What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[JBS]

[JBS]

Final installment of Mozart for now


Cast
Kurt Moll Sarastro
Peter Schrier Tamini
Luciana Serra Queen of the Night
Margaret Price Pamino
Mikael Melbye Papageno
Maria Venuti Papagena
Robert Tear Monostatos

The Two Speakers: Theo Adam/Armin Ude
The Three Ladies: Marie McLaughlin/Ann Murray/Hanna Schwarz
The Two Armoured Men: Reiner Goldberg/Heinz Reeh
The Three Boys: Franz Hoher/Michael Diedrich/Friedemann Klos (all three being at the time members of the Dresden Kreuzchor)

Except for Melbye (Papageno) none of the singers did the spoken dialogue, which was performed by what I presume to be native German actors.

Recorded in January 1984 in Dresden

[ritter]

Revisiting Verdi's Falstaff (well, the second half of it, i.e., from Act II, part 2 —starting with Alice's "Presenteremo un bill per una tassa al parlamento"— through the end of the opera, as this is what I really find superb), in a historic live recording of Carlo Maria Giulini conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra at the 1963 Holland Festival. Fernando Corina is unfortunately much to clownish in the title rôle, while the rest of the soloists  (Ilva Ligabue, Renato Capecchi, Fedora Barbieri, Mirella Freni, Luis Alva et al.) are fine. Still, the performance doesn't sparkle and is lacklustre (not helped by the congested sound). The applause and bravos at the end of Act II are thunderous, in any case.

Giulini's DG recording from Los Angeles is far superior (it's a personal favourite of mine, but I am aware that it is not universally acclaimed).

CDs 4 and 5 of this set:

I really enjoyed that recording of I Puritani, Jeffrey, and found Lisette Oropesa simply outstanding as Elvira. @Florestan had reservations about Lawrence Brownlee, IIRC (and they're understandable).

How did you find it?

[JBS]

Revisiting Verdi's Falstaff (well, the second half of it, i.e., from Act II, part 2 —starting with Alice's "Presenteremo un bill per una tassa al parlamento"— through the end of the opera, as this is what I really find superb), in a historic live recording of Carlo Maria Giulini conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra at the 1963 Holland Festival. Fernando Corina is unfortunately much to clownish in the title rôle, while the rest of the soloists  (Ilva Ligabue, Renato Capecchi, Fedora Barbieri, Mirella Freni, Luis Alva et al.) are fine. Still, the performance doesn't sparkle and is lacklustre (not helped by the congested sound). The applause and bravos at the end of Act II are thunderous, in any case.

Giulini's DG recording from Los Angeles is far superior (it's a personal favourite of mine, but I am aware that it is not universally acclaimed).

CDs 4 and 5 of this set:


I really enjoyed that recording of I Puritani, Jeffrey, and found Lisette Oropesa simply outstanding as Elvira. @Florestan had reservations about Lawrence Brownlee, IIRC (and they're understandable).

How did you find it?

I thought Oropesa had too much vibrato in the first act, but that disappeared in the last two acts. I found nothing wrong with Brownlee, and the sonics were excellent. So I would recommend it.  But I confess the performance I listened to a couple of weeks ago gripped me a bit more. ⏬


BTW, you are wrong about Falstaff. It's superb from first note to last, not just the second half.

[Florestan]

I really enjoyed that recording of I Puritani, Jeffrey, and found Lisette Oropesa simply outstanding as Elvira. @Florestan had reservations about Lawrence Brownlee, IIRC (and they're understandable).

Actually, I listened only to A te o cara and to my ears he sounded too nasal, almost as if drunk. I'll have to listen again, preferably to the whole thing.

[ritter]

Following the lead of @JBS , I am revisiting I Puritani here, but the "Malibran Version", in which the rôle of Elvira is transposed downwards, and Riccardo is a tenor, not a baritone. As an admirer of Katia Ricciarelli, I have owned recording since it was first issued, and think it is remarkably successful all around.



It was recorded live in Bari in 1986, at the Teatro Petruzzelli (5 years before that theatre was destroyed in an arson attack -- it has since been rebuilt). It has all you can expect from a well-prepared production in an Italian provincial theatre: chorus and orchestra perform with enthusiasm and panache (under the expert leadership of Gabriele Ferro), but are not the most refined ensembles in the world. Still, this is a very good rendition of an obscure version of this beautiful opera.

[JBS]

The most familiar name among the singers for me is a relatively minor role: Rolando Villazon as the Helmsman.

This kicks off my next project, one of three Wagner sets I've had for years but never listened to.

[ritter]

On the occasion of Luciano Berio's 100th birthday, revisiting his azione teatrale Un re in ascolto. Live recording  of the world première at the Salzburg Festival on 7 August 1984, for which the work received the "royal treatment": Lorin Maazel conducts the Vienna Philharmonic, and the soloists include Theo Adam, Heinz Zednik and Karan Armstrong. The stage director was Götz Friedrich. The text (by Berio himself and Italo Calvino) was translated into German for the occasion.



This is a strange but fascinating work, with no real plot in the traditional sense, but with connections to Shakespeare's The Tempest (through an 18th century libretto based on the play, and W.H. Auden's The Sea and the Mirror). The music, that creates a strong dreamlike effect, is top drawer Berio IMHO.

