I like all of Verdi's operas. Two from his early period that I enjoy are Ernani and Atilla. The Met version of Ernani has Pavarotti (on DVD). The female lead is also good but I can't recall her name right now. Another DVD of that opera that I like has Domingo and Mirella Freni.
The second opera, again from the early period, is Attila. My absolute favorite DVD is from La Scala with Muti conducting. Sam Ramey is Atilla and is his singing (bass) great! Many people have recommended this performance. The other singers are Cheryl Studer and Giorgio Zancanero. Zancanero and Ramey sing a wonderful duet that, for me at least, makes chills and thrills run down my spine. Another place in that opera occurs when the "pope" appears on stage and the chorus is singing and Cheryl Studer's voice floats high above all the others. That send chills also. If you decide to get this DVD, I'd love to hear your opinion. (Negative is also ok. I'll make it. LOL!)
Who wants a thread about Verdi when we already have 2 about Moniuszko! ;D ;)
But of course, let us not forget $:) that Moniuszko is the best opera composer that ever lived. ;) 0:)
I only listened to Giovanna D'Arco and i really couldn't get into it. I hope it's not representative of his entire output.
Thrilled to read the totally non-opinionated, unbiased and non-partisan view on Verdi! ::)
Good to remind this giant. Verdi is an extraordinary composer, to me the greatest opera composer after Mozart and Wagner.
Has anybody been here when this subject made it's debut on the old GMG? Then you are probably waiting, as I am, to hear the howitzers go off, together with fireworks, started by our Puccini adherents!
Don't be shy, we Verdi lovers can take it - and defend ourselves! ;D
It is not typical in that there is little there that catches the memory. His mature works are packed full of melody and dramatic effect.
One early work that should not be ignored is Macbeth. He revised it to tighten it up, but most of what you hear is a foretelling of the mastery he brought to his later output. Again, inspired by Shakespeare. He did however bow to the conventions of the time by having a chorus-full of witches and a chorus-full of assassins. That certainly makes the bungled murder attempt of Banquo's son Fleance seem all the more unlikely.
He uses such other conventions as the cabaletta to express the mood, so the one at the banquet becomes febrile almost hysterical and moves the plot forward, rather than simply being a showpiece for the singers. There is real depth to the characterisation.
There is a wonderful mad scene for Lady Macbeth, but many other highlights.
I have the Abbado set on CD and would recommend it unreservedly.
As to a request for recommendations for a DVD of Aida, I would avoid many of the high profile singer sets, watching Pavarotti and Chiara is like looking at two over stuffed armchairs who holler across 40 feet of space as a suggestion that they have a relationship with one another. Try this one...
(http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EWN5DG89L._SS500_.jpg)
You may not have heard of anyone who is in it, but the voices are excellent, the singers are glamorous and look the ages of the characters and for once the director does not overwhelm the singers in stage effects and pageantry. It really works as drama.
For a CD version, I have owned quite a few, but the Solti with Leontine Price and Vickers still remains my favourite, the thrust of the drama is exceptional and the voices are superb. The old fashioned schooling of Rita Gorr as Amneris pays dividends, she almost destroys the speakers in her anger at the priests.
Mike
I only listened to Giovanna D'Arco and i really couldn't get into it. I hope it's not representative of his entire output.
Has anybody been here when this subject made it's debut on the old GMG? Then you are probably waiting, as I am, to hear the howitzers go off, together with fireworks, started by our Puccini adherents!
Don't be shy, we Verdi lovers can take it - and defend ourselves! ;D
You know, I used to believe Mozart was the superior opera composer to Verdi, but after having listened extensively to both I must put Verdi at the top of my favorite composers of Italian Opera.
For me, Mozart was pretty much unbelievable at everything, but I think he reigned mostly in the area of piano and wind chamber music (concertos, brass and woodwind ensembles, etc.). I personally believe his last four Symphonies were never surpassed as well.
If we're discussing German Opera, I give that to "Wolfie", the Magic Flute just might be the greatest German opera ever, surpassing even the extraordinary "Ring..." cycle by Wagner.
Verdi is such a great master, and my admiration for him is profound.
That Puccini was really great! Second perhaps only to Moniuszko... 0:)
Thanks for all the recs, everyone. My Verdi collection has some major holes (not a single Aida, if you can believe it >:D), and these recs will be very helpful. (My Puccini collection has holes too but of a smaller caliber... 0:)).
I don't have Ernani, Lombardi, Steffelio, and Attila...But I don't think those are big holes.
(the story of Verdi's life) he was forced to invent his own religion which he did quite successfully.
Don't tell some of our American friends...they'll want to join.
I do like Traviata, but I find the plot a difficult one to swallow. It must have been that to be believeable Dumas and Verdi were living in quite different mores. What father would NOW claim his daughter's marriage prospects were ruined because her brother took up with a loose woman...indeed how many brothers these days would give a damn?
Most of the other plots....to the extent they are coherent, (Trovatore) stand up reasonably well. Perhaps my difficulty is that he makes the emotional content so telling that the ruination of lives is just a headscratcher.
Mike
Translondon, You make perfect sense. Perhaps I just feel more manipulated than I want to be, it reminds me of Butterfly in the way it so blatently sets out to use your emotions. I know a lot of opera is designed to do that, I can't really explain it, but though I have several versions, I never listen all the way through.
Mike
Verdi oversimplifies the music for the listener. Every time I hear Verdi I feel my intelligence is insulted.
I am being difficult today. I have had the Kleiber
Yes lets. I happen to have a very interesting Chandos box full with overtures, balletmusic, and such like goodies.
A very good orchestrator, have actually a few scores somewhere which are interesting to peruse, and if I find them I post them, sure thing.
The music is highly entertaining, infact I jump up and down on my seat, when brilliance passes by.
So for me Verdi is awesome, and inspiring.
Verdi was a music drama genius without parallel. His musical language is totally to the point. Spot on. No unnecessary pomp and circumstances. Colorful, but not overloaded. Stylish and always in good taste. Lyrical but not sentimental. Dramatic but not hysteric. The quintessential best of Italian music all in one package.
All these great Verdi posts, squandered on the Altar of Elgar . . . .
How did Elgar get into this?!?!?
On the contrary, the question is how these posts on Verdi got caught up over there
Hi Karl,
Nice to see you on "Opera and Vocal". Just one question: OVER WHERE?????
71 dB's Elgar Adulation thread, ZB.
But don't go there! Talk up Verdi here! ;D
Mozart is great for comedy, and Verdi is great for tragedy. I actually didn't like Othello much, but Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Il Trovatore are amazing.
The scene where Violetta dies is soo dramatic and sad... :'(
You know, it is called popular melodramma. It leans on the tradition of Italian Opera back to Monteverdi. It makes use of a lot of operatic conventions among which you can count a major emphasis on the Word with respect to the Orchestra (opposite of Wagner) and a great deal of emotional contents. If you're looking for complexity and intellectual riddles don't knock at Verdi's door.
Well said, but I think one also has to say that for the exact same reasons you gave, Verdi's operas are actually very complex, but not in an "obvious" way, rather in the way they draw on these deep traditions and concentrate many elements into a to the point, essential musical language.
So, no superficial complexity, but enormous density and through that, also depth. Both depth of content and emotion and depth of style.
But obviously, in order to appreciate that, one has to be able to "see" and understand it. To the uninformed and unreceptive simpleton, that music must indeed appear simple. But it isn't. Not at all.
I am pretty sure I myself only "get" the upper layers of his works most of the time. There are many elements which I can see are there, but I don't quite understand them yet because I lack the cultural references. But I can see they are there. Therefore I don't feel the need to belittle what I don't understand. On the contrary, I am fascinated by that and look forward to exploring them further.
Music is a journey with many fascinating turns of the road. I pity people who can not or do not want to take that journey because they are happy to stay put where they are and dismiss everything that lies beyond their small horizon.
"Complexity" is something of an issue, especially when speaking to 71 dB; but perhaps it is better to speak of subtlety, in Verdi's work.
I am a massive admirer of Wagner, Handel, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini...but even I haven't heard an opera to top La Traviata.
It can be catchy, dramatic, contrapuntally complex, funny, sexy...all completely memorable as well.
Violetta: La vita è nel tripudio. (Life is full of pleasure.)
Alfredo:(to Violetta) Quando non s'ami ancora. (Until one discovers love.)
People here definitely will not be crazy about this next, but I see Verdi as the best opera composer in any language.
Not sure I agree (though there certainly are days that I do agree) . . . the case can be made, and I don't find it crazy in the least.
Not sure I agree (though there certainly are days that I do agree) . . . the case can be made, and I don't find it crazy in the least.
The only Opera I was able to appreciate from the beginning to the end was Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore.
Another one I frequently listen to is Purcell's "Didone ed Enea".
.never a dull moment!!!!
Rigoletto!
I have lots of trouble with the language [in Rigoletto] though, its soo weird sometimes.
Every opera has dull moments, except Le Nozze di Figaro
Why is the language "weird" in Rigoletto but not (apparently) in Le nozze di Figaro?
Ah, più di Ceprano importuno non v'è...
La cara sua sposa è un angiol per me!
Ah sì, a turbare, ah sì, a turbare sarò vostr'orgie...
verrò a gridare fino a che vegga restarsi inulto
di mia famiglia l'atroce insulto;
e se al carnefice pur mi darete.
spettro terribile mi rivedrete,
portante in mano il teschio mio,
vendetta a chiedere,
vendetta a chiedere al mondo, al mondo, a Dio.
Voi che sapete
che cosa è amor,
donne, vedete
s'io l'ho nel cor.
Quello ch'io provo
vi ridirò,
è per me nuovo,
capir nol so.
Sento un affetto
pien di desir,
ch'ora è diletto,
ch'ora è martir.
Gelo e poi sento
l'alma avvampar,
e in un momento
torno a gelar.
Ricerco un bene
fuori di me,
non so chi'l tiene,
non so cos'è.
Sospiro e gemo
senza voler,
palpito e tremo
senza saper.
Non trovo pace
notte né dì,
ma pur mi piace
languir così.
Rigoletto!
Every opera has dull moments, except Le Nozze di Figaro
Ohh I never skip the recitatives in Figaro! The reason you rarely do it with Verdi is he doesn't give you the chance. Just try clapping after an aria in Idomeneo.
Which green opera should I listen to next? I have Aida, Nabucco, or Il Trovatore.
Marvin, I agree that against his most mature works Nabucco seems simplistic. However there are great things there. The characterisation of both Nabucco and Abigallie has depth and variety. A deal of the music seems stock with waltzes backing what the soloists are doing. But then there are some great arias and ensembles. The Soprano gets some of the most fearsomely demanding music possible to sing and it is absolutely in character. I suspect it is not often performed because that part is such a killer.
I just got hold of a disc of excerpts with Anita Cerqetti singing Abigallie. It is a live recording and the stress of the part is all too evident, even for someone with the voice and technique of Cerqetti.
It is well worth investigation and I suggest the Gardelli set on Decca with Gobbi and the astonishing Suilotis, she burned out quickly and her committed singing here tells you exactly why.
Mike
Marvin, I agree that against his most mature works Nabucco seems simplistic. However there are great things there.
Mike
I recommend you see this live or on DVD.
Well, I have been slowly making progress on Aida, I can now listen for about 15 mins before I get bored, right after the Guerra Guerra Guerra! Is there any parts way farther along that I would particularly like? My progression of liking a Verdi opera has started the same, I like the beggining, but then get bored. And then I jump to act 2 and find something cool and that usually drives me to listen to the whole opera. So what does Aida have in act 2?
Give it up, file it away and go back to it when you are older.
Nothing that could possibly detain you further.
Give it up, file it away and go back to it when you are older.
How much older?
Have you heard 'La Forza del Destino'? Tunes just tumble forth from this opera. It is phenomenal
I just managed to get the Luisa Miller DVD from the Met broadcast with Scotto and Domingo. Its the only recording of this opera that i own. Despite being from 1979 broadcast i quite enjoyed the opera. Its not amongst my favourite Verdi-that would be La Traviata and Il Trovatore. Certainly worth watching.
What?! Unique in that it contains Verdi's only genuinely virtuous character in Miller.
Wow, Macbeth was a ton of fun, mostly for the electricity generated by James Levine and the orchestra, and the terrific chorus, noticeably improved under the new chorus master, Donald Palumbo. I'm liking the score more and more, and Levine brought out many small details--i.e., often inner lines in the orchestration--that might go unnoticed in other hands.
