Mozart operas

Started by Harry, September 20, 2007, 02:17:55 AM

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Harry

Isn't it terrible, that after listening to all the operas of Mozart, so far only two came through my sceptical reviews......
There are still three operas to go, but I am far from optimistic.
Maybe I am simply not made for opera from Mozart to.......
I will go into the unknown territory of Handel's operas/oratorios, and maybe Haydn, and see what will bring that.
And the oratorios by Vivaldi, have two operas allready, well I will see.

Mozart


Harry

Die Zauberflote and Entfuhrung aus dem Sarail.....

Mozart

Quote from: Harry on October 30, 2007, 02:18:27 PM
Die Zauberflote and Entfuhrung aus dem Sarail.....

I don't know Harry, it's really odd to me that you would like those and not the others. The act 2 finale of Figaro didn't do anything for you? Try it again  ;)

Harry

Quote from: HandelHooligan on October 30, 2007, 11:39:36 PM
I don't know Harry, it's really odd to me that you would like those and not the others. The act 2 finale of Figaro didn't do anything for you? Try it again  ;)

I played all operas twice my friend, and not that the music is not good, it simply does not work for me, that's all.
Send all the operas away, to a far country...
Still have three left to try, so I will see.

Cheers. :)

Mozart

Quote from: Harry on October 31, 2007, 12:01:56 AM
I played all operas twice my friend, and not that the music is not good, it simply does not work for me, that's all.
Send all the operas away, to a far country...
Still have three left to try, so I will see.

Cheers. :)

Does one of those three happen to be Idomeneo? If so there is hope yet!

Harry

Quote from: HandelHooligan on October 31, 2007, 01:21:57 AM
Does one of those three happen to be Idomeneo? If so there is hope yet!

Yes as a matter of fact it is front of me, Idomeneo.......... ;D

Mozart

Quote from: Harry on October 31, 2007, 02:05:37 AM
Yes as a matter of fact it is front of me, Idomeneo.......... ;D
Great! Start with Elektra's arias first and then listen to them in context. I would love to see this opera live because there is no room for applause. Scenes just blend into each other, it's great.

Harry

Quote from: HandelHooligan on October 31, 2007, 02:31:52 AM
Great! Start with Elektra's arias first and then listen to them in context. I would love to see this opera live because there is no room for applause. Scenes just blend into each other, it's great.

Okay, I will do that and report back my findings, or send them straight off to someone.....

marvinbrown

Quote from: Harry on October 30, 2007, 02:18:27 PM
Die Zauberflote and Entfuhrung aus dem Sarail.....

  Harry you didn't like Don Giovanni  :o??  The music is superb from start to finish, but then again you are not a very big fan of Soprano arias....maybe that had something to do with it?


  marvin

Harry

Quote from: marvinbrown on October 31, 2007, 07:58:44 AM
  Harry you didn't like Don Giovanni  :o??  The music is superb from start to finish, but then again you are not a very big fan of Soprano arias....maybe that had something to do with it?


  marvin

The quality of the music is not a issue Marvin, its good without a doubt.
It wasn't the sopranos that did me in, simply the style of music did not appeal to me.
That can happen to the best of us, right?

marvinbrown

Quote from: Harry on October 31, 2007, 09:17:02 AM
The quality of the music is not a issue Marvin, its good without a doubt.
It wasn't the sopranos that did me in, simply the style of music did not appeal to me.
That can happen to the best of us, right?

  Yes Harry you are absolutely right, sometimes music that is judged as GREAT does not appeal to the best of us and we should not force ourselves to listen to what we do not enjoy  :).


  marvin   

Mozart

Well my theory that Mozart's operas are universally entertaining need modification (71db doesn't count and Iago really has a soft spot for Mozart), unless Harry begins to enjoy DG or Figaro.

Harry, when you say the style of the music do you mean recitative followed by arias, instead of a flowing Verdi style work?

Harry

Quote from: HandelHooligan on October 31, 2007, 04:48:08 PM
Well my theory that Mozart's operas are universally entertaining need modification (71db doesn't count and Iago really has a soft spot for Mozart), unless Harry begins to enjoy DG or Figaro.

Harry, when you say the style of the music do you mean recitative followed by arias, instead of a flowing Verdi style work?

Yes that's one of the problems I have Elias.

Mozart

Quote from: Harry on November 01, 2007, 02:01:16 AM
Yes that's one of the problems I have Elias.

And you didn't like Don Giovanni? It has some amazing recitatives that make it stand out as the best opera of the 18th century! How do you plan to go to Handel and Vivaldi when their recitatives are so boring and the music is so straightforward. Maybe you are just not used to it? Or maybe you can just skip over them? Baroque recitatives are a waste of cd space! But Figaro's are comic and the accompanied ones in DG are amazing!

Then again,so many people like Puccini and that is a mystery to me.


Sorry its 4 am :) bedtime

Florestan

Quote from: HandelHooligan on November 01, 2007, 03:29:32 AM
so many people like Puccini and that is a mystery to me.

It's no mystery at all, just the infinite diversity of the human nature.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Harry

Quote from: Florestan on November 01, 2007, 03:37:05 AM
It's no mystery at all, just the infinite diversity of the human nature.

Agreed, riddle solved. ;D

Marc

Quote from: HandelHooligan on November 01, 2007, 03:29:32 AM
Baroque recitatives are a waste of cd space!

Not agreed, at least not in such a generalizing way.

But probably my disagreement is a result of the infinite diversity of the human nature. ;)

Larry Rinkel

#318
Quote from: Harry on November 01, 2007, 02:01:16 AM
Yes that's one of the problems I have Elias.

Then I quote from my reply 79 earlier in this thread:

QuoteRecitatives are of two types - secco (the boring type with just harpsichord and cello), and accompagnato, with orchestra. Secco of course is where you're having a problem. But don't think of it as melody you're not getting. It is basically a heightened or sung form of speech with little musical interest in itself, and is not too different from spoken dialogue.

I would have no hesitation skipping the secco recitatives when listening to a recording. But to throw away the Mozart operas because of the secco recitatives is truly to throw the baby out with the bathwater, in my opinion.

longears

Quote from: Larry Rinkel on November 05, 2007, 05:16:05 AM
I would have no hesitation skipping the secco recitatives when listening to a recording. But to throw away the Mozart operas because of the secco recitatives is truly throw the baby out with the bathwater, in my opinion.

When I listen to opera recordings I usually enjoy them as pure music, in which case wretched-ititves usually appear as unwanted interruptions.  I wouldn't think of dispensing with them in the opera house, however!