What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[ritter]

First listen to Humperdinck's Königskinder (Act I), in this 2005 live recording from Montpellier under the direction of Armin Jordan, and with a distinguished roster of soloists that includes Jonas Kaufmann, Ofelia Sala and Detlef Roth.

[Tsaraslondon]

Treigle comes in for some criticism, but I think this set is pretty good really, and Caballé is outstanding, her l'altra notte not only beautifully sung, but deeply felt. I've really enjoyed listening to it today.

[JBS]

Bayreuth 1992



DVD version


As with Barenboim's Meistersinger, the sonics are superb, probably better than any other live recording I remember, and better than most studio recordings.  Could the fact that it was filmed/recorded for DVD be the reason?

[Lisztianwagner]

Dmitri Shostakovich
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Galina Vishnevskaya (Katerina), Nicolai Gedda (Sergei), Dimiter Petkov (Boris Ismailov), Werner Krenn (Zinoviy Ismailov), Robert Tear (Shabby peasant), Taru Valjakka (Aksinya), Birgit Finnilä (Sonyetka), Aage Haugland (Sergeant), Martyn Hill (Teacher), Léonard Mroz (Priest), Alexander Malta (Old convict)
Mstislav Rostropovich & London Philharmonic Orchestra

[ritter]

Well, this is a rara avis: an Italian twelve-tone comedy...

Riccardo Malipiero: La Donna è mobile. Opera buffa in one act on a text by Guglielmo Zucconi, based on the comedy Nostra dea by Massino Bontempelli. Vocal soloists, Orchestra della RSI, Edwin Loehrer (cond.).


The CD is included in this book on Riccardo Malipiero (1914-2093, nephew of the better-known Gianfrancesco).

Very interesting in this first listen, with rich orchestral writing, and vocal lines that allow the sung text to be understood very easily.

The work was first performed in Milan in 1957, under the baton of no less an authority than Gianadrea Gavazzeni (who never processed much admiration for serial music, but led the world premieres of both of R. Malipiero's operas —Minnie la candida in 1942, and this one—).



Ah, and before anyone asks: No, so far I've detected no connection to Rigoletto or Verdi.

[Karl Henning]

Now that (through Der Ring) I've discovered that one understands opera better on DVD with subtitles: a Glyndebourne Festival Opera production of Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades.

[Wendell_E]

Now that (through Der Ring) I've discovered that one understands opera better on DVD with subtitles: a Glyndebourne Festival Opera production of Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades.

This one, I imagine?



I rented it a long time ago (2002) from Netflix. Very good, as I recall.

[Tsaraslondon]

This one, I imagine?



I rented it a long time ago (2002) from Netflix. Very good, as I recall.

Marusin's tenor is a bit of an acquired taste, but he acts the role brilliantly.

[Karl Henning]

This one, I imagine?



I rented it a long time ago (2002) from Netflix. Very good, as I recall.

Aye.

[JBS]

Filmed at performances in December 2021 and January 2022. Perhaps politics is the reason the liner notes refer to the folk songs and Slavic myth which are important musically and dramatically as Ukrainian.

Christian elements are present, but the main Christmas element is the rebirth of the sun at the solstice, represented by the reunion of the Virgin Goddess and the God of Spring, which the Devil and various demonic beings, sorcerers, and witches (the hero's mother being one of the latter) try to hinder. The Tsarina and her court are from the 18th century; almost everyone else is 20th century clothes, with only the hero and heroine partly costumed in traditional peasant dress. Scenery and props are minimal, but sufficient; the production design hovers between realistic and fantasy, which matches the storyline.  There's one scene of dance/pantomime that requires a knowledge of the story to understand, but it's confined to the mythic part of the opera.
There is a CD version, but enough action/dance onstage that benefits from being seen and not merely heard. Singing/acting were fairly good all around.

[Philo]

Sometime this weekend: Mozart's Don Giovanni starring Isabel Leonard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wEMzWH52FA