What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[ritter]

Inevitably... Act III of Götterdämmerung.



This is the "designer Ring" staged by Alfred Kirchner, with sets and costumes by Rosalie, that was performed in Bayreuth in the mid 90s, under the baton of James Levine. Only Götterdämmerung was filmed.

[ritter]

Die Zeit ist da...

More Wagner tonight, of course. Act II of Parsifal, filmed at La Monnaie in Brussels in 2011, with Tómas Tómasson as Klingsor, Anna Larsson as Kundry, and Andrew Richards in the title rôle. The conductor is Hartmut Haenchen, and the staging by Romeo Castellucci.



As usual, Castellucci brings to the stage some disquieting but aesthetically rewarding images which appear disjointed from the action but somehow underline and highlight the text in a strange and often fascinating way.

Wie lachen ihm die Rosen der Wangen...

[brewski]

Not listening today, but on Sunday: Salome with WDR Symphony Orchestra, conductor Cristian Măcelaru, and Jennifer Holloway in the title role. Recorded in September 2025 in Cologne. 

[brewski]

Listening to La fille du régiment by Donizetti, in the 1968 version with Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti, which I may have never heard. While the opera may not appear on my top 10 list (who knows, it's only 1:00 in the afternoon ), but maybe I need to give the composer another chance.

It's playing on WRTI, here.

[Florestan]

I need to give the composer another chance

.


Ah, mon ami, quel jour de fête! 

[brewski]

Ah, mon ami, quel jour de fête! 

Yes, eagerly awaiting that.

I saw the opera at the Met in 2008 (cast and details here) and liked it, but Laurent Pelly's production was the star, with giant maps crumpled to look like mountains.

The cast and chorus were wonderful, but I'm enjoying this recording more.

[KevinP]

Watched the opera on YouTube a few months ago (probably posted here). Listening and watching can be too very different experiences, probably especially true with this one.