What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

Started by Tsaraslondon, April 10, 2017, 04:29:04 AM

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Tsaraslondon

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on October 21, 2022, 07:05:14 AM
Operas (perhaps with the exception of Wagner's Ring) I find are best listened to in one fell swoop (though feel free to take "intermission" breaks).  :)  That, and I suggest reading along with the libretto (unless it's a dvd or tv broadcast that has subtitles).

Good luck!

PD

I'd agree with you. If not a full opera, I do at least try to listen to a whole act per listening session.
\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

Papy Oli

I have been going act by act mostly so far but after listening to many operas in a short spell (as per my beginner's posts here recently), I needed a hiatus and have not been properly immersed back into an opera yet. Butterfly is suffering of that hiatus/transition. I'll give it a fair go from scratch when the right mood and time frame sync.

I haven't always been following a libretto but at least I do read a synopsis prior to a first listen. Like Andrei/Florestan mentioned here before in similar words, I for now let the music and singing do their work first. If I end up immersed or drawn in one way or another, I'll dig up a libretto, mostly for a second listen.     
Olivier

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Tsaraslondon on October 21, 2022, 07:51:23 AM
I'd agree with you. If not a full opera, I do at least try to listen to a whole act per listening session.
A good and solid suggestion.  :)

Quote from: Papy Oli on October 21, 2022, 08:19:54 AM
I have been going act by act mostly so far but after listening to many operas in a short spell (as per my beginner's posts here recently), I needed a hiatus and have not been properly immersed back into an opera yet. Butterfly is suffering of that hiatus/transition. I'll give it a fair go from scratch when the right mood and time frame sync.

I haven't always been following a libretto but at least I do read a synopsis prior to a first listen. Like Andrei/Florestan mentioned here before in similar words, I for now let the music and singing do their work first. If I end up immersed or drawn in one way or another, I'll dig up a libretto, mostly for a second listen.     
Synopsis are helpful though I personally find it frustrating at times trying to figure out who is saying what to whom when things get heated or at other times.  If I don't know the language, I find it a bit frustrating trying to figure out where I am time-wise during the opera.  But, do what works for you.

But Butterfly is still left waiting for ..... (and I won't tell you the rest)?!

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

JBS

[crosspost from WAYLT2]

The Brilliant Cesar Franck Edition includes this to represent his operatic output


Franck composed it at the age of 19, but finished only the vocal score. This recording is the world premiere of the opera, using a modern orchestration.
The plot revolves around an apparently fictional love affair of the 17th century composer Alessandro Stradella (the real Stradella seems to have been a rogue and a lothario who had to leave town hurriedly more than once when things got too hot, and who was eventually murdered for allegedly seducing the sister of his killers).

In case you're wondering why Brilliant chose this recording, it's probably because there's not much choice. Franck wrote three other operas. One was close in time to this one, also never published. His third opera, Hulda, is the one whose only recording was released by Naxos earlier this year. His fourth was Ghiselle, produced posthumously in 1896 after his students (Chausson, D'Indy, and two others) completed its orchestration (Franck had completed the vocal score and the full score of Act I)--and of which there seems to be no recording at all.

Stradella seems to be typical mid-19th French grand opera, going by what I've heard so far (Act I).

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Lisztianwagner

Crosspost from WAYLT2, first listen to this one-act opera:

Arnold Schönberg
Von Heute auf Morgen


https://youtube.com/v/ySZJHLDSps4

The first opera composed with the twelve-tone method, let's see how it is like......
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Papy Oli

#3345
A first proper listen to Bellini's Norma - Act I. with the Votto/Callas/Roma Milan /1955 version.



3 early impressions:

- I am gradually forgetting the historical live sound and just being drawn in.
- More than Casta Diva, it is the preceding aria (?) "Sediziose Voci" that has caught me gasping. Callas' control and softness in the last minute or so was incredible.
- I am pretty sure I have just heard the audience gasp during "Ah si, fa' core, abbracciami" too. I thought I'd be put off by the audience's cheers and clapping but it actually adds to the impact of the performance.

At this rate, I might have to get the Divina Records version of this.

Olivier

Tsaraslondon

Quote from: Papy Oli on October 30, 2022, 03:02:31 AM
A first proper listen to Bellini's Norma - Act I. with the Votto/Callas/Roma/1955 version.



