine, but I would add Böhm on DG, mostly for Wunderlich's peerless Tamino. Christie's HIP version is also a favourite of mine.

Carmen Callas is the most fascinating of all, both dangerous and beautiful, as Micaëla describes her, but it does use the old and now discredited Guiraud recitatives. That doesn't bother me, but some can no longer take them. This is late Callas and she sounds quite different from how she sounds in the 1953 Tosca, for instance.

Rigoletto The Serafin with Gobbi and Callas is one of the great recordings of the 1950s, almost as much a classic as the aforementioned Tosca. It uses the cuts traditional at the time, but Gobbi is wonderful as Rigoletto. I leaned this set to a fellow opera buff some years ago, who wanted to find a good recording. He'd tried Giulini and Bonynge, but neither really did it for him. He foud the Serafin a revelation.

Aida is a tricky one. It's not my favourite Verdi, but I have six recordings, probably because I don't find any of then completely satisfactory. Muti is probably the safest bet, and all round I'd probably give it the palm, but I do like Karajan II (with Freni, Carreras and Baltsa) and the Nile Scene has never been done better than by Callas and Gobbi on the Serafin. I also have the Pappano, which is the most recent studio recording. Aside from Kaufmann, I don't think any of the singers match those on earlier sets, but conducting and sound are superb. However I've noticed it tends to be the last one I pull down off the shelves.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia My favourites are Gui and Galliera. It appears to me that both exude a joy in performance that you never hear nowadays. Both adopt the traditional cuts, however. For a more modern performance, I quite like Marriner.

I think you've already listed the three best Bohemes.

Traviata is Callas, or rather Callas is Violetta. Unfortunately her studio recording is not great. It was recorded for Cetra. Callas is fine, but orchestra, conductor and the other singers are somewhat provincial. She is best heard at Covent Garden in 1958 (with Valletti and Zanasi), if you can find it. I don't think the Lisbon performance, which is on Warner, is in quite the same class. For a studio recording, then Kleiber with Cotrubas, Domingo and Milnes is an easy first choice.

Tosca is also easy. De Sabata with Callas, Gobbi and Di Stefano has remained a top choice now for almost 70 years. If you want a stereo recording, then Karajan with Price, Taddei and Di Stefano. These two really do outclass all the competition.

My favourite Figaro is Giulini, which I don't think has been mentioned so far, and don't forget Giulini's Don Giovanni, another classic recording of the gramophone.

Hope this all helps.

[Papy Oli]

Hi Tsara,

No confusion at all (yet...  ).

Thank you very much for taking the time and all those pointers. I'll write those down in my exploration spreadsheet and go rummage in Idagio