[JBS]

Installment 2 of Barenboim's Wagner


Barenboim uses a hybrid that inserts the Paris Venusberg scene into the Dresden version.

[Lisztianwagner]

First listen to this recording:

Béla Bartók
Bluebeard's Castle

Anne Sofie von Otter (Judith), John Tomlinson (Bluebeard), Sandor Elès (narrator)
Bernard Haitink & Berliner Philharmoniker

[Cato]

This afternoon, Dayton's Classical Music radio station played Bizet's The Pearl Fishers from a performance this past summer at the Aix-en-Provence Music Festival:

https://festival-aix.com/en/programmation/opera/les-pecheurs-de-perles

The famous duet was decently sung, and whenever the chorus was called upon, their performance was particularly good.

[brewski]

This afternoon, Dayton's Classical Music radio station played Bizet's The Pearl Fishers from a performance this past summer at the Aix-en-Provence Music Festival:

https://festival-aix.com/en/programmation/opera/les-pecheurs-de-perles

The famous duet was decently sung, and whenever the chorus was called upon, their performance was particularly good.

How appropriate for World Opera Day! I did not know this until earlier today, but the occasion coincides with the birthdays of both Bizet and Johann Strauss II, so hearing The Pearl Fishers is right on target. PS, I did do a quick browse on YouTube and the Aix website, just to see if it might be available for viewing, but alas.

[Cato]

How appropriate for World Opera Day! I did not know this until earlier today, but the occasion coincides with the birthdays of both Bizet and Johann Strauss II, so hearing The Pearl Fishers is right on target. PS, I did do a quick browse on YouTube and the Aix website, just to see if it might be available for viewing, but alas.

WDPR is an excellent station!

One can listen online:

https://www.discoverclassical.org/listen-live.php

[Mapman]

For World Opera Day,
Verdi: La Forza del Destino
Domingo, Freni, etc.; Muti

I only made it to the end of Act 3, Scene 2. I'll probably finish tomorrow. There are lots of wonderful clarinet parts in this opera, not only the famous solo at the beginning of Act 3.

[Cato]

From the What Are You Listening To topic:

A great recording!  All the leads and Mehta firing on all cylinders.  Such a shame that Neblett seemed to have such a short recording career.  I can think of only 3 major recordings - but she's great in them all.....



She was in her late 20's when she recorded the Korngold!!

There's this one too....

Concerning American opera singer Carol Neblett: this website lists recordings both official and "unofficial" spanning over 20 years.


She would be 79 today.


https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/neblett_audio_recordings/

[San Antone]

Astor Piazzolla: Maria de Buenos Aires
- Grand Théâtre de Genève
- ARTE Concert

[Roasted Swan]

From the What Are You Listening To topic:



Concerning American opera singer Carol Neblett: this website lists recordings both official and "unofficial" spanning over 20 years.


She would be 79 today.


https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/neblett_audio_recordings/

Those recordings look very interesting but frustratingly unavailable to non-members of the University (fair enough!)

[Cato]

A great recording!  All the leads and Mehta firing on all cylinders.  Such a shame that Neblett seemed to have such a short recording career.  I can think of only 3 major recordings - but she's great in them all.....



She was in her late 20's when she recorded the Korngold!!

There's this one too....



Did something go wrong personally or professionally?

From the What Are You Listening To topic:



Concerning American opera singer Carol Neblett: this website lists recordings both official and "unofficial" spanning over 20 years.


She would be 79 today.


https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/neblett_audio_recordings/

Those recordings look very interesting but frustratingly unavailable to non-members of the University (fair enough!)

Conrad Osborne sent me a note today and proposed an answer to the question about Carol Neblett's lack of an extensive recording career:

Yes, I saw Neblett several times, at NYCO (Mefistofele), Milwaukee (Don Giovanni), 2 Worlds festival down in Charleston (La Straniera), maybe a Musetta at the Met.

Good voice and presence, but nothing very distinctive, I'd say. Maralin Niska, for instance, who actually did Die Tote Stadt at NYCO, had a much stronger artistic profile, and to my knowledge didn't make a single recording. Don't know how all that came to pass for Neblett—just others ahead of her in the pecking order, a happenstance of record companies' perceived needs, etc.

So there is his opinion!

[Wendell_E]

From the What Are You Listening To topic:



Concerning American opera singer Carol Neblett: this website lists recordings both official and "unofficial" spanning over 20 years.


She would be 79 today.


https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/neblett_audio_recordings/

She's also Vitellia in the Ponelle film of La Clemenza di Tito.

[ritter]

...

Conrad Osborne sent me a note today and proposed an answer to the question about Carol Neblett's lack of an extensive recording career:

Yes, I saw Neblett several times, at NYCO (Mefistofele), Milwaukee (Don Giovanni), 2 Worlds festival down in Charleston (La Straniera), maybe a Musetta at the Met.

Good voice and presence, but nothing very distinctive, I'd say. Maralin Niska, for instance, who actually did Die Tote Stadt at NYCO, had a much stronger artistic profile, and to my knowledge didn't make a single recording. Don't know how all that came to pass for Neblett—just others ahead of her in the pecking order, a happenstance of record companies' perceived needs, etc.

So there is his opinion!

Maralin Niska! Wow! That's a name I hadn't read in decades. She sang the title role in Turandot in the second complete opera performance I ever attended, as a teenager, in the Teatro Municipal in Caracas around 1977.