The singing was mostly good, rather than great, and I'd never heard anyone in the cast live, except for John Relyea as Banquo, who was quite good. Željko Lučić as Macbeth did a beautiful job, with a powerful, yet warm voice coupled with a keen feel for the tragedy of it all. As Lady Macbeth, Maria Guleghina was piercing--if not always the most accurate--but she has some kind of stage presence that makes you want to watch her, even when she's flying off key or sounding strained. The best of the night was Dmitri Pittas as Macduff, whose handful of arias pretty much stopped the show.
The production, by Adrian Noble, is darkly beautiful, with tall thick columns that rearrange themselves in formations around the stage, and groves of leafless trees in the background. In Act III, when Macbeth drinks the witches' potion and sees visions, there are some very cool special effects, such as shiny ring-shaped ornaments that slowly descend through a green cloud of laser light in the ceiling, and a huge sphere that comes up from the floor, with faces projected inside, sort of like the crystal ball used by the witch in The Wizard of Oz.
But the choral and orchestral contributions were the most memorable and powerful. I am amazed that James Levine can conduct Babbitt and Carter on Sunday, and Verdi on Wednesday. Expertise in widely varying repertoire is to me, one of the hallmarks of a great conductor.
--Bruce
Hi Bruce, I am glad to hear that you have enjoyed Macbeth and I am pleased to hear that Levine is STILL conducting at the MET. I have so many Verdi DVD operas conducted by Levine from the MET and most of them are superb, La Forza del Destino, Don Carlo and Otello come to mind. What frequently draws me to the MET productions as you so eloquently described with this Macbeth production (Macbeth seeing visions, special effects et al.) is how lavish and impressive the sets, stage designs and special effects are. Even in those cases where the singing is not excellent the stage designs are more often than not quite impressive and enough to sustain the viewer's interest in the opera. Levine proved to be very versatile during his tenure at the MET. He has conducted so many fine productions of Wagner's operas, Verdi and countless others.
marvin
Marv,
I just wanted to tell you I replied to your Falstaff post that you wrote yesterday.
I am simply amazed how people can like opera so much.
Where ever I dip into the subject matter, it gives me the creeps.
That is not a normal reaction, but maybe I have some forgotten trauma, who knows?
Still I admire the tenacity it which people emerge themselves into the tribulations of such composers.
Carry on Marvin, I love reading your contributions, especially the ones about Wagner.
Are you aware of the fact that Siegfried Wagner also wrote a lot of operas?
I have all his orchestral music, but I will not approach his operas, maybe you will, and tell me...all about it?
Hello Harry, your post got me thinking: Which Verdi opera would I recommend to someone who is struggling with this genre of music. La Traviata came to mind first, but then I remembered that the soprano voice is an issue with you. This got me thinking: why do Harry and others struggle to get into opera. One possible explanation has to do with the type of music that you find appealing. From what I can tell from your posts, as far as vocal work is concerned, you tend to prefer vocal works from the pre-classical period and a powerful soprano voice is an issue with you. Verdi and Wagner are ROMANTIC opera composers, they put very heavy demands on the voices of their singers which inevitably will lead to a high pitched powerful soprano voice in their music. I was going to recommend that you start with the operas of Mozart (operas from the Classical era) and work your way through to Verdi's operas, but, you already tried Mozart's operas and your response was not positive. So where do we go from here..........
I think the best thing to do right now is to pick a romantic opera (not necessarily VERDI and I seriously think you should avoid Wagner for now) that has beautiful melodies, catchy tunes (something that you can hum after you are done listening to it). Of Verdi Rigoletto comes to mind I am more than certain that you have heard the very popular tune of "La Donne E Mobile". But there is a better candidate out there and that is BIZET's CARMEN. Harry, have you heard Carmen? I am recommending this opera to you because it is one of the very few operas that my father, who doesn't really like opera, enjoys. I think this is worth a try Harry, the music is very accessible and memorable. If you respond well to Carmen, you can try Verdi's Rigoletto next. If somebody else in this forum has a better candidate (Verdi or otherwise) to recommend to Harry please come forward- lets see if we all can help Harry make some progress in the opera field.
PS: I am not familar with any of Siegfried Wagner's music, I will have to look into this.
marvin
I will try to find a Carmen, with a voice that I like, and see what comes of it.
Thank you Marvin for your concern.... :)
Yes interesting Bruce, I was just searching on the net, and singled this one out as a possible...... ;D
I have heard Macbeth and Nabucco but I did not like them as much as those 10 listed above. What about Luisa Miller? I Lombardi? Ernani? which of these 3 operas are the most lyrical or in the league of say Rigoletto?
I really like Ernani with Domingo and Mirella Freni.
Luisa Miller.
The others, fine as they are, are a bit rumpty-tum!
Hector when you say the others are a bit "rumpty-tum" you mean lack of melodic lyrical music? Or do you mean that the music doesn't flow as well as it does in say La Forza or Rigoletto?
marvin
Un Ballo in Maschera (x2)Saw Un Ballo en Maschera a few months ago. Impressive, though I didn't really think it was particularly memorable music, but I only heard it once. Creepy love scene in the shadow of a guillotine. Terrific final ball, King Riccardo takes forever to die. Ewa Podles was in it, though, so great performance.
Falstaff (x2)
Falstaff is a comedy right? It must be strange to hear a Green comedy.Heh, I don't know how it ends either in Verdi or Shakespeare, but I know the opening was intense as all he...ck.
Un Ballo seems the most entertaining story out of the ones I mentioned so maybe I'll go with this one. I have 2 recordings, the one with Solti and the one with Pavarotti.
I haven't been able to start Un Ballo...I really don't have the motivation for it now, but maybe with the new year I can discover a new Verdi opera.
I went back to listening to Rigoletto, and I have to say out of the 4 Verdi operas I know (trovatore, aida, traviata) that Rigoletto is the best and my favorite.
E..L..I..A..S have you not heard Verdi's Otello :o ?? If not, forget about all the other operas in the operatic repertoire and rush immediately to your nearest record store and get yourself a copy of that opera. As far as I am concerned Verdi's Otello is as GREAT as Mozart's Don Giovanni and I am not exaggerating here. It is a superb masterpiece and will blow you away!!I've watched the dvd with Placido and Dame Kiri, and it didn't really stand out to me. I even think it was you who told me to watch it Marvin :) I was young then, so maybe I'll give it another shot. I have no idea where the dvd is anymore though :( Hopefully I can find it.
marvin
I've watched the dvd with Placido and Dame Kiri, and it didn't really stand out to me. I even think it was you who told me to watch it Marvin :) I was young then, so maybe I'll give it another shot. I have no idea where the dvd is anymore though :( Hopefully I can find it.
Oh I'm sorry then, I hope someday you'll change your mind about that opera. Incidentally the DVD recording of Otello I have is with Placido Domingo and Renee Fleming at the MET with Levine conducting. I am not familiar with the one with Dame Kiri. But now that you mentioned it I am intrigued!!
marvin
Well, I was unable to find Othello, but I'm sure its somewhere. But I did find Don Carlo (i think in italian) and need an opinion. Should I try it? It seems to long and complex for me to understand it atm.
E..L..I..A..S Don Carlo is a very long opera (Verdi was accused of becoming quite like Wagner in that regard) and musically a very dark one as well. It also has a very bizarre ending.
I have the following opera DVD which I can adequately recommend:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513H8AVX46L._SS500_.jpg)
Best of luck,
marvin
PS: Other opera fans, of course are more than free to disagree with me ;).
I went back to listening to Rigoletto, and I have to say out of the 4 Verdi operas I know (trovatore, aida, traviata) that Rigoletto is the best and my favorite. The music is wonderful, and there are so many memorable songs. But the ending for me is a little shaky. The part where Gilda is dying in Rig's arms...its just not sad enough.
Marvin,
Admittedly Don Carlo, or, more properly Carlos, is a long opera, and has its faults, most of which derive from Verdi having to write to the French Grand Opera model of Meyerbeer and the like, but it also contains some of his greatest music, and, in Act 4, Scene 1, one of the greatest scenes in all opera. From the mournful introduction, through Philip's great aria and the scene for the two basses (Philip and the Grand Inquisitor), the magnificent quartet for Elisabeth, Eboli, Posa and Philip to Eboli's thrilling O don fatale, this is Verdi at his very best.
The problem is editions. Verdi orginally wrote a 5 Act opera for Paris, and then reduced it to 4 Acts when it was translated into Italian for its Italian premiere, transposing Carlo's Act 1 aria (Io la vidi) to the first Tomb Scene, which became the new Act 1. When Visconti directed the opera at Covent Garden, in a now legendary production with Vickers, Gobbi and Christoff, Giulini conducting (and now available on Royal Opera House records), he restored the Fontainebleau 1st Act, which up til then had usually been omitted. However, he still did not restore all the music that Verdi cut for its first Italian performance, and I doubt you will find two versions of the opera which use exactly the same edition. The only one I know that, I think, includes every bit of music Verdi wrote for the opera, some as an appendix, is the Abbado version in French on DG. Unfortunately it is not the best version of the opera on CD. For that, you would have to go to one of the versions in Italian, probably Giulini on EMI, or maybe that live ROH one. The Karajan on EMI is also very fine, but omits the Fontainebleau Act. Karajan is also available, with substantially the same cast, on DVD. I don't know the DVD version you refer to, so don't know which edition of the score it uses.
Setting aside the question of editions, Verdi was not writing in ideal circumstances. He was certainly rather impatient of the demands of the Paris Opera, but there is no doubt he was thoroughly involved with his theme. He also provides us with some of his greatest, and most complex characters, particularly as regards Carlos himself and Philip. It is a very dark opera, but, then, so are Simon Boccanegra and La Forza del Destino, from roughly the same period. I agree that the end is something of a let down, and I know of no performance that has thoroughly solved its problems. On the other hand, the last act starts magnificently with one of Verdi's greatest arias Tu che le vanita (try and listen to the Callas version on her Verdi arias recital), which is followed by a superb duet for Carlos and Elisabeth. The opera does not reveal its secrets easily, but it is worth persevering. I think you will find that most Verdi lovers would place it very near the top of a list of favourite Verdi operas
I find Otello a GREATER opera than Don Carlo, I am just curious but would you agree with me on this Tsaraslondon?
marvin
Marvin,
There is no doubt that Otello is the greater opera. In fact I'd go so far as to say it's one of the most perfect operas ever written. This would probably sound like sacrilege to some, but I actually prefer it to the play. Same with Falstaff, which even Shakespeareans would agree, is a greater opera than The Merry Wives of Windsor is a play. Like Mozart, with The Marriage of Figaro, Verdi transcends his source material to come up with something much more multi faceted, which tells us far more about the human condition. For the reasons stated in my previous post, I could not place Don Carlo on the same level as these two pinnacles of Verdi's greatness. It is, none the less, one of my favourite Verdi operas, and I would still place it very high in the canon of his works.
I'd agree that Otello and Falstaff are almost his "twin peaks," more than Don Carlo (although I've only seen the latter once). But I must say, after seeing Don Carlo at the Met a few years ago (with Richard Margison and Sondra Radvanovsky, conducted by Fabio Luisi), I was quite moved, and wasn't expecting to be!
--Bruce
Marvin,
There is no doubt that Otello is the greater opera. In fact I'd go so far as to say it's one of the most perfect operas ever written. This would probably sound like sacrilege to some, but I actually prefer it to the play. Same with Falstaff, which even Shakespeareans would agree, is a greater opera than The Merry Wives of Windsor is a play.
No sacrilege I agree wholeheartedly with your argument :). The music of Otello is so focused, it flows remarkably well from scene to scene, there is hardly a dull moment. But more importantly and as you say, Verdi was able to "musically" translate the dramatic elements of Shakepeare's play flawlessly. I especially love that duet between Otello and Iago as Iago tries to maliciously warn Otello of the dangers of jealousy- I keep playing that scene over and over again!
marvin
It's really amazing that Wagner himself didn't comment much upon this particualr opera of Verdi's, as it often matches some of Wagner's, in my humble opinion.
Otello and Falstaff are almost his "twin peaks"
Talking about peaks, I would contradict this, as Verdi's "peaky-peaky" peak is Aida, as musically and dramatically done.
Though my beloved is Nabucco. 8) Especially with brilliant Ghena Dimitrova.
Aida is probably the culmination of his middle period.
It would have been really amazing if Wagner had commented on Otello at all!!!
Wagner had died before Verdi began composing that opera.