3 early impressions:

- I am gradually forgetting the historical live sound and just being drawn in.
- More than Casta Diva, it is the preceding aria (?) "Sediziose Voci" that has caught me gasping. Callas' control and softness in the last minute or so was incredible.
- I am pretty sure I have just heard the audience gasp during "Ah si, fa' core, abbracciami" too. I thought I'd be put off by the audience's cheers and clapping but it actually adds to the impact of the performance.

At this rate, I might have to get the Divina Records version of this.

I think this is Milan from the same year. There is also a radio broadcast from Rome of concert performance from the same year, but that is conducted by Serafin and the Adalgisa is Ebe Stignani. It's also a great performance, but this La Scala performance is the best performance of the opera I have ever heard and the audience reaction to it is all part of the atmosphere. They do indeed gasp in Ah si fa core abbaciami, when she hits a top C fortissimo, then affects a diminuendo on the note before cascading down a perfect string-of-pearls descending scale. They also utter almost a corporate moan when she admits her guilt on son io in the last act. What I would give to have been there!

Here's my review of it on my blog http://tsaraslondon.com/2020/04/08/norma-7-december-1955/
\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

Papy Oli

You are correct, Tsara, it is Milan.

Bad bad typo  0:)
Olivier

Lisztianwagner

#3348
Quote from: Lisztianwagner on October 27, 2022, 02:37:53 AM
Crosspost from WAYLT2, first listen to this one-act opera:

Arnold Schönberg
Von Heute auf Morgen


https://youtube.com/v/ySZJHLDSps4

The first opera composed with the twelve-tone method, let's see how it is like......

Some thoughts about Von Heute auf Morgen: I listened to this opera for the first time and I really appreciated it, it isn't one of Schönberg's most famous works (a bit unfairly in my opinion), but it is an absolutely remarkable composition, very thrilling and intriguing, especially for what concerns the music and the use of the voices. As a matter of fact, the libretto is simple and generic, not particularly profound, witty and moved, although it is based on a quite interesting argument like the relationship between outwardnes and inwardness, appearance and substance, what is supposed to be modern that often reveals itself, in several aspects of life, merely ephemeral and frail, literally passing from today to tomorrow, and so it can be seen as a sort of ironic critics of some social tendencies; but nonetheless it is masterfully completed and deepened by the music. In fact, if the text has a light-hearted tone, the music is more complex, absolutely beautiful, suggestive and captivating, as well as immediately recognizable as schönbergian in its density of the contrapuntal lines, where all the sections, following the developments of the series (it was the first opera composed with the dodecaphonic method), are brilliantly combined and juxtaposed in continuous transformations to elaborate thick, but clear and solid textures; in the great variety of the timbres and orchestral colours, that gives the impression to have a huge amount of expressive possibilities to use, but also in the use of dissonances and harmonic contrasts to evoke haunting atmospheres, full of tensions and strong emotions, creating in this way a musical weaving which goes beyond and deeper than what the action simply shows and what is simply said; indeed in this opera, Schönberg's music, in its rhythmic flexibility, breaking and moving the inner plot, in its flowing on vivid colours and timbral inventiveness, seems to be really able to express the unconscious and to bring out the deep, true feelings hidden inside the characters, who reveal through the melodies much more than what they actually do on the staging. Anyway, at the same time, this quality puzzles me a little, if it is thought that, in the intention of the composer, the opera should be a comedy, but if I hadn't known it, I would have never called it a comic opera; honestly the mood sounds anything but light, on the contrary, it sounds sharp, tense and restless; but on the other hand, it results to be shrewd and humorous in the parodies created.
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Tsaraslondon





Orchestrally the Klemperer is fantastic, but there are a couple of questionable casting decisions, not least Theo Adam's Dutchman and Unger's Steersman. Silja is, as always, a committed performer but she occasionally has intonation problems and her voice has already started to turn squally under pressure. The best performances are from Talvela as Daland an Kozub as Erik.

So is it sacrilege to say that, in general, I prefer the Konwitschny? Recorded in 1959, this is one of Fischer-Dieskau's best Wagner roles. No doubt some will prefer a bass in the role, but I rather like his intellectual take on the role. Marianne Schech isn't as bad as I remembered her, but she isn't exactly lovable and she sounds too old. Schock has the virtue of singing, rather than shouting his way through Erik's music and Frick is a superb Daland. For the icing on the cake, has there ever been a better Steersman than Wunderlich, a role that is so often undercast and sung (as with Unger). Wunderlich gets the opera off to a rousing start with his glorious singing of the Steersman's song. Konwitschny and his German players are terrific. I really enjoyed this set.

However, thinking of the role of Senta and how often I find it unsatisfactorily sung reminded me of an unlikely contender. I don't know if Sylvia Sass ever sang the role on stage, but she recorded a wonderful Wagner recital in 1978, which included the Wesendonck Lieder as well as Elisabeths arias from Tannhäuser, Isolde's Libestod and Senta's Ballad. Now only available as a download or to stream, it's well worth seeking out. One of the best performances of the Wesendonck Lieder I've heard, but best of all is Senta's Ballad. Try it.

\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

Florestan

Cross post from the WAYLTN thread.

Quote from: Florestan on October 31, 2022, 02:43:51 AM


Three acts into it. This recording is marred by an execrable French diction from everybody, including the choir. This is a huge drawback because in grand opera the visuals are as important as the music and while listening to a recording one can use imagination to supply them ---  if and only if one understands what is being sung, that is. In this respect, the very obtrusive stage sounds are actually an asset because they give a vague idea about what is going on. Also, the vocal score is audibly taxing for Warren Mok (Robert) who not infrequently delivers shrieks and shrills instead of singing. To do full justice to this opera one needs a super-stellar cast and this is far from being the case here.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Tsaraslondon



Kempe's wonderfully cast classic Lohengrin really does stand the test of time. I've tried a few others but this is the one that I always come back to. A really great performance.
\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

Pohjolas Daughter

#3352
Quote from: Tsaraslondon on November 01, 2022, 02:36:23 AM




Orchestrally the Klemperer is fantastic, but there are a couple of questionable casting decisions, not least Theo Adam's Dutchman and Unger's Steersman. Silja is, as always, a committed performer but she occasionally has intonation problems and her voice has already started to turn squally under pressure. The best performances are from Talvela as Daland an Kozub as Erik.

So is it sacrilege to say that, in general, I prefer the Konwitschny? Recorded in 1959, this is one of Fischer-Dieskau's best Wagner roles. No doubt some will prefer a bass in the role, but I rather like his intellectual take on the role. Marianne Schech isn't as bad as I remembered her, but she isn't exactly lovable and she sounds too old. Schock has the virtue of singing, rather than shouting his way through Erik's music and Frick is a superb Daland. For the icing on the cake, has there ever been a better Steersman than Wunderlich, a role that is so often undercast and sung (as with Unger). Wunderlich gets the opera off to a rousing start with his glorious singing of the Steersman's song. Konwitschny and his German players are terrific. I really enjoyed this set.

However, thinking of the role of Senta and how often I find it unsatisfactorily sung reminded me of an unlikely contender. I don't know if Sylvia Sass ever sang the role on stage, but she recorded a wonderful Wagner recital in 1978, which included the Wesendonck Lieder as well as Elisabeths arias from Tannhäuser, Isolde's Libestod and Senta's Ballad. Now only available as a download or to stream, it's well worth seeking out. One of the best performances of the Wesendonck Lieder I've heard, but best of all is Senta's Ballad. Try it.


I hadn't heard of Sylvia Sass before now, but thank you for bringing her up.  I listened to some of her recording of Senta's Ballad and enjoyed it (It's rather early in the morning here for me to tackle Wagner properly).  I see that she put out some albums with Hungaroton and also Decca (at first glance).  There are a number of uploads of her recordings on youtube (Sylvia Sass-Topic).  :)  Currently listening to her singing Lucia's Mad Scene.  Her voice is very warm and rich!  What other recordings do you enjoy of her TL (and others here--feel free to join in).

I'll have to see whether or not I have any recordings that have either excerpts or arias/duets from the Flying Dutchman particularly as DFD and FW are two favorites of mine.  :)

PD

p.s.  Once I'm done listening to the Lucia, I'll provide a link to her Senta here.  Oh, and by the way, when was that F.D. recorded?

Here it is:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE8m7GeQxSw
Pohjolas Daughter

Tsaraslondon

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on November 04, 2022, 03:31:42 AM
I hadn't heard of Sylvia Sass before now, but thank you for bringing her up.  I listened to some of her recording of Senta's Ballad and enjoyed it (It's rather early in the morning here for me to tackle Wagner properly).  I see that she put out some albums with Hungaroton and also Decca (at first glance).  There are a number of uploads of her recordings on youtube (Sylvia Sass-Topic).  :)  Currently listening to her singing Lucia's Mad Scene.  Her voice is very warm and rich!  What other recordings do you enjoy of her TL (and others here--feel free to join in).

I'll have to see whether or not I have any recordings that have either excerpts or arias/duets from the Flying Dutchman particularly as DFD and FW are two favorites of mine.  :)

PD

p.s.  Once I'm done listening to the Lucia, I'll provide a link to her Senta here.  Oh, and by the way, when was that F.D. recorded?

Here it is:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE8m7GeQxSw

Sass was a variable singer, whom I have enjoyed on disc rather more than I did live. I saw her three times in the theatre, once as Norma, when she was outclassed by the Adalgisa, Agnes Baltsa, once as Elisabetta in Don Carlo and once as Turandot in a concert performance of the opera, which used the uncut Alfano ending. Live, her soft singing was so soft that you could hardly hear her, whereas at full voice she tended towards the strident. She was also a somewhat mannered stage performer and had a habit of cupping one had to one ear whilst waving the other one around in the air. This was particularly pronounced in the performance of Norma. Baltsa, by contrast, was always a very natural stage actress.

Still, as I say, I do like some of her records. The Wagner recital, which was recorded in 1978, is a favourite. So too are the Decca recitals, which have been neatly transferred to two CDs



These were recorded between 1977 and 1981, which is by and large her best period. This Donizetti/Verdi recital is from 1981 and it's also very good.



I also recommend the Philips recording of Stiffelio with Carreras  under Gardelli and I prefer Gardelli's second recording of I Lombardi on Hungaraton, where she is a much better Griselda than the pallid Christina Deutekom on Philips.
\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Tsaraslondon on November 04, 2022, 07:30:52 AM
Sass was a variable singer, whom I have enjoyed on disc rather more than I did live. I saw her three times in the theatre, once as Norma, when she was outclassed by the Adalgisa, Agnes Baltsa, once as Elisabetta in Don Carlo and once as Turandot in a concert performance of the opera, which used the uncut Alfano ending. Live, her soft singing was so soft that you could hardly hear her, whereas at full voice she tended towards the strident. She was also a somewhat mannered stage performer and had a habit of cupping one had to one ear whilst waving the other one around in the air. This was particularly pronounced in the performance of Norma. Baltsa, by contrast, was always a very natural stage actress.

Still, as I say, I do like some of her records. The Wagner recital, which was recorded in 1978, is a favourite. So too are the Decca recitals, which have been neatly transferred to two CDs



These were recorded between 1977 and 1981, which is by and large her best period. This Donizetti/Verdi recital is from 1981 and it's also very good.



I also recommend the Philips recording of Stiffelio with Carreras  under Gardelli and I prefer Gardelli's second recording of I Lombardi on Hungaraton, where she is a much better Griselda than the pallid Christina Deutekom on Philips.
Thank you for your further thoughts.  I also posted some comments on the recitals thread, but should have thought to have left a note here to avoid confusion.  :-[

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Tsaraslondon

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on November 04, 2022, 08:34:42 AM
Thank you for your further thoughts.  I also posted some comments on the recitals thread, but should have thought to have left a note here to avoid confusion.  :-[

PD

I saw that after I'd posted this one, but thought I'd let it stand, because either way you would see it.
\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Tsaraslondon on November 04, 2022, 08:53:22 AM
I saw that after I'd posted this one, but thought I'd let it stand, because either way you would see it.
:) Thanks.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: Tsaraslondon on November 04, 2022, 01:56:02 AM


Kempe's wonderfully cast classic Lohengrin really does stand the test of time. I've tried a few others but this is the one that I always come back to. A really great performance.
I agree, Kempe's Lohengrin is one of the most beautiful recordings of that opera I've ever listened, incredibly powerful and suggestive.
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Todd

The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Tsaraslondon



My one recording of Die Meistersinger, which I bought principally for Schwarzkopf's Eva. Hopf is a bit efforful and Edlemann makes a few errors in a role he was singing for the first time, but it's obviously an excellent performance, though the sound isn't great.

I should really get a good stereo recording too, but the Kubelik, which seems to be the prime recommedation, is hard to come by and rather expensive when you do.
\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas