Based on the list of operas I've seen below, can anyone recommend what to try next based on the styles I tend to enjoy most?
Operas I LOVE
Marriage of Figaro
Cosi Fan Tutte
Elixir of Love
Barber of Seville
Operas I LIKE
Don Giovanni
Magic Flute
Fidelio
Operas I tried but weren't my taste
Rusalka
L'Orfeo
La Boheme
Carmen
Looks as if you're ready for The Rake's Progress and Falstaff
Do you know this site (http://www.operatoday.com/content/repertoire/index.php?page=1)? Lots of (free!) streaming recordings to choose from - a cheap way to dip your toes... (The oldest ones don't seem to work anymore, BTW.)
I feel stupid offering any advice with my limited opera knowledge but I feel quite confident you would at least LIKE some other operas by Rossini. Maybe Il Turco in Italia or La Cenerentola. Others will have better suggestions (I see DavidRoss has already dropped by while I was typing - I'm sure there'll be more Verdi coming your way! ;D)
Quote from: hornteacher on March 13, 2009, 05:04:04 PM
Based on the list of operas I've seen below, can anyone recommend what to try next based on the styles I tend to enjoy most?
Operas I LOVE
Marriage of Figaro
Cosi Fan Tutte
Elixir of Love
Barber of Seville
Operas I LIKE
Don Giovanni
Magic Flute
Fidelio
Operas I tried but weren't my taste
Rusalka
L'Orfeo
La Boheme
Carmen
hornteacher 8) based on your tastes I am going to be quite daring here and recommend that you try Richard Stauss'
Der Rosenkavalier and Wagner's
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg. Both are musically light hearted, albeit long, operas. Der Rosenkavalier is filled with pretty walzes and Wagner's Die Meistersinger has some of the most beautiful melodic music I have ever heard in an opera. Take a chance, nothing ventured nothing gained!!
marvin
You may not like La Boheme, but how about a shabby little shocker called 'Il Tabarro' from Puccini's trio of little operas, 'Il Tricitto". Il Tabarro's ending is fabulously grisly, and the music is so...so...just wonderfully fitting to the plot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA-aruB8HMU
I like the music for Il Tabarro very much, but think Gianni Schicci more likely to suit hornteacher's tastes.
Quote from: hornteacher on March 13, 2009, 05:04:04 PM
Based on the list of operas I've seen below, can anyone recommend what to try next based on the styles I tend to enjoy most?
Operas I LOVE
Marriage of Figaro
Cosi Fan Tutte
Elixir of Love
Barber of Seville
Since you love
Elixir of Love and
Barber of Seville, you might want to check out some of the other
bel canto opere buffe: Donizetti's
Don Pasquale and
La Fille du Régiment, Rossini's
La Cenerentola,
L'Italiana in Algeri,
Le Comte Ory, and
Il Turco in Italia.
Quote from: hornteacher on March 13, 2009, 05:04:04 PM
Based on the list of operas I've seen below, can anyone recommend what to try next based on the styles I tend to enjoy most?
Operas I LOVE
Marriage of Figaro
Cosi Fan Tutte
Elixir of Love
Barber of Seville
Operas I LIKE
Don Giovanni
Magic Flute
Fidelio
Operas I tried but weren't my taste
Rusalka
L'Orfeo
La Boheme
Carmen
Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (Mozart)
Il Matrimonio Segreto (Cimarosa)
La Cenerentola (Rossini)
L'Italiana in Algeri (Rossini)
La Fille du Regiment (Donizetti)
La Sonnambula (Bellini)
I would support the choice of suggesting operas by Mozart, Cimarosa, Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti. If you "like" Die Zauberflöte and Fidelio, I guess it would be safe to suggest Weber's Freischütz and, eventually, Cherubini's Les deux journées.
I appreciate the suggestions very much. I think the operas that attract me the most have elements of both comedy and drama, include battles of the sexes, don't have mythological themes, but do have happy endings.
Mozart's Abduction from the Harem is next on my list to go see. After that probably something in the Bel Canto era.
Try these Verdi Operas : La Traviata, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore,Aida,Otello,
Un Ballo in Maschera,La Forza Del Destino, Simon Boccanegra,Falstaff,Macbeth, Luisa Miller. By Puccini: Turandot, La Fanciulla Del West(The Girl Of The Golden West), and Manon Lescaut.
Carl Maria von Weber: Der Freischutz(The Freeshooter) and Oberon.
Bedrich Smetana: The Bartred Bride. Leos Janacek: Jenufa, Katya Kabanova, The Cunning Little Vixen. Humperdinck(The real and original one): Hansel &Gretel. Jules Massenet: Manon, Werther, Thais.
Camille Saint-Saens: Samson&Dalilah.
Handel :Giulio Cesare(Julius Ceasar). Rodelinda, Alcina, Rinaldo.
Gershwin:Porgy& Bess. Britten: Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Wagner: The Flying Dutchman(mercifully short for newcomers to Wagner). Bellini: Norma. Rossini: L'Italiana in Algeri(The Italian Woman in Algiers), La Cenerentola(Cinderella). Semiramide.
Pietro Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana. Ruggero Leoncavallo: Pagliacci.
Amilcare Ponchielli: La Gioconda. Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin.
Pique Dame(Queen of Spades. Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov.
Samuel Barber: Vanessa. Berlioz: Les Troyens.
Too bad you didn't like Dvorak's Rusalka. I heard the Met radio broadcast this afternoon and loved it.Keep trying. Also try the DVD with Renee Fleming.
BUSONI: Doctor Faust
See if you can find the recording with Fischer-Dieskau especially!
Quote from: Superhorn on March 14, 2009, 02:02:35 PM
Too bad you didn't like Dvorak's Rusalka. I heard the Met radio broadcast this afternoon and loved it.Keep trying. Also try the DVD with Renee Fleming.
That's the one I saw. No question that Fleming is marvelous in it. I really didn't care for the modernizing of the characters though. A water goblin shouldn't be in a suit and tie. The witch in a pantsuit looked more like a character on "Sex in the City".
I think its the music itself that I couldn't latch onto (aside from the "Moon" aria which is gorgeous). The problem is more with me than the music though. Maybe I'll come back to it and like it more at a future time.
Quote from: hornteacher on March 14, 2009, 02:01:47 PM
I appreciate the suggestions very much. I think the operas that attract me the most have elements of both comedy and drama, include battles of the sexes, don't have mythological themes, but do have happy endings.
Mozart's Abduction from the Harem is next on my list to go see. After that probably something in the Bel Canto era.
Happy endings! That excludes quite a bit then.
Try Die Fledermaus; Fidelio has spoken dialogue, so does Fledermaus. Categorised as 'Operetta'; it needs the very best operatic voices. It sparkles, has a battle of the sexes, a happy ending and some very beautiful music. There are several great versions. I suggest this one....
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41T3P00GM8L._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Fischer Dieskau, Fassbaender as the very best Orlovsky, Rothenburger utterly in her element. Boskovsky knows just how to portray the Viennese tradition in this piece.
Mike
Quote from: hornteacher on March 14, 2009, 04:51:33 PM
That's the one I saw. No question that Fleming is marvelous in it. I really didn't care for the modernizing of the characters though. A water goblin shouldn't be in a suit and tie. The witch in a pantsuit looked more like a character on "Sex in the City".
Yeah, it's too bad the Met's beautiful, traditional production, which was originated at the Vienna State Opera, wasn't part of the Met's HD series this year. So we've left with that Carsen production with Fleming from Paris, and the English National Opera production set in a child's nursery. I don't mind updating, but it'd be nice to have at least
one version on DVD that sticks to the creators' original intent. There is a 1975 Czech film version, which I haven't seen, but will probably get from Netflix someday. From what I've heard, though, it's not very good, with actors lip-synching to a recording, and doing it badly. In any event, I have to confess that I've always found
Rusalka absolutley gorgeous musically, but a bit of a bore.
Quote from: knight on March 15, 2009, 04:32:56 AM
Try Die Fledermaus; Fidelio has spoken dialogue, so does Fledermaus. Categorised as 'Operetta'; it needs the very best operatic voices. It sparkles, has a battle of the sexes, a happy ending and some very beautiful music.
I'm sure it's the kind of music Hornteacher is looking for. I support this suggestion.
Quote from: hornteacher on March 14, 2009, 04:51:33 PM
That's the one I saw. No question that Fleming is marvelous in it. I really didn't care for the modernizing of the characters though. A water goblin shouldn't be in a suit and tie. The witch in a pantsuit looked more like a character on "Sex in the City".
I've got myself a copy of the DVD last year because I love both Fleming and this opera, but I haven't yet had the courage to watch it for the reasons you mention here.
Quote from: jhar26 on March 15, 2009, 07:57:30 AM
I've got myself a copy of the DVD last year because I love both Fleming and this opera, but I haven't yet had the courage to watch it for the reasons you mention here.
Oh....now, this is not quite the North face of the Matterhorn. Your comment reminds me of instructions in a Victorian book on etiquette for gentlemen. The instruction on how to eat an orange began with the words. 'One has to have tremendous courage to attempt this; unless one is an adept.'
We are talking oranges and watching DVDs, not a solo journey down the Amazon. Go on...give it a go and even if it is awful, it could provide good reading material here.
Mike
I'll give it a go eventually, Mike. ;)
Excellent; but do give us a bit of a detailed verdict.
Mike
Based on your suggestions:
Offenbach of course! Tales of Hoffman (a bit of everything, version with Sutherland and Domingo quite good)
Donizetti: Lucia di Lamermoor (not so much comic, but the music is of the era/style you prefer, good with Pavoratti and Sutherland)
Der Fledermaus is indeed great (and other operetta may be your thing if you like the comic side), although different style than you prefer.
Bellini: Norma (Suthland/Horne on Decca a great place to start)
Rossini: Tancredi (good version on Naxos) or La Cenerentola (Bartoli popular; ravishing voice)
Wasn't really trying to recommend Sutherland, but your preferred styles seem to dovetail well with a belcanto type opera (plus Mozart).
I would normally recommend Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretal as a great place to start with opera. Based on your preferences though, I'm not sure. The music is really fine though. Tuneful.
I would think other Donizetti and Rossini would go well for you, since you know you already loved them.
I want to agree with ukrneal's recommendations. They are my favorites also. Happy listening.
Does Norma have a happy ending these days?
Mike
Quote from: knight on March 18, 2009, 12:08:31 PM
Does Norma have a happy ending these days?
Mike
That depends on whether you liked her singing or not! >:D