Exactly, it is, but I'd still apply it to be a peak, as it was a real great achievement, and Otello with Falstaff are standing behind that piece, they are in the new, declamation epoch, they are aside. Who knows what Verdi would have created if he would have lived for 20-30 years more, probably a new peak, from a new style. Aida is what Verdi arrived to, having all the achievements of Italian school collected, it is a peak, and it declares a new step in opera development, after that peak a new era comes. That's why I consider it to be a peak. Or maybe better to say "critical point". ;D
Many Verdi scholars would disagree though, as would I. Aida is probably the culmination of his middle period, but it is surely in Otello that Verdi reaches his purest genius. For me, it feels like the work that he has been working towards all his life. As I said, it's as near perfect as any opera can be.
Likewise. 'Aida' is the culmination of the 'middle-period.' I have always found this opera somewhat colder than the others. It was a 'piece d'occasion' and a brilliant one but, really, doncha just want to pass over 'Gloria in Egitto' (used as the Egyptian National Anthem at one time - 'nuff said) although this section contains Verdi's best march and ballet music?
Also, I think, the most striking music is given to Amneris!
Many Verdi scholars would cite 'Otello' as Verdi's greatest opera and I would not want to argue but I notice that some, these days, put forward a case for 'Don Carlo(s).'
I tend to agree with you. I admire Aida, but I don't love it the way I do La Traviata, Rigoletto and even Il Trovatore. I've never been quite able to put my finger on why, but it might have something to do with the fact that the characters, with the possible exception of Amneris, are all stock operatic figures, whereas those in Rigoletto and La Traviata, for instance, are real flesh and blood people. Of course, one could argue that the characters of Il Trovatore are also stock operatic figures, but somehow, for me, they come more readily to life than those in Aida.
Likewise. 'Aida' is the culmination of the 'middle-period.' I have always found this opera somewhat colder than the others. It was a 'piece d'occasion' and a brilliant one but, really, doncha just want to pass over 'Gloria in Egitto' (used as the Egyptian National Anthem at one time - 'nuff said) although this section contains Verdi's best march and ballet music?
Also, I think, the most striking music is given to Amneris!
Many Verdi scholars would cite 'Otello' as Verdi's greatest opera and I would not want to argue but I notice that some, these days, put forward a case for 'Don Carlo(s).'
Hector, it is funny how Verdi's large operatic output draws different reactions from it most ardent fans. I have always had a soft spot for AIDA and I would never dream of passing over the "Gloria in Egitto". I find that in AIDA there is a certain magical quality that is not found in Verdi's other operas. Specifically, I am refering to the way that Verdi's music transports me into that mythical world of Ancient Egypt- and that scene in the desert where AIDA is trying to convince Radames to escape with her and leave Egypt is to die for. This is one of the very few operas (Otello included) that I can listen to and appreciate without refering to a libretto. I would like to say that I much prefer AIDA to DON CARLO.
marvin
...if only because I place tragedy higher than comedy in the grand scheme of things.
That said, I do tend to find my favourite Verdi opera tends to be whichever one I am listening to (or watching) at the time.
Hector, it is funny how Verdi's large operatic output draws different reactions from it most ardent fans. I have always had a soft spot for AIDA and I would never dream of passing over the "Gloria in Egitto". I find that in AIDA there is a certain magical quality that is not found in Verdi's other operas. Specifically, I am refering to the way that Verdi's music transports me into that mythical world of Ancient Egypt- and that scene in the desert where AIDA is trying to convince Radames to escape with her and leave Egypt is to die for. This is one of the very few operas (Otello included) that I can listen to and appreciate without refering to a libretto. I would like to say that I much prefer AIDA to DON CARLO.
marvin
Handel is the King of Italian opera! 8)
Handel is the King of Italian opera! 8)
I would agree with that Marvin, if we would be talking about his excellent Orchestral music, but I take issue with "one King Rules".
Now, now, is that not a bit over the top. what you'd say? :)
But Handel isn't neither a king, but for me far preferable over Verdi, but that you allready surmised right?
Harry, Rod please....we are 8 pages into this thread, it has been established long ago that Verdi is King of Italian Opera!! Your objections have been heard, noted and OVER RULED ;D!
marvin
Based on recorded performances, Verdi's greatest hits:
1. Otello
2. La Traviata
3. Aida
4. Rigoletto
5. Il Trovatore
Verdi's greater hits:
6. Messa da Requiem
7. Don Carlo
8. Un ballo in maschera
9. La Forza del destino
10. Macbeth
Other Verdi hits:
11. Simon Boccanegra
12. Falstaff
13. Nabucco
14. Ernani
15. Attila
No so frequently performed and recorded works:
16. Luisa Miller
17. I Vespri siciliani
18. I Lombardi alla prima crociata
19. Giovanni d'Arco
20. I Due Foscari
Flops: Stiffelio, I Masnadieri, Un Giorno di regno, Jerusalem, Il Corsaro, La battaglia di Legnano, Aroldo, Alzira.
Based on recorded performances, Verdi's greatest hits:
1. Otello
2. La Traviata
3. Aida
4. Rigoletto
5. IL Trovatore
Verdi's greater hits:
6. Messa da Requiem
7. Don Carlo
8. UN ballo in maschera
9. La Forza del destino
10. Macbeth
Other Verdi hits:
11. Simon Conakry
12. Falstaff
13. Nabucco
14. Erna
15. Attila
No so frequently performed and recorded works:
16. Luisa Miller
17. I Vespri siciliani
18. I Lombardi alla prima crociata
19. Giovanni D'Arcy
20. I Due Foscari
Flops: Stiffly, I Casandra, UN Gino DI region, Jerusalem, IL Corsair, La Battle DI Legman, Araldo, Almira.
Based on recorded performances, Verdi's greatest hits:
1. Otello
2. La Traviata
3. Aida
4. Rigoletto
5. Il Trovatore
Verdi's greater hits:
6. Messa da Requiem
7. Don Carlo
8. Un ballo in maschera
9. La Forza del destino
10. Macbeth
Other Verdi hits:
11. Simon Boccanegra
12. Falstaff
13. Nabucco
14. Ernani
15. Attila
No so frequently performed and recorded works:
16. Luisa Miller
17. I Vespri siciliani
18. I Lombardi alla prima crociata
19. Giovanni d'Arco
20. I Due Foscari
Flops: Stiffelio, I Masnadieri, Un Giorno di regno, Jerusalem, Il Corsaro, La battaglia di Legnano, Aroldo, Alzira.
Looking again at your rankings, Benny, they really are rather strange. Macbeth greater than Falstaff, undoubtedly one of the greatest comic operas ever written? Greater than Simon Boccanegra, which, IMO, is at least as great as Don Carlo(s)? Attila and Ernani ranked higher than Luisa Miller? It seems a rather arbitrary list, to say the least.
Code: [Select]Looking again at your rankings, Benny, they really are rather strange. Macbeth greater than Falstaff, undoubtedly one of the greatest comic operas ever written? Greater than Simon Boccanegra, which, IMO, is at least as great as Don Carlo(s)? Attila and Ernani ranked higher than Luisa Miller? It seems a rather arbitrary list, to say the least.
You have overlooked the first sentence. This is not my ranking, it's the record industry's varying attention to Verdi's works. Otello, for example, was recorded 238 times (as of 2005), which recording initiatives have yielded a far greater number of different LPs, CDs, DVDs. By contrast, Luisa Miller was recorded 33 times throughout the history of the recording industry (Attila, 39; Ernani, 49; Falstaff, 63; Simon Boccanegra, 69; Macbeth, 76). Other than the unfortunate lapse of judgment in writing "flops," the ranking, "based on recorded performances," is factual rather than judgmental.
Thank you for your welcome Anne.
On the other hand, Macbeth didn't receive a satisfactory recording until Abbado and Muti recorded it (both at roughly the same time) in the 1970s.
As for Rod, he is best ignored. He waits for a thread to grow in length and then tries to hijack it with his Handel rantings. Handel was indeed a great opera composer, but he was not Italian. Monteverdi was also a great composer, and very important as far as development of the genre goes, but I would still rank Verdi higher, his operatic output being far larger than Monteverdi's. He is to Italian opera what Wagner was to German opera.
Monteverdi was also a great composer, and very important as far as development of the genre goes, but I would still rank Verdi higher, his operatic output being far larger than Monteverdi's.
So because Verdi's output is larger, means automatically that he is greater then Monteverdi?
The ranking thing is absurd.
Monteverdi makes more than up in quality compared to Verdi, I am sure.... :)
In your (humble?) opinion. The quality of Monteverdi's operas is not in dispute. However, Monteverdi composed a great deal of music that was not opera, opera being then in its infancy. Verdi, on the other hand, composed almost exclusively for the stage. It's actually pretty ridiculous to compare them anyway. They were writing at different times for different audiences. There is no doubt however, that Verdi's importance in the development of the genre was at least as great as Monteverdi's.
One brief sentence can hardly be construed as a 'rant'! The topic title is misleading I think, if it is meant to concern Italian nationals only. Bear in mind Handel composed a lot of vocal music, operas included, in Italy!! All things considered I thought my comment was on topic. If a German produced the best Italian operas what does that say about the Italian composers!? (no need to answer, if you expect me to read it at least).
Handel's operas were all written in the Italian style, whether they were produced in London or Timbuktu. The best of them are among the best of Italian opera produced in the late Baroque period, just as Verdi's were the best from the Romantic era and Monteverdi's the best from the early Baroque. As Tsaraslondon rightly insists, "it's actually pretty ridiculous to compare them anyway."
Well the title of this topic implies there is a King, and you can't have two Kings in the Kingdom of Opera. To suggest otherwise, whether rightly or wrongly, would not be in the spirit of the topic. N'est-ce pas?
Sorry, but I just can't resist; wasn't it Pierre Boulez who dismissed all of Verdi's work as being nothing but rum-ti-tum? ;D
(runs for cover)
Well, he did say Verdi was "stupid, stupid, stupid". On the other hand, he also said all opera houses should be burned down.
He does seem to have gotten wiser as he gotten older, and doesn't make such pronouncents as frequently as he used to. And of course, he's worked in a few opera houses without any mysterious fires occuring in them.
Sorry, but I just can't resist; wasn't it Pierre Boulez who dismissed all of Verdi's work as being nothing but rum-ti-tum? ;D
(runs for cover)
Well, he did say Verdi was "stupid, stupid, stupid". On the other hand, he also said all opera houses should be burned down.
He does seem to have gotten wiser as he gotten older, and doesn't make such pronouncents as frequently as he used to. And of course, he's worked in a few opera houses without any mysterious fires occuring in them.
How about this Boulez quote? "The aim of music is not to express feelings but to express music. It is not a vessel into which the composer distills his soul drop by drop, but a labyrinth with no beginning and no end, full of new paths to discover, where mystery remains eternal."
It rather tries to speak for all musicians, many of whom would not agree. But of course it is an arguable point of view for his own music. He said some very odd things, contradicted by his subsequent behaviour. I do like this one though.
"Revolutions are celebrated when they are no longer dangerous" This probably also holds good for musical revolutions.
Mike
How about this Boulez quote? "The aim of music is not to express feelings but to express music. It is not a vessel into which the composer distills his soul drop by drop, but a labyrinth with no beginning and no end, full of new paths to discover, where mystery remains eternal."
It rather tries to speak for all musicians, many of whom would not agree. But of course it is an arguable point of view for his own music. He said some very odd things, contradicted by his subsequent behaviour. I do like this one though.
"Revolutions are celebrated when they are no longer dangerous" This probably also holds good for musical revolutions.
Mike
Which probably explains why his Mahler is so devoid of emotion but beautifully played and very detailed and musical. But Mahler is nothing without the emotion and Boulez also lacks soul.
Pierre Boulez made many pronouncements in his youth, of which he is probably a little ashamed now. I'm sure someone told me recently that he was even reconsidering the music of Tchaikovsky! Anyway, just because he is Pierre Boulez doesn't make him right. I know I'd far rather listen to Verdi's complete oeuvre non stop than just a few bars of Pli selon pli, or anything else by him for that matter.
Then you'd be missing some very beautiful music. A love for Verdi need not preclude a liking for Boulez or vice versa. Both Poulenc and Virgil Thomson, whose compositional idioms were greatly different from that of Boulez, admired his music greatly. As for the complaints about Boulez's conducting of Mahler, I would say his recent DG recordings are a bit bloodless, but in live performance he still can be thrilling, and there are recent airchecks of 2 and 3 to show it.
Then you'd be missing some very beautiful music. A love for Verdi need not preclude a liking for Boulez or vice versa. Both Poulenc and Virgil Thomson, whose compositional idioms were greatly different from that of Boulez, admired his music greatly. As for the complaints about Boulez's conducting of Mahler, I would say his recent DG recordings are a bit bloodless, but in live performance he still can be thrilling, and there are recent airchecks of 2 and 3 to show it.
I don't have total antipathy for Boulez as a conductor. I have heard some wonderful performances of Debussy and Ravel down the years, though, even here, I occasionally feel that the music and the score can be held out for admiring display, sometimes at the expense of atmosphere. The results are frequently beautiful, but a little cold; not that that, in itself, negates his approach. There are others who will warm to it more than I do.
Much the same could be said about his own music. I have tried listeining to some of his works, (Pli sleon pli, 2nd Piano Sonata, le marteau sans maitre), but, I'm afraid that I find them unpenetrable. I feel much the same about a great deal of the New Viennese School. That is no doubt my loss, but with a finite amount of time alotted to oneself in this time, I choose to spend it listening to composers whose music I respond to more readily.
I think Boulez is the greatest living Ravel conductor.
After months of searching, I found my Otello dvd! I watched the first hr today and loved it. I can't get the drinking chorus out of my head. Very funny because I ordered from Netflix Otello conducted by Karajan and its coming tomorrow, while I found my missing one today. Anyone know if this is a good performance?
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51746K2XGDL._SS500_.jpg)
As a long-standing Richard Wagner follower, I listened to, watched, and attended Verdi operas as an antidote, fully accept another Wagner disciple's classification of Verdi's as 'Organ Grinder Music'.
However this topic is called Verdi's Veranda, and it saddens me to see that it has attracted so few postings, as opposed to the pages of Wagner's Valhalla. Are there so few Verdi fans on this board?
However this topic is called Verdi's Veranda, and it saddens me to see that it has attracted so few postings, as opposed to the pages of Wagner's Valhalla.
Sorry, T.C., Bieito productions are not on my list! >:D
Opera-L, which is the greatest operatic forum on the net.
Fleming (Los Angeles 2006)
Nor do I find Anna Netrebko a ‘mediocrity’.
Maybe you get distracted from music by her looks? I am jealous. The Italians (and on the OperaClick as well, you can read it) do not consider her an opera singer at all;
However, it is good that you like her. Somebody has to.
Have you heardthe mediocrityNetrebko live?
Anyway, TS, if I was to start with the best of the early works: which one do you suggest? I know Verdi referred to his galley years. I assume he felt like he was having to produce work mechanically, as against late in life when he only wrote when the inspiration hit him. We are fortunate he did not do a Rossini on us and go silent while still young.
Mike
As an aside, does anyone else find La Forza to be a dogs breakfast of a piece? I dislike it as an entire work to the extent that I only listen to excerpts.
Mike
I have ordered the Stiffelio: here is the Amazon review, I assume the writer is NOT our Dr Karl!
I've only once seen Nucci live, in La Traviata at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, when Angel Gheorghiu was making her debut as Violetta. It might be argued that Germont was a bit of a dry old stick, but I found his acting wooden in the extreme, and his singing not much better. Mind you Solti's four square conducting couldn't have helped, though it hindered Gheorghiu less. Hers was, and still is by all accounts, an appreciable Violetta.
I will add to Tsaraslondon list of pre-Rigoletto Verdi operas a few more: Ernani, Il Corsaro, I Lombardi and I due Foscari. For the last three there is an excellent Phillips recording that is conducted by Gardelli. For Ernani I recommend the RCA recording with Carlo Bergonzi and Leontyne Price that is conducted by Thomas Schippers
I haven’t heard her live
For once I agree with you.
I have: in Manon. And simply cannot recall any emotions.
the best Turandot is Dimitrova although the best recording of Turandot is the Mehta with Sutherland and Pavarotti.
In another thread you wrote, “I wouldn't compare anyone to Callas”. I definitely will. She was a great singer, but I don’t like her voice very much, especially in the later recordings, when her voice became shrill and unpleasant for my ears. And while I like her in several recordings like the famous 1953 Tosca, Gioconda, Lucia etc, I don’t particularly care for several other roles of her, like Gilda, Butterfly or Turandot, especially Gilda, where she sounds to me ‘Callas’ and not the innocent young girl she is portraying.
I also like the Sinopoli Philips recording. Renato Bruson is an outstanding Macbeth but I know that there are people who are allergic to Mara Zampieri’s voice… the sound is excellent.
The latest addition – the Met 2008 production (EMI) with Zeljko Lucic and Guleghina...
I remember an old version on LP: Schippers, Tucker, Elias. I don't recall who the Leonora was, but I enjoyed that set in my teens. I have never seen it on CD.
Mike
I own the first Karajan recording, with Gobbi, Schwarzkopf, Panerai, Barbieri, Moffo and Alva and have never felt the need for another.
But the first Karajan is actually in pretty good stereo.
The Karajan mono recording with Gobbi is excellent, but I second Mike with his recommendation for Solti’s first recording, which is outstanding in every aspect, and his Fenton and Nanneta – the young Alfredo Kraus and Mirella Freni are my favorites in these roles.
As for Aida recordings – The Solti with Price and Vickers is a must-have for all Price admirers. I have few recordings for this opera (Callas, Tebaldi, Price, Price, Caballe, Freni, Millo) and for my taste no one equals Price in the Solti recording with the beauty of the singing especially in the third act duet ‘La tra foreste vergini’, not even Price herself, in her later recording with Leinsdorf…
But the first Karajan is actually in pretty good stereo.
Callas still makes much more of the Nile scene
but her rendition is so tender and deep in this recording.
Where? There are at least 4 Aida's with Callas. I heard the Serafin version with Tucker and Barbieri, which was fine, but not particularly gripping. I was said that the live performance from Mexico with del Monaco, Taddei and Dominguez was the landmark. This landmark is available on Amazon.
I should re-listen to this recording again. Yet, I'd like to hear (if any) opinions on Caballe. In the opera Radames calls Aida "dolce, celeste", and I think Caballe's singing in this particular recording has the most of the two.
There are times, as there often are with Caballe, where I feel she lays out the voice for admiring display, making sure we hear plenty of those fabulous pianissimi, even when they are not called for in the score.
Why did the cheap seats boo Daniele Gatti? Surely his contribution could not to be blamed for the tame failure that was the new production of Aida at the Munich opera. Was he—for the first time conducting at the Bavarian State Opera—to fault for singers who refused to go along clearly indicated tempo changes? Or maybe for not playing the Triumphal March up to brass-blaring expectations? Actually, it was astonishing how much music Gatti got out of the score which, save for a handful absolutely delightful pieces, is a harsh throwback to the trivialities of Nabucco.
Nor were the singers too blame for a grim night at the opera. Sure, Salvatore Licitra (Radamès) can’t act his way out of a bag and looks and moves more like the Michelin Man than a warrior-hero, but his voice has gained a little more heft and his power, even if ever pushed with operatic gusto, nearly caches the lack of ease and precision in the high notes. Kristin Lewis (Aida), who jumped in after Barbara Frittoli didn’t feel like performing the role after all, was visibly and audibly nervous on the big stage. That meant steadiness was lacking, but the ordinary beauty of her amber-hued voice came through and one wanted to like her. And, alone among the cast, at least she tried to act. Christian Van Horn’s King was unmusical in his haphazard approximation of low notes, but like Ekaterina Gubanova’s initially gray mezzo, he improved with time. Ramphis was sung well and routinely by the occasionally booming Giacomo Prestia; Marco Vratogna’s Amonasro was gruff but bearable. Angela Brower, substituting on short notice in the small role of the Priestess, stood out of the lot for her unmannered beauty. (Along with North Carolinian Kenneth Roberson's Messenger, Arizona State educated Brower was the fourth American in this production. Kristin Lewis was born in Little Rock, Van Horn on Long Island.)
If that wasn’t too exciting, Christof Nel managed to undermine what was left with a direction and staging that was mostly insipid for most of the time. Singers walked across Jens Kilian’s almost-minimal set (Bauhaus meets diving platform) in Ilse Welter-Fuchs’ bland-as-linen costumes (gold plateau shoes for the ‘Walk-Like-an-Egyptian’-Disco-Party-King). Monochromism played a dirty trick on the flags of war which were swung with fervor… but white. (That would have been funnier had the story taken place in France.) For three acts, the only really moving element was the continuously operating revolving stage. The ballets were an old fashioned embarrassment, the symbolic displays of violence heavy handed, and the evoked cult of death and human sacrifice culturally off by 8000 miles and 4000 years. The work of “Conceptual consultant” Martina Jochem? The final scene, at least, was touching in principle: Aida opens her veins as she goes into the netherworld with (an apparently absentminded) Radamès; leaving only her blood stains on the bare, finally still-standing, stage. Far too little, far too late for a production so nugatory, it didn’t even deserve the massive booing that ensued.
Will we therefore find performances of Verdi's greatest opera becoming few and far between? Will it become as much a rarity on stage as Bellini's Norma, though, it has to be noted, that these days the latter is played more often than it once was, with any amount of unsuitable sopranos in the leading role.
There will always be somebody who will take it on
I think we'll get stuck with those 11 Tristans singing it, how will that sound stylistically I'd rather not think.
But I guess that would still be better than none.
I presume it's a collection of arias or excerpts from Otello by different singers who at one time or another sung in it at the Met, starting with Francesco Tamagno himself (didn't know he made any recordings). But can't find actual tracklisting anywhere, and what is the quality of transfers?
Can't help you I'm afraid. The only recording I know of Tamagno is a brief excerpt, with piano, of him singing the Esulatate, and I'm assuming it is that which is on the disc. He was already quite old when he recorded it, but there is no denying the power of his voice.
BTW my current favorite DVD version is Stratas.
(Also enjoy the Netrebko modern EuroTrash version)
Style Instead of Glamour in Willy Decker's La Traviata (http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2006/08/style-instead-of-glamour-in-willy.html)
(http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4844/292/1600/Decker_traviata_DVD.jpg) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000F39MAQ/goodmusicguide-20) Few opera recordings – CD or DVD – have
been more looked forward to (or more heavily
promoted) than the famed 2003 Traviata from
Salzburg with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón.
The marketing was carefully devised: first the complete
opera, then the arias and highlights with a preview of
the DVD, and finally, a few months ago, the DVD itself.
The recording was fine but not quite as special as the
event must have been for those who saw it live. DVD
is the second best thing and manages sufficiently to
convey that sense of occasion... etc.
Incidentally, the latter is my favorite version (http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2006/08/style-instead-of-glamour-in-willy.html). By some measure.
I take it you are using the [hoary and tiresome] epithet "Eurotrash" tongue-in-cheek...
Very bold and imaginative stage design that flows wonderfully with the storyline, visually striking and Netrebko is wonderfully animated, bold and sexy, an esential La Traviata DVD
She's not the title character, then? So few consumptives have the energy to be bold & sexy.
Yes just using the opera slang term eurotrash generically to describe modern slick stripped down remake of classic opera.......
The stuffed shirts of the opera world often hate these slick modern versions...
We had some acolyte of AC/DC who was constantly throwing the term around. He would apply it to any Wagner production that was not completely literal. The term seemed to catch on a bit on the site.
No doubt the newish Copenhagen Ring would be well beyond the pale; despite it providing more insights than any remotely traditional effort that I have seen.
Mike
It is a revelation to compare Menard’s Don Quixote with Cervantes’. The latter, for example, wrote (part one, chapter nine):
. . . truth, whose mother is history, rival of time, depository of deeds, witness of the past, exemplar and adviser to the present, and the future’s counselor. Written in the seventeenth century, written by the “lay genius” Cervantes, this enumeration is a mere rhetorical praise of history. Menard, on the other hand, writes:
. . . truth, whose mother is history, rival of time, depository of deeds, witness of the past, exemplar and adviser to the present, and the future’s counselor.
History, the mother of truth: the idea is astounding. Menard, a contemporary of William James, does not define history as an inquiry into reality but as its origin. Historical truth, for him, is not what has happened; it is what we judge to have happened. The final phrases—exemplar and adviser to the present, and the future’s counselor —are brazenly pragmatic.
The contrast in style is also vivid. The archaic style of Menard—quite foreign, after all—suffers from a certain affectation. Not so that of his forerunner, who handles with ease the current Spanish of his time.
I just borrowed form the library two in the Lamberto Gardelli series of early Verdi operas on Phllips:
I Lombardi (http://amzn.com/B00000410G) and I Masnadieri (http://amzn.com/B00000E3VT)
Most were recorded in the 70s and feature many singers just entering their vocal prime.
These are wonderrful! And I plan on finding as many as I can.
Here is someone I have never heard of before, it is excellent singing.
Virginia Zeani: a voice of the right size, beautifully produces, dramatic singing with great enunciation.
Mike
none of complete operas, AFAIK
Apparently, you don't know as far. ;D A simple search shows the following:
Virginia Zeani (Singer)
1950 - 1959:
1954 - Ivan Susanin (Glinka) - Alfredo Simonetto: Virginia Zeani (Antonida)
1956 - La traviata (Verdi) - Angelo Questa: Virginia Zeani (Violetta Valery)
1957 - I Puritani (Bellini) - Francesco Molinari-Pradelli: Virginia Zeani (Elvira)
1957 - Demon (Rubinstein) - Maurizio Arena: Virginia Zeani (Tamara)
1958 - Assassinio nella Cattedrale (Pizzetti) - Ildebrando Pizzetti: Virginia Zeani (Prima Corifea)
1960 - 1969:
1960 - Otello (Rossini) - Fernando Previtali: Virginia Zeani (Desdemona)
1961 - Il piccolo Marat (Mascagni) - Oliviero de Fabritiis: Virginia Zeani (Mariella)
1962 - Maria di Rohan (Donizetti) - Fernando Previtali: Virginia Zeani (Maria)
1962 - Il piccolo Marat (Mascagni) - Ottavio Ziino: Virginia Zeani (Mariella)
1965 - Zelmira (Rossini) - Carlo Franci: Virginia Zeani (Zelmira)
1967 - Alzira (Verdi) - Franco Capuana: Virginia Zeani (Alzira)
1968 - La traviata (Verdi) - Jean Bobescu: Virginia Zeani (Violetta Valery)
1970 - 1979:
1971 - Elisa e Claudio (Mercadante) - Ugo Rapalo: Virginia Zeani (Elisa)
1971 - Werther (Massenet) - Antonino Votto: Virginia Zeani (Charlotte)
1972 - The Consul (Menotti) - Thomas Schippers: Virginia Zeani (Magda Sorel)
1975 - Tosca (Puccini) - Giuseppe Morelli: Virginia Zeani (Floria Tosca)
1977 - Tosca (Puccini) - Cornel Trailescu: Virginia Zeani (Floria Tosca)
Quite a few of those recordings are sold on Amazon.
When Wendell said "commercial", I took it to mean studio recordings.
I'd even include live recordings, provided the artists know they're being recorded for release and get paid by the record company.
Not an illuminating singer! Could be, I will have to listen to more on Youtube when I get a chance. I was surprised to hear such a great voice and possibly did not look for the detail.
So, Zeani may be a bit generalised, I will listen again, but then, so were some singers we do regard as great.
Mike
Here is a singer who brings all that is needed to this part. Recently we have had to be grateful for singers either a size too small for the piece, or singers whose tone spreads uncomfortably. Here is someone I have never heard of before, it is excellent singing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riKGpYitPbA&feature=related
Virginia Zeani: a voice of the right size, beautifully produces, dramatic singing with great enunciation.
Mike
I have just spent the morning listening to Verdi's Stiffelio. What a great opera this is.... I recommend it to all lovers of Verdi wholeheartdely.
I've never heard anything by Verdi other than the Requiem - what is the list of essential operas? The ones that get talked about most as far as I can gather are Falstaff, Othello, Aida, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Don Carlos, Il Trovatore, Nabucco.
(http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/38/2/8/066.jpg)
74 CDs plus 863 page book with complete libretti (translations?). Out in June, price around €280 (as listed for pre-orded in Japan (http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3828066)).
Full Contents (http://www.universalmusic.it/classica/album/?ida=613389&PHPSESSID=5b94fed67707f999c33ff6447c600d53)
Though the price is only €150 here: http://www.discolandmail.com/catalogo-109194.htm (http://www.discolandmail.com/catalogo-109194.htm)
(http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/38/2/8/066.jpg)
74 CDs plus 863 page book with complete libretti (translations?). Out in June, price around €280 (as listed for pre-orded in Japan (http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3828066)).
Full Contents (http://www.universalmusic.it/classica/album/?ida=613389&PHPSESSID=5b94fed67707f999c33ff6447c600d53)
Though the price is only €150 here: http://www.discolandmail.com/catalogo-109194.htm
How interesting -- this set clearly favors Nucci and Pavarotti! :D
(http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/38/2/8/066.jpg)
74 CDs plus 863 page book with complete libretti (translations?). Out in June, price around €280 (as listed for pre-orded in Japan (http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3828066)).
Full Contents (http://www.universalmusic.it/classica/album/?ida=613389&PHPSESSID=5b94fed67707f999c33ff6447c600d53)
Though the price is only €150 here: http://www.discolandmail.com/catalogo-109194.htm
This will definitely be something I keep my eye on for availablity in the US - I have always wanted to get all the Verdi operas but have bogged down with the early ones that are hard to find, plus to have all the libretti in one book would be a nice addition.
I did not realize that the Phillips, Gardelli operas were part of the Decca catalog, that is another plus, IMO. I have two or three of those and consider them a good value.
I've just checked the full contents, and there are unfortunately a few bummers. Take note that Philips never recorded Giovanna d'Arco, so we get a live recording from 1951, with all the problems that usually means (though it does have Tebaldi as Giovanna). There are certainly better recordings around of many of the operas, many of them in Universal's own catalogue, and some of the choices do seem a bit bizarre. I could have made up a much better set than this from Universal's back catalogue. On the other hand, it is very cheap, and might make a good start, but, personally, I'd be inclined to buy one at a time, arguably a better way of getting to know the operas anyway.
I've got all the piano-vocal scores...
you are a sick puppy. ;D
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51OcA9FIy3L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Bargain alert!
Don't need another La Traviata but Amazon sellers USA has new Blu Ray for $7.........the full opera!
I placed my order and I already have the older 1994 DVD Gheorghiu performance with Solti, a very good version so I will give her another shot
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I want to get Un ball in maschera box set CD with a full libretto and I can't find one. I've tried contacting sellers on Amazon Marketplace & haven't had any luck.
Does anyone know of a box set which has the little book included?
Thanks
Surely most full price issues come with a booklet. I know the Callas Edition sets do, both the studio version at full price (though you can usually pick it up quite cheaply somewhere) and the live La Scala version of 1957 (generally more lively than its studio counterpart due to the presence of Gianandrea Gavazzeni as conductor). I'm sure these aren't the only sets to include libretti though.
I think that this set is likely to have the libretto. I have the original issue, it has it. Although this is a reissue the cost makes it look like there should be a libretto. It is a great performance. Perhaps one of those who reviewed it on Amazon can be contacted via the site and answer your question.
The Amazon Marketplace people have the set at a much more reasonable price.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verdi-Un-Ballo-Maschera-Giuseppe/dp/B0000041P1/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1282417123&sr=1-6
Mike
The Callas set is terrific.
I've never had Mike's unfortunate experience, but I usually do ask first if it has a libretto. On ebay, people who know about these things will usually state whether a set comes with or without booklet.
Another good place for specialist second hand classical CDs is http://www.classicalcdexchange.co.uk/ (http://www.classicalcdexchange.co.uk/) This is a British site, and I don't know if they post overseas. Not particularly cheap though.
The Callas set is terrific. As well as the Solti, I like this set, but no libretto. So perhaps it would be utterly ruled out, which would be a shame as the music making is so good.The Solti set did used to sell with a libretto, but I don't know whether they have changed that (i have it, so I am sure that when I bought it 15-20 or so years ago it did). It's not a set I've ever loved myself (though one could do worse).
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5183E9ZhuRL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Mike
And I note the Callas studio set still seems to be readily available. It comes with full notes and libretto.
The Solti set did used to sell with a libretto, but I don't know whether they have changed that (i have it, so I am sure that when I bought it 15-20 or so years ago it did). It's not a set I've ever loved myself (though one could do worse).
That said, here is a link to the Italian libretto: http://opera.stanford.edu/iu/libretti/Ball0.html (http://opera.stanford.edu/iu/libretti/Ball0.html). If you are looking for an English translation, I suppose you could use google translator. If this is good enough, you could just focus on getting the best version you want.
Thanks for your help Mike.
I would have liked that one but the Marketplace seller I contacted said it doesn't come with libretto.
Thanks Mike. I really want the little book though. I'm flying to Italy soon & listening to an opera & reading the libretto makes the waiting around bearable, not to mention deterring people who want to tell you their life story.
It's Neal (not Mike), but not why I am back! :)
I realized there are multiple Solti versions, so just wanted to be clear I was referring to this one:
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I have never heard a Verdi opera. Opera is for me mainly Mozart--Bellini--Wagner--Tchaikovsky---Debussy---Madetoja---Szymanowski--Berg.
I guess i could try Verdi also?
His music touches me deeply. Perhaps you could start by watching some YouTube or borrowing from the library.
I ... am only really looking for a libretto so don't mind which version as long as it isn't too expensive.
Callas: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verdi-Un-ballo-maschera-Giuseppe/dp/B000002RY4/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1282475890&sr=1-10I think I'll get this one at some stage.
Solti's earlier recording, with Bergonzi and Nilsson: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verdi-Ballo-Maschera-Birgit-Nilsson/dp/B000N4SJHY/ref=sr_1_48?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1282476136&sr=1-48Eventually found this & ordered from Marketplace. The words "Libretto Enclosed" on the box in the picture was a clue ... ::)
This Teldec recording surely has a libretto, but I've heard it's really bad: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verdi-Un-ballo-maschera-Giuseppe/dp/B000000SQY/ref=sr_1_49?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1282476201&sr=1-49Thanks for the tip.
Or just get a libretto without a recording, as in this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seven-Verdi-Librettos-Giuseppe/dp/0393008525/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282476619&sr=1-1#noopNot seen that before! Already put an order in. Thank you! :-*
Good idea!Sospro & Urkneal, thank you guys--- Verdi has been some kind of a blindspot to me. But Nessun Dorma (?) just always gives me shivers, is it Verdi? ::)
Verdi can really be approached from different directions. He is completely his own man and took the influences around him and made them his own.
So if you like Wagner, Otello is a wonderful opera that shows some of Wagner's influence (but you never think for a second that this is Wagner). The story is great too, with some beautiful duets and arias (and chorus too). This is probably the Verdi opera I come back to most often.
For an earlier period, closer to Bellini (but already beyond that), I would try Rigoletto or Il Travatore. Both have wonderful tunes and arias.
Alternatively, there are some good compilations out there of choruses, arias, and/or duets. These would give a good cross-section. I hope you give him a try and enjoy his work.
Sospro & Urkneal, thank you guys--- Verdi has been some kind of a blindspot to me. But Nessun Dorma (?) just always gives me shivers, is it Verdi? ::)
To all Verdi fans:
First of all thank you so much for keeping this thread alive after all these years and it pleases me to hear that there are newcomers to Verdi (Welcome abidoful 8)!!)
I just wanted to give you guys a heads up on the following recording of Verdi's Macbeth which "knocked my socks off" last night!!!
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MSGC6PY7L._SS400_.jpg)
A very solid performance of what is often considered Verdi's first masterpiece, this one's a keeper! (Well I suppose I do have to return it at some stage :-[)!
marvin
Attila is one of Verdi's formulaic, flag waving, patriotic operas that even some of his staunchest fans aren't keen on but I can't help loving it & especially all that masculinity.
This CD has often warmed me up on winter mornings.
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But this came today
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Attila: Samuel Ramey
Ezio: Giorgio Zancarnaro
Odabella: Cheryl Studer
Foresto: Kaludi Kaludov
Uldino: Ernesto Gavazzi
Leone: Mario Luperi
Conductor: Riccardo Muti
& have just sat & watched it & can't decide if I need a cold shower or a lie down in a darkened room. There's masculine, there's virile & then there's Samuel Ramey stripped to his navel and singing like a God. You can actually watch his amazing breath control & I've been sitting mesmerised by Ramey's diaphragm. (http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2250/biggrin2.gif)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snOJHvMy1EI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snOJHvMy1EI)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feeR6M-hDJY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feeR6M-hDJY)
From the glowering Muti to the wonderful towering set including huge dead horses with legs in the air, giant headless statues, giant sails I've loved every moment. In my opinion, not a weak link anywhere, even the real horses behaved themselves.
I hate curtain calls betwen acts or anything which interrupts the fantasy but at the end of Act1 the audience goes bonkers & for once I didn't mind Ramey & co take a brief bow.
I have this recording
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514bspiTFmL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
which has not quite the same cast as the DVD (Neil Shicoff is Foresto and Leone is sung by Giorgio Surian, of whom I've never otherwise heard; everyone else is the same).
Quite satisfies my taste for blood and thunder Verdi.
kishnevi, I also have that Otello. I just cannot get along with Rysanik's gusty voice and slightly parched tone. Also the orchestra is variable, with some poor exposed lower string playing; try the dark linking passage towards the end of track 12 disc 2. Despite those issues, it remains my favourite version. Vickers/Gobbi is hard to beat.
I saw Vickers in the part in London around 1970 and he was marvelous. I had a ticket much later to see him in Peter Grimes, but he cried off that one.
Toscanini comes next, though now the sound is very primitive and he drives even the tender passages. I had the Pavarotti, but he was not temperamentally right for the part. Unfortunately I have a deaf spot for most of Domingo's work, (I do like his Sigmund), so that ruled out a fair few versions. I tried a couple.
Karajan with Vickers has a very odd sound picture and he butchers the ensemble after the ambassador arrives, can't imagine why, it nevertheless gets an occasional whirl, as Vickers is even more intense. I have the other Solti, but chiefly to listen to Margaret Price, who is as good as it gets in that part.
A golden oldie, on Naxos, live from the Met: Martinelli, Rethberg & Tibbet conducted by Panizza in 1938. A wonderful performance in very restricted sound. I got rid of Barbirolli because I can't take the tone McCracken produces, though he knew what to do with the part. I have never heard the Karajan Del Monaco version, but that tenor had a tendency to shout a lot, so his healthy voice became a weapon that he deployed against the other cast members.
What I want is a modern recording with a superb cast and conductor. So, I tried the Davis and will keep it, but the quest goes on. Perhaps I am too picky.
Mike
Thanks, I will have a look at the streaming, though I really want CDs that I can put onto my iPod.
I only know about half the singers mentioned; not that that suggests any lack of quality in the others.
Today as I have been loading the iPod, one piece I listened through to is Falstaff, the live LSO Davis version. In that I knew only three of the names, but what a superb cast. The word miracle so often comes up in writings about this opera; I can understand the praise heaped onto it. It has been lucky on disc, but nowhere luckier than in this spry, warm and beautifully recorded performance. Such life distilled on papaer and animated by Davis and his terrific team.
Mike
I am somewhat surprised that Simon Boccanegra is skipped so often. I know, libretto may not be the most original and maybe somewhat complicated (though not compared to Il trovatore) but I think that Verdi's magnificent music makes this easily one of the best italian operas of all time. And I have to confess: this, along with Un ballo in maschera, is the only Verdi opera that captured my attention immediately from the very first bar. That string melody in the opening scene is just so divine!
Boccanegra is my favourite opera and I only have to hear the first few notes & I get emotional. (http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/4788/rolleyes1.gif)
On the latest DVD - with Domingo in the role - Antonio Pappano describes the music as sublime, and I agree.
I wouldn't say it was his best, but it does contain some of his greatest music. Mike is right about the end being a little lame, but I don't find it half so problematic as the end of Don Carlos, another opera brimming with great music. Indeed I believe the first scene of Act IV to be one of the greatest scenes in all opera. From Philip's magnificent soliloquy Ella giammai m'amo to Eboli's O don fatale, Verdi doesn't put a foot wrong. Both operas were important milestones of the route to Otello, and, for all their imperfections, I find them both a more moving experience than Aida.
But I love all of them and have multiple versions of them all. Inexhaustible pleasure from any of them.
We are very lucky to live at a time when all this can be a credit card and a click away.
Mike
Every year, I acquire 1-2 Verdi recordings. Last year I got Jerusalem and La Battaglia di Legnano. This year, I was thinking of getting something more from the core that I do not have. But as is often the case, a few operas have harder decisions than others. Any thoughts on sets?
Aida -
Price/Vickers/Solti - Re-issued again quite cheaply. Do I finally take the plunge - cheap enough (Still have the LPs somewhere, so quite familiar with this one)
What else?
Nabucco -
Gobbi/Souliotis/Gardelli
Cappuccilli/Domingo/Nesterenko/Sinopoli
La Forza del Destino (here's a tough one on disc, all with flaws, but I narrowed it down to two)
Price/Domingo/Levine
Tebaldi/del Monaco/Molinari-Pradelli
I have a number of his operas already (Traviata, Travatore, Rigoletto, Otello, etc.). I would also consider replacing my Ballo (Pavarotti/Price/Solti), as I am not thrilled with it, but would lean towards something I don't have first.
Verdi tapped into an earlier tradition in the ensembles which at some points sound like Opera Seria. But he injects great drama into them. Mike
As Mike has already pointed out, the Gobbi/Souliotis Nabucco is the one to have. Definitely the best thing Souliotis ever did for the gramophone.
I have an antipathy to Solti in Verdi, and much as I love his cast (Price and Vickers in particular). I can't take his bombastic approach to the score. Muti is a safe bet (Caballe, Domingo, Cossotto, Milnes), but Karajan II is interesting too. His use of more lyrical singers (Freni, Carreras, Muti, Cappuccilli) reminds us that much of the opera is of domestic scenes behind closed doors. If you can take mono sound Callas and Gobbi have never been bettered in the Nile scene and I like Serafin's lyrical yet dramatic conducting in the central Italian tradition (how he makes the violins weep in the section where Aida gives in to her father).
For Forza, I again go to Callas, who makes more of Leonora than any other singer, but of the two you mention, Price and Domingo with Levine would be my choice. That Tebaldi could be a great Leonora is demonstrated by some of the live recordings she appears on, but this one with Moilinari-Pradelli is a bit earthbound.
Every year, I acquire 1-2 Verdi recordings. Last year I got Jerusalem and La Battaglia di Legnano. This year, I was thinking of getting something more from the core that I do not have. But as is often the case, a few operas have harder decisions than others. Any thoughts on sets?
Aida -
Price/Vickers/Solti - Re-issued again quite cheaply. Do I finally take the plunge - cheap enough (Still have the LPs somewhere, so quite familiar with this one)
What else?
Nabucco -
Gobbi/Souliotis/Gardelli
Cappuccilli/Domingo/Nesterenko/Sinopoli
La Forza del Destino (here's a tough one on disc, all with flaws, but I narrowed it down to two)
Price/Domingo/Levine
Tebaldi/del Monaco/Molinari-Pradelli
This is the only mention of Baltsa, Norman and Verdi's Requiem I could find
http://www.jcarreras.de/requiem_r.htm
Norman, Baltsa, Nesterenko & Carreras
Verdi: Messa da Requiem, Munich-- October 9, 1981
It seems Muti was the conductor with Bavarian Radio Orchestra/Chorus.
I don't speak German but this site seems to be offering bootlegs of some sort (scroll to the bottom)
http://www.euro-opera.de/Baltsa.html#ANCHOR_v
Every year, I acquire 1-2 Verdi recordings. Last year I got Jerusalem and La Battaglia di Legnano. This year, I was thinking of getting something more from the core that I do not have. But as is often the case, a few operas have harder decisions than others. Any thoughts on sets?
Aida -
Price/Vickers/Solti - Re-issued again quite cheaply. Do I finally take the plunge - cheap enough (Still have the LPs somewhere, so quite familiar with this one)
What else?
I do know just what you mean about Gorr. She does rather pull the temple down in that last act scene.
Mike
Not normally being a fan of Jessye Norman, particularly when she is singing in the soprano register, I must say I found this very impressive indeed. No, nore than impressive, absolutely thrilling. Not only is her singing admirably secure, but response to the text and the dramatic situation is wonderfully vivid and immediate. Fantastic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdG_lTz7zCY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdG_lTz7zCY)
There are two recordings being confused. The latest one that ZB mentioned was 1982 Abbado....so I have highlighted it.
Mike
I heard Don Carlos for the first time two days ago and I love it! This is the first opera that I watched before first listening the recording, cause it feels like watching film based on a book before reading the book itself. Well, it still didn't bother me much, because orchestra, singers, costumes and set were all superb. I especially grew to love character of Rodrigo, and now I constantly have Carlos's and Rodrigo's beautiful friendship theme playing in my head. When it came for the last time in woodwinds, quietly during his death I was on the verge of bursting to tears. This opera is very underrated and it moved me much more than, say, la Traviata.
I am coming to the end of a concentrated spell of Verdi listening, which I started a month or so ago. I have listened to almost all of his operas up until Aida, with only Otello and Falstaff to go, operas I know quite well.
I find it hard to understand those that say they love Verdi but can't abide his early operas, those of his "galley years", as he himself called them. Listening to them chronologically has been an edifying experience, in which one can trace Verdi working towards his first acknowledged masterpiece, Rigoletto. His path and gait may be faltering at times (though often, when he falters, it can be attributed to the circumstances of an opera's composition), but there is a definite sense of the man's development. The seeds of Otello are as surely sown in Oberto as those of Falstaff are evident in Un Giorno di Regno. One thing that shines through for me is the man's humanity, his compassion, his understanding of the human condition. His characters are not gods and heroes, they are real people, who suffer as we do. Even when he writes about kings, they are presented as real people, their frailties exposed (think of King Philip). In this way, Verdi, like Shakespeare, appeals to the universal spirit. It is no surprise to find that his final two operas are both adaptations of Shakespeare's works; two contrasting sides of Shakespeare's personality,as they are of Verdi's.
Most of Verdi's early operas were recorded in the 70s by Philips, with gaps being filled by Orfeo (Oberto and Alzira) and EMI (Giovanna d'Arco). Mostly conducted by the excellent Lamberto Gardelli, whom I once heard conduct a superb Requiem at the RFH, deputising for an ailing Giulini, they featured starry casts, Caballe, Ricciarelli, Domingo, Bergonzi, Carreras, Milnes and Raimondi amongst the singers. Can anyone imagine such a project being taken on today? How lucky we are to have them, for what riches they reveal.
Seeing as how you have heard Verdi's entire output, woul you be kind enough to tell me what golden nuggets am I missing?
Thank you
marvin
Stiffelio, written just before Rigoletto is an absolute must. The Philips recording with Carreras and Sass is excellent, and there are also two DVDs (Carreras at Covent Garden and Domingo at the Met).
I would then take a look at La Battagila di Legno, I Masadieri and I due Foscari, but really all of the others have their moments. Even the much maligned Alzira has moments of great originality, though it is probably one of the weakest. Verdi's second opera Un Giorno di Regno is a delight, heavily influenced by Donizetti of course, but still worth a listen. The old Cetra recording with Bruscantini and Pagliughi is more characterful than the Philips, with its starry line up of Carreras, Cossotto and Norman.
The first volume of Julian Budden's The Operas of Verdi documents all the operas from Oberto to Rigoletto and is an invaluable guide.
Thank you so much. On your advice I just bought this:That whole series from Philips (early Verdi) is consistently excellent. One more from that series is Il Corsaro (not mentioned earlier by Tsaraslondon). There is also Attila (re-released on EMI with Ramey/Studer).
I will venture into the others as per your advice after I have finished listening to Stiffelio.
marvin
That whole series from Philips (early Verdi) is consistently excellent. One more from that series is Il Corsaro (not mentioned earlier by Tsaraslondon). There is also Attila (re-released on EMI with Ramey/Studer).And they are in the box I referred to, which cost me all of 80 Euro's once upon a time on amazon.it.
And they are in the box I referred to, which cost me all of 80 Euro's once upon a time on amazon.it.At 1499.99 on Amazon US, maybe you want to give someone a 'great deal'?!? Say, $999.99? :) You got a great deal, that is for sure! You also got some fantastic performances.
I have one Verdi release; this:
That's quite a release :)!
marvin
It's undoubtedly a bargain, but I often wonder about the wisdom of buying all the music of a composer in one go over getting to know it bit by bit.So do I. But it's actually a question of getting some of it - ever - or not at all. If one's into Verdi (and I'm not a great fan of romantic opera in general) one certainlys need to supplement the major works (and I have a couple of individual sets of Othello and Ballo) - but the great value of sets like these is that they contain some works that one actually never otherwise would own, and even if this part is only around 20% of the set, and you'll like to own them, it all boils to great value (if you manage to snap it up while it's cheap).
But this is the collector in me speaking; more than the music lover/listener. The lover/listener would probably never own the majority of works in the set, my main interests lies elsewhere (even if I certainly recognizes the greatness of Verdi, it's just that there is so little time and one cannot give everything the highest priority....).
That whole series from Philips (early Verdi) is consistently excellent. One more from that series is Il Corsaro (not mentioned earlier by Tsaraslondon). There is also Attila (re-released on EMI with Ramey/Studer).
I have a weak spot for I Due Foscari, on Philips with Cappuccilli, Carreras, Ricciarelli and Ramey.Well, he had a lot of trouble finding good librettists. It wasn't until Boito (later in his career) that he really found someone outstanding and with whom he seeemed to work well.
All Verdi operas have great music, although the early ones can be dramatically weak (certainly Il Corsaro).
All Verdi operas have great music, although the early ones can be dramatically weak (certainly Il Corsaro).
Is this the reason that Rigoletto (1851) is supposed to be the landmark for his most developed period? Or the fact that the most popular operas occur after that date? Before Rigoletto there were Nabucco (1842), Ernani (1844) and Macbeth (1847), not anything to sneeze at either, dramatically.
ZB
Is this the reason that Rigoletto (1851) is supposed to be the landmark for his most developed period? Or the fact that the most popular operas occur after that date? Before Rigoletto there were Nabucco (1842), Ernani (1844) and Macbeth (1847), not anything to sneeze at either, dramatically. He would have been nearly 30 when working on Nabucco, so he was certainly a mature composer by then. I understood that Othello (1887) and Falstaff (1893) were as in the case of late Beethoven, encursions into entirely new terrority.
ZB
This is a list of my recommendations for all the Verdi operas. Those who know me, know that Callas is always likely to be my first choice in the operas she recorded, but I am aware there are those who have a total antipathy to her voice, so have also listed alternatives. When it comes to the role of Violetta, I don't think any soprano has come anywhere near her achievement, which is why I list no less than three live versions, all of which have their merits. Callas's only studio recording, though it has marginally better sound, is not really in the same class, and the other singers and conducting in all three live versions are much better.What a great list, especially for someone just starting out and not sure where to begin. I won't travel the road to Callas and Solti Aida - we've been over there more than once. But I did think you might have picked the RCA Aida with Milanov, Bjorling etc. I suppose the sound is still poor, but the singing is pretty special. Aroldo is one I keep hoping they will re-issue - the only one I haven't ever heard I think.
I have stuck with audio only, as I still tend to listen to music more than watch DVDs. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I can let my imagination fill in the stage picture, unfettered by the quirks of some stage director and less distracted by the physical appearance of the singers in question. All the recordings on the list are, or have been at one time, commercially available, so I only list live recordings that have been issued officially (the Callas Covent Garden la Traviata now available on ICA Classics).
• Oberto – Guleghina, Urmana, Neill, Ramey; Marriner
• Un Giorno di Regno – Pagliughi, Cozzi, Oncina, Bruscantini, Capecchi; Simonetto
• Nabucco – Suliotis, Carrall, Prevedi, Gobbi, Cava; Gardelli
• I Lombardi – Deutekom, Domingo, Raimondi; Gardelli
• Ernani – Price, Bergonzi , Sereni, Flagello; Schippers
• I Due Foscari – Ricciarelli, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Ramey; Gardelli
• Giovanna d’Arco – Caballe, Domingo, Milnes; Levine
• Alzira – Cotrubas, Araiza, Bruson; Gardelli
• Attila – Deutekom, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi; Gardelli
• Macbeth – Verrett, Domingo, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Abbado, but also Callas, Penno, Mascherini, Tajo; De Sabata
• I Masnadieri – Caballe, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi; Gardelli
• Jersualem –Mescheriakova, Giordani, Scandiuzzi; Luisi
• Il Corsaro – Caballe, Norman, Carreras, Mastromei; Gardelli
• La Battagalia di Legnano – Ricciarelli, Carreras, Manugerra, Ghiuselev; Gardelli
• Luisa Miller – Moffo, Verrett, Bergonzi, MacNeil, Tozzi; Cleva or Caballe, Reynolds, Pavarotti, Milnes, Giaotti; Maag
• Stiffelio – Sass, Carreras, Manuguerra, Ganzarolli; Gardelli
• Rigoletto – Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi; Serafin or Cotrubas, Domingo, Cappuccilli; Giulini
• Il Trovatore – Callas, Barbieri, Di Stefano, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan or Price, Cossotto, Domingo, Milnes; Mehta or Plowright, Fassbaender, Domingo, Zancanaro; Giulini
• La Traviata – Callas, Valetti, Zanasi; Rescigno or Callas, Kraus, Sereni; Ghione or Callas, Di Stefano, Bastianini, Giulini or Cotrubas, Domingo, Milnes; Kleiber
• Les Vepres Siciliennes – Arroyo, Domingo, Milnes, Raimondi; Levine
• Simon Boccanegra – Freni, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Abbado
• Aroldo – Caballe, Cecchele, Pons, Lebherz; Queler
• Un Ballo in Maschera – Callas, Ratti, Barbieri, Di Stefano, Gobbi; Votto or Callas, Ratti, Simionato, Bastianini; Gavazzeni or Arroyo, Grist, Cossoto, Domingo, Cappuccilli; Muti
• La Forza Del Destino – Callas, Nicolai, Tucker, Tagliabue, Rossi-Lemeni; Serafin or Price, Cossotto, Domingo, Milnes, Giaotti; Levine
• Don Carlos – Caballe, Verrett, Domingo, Milnes, Raimiondi; Giulini or (in French) Ricciarelli, Valentini-Terrani, Domingo, Nucci, Raimondi; Giulini
• Aida – Caballe, Cossotto, Domingo, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Muti or Callas, Barbieri, Tucker, Gobbi, Modesti; Serafin
• Otello – Rysanek, Vickers, Gobbi; Serafin and Scotto, Domingo, Milnes; Levine
• Falstaff – Schwarzkopf, Moffo, Merriman, Barbieri, Alva, Gobbi, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan
The most glaring omission for some will no doubt be the Solti Aida with Price, Vickers and Gorr, all superb, but I'm afraid I can't bear Solti in Verdi, so didn't include it. Those that don't mind his vulgar, less than lyrical, barnstorming approach will no doubt prefer it to the two I listed, and with such superb singing, I can hardly blame them.
But I did think you might have picked the RCA Aida with Milanov, Bjorling etc.
• Macbeth – Verrett, Pavarotti, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Abbado,
One small correction. Unless there's another recording I don't know about, the tenor on that Macbeth is Domingo. Pavarotti is the Macduff on Gardelli's Decca recording, with Souliotis and Fischer-Dieskau.
This is a list of my recommendations for all the Verdi opera's
• Nabucco – Suliotis, Carrall, Prevedi, Gobbi, Cava; Gardelli
• Ernani – Price, Bergonzi , Sereni, Flagello; Schippers
• I Due Foscari – Ricciarelli, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Ramey; Gardelli
• Giovanna d’Arco – Caballe, Domingo, Milnes; Levine
• Attila – Deutekom, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi; Gardelli
• Macbeth – Verrett, Domingo, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Abbado
• I Masnadieri – Caballe, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi; Gardelli
• Il Corsaro – Caballe, Norman, Carreras, Mastromei; Gardelli
• Luisa Miller – Moffo, Verrett, Bergonzi, MacNeil, Tozzi; Cleva
• Rigoletto – Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi; Serafin or Cotrubas, Domingo, Cappuccilli; Giulini
• Il Trovatore – Callas, Barbieri, Di Stefano, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan or Plowright, Fassbaender, Domingo, Zancanaro; Giulini
• Un Ballo in Maschera – Callas, Ratti, Barbieri, Di Stefano, Gobbi
• La Forza Del Destino – Price, Cossotto, Domingo, Milnes, Giaotti; Levine
• Don Carlos – Caballe, Verrett, Domingo, Milnes, Raimiondi; Giulini
The most glaring omission for some will no doubt be the Solti Aida with Price, Vickers and Gorr
I absolutely agree with all those copied above, we have a lot of shared favorites :)
I would add the Price/Vickers/Gorr/Solti Aida on Decca (surprise!), very dramatic - not vulgar - and a cast that can not be bettered. Muti sounds boring in comparison.
For Don Carlo also Solti on Decca with Tebaldi/Bergonzi/Bumbry/Ghiaurov (and let us just forget F-D)
The Otello I prefer is the Domingo/Studer/Chung on DG and for Traviata I go for Sutherland/Bergonzi/Pritchard on Decca.
Falstaff is also a Giulini opera for me: the Bruson/Ricciarelli on DG.
The rest of the operas are not so familiar to me.
The Rysanek-Vickers-Gobbi-Serafin is gorgeous, though Rysanek is miscast Sometimes I enjoy the Scotto-Domingo-Milnes-Levine one, but frankly I cant stand Domingo. The best Otello ever, for me, is this one (DVD)
http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Otello-Metropolitan-Jon-Vickers/dp/B00579EKXC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjtKkulTLPw
My problem with Rysanek is not that she doesnt sound enough Italian for me, but because she can't capture the character of Desdemona. The German Schwarzkopf executes it much better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5_RGv9KXEw&playnext=1&list=PLD35CC65FBFAB9AAB&feature=results_video
Well my antipathy for Solti puts his Don Carlo out of the running for me (and Tebaldi is just past her best). I don't like Studer much, which is the reason I plump for Domingo I, and I find Scotto a most affecting and involving Desdemona, despite the occasional hardness. I just can't respond to Sutherland as Violetta in either of her recordings, but she is not a singer who ever really speaks to me, despite the technique and the beauty of her voice. De Los Angeles is another of my favourites for this role. I like Gheorghiu too, but she has to contend with Solti's unlyrical conducting and Nucci's dry old stick of a Germont.
My feelings on Solti's Aida are well known. I find his conducting brash and overweening. I actually prefer Karajan's second on EMI, odd orchestral balances and all, but I don't find the Muti in the least bit dull (and Caballe takes some beating too).
As for Giulini's Falstaff, I find it a little unsmiling, whilst Karajan's brims with high spirits.
I do find it interesting, though, how different people respond to different recordings.
Interesting indeed.
In the Solti Don Carlo, Tebaldi still has her golden tone and Bergonzi is just the perfect Verdi tenor.
Another asset of this recording are the basses: Ghiaurov and Talvela, how can that ever be bettered?
Bergonzi is also the reason why I think so high of the Pritchard Traviata, and I always love Sutherland and find her complementary to the Callas interpretation. In the belcanto repertoire this is even more the case, I could never be without the Callas and the Sutherland Norma, Puritani, Lucia,... Even when they are so different.
As to Giulini, it is the sound of the orchestra that puts him on top of the list: neither his Rigoletto, Trovatore or Falstaff are the best sung, but he brings out so much beauty and detail of the score that you almost forget about the voices. He always surprises, after hearing so much Trovatores, this summer I finally discovered his and he made me hear something completely new!
Studer's voice is certainly an acquired taste, a beautiful tone but always problems with the pitch. Her Desdemona however is perfectly vulnerable to me, I even like it more than Tebaldi's and certainly more than Scotto's shrill voice.
This is of course all highly subjective and again, I find it amazing how much we like in common.
Well I did say Tebaldi was just past her best. I agree with you re Bergonzi, but, as you yourself pointed out, Fischer-Dieskau is a problem. Milnes is preferable, and Gobbi probably best of all, though his recording is not otherwise particularly recommendable, except for Christoff. Fortunately they are both better represented in the live performance from Covent Garden with Brouwenstijn and Vickers, and conducted of course by Giulini. It's not perfect by any means, Barbieri ducks some of her high notes and is no match for either Verrertt or Bumbry, but it is a great reminder of a historical night that started the re-evaluation of this great Verdi opera.
I do love Giulini's conducting, and did recommend his Il Trovatore as an alternative to the Callas, which is also superbly conducted by Karajan, but, as I said, I find his Falstaff a little lacking in high spirits. The Philharmonia play spectacularly well for Karajan, and Karajan also has the stronger line up of soloists, so his remains my top recommendation.
We will have to agree to disagree about Sutherland. She is a singer I admire rather than love. I'm often knocked out by the vocalism, but that's about as far as it goes. Oddly enough I find her debut Lucia di Lammermoor, recorded live at Covent Garden under Callas's conductor Tullio Serafin, more convincing than either of her studio recordings, the voice much more forwardly produced and the diction, for once, crisp and clear. As an alternative to Callas, I am more likely to turn to Caballe (especially at Orange) as Norma and also as Elvira in I Puritani.
