My username is from a favorite opera, Mascagni's L'amico Fritz.
I love opera. For non-opera classical I am mostly oriented to symphonic works with favorites in Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Mahler, Saint-Saens. I do like some piano, but for now mostly Rachmaninoff's concertos.
Favorite operas:
Bellini: La Sonnambula
Flotow: Martha
Mascagni: L'amico Fritz
Beethoven: Fidelio
Wagner: Hollander, Ring, and others
Donizetti: the three Queens, Daughter of the Regiment, Don Pasquale, Elixir of Love.
Rachmaninoff: Miserly Knight
Puccini: Tosca, La fanciulla del West
Verdi: La Traviata
Poulenc: Dialogues of the Carmelites
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov
Tchakiovsky: Eugene Onegin
Weber: Der Freischutz
Lehar: Land des Lachelns
Hello and welcome :)
Welcome aboard to GMG! Always great to see new members. :)
Lots of opera and symphonic fans here!
Welcome!
Good to see another opera lover on board !
Thanks all.
I have 25 commercial recordings of La Sonnambula. I could not find any more or would have bought them.
I also love Handel's Messiah and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.
Welcome among us, Fritz.
Quote from: Fritz Kobus on April 11, 2021, 10:51:44 AM
My username is from a favorite opera, Mascagni's L'amico Fritz.
I love opera. For non-opera classical I am mostly oriented to symphonic works with favorites in Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Mahler, Saint-Saens. I do like some piano, but for now mostly Rachmaninoff's concertos.
Favorite operas:
Bellini: La Sonnambula
Flotow: Martha
Mascagni: L'amico Fritz
Beethoven: Fidelio
Wagner: Hollander, Ring, and others
Donizetti: the three Queens, Daughter of the Regiment, Don Pasquale, Elixir of Love.
Rachmaninoff: Miserly Knight
Puccini: Tosca, La fanciulla del West
Verdi: La Traviata
Poulenc: Dialogues of the Carmelites
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov
Tchakiovsky: Eugene Onegin
Weber: Der Freischutz
Lehar: Land des Lachelns
I've never heard the Poulenc. A close friend of mine's favourite composer was Poulenc, but I respect rather than love his music. My loss I'm sure - what is it about "Dialogues" that I should try and get into?
Hello and welcome The Poulenc is heartwrenching and need a dose of Lehar after listening. Nice to see Lehar mentioned.
Welcome aboard and enjoy your time here. You will find the company of a few like minded souls here. :)
Welcome aboard, Fritz! Hope you enjoy it here...
"Ah, le belle ciliegie!" :)
Quote from: Fritz Kobus on April 11, 2021, 10:51:44 AM
My username is from a favorite opera, Mascagni's L'amico Fritz.
I love opera. For non-opera classical I am mostly oriented to symphonic works with favorites in Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Mahler, Saint-Saens. I do like some piano, but for now mostly Rachmaninoff's concertos.
Favorite operas:
Bellini: La Sonnambula
Flotow: Martha
Mascagni: L'amico Fritz
Beethoven: Fidelio
Wagner: Hollander, Ring, and others
Donizetti: the three Queens, Daughter of the Regiment, Don Pasquale, Elixir of Love.
Rachmaninoff: Miserly Knight
Puccini: Tosca, La fanciulla del West
Verdi: La Traviata
Poulenc: Dialogues of the Carmelites
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov
Tchakiovsky: Eugene Onegin
Weber: Der Freischutz
Lehar: Land des Lachelns
Welcome Fritz!
And, wow! 25 recordings of La Sonnambula! Neat! Looking forward to hearing about your favorites in the opera thread. 8)
PD
Quote from: Roasted Swan on April 11, 2021, 11:37:33 PM
I've never heard the Poulenc. A close friend of mine's favourite composer was Poulenc, but I respect rather than love his music. My loss I'm sure - what is it about "Dialogues" that I should try and get into?
There's no specific scene or moment in
Dialogues that would be a 'point of entry' into the whole work. As it goes on it becomes ever more gripping and downright bone-chilling. A great, great work.
Welcome! :)
Quote from: André on April 12, 2021, 07:21:21 AM
There's no specific scene or moment in Dialogues that would be a 'point of entry' into the whole work. As it goes on it becomes ever more gripping and downright bone-chilling. A great, great work.
The Nagano recording made me appreciate it as a sort of coherent, symphonic structure, with great sound; the Dervaux is perhaps somewhat different, IMHO.
Quote from: Roasted Swan on April 11, 2021, 11:37:33 PM
I've never heard the Poulenc. A close friend of mine's favourite composer was Poulenc, but I respect rather than love his music. My loss I'm sure - what is it about "Dialogues" that I should try and get into?
I find the story fascinating, so much so that I bought a well-researched book on the true story of the Carmelite nuns. The climax is the finale where the nuns get their heads chopped off and you hear the slicing noise of the guillotine as they go one-by-one and, each time one goes, there is one less voice, until the very end a single voice, then chop!
Welcome aboard! Hope you enjoy your time here.
Quote from: Fritz Kobus on April 11, 2021, 10:51:44 AM
My username is from a favorite opera, Mascagni's L'amico Fritz.
I love opera. For non-opera classical I am mostly oriented to symphonic works with favorites in Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Mahler, Saint-Saens. I do like some piano, but for now mostly Rachmaninoff's concertos.
Favorite operas:
Bellini: La Sonnambula
Flotow: Martha
Mascagni: L'amico Fritz
Beethoven: Fidelio
Wagner: Hollander, Ring, and others
Donizetti: the three Queens, Daughter of the Regiment, Don Pasquale, Elixir of Love.
Rachmaninoff: Miserly Knight
Puccini: Tosca, La fanciulla del West
Verdi: La Traviata
Poulenc: Dialogues of the Carmelites
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov
Tchakiovsky: Eugene Onegin
Weber: Der Freischutz
Lehar: Land des Lachelns
Welcome here. I'm not generally an opera lover but Boris Godunov is one of my favourites.
Quote from: André on April 12, 2021, 07:21:21 AM
There's no specific scene or moment in Dialogues that would be a 'point of entry' into the whole work. As it goes on it becomes ever more gripping and downright bone-chilling. A great, great work.
thankyou for that. Clearly I must investigate!
Quote from: Roasted Swan on April 14, 2021, 11:17:22 PM
thankyou for that. Clearly I must investigate!
Not that I'm easily swayed or need an excuse to buy CD's...... BUT..... just pulled the trigger on.....
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512e1VQiutL._AC_SY355_.jpg)
thankyou to all for the collective enthusiasm!
Quote from: vandermolen on April 14, 2021, 10:50:56 PM
Welcome here. I'm not generally an opera lover but Boris Godunov is one of my favourites.
Then there is the whole discussion of 1869 version vs 1872 version, and Mussorgsky orchestration vs Rimsky and others. I prefer the 1869 which I think has only ever been recorded in Mussorgsky's orchestration and only has two recordings I am aware of, Gergiev and recently Nagano. Of the 1872 I do like the Polish scenes and often fold them into the middle of my 1869 set. Additionally, if you want a sequel to Boris Godunov, then get a copy of Dvorak's Dimitrij.
Two operas I forgot to mention in my list:
Smetana: Bartered Bride
Strauss: Die Frau Ohne Schatten
Quote from: Fritz Kobus on April 15, 2021, 08:53:52 PM
Two operas I forgot to mention in my list:
Strauss: Die Frau Ohne Schatten
Sweet! How do you feel about other well-known ones like
Der Rosenkavalier,
Elektra and
Salome?
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 16, 2021, 06:27:24 AM
Sweet! How do you feel about other well-known ones like Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra and Salome?
The stories behind those three have not interested me. I might have seen the Rosenkavalier back in the early 1980s when I attended a number of operas before they had surtitles. Back then, I reasoned it was more interesting to have music, acting, and a story than just go to an orchestral work. But after that I kind of fell out of most music for a long time until I got back into classical about 2011 and then my Beethoven obsession led me back into opera with FIdelio. I thought I should get a DVD of Fidelio and that lit a fire that I now must have at least a hundred opera DVDs.
Quote from: Fritz Kobus on April 16, 2021, 08:48:16 PM
The stories behind those three have not interested me. I might have seen the Rosenkavalier back in the early 1980s when I attended a number of operas before they had surtitles. Back then, I reasoned it was more interesting to have music, acting, and a story than just go to an orchestral work. But after that I kind of fell out of most music for a long time until I got back into classical about 2011 and then my Beethoven obsession led me back into opera with FIdelio. I thought I should get a DVD of Fidelio and that lit a fire that I now must have at least a hundred opera DVDs.
I'm not an opera fan in general, but there are a few that have meant a lot to me. In opera, I could careless about what's actually being sung, but I do find it useful to read a synopsis that way I get a better understanding of the underlying narrative behind the work. Anyway, I'm more into ballets, concerti, melodies/lieder/songs, chamber music and solo piano.