The Don Carlo on EMI with Christoff and Gobbi is also on my shelf, but I only listen to parts of it. The rest of the cast is not remarkable. I am very interested in the Giulini live you mention, is it in somewhat decent sound?
I have an other live recording with a great cast: Corelli, Janowitz, Verrett, Wächter, Ghiaurov and Talvela conducted by Horst Stein. It is a dreamcast but alas, the sound (on the label Opera d'oro) is just horrible. I find it almost unlistenable, which is often the case with live recordings. I can only stand a certain amount of audience coughs in one aria, however great the performance...
Von Karajan's Falstaff never gets under my skin, as for example his Trovatore with Callas does. It is also the opera, I would never place Falstaff in my top 10 of Verdi operas, I have problems holding my attention during the last act.
That leaves us with Sutherland, and I can agree with you on some point. She was probably at her best live. I have a live Maria Stuarda recording that makes her studio effort sound dull. However, for me, belcanto does not get any better than in the Sutherland/Pavarotti/Cappuccilli/Bonynge Puritani on Decca.
I have problems with Caballé, a very beautiful voice, but she shows it off too much and lacks vocal acting. I hardly find her ever believable in a role. I just hear a diva who is very pleased with herself.
Like Sutherland's debut as Lucia, the live Giulini Don Carlo was issued on the Royal Opera House's own label. It is available from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verdi-Don-Carlo-Boris-Christoff/dp/B000CHYH3C/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1352403974&sr=1-3 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verdi-Don-Carlo-Boris-Christoff/dp/B000CHYH3C/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1352403974&sr=1-3)
I do know what you mean about Caballe. There are times when I too feel she just lays out the voice and her technique for admiration, but I find her a better vocal actor than Sutherland, though neither of them is great shakes in that department. Have you seen the Norma she did in Orange with Jon Vickers and Josephine Veasey? A bit stately to be sure, but the singing is spectacular.
Oberto
recorded in 1996
Stuart Neill (Riccardo), Samuel Ramey (Oberto), Maria Guleghina (Leonora), Violeta Urmana (Cuniza), Sara Fulgoni (Imelda)
Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner
Un giorno di regno
recorded in 1973
Fiorenza Cossotto (Marquise del Poggio), Jessye Norman (Giulietta), José Carreras (Edoardo de Sanval), Ingvar Wixell (Chevalier Belfiore), Vincenzo Sardinero (Gasparo Antonio della Rocca), Wladimiro Ganzarolli (Baron de Kelbar), William Elvin (Delmonte), Ricardo Cassinelli (Comte Ivrea)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Ambrosian Singers, Lamberto Gardelli
Nabucco
recorded in 1965
Tito Gobbi (Nabucco), Bruno Prevedi (Ismaele), Carlo Cava (Zaccaria), Elena Souliotis (Abigaille), Dora Carral (Fenena), Anna D' Auria (Anna), Giovanni Foiani (Gran Sacerdote), Walter Kräutler (Abdallo)
Wiener Staatsopernorchester, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Lamberto Gardelli
I Lombardi alla prima crociata
recorded in 1996
June Anderson (Giselda), Luciano Pavarotti (Oronte), Samuel Ramey (Pagano), Richard Leech (Arvino), Patricia Racette (Viclinda), Ildebrando d' Arcangelo (Pirro), Yanni Yannissis (Acciano), Jane Shaulis (Sofia)
Orchestra & Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, James Levine
Ernani
recorded in 1987
Luciano Pavarotti (Ernani), Joan Sutherland (Elvira), Leo Nucci (Carlo), Paata Burchuladze (Silva), Richard Morton (Riccardo), Alastair Miles (Iago), Linda McLeod (Giovanna)
Orchestra & Chorus of Welsh National Opera, Richard Bonynge
I Due Foscari
recorded in 1977
Piero Cappuccilli (Francesco Foscari), José Carreras (Jacopo Foscari), Katia Ricciarelli (Lucrezia Contarini), Samuel Ramey (Jacopo Loredano), Vincenzo Bello (Barbarigo), Elizabeth Connell (Pisana), Mieczlaw Antoniak (Fante del Consiglio de' Dieci), Franz Handlos (Servo de Doge)
ORF-Symphonie-Orchester, Chor des Österreichischen Rundfunks, Lamberto Gardelli
Giovanna d'Arco
recorded in 1972
Montserrat Caballé (Giovanna), Plácido Domingo (Carlo VII), Sherrill Milnes (Giacono), Keith Erwen (Delil), Robert Lloyd (Talbot)
London Symphony Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, James Levine
Alzira
recorded in 1999
Marina Mescheriakova (Alzira), Ramón Vargas (Zamoro), Paolo Gavanelli (Gusmano), Iana Iliev (Zuma), Jovo Reljin (Ovando), Wolfgang Barta (Ataliba), Torsten Kerl (Otumbo), Slobodan Stankovic (Alvaro)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Le Choeur du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Fabio Luisi
Attila
recorded in 1972
Ruggero Raimondi (Attila), Sherrill Milnes (Ezio), Cristina Deutekom (Odabella), Carlo Bergonzi (Foresto), Ricardo Cassinelli (Uldino), Jules Bastin (Leone)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers, Lamberto Gardelli
Macbeth
recorded in 1975
Piero Cappuccilli (Macbeth), Shirley Verrett (Lady Macbeth), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Banco), Franco Tagliavini (Macduff), Nicola Martinucci (Malcolm), Stefania Malagù (Dama), Carlo Zardo (Medico)
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala, Claudio Abbado
I Masnadieri
recorded in 1982
Samuel Ramey (Massimiliano), Franco Bonisolli (Carlo), Matteo Manuguerra (Francesco), Joan Sutherland (Amalia), Arthur Davies (Armino), Simone Alaimo (Moser), John Harris (Rolla)
Orchestra & Chorus of Welsh National Opera, Richard Bonynge
Gerusalemme
recorded in 1998
Marcello Giordani (Gaston), Philippe Rouillon (Le comte de Toulouse), Roberto Scandiuzzi (Roger), Daniel Borowski (Ademar), Simon Edwards (Raymond), Marina Mescheriakova (Hélène), Hélène Le Corre (Isaure), Wolfgang Barta (Un soldat), Slobodan Stankovic (Un Héraut/L'Émir de Ramla), Jovo Reljin (Un officier de l'Émir)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Le Choeur du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Fabio Luisi
Il Corsaro
recorded in 1975
José Carreras (Corrado), Clifford Grant (Giovanni), Jessye Norman (Medora), Montserrat Caballé (Gulnara), Giampietro Mastromei (Seid), John Noble (Selimo), Alexander Oliver (Eunuco)
New Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers, Lamberto Gardelli
La Battaglia di Legnano
recorded in 1977
Katia Ricciarelli (Lida), José Carreras (Arrigo), Matteo Manuguerra (Rolando), Nicola Ghiuselev (Federico Barbarossa), Hannes Lichtenberger (Primo Console), Dimitri Kavrakos (Secondo Console), Jonathan Summers (Marcovaldo), Franz Handlos (Il Podesta di Como), Ann Murray (Imelda), Mieczlaw Antoniak (Un Araldo)
ORF-Symphonie-Orchester und -Chor Wien, Lamberto Gardelli
Luisa Miller
recorded in 1975
Montserrat Caballé (Luisa), Luciano Pavarotti (Rodolfo), Sherrill Milnes (Miller), Bonaldo Giaiotti (Walter), Richard Van Allan (Wurm), Anna Reynolds (Federica), Annette Céline (Laura), Fernando Pavarotti (Contadino)
London Opera Chorus & National Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Maag
Stiffelio
recorded in 1979
José Carreras (Stiffelio), Sylvia Sass (Lina), Matteo Manuguerra (Stankar), Wladimiro Ganzarolli (Jorg), Ezio Di Cesare (Raffaele), Maria Venuti (Dorotea), Thomas Moser (Federico)
ORF-Symphonie-Orchester Wien, Chor des Österreichischen Rundfunks, Lamberto Gardelli
Rigoletto
recorded in 1979
Piero Cappuccilli (Rigoletto), Ileana Cotrubas (Gilda), Plácido Domingo (Il Duca), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Sparafucile), Elena Obraztsova (Maddalena), Hanna Schwarz (Giovanna), Kurt Moll (Monterone), Luigi De Corato (Marullo), Walter Gullino (Borsa), Dirk Sagemuller (Conte di Ceprano), Olive Fredricks (Contessa di Ceprano), Audrey Michael (Un paggio)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Staatsopernchor, Carlo Maria Giulini
Il Trovatore
recorded in 1983
Plácido Domingo (Manrico), Rosalind Plowright (Leonora), Brigitte Fassbaender (Azucena), Giorgio Zancanaro (Luna), Evgeny Nesterenko (Ferrando)
Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Carlo Maria Giulini
I Vespri Siciliani
recorded in 1989
Cheryl Studer (Elena), Chris Merritt (Arrigo), Giorgio Zancanaro (Monforte), Ferruccio Furlanetto (Procida), Gloria Banditelli (Ninetta), Ernesto Gavazzi (Danieli), Enzo Capuano (Bethune), Francesco Musinu (Vaudemont), Paolo Barbacini (Tebaldo), Marco Chingari (Roberto) & Ferrero Poggi (Manfredo)
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Riccardo Muti
Simon Boccanegra
recorded in 1977
Piero Cappuccilli (Boccanegra), Mirella Freni (Amelia/Maria), José van Dam (Paolo), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Jacopo Fiesco), José Carreras (Gabriele)
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Claudio Abbado
Aroldo
recorded in 1997
Neil Shicoff (Aroldo), Roberto Scandiuzzi (Briano), Carol Vaness (Mina), Anthony Michaels-Moore (Egberto), Julian Gavin (Godvino), Sergio Spina (Enrico), Marina Comparato (Elena)
Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Fabio Luisi
Un ballo in maschera
recorded in 1982-3
Luciano Pavarotti (Riccardo), Renato Bruson (Renato), Margaret Price (Amelia), Christa Ludwig (Ulrica), Kathleen Battle (Oscar), Peter Weber (Silvano), Robert Lloyd (Samuele), Malcolm King (Tom), Alexander Oliver (Un Giudice)
National Philharmonic Orchestra, London Opera Chorus, Junior Chorus of the Royal College of Music, Sir Georg Solti
La Forza del Destino Preludio (St Petersburg version 1862)
recorded in 1998
Galina Gorchakova (Leonora), Nikolai Putilin (Don Carlo), Gegam Grigorian (Don Alvaro), Marianna Tarasova (Preziosilla), Grigory Karasev (Marchese di Calatrava), Sergei Alexashkin (Padre Guardiano), Lia Shevtzova (Curra), Nikolai Gassiev (Mastro Trabuco), Yuri Laptev (Un Chirurgo), Evgeny Nikitin (Un Alcalde)
Orchestra & Chorus of the Kirov Theatre, Valery Gergiev
La forza del destino
recorded in 1985
José Carreras (Don Alvaro), Rosalind Plowright (Leonora di Vargas), Renato Bruson (Don Carlo), Agnes Baltsa (Preziosilla), Jean Rigby (Curra), Paata Burchuladze (Padre Guardiano), John Tomlinson (Il Marchese di Calatrava), Richard Van Allan (Un Alcalde), Mark Curtis (Mastro Trabuco), Petteri Salomaa (Un Chirurgo)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Giuseppe Sinopoli
Don Carlos (Five-act French version)
recorded in 1983-4
Katia Ricciarelli (Elisabeth), Lucia Valentini Terrani (Eboli), Plácido Domingo (Carlos), Leo Nucci (Rodrigue), Ruggero Raimondi (Philippe II), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Le Grand Inquisiteur), Nikita Storojew (Un Moine), Ann Murray (Thibault), Tibère Raffalli (Le Compte de Lerme), Antonio Savastano (Un Hérault Royal), Arleen Auger (Un Voix d'en haut)
Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Claudio Abbado
Don Carlo
recorded in 1965
Carlo Bergonzi (Don Carlo), Renata Tebaldi (Elisabetta), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Filippo II), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Rodrigo), Grace Bumbry (Eboli), Martti Talvela (Il Grande Inquisitore), Jeannette Sinclair (Tebaldo), Kenneth MacDonald (Il Conte di Lerma), John Wakefield (Un Araldo Reale), Joan Carlyle (Una voce dal cielo)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Georg Solti
Aida
recorded in 1959
Renata Tebaldi (Aida), Giulietta Simionato (Amneris), Carlo Bergonzi (Radamès), Cornell MacNeil (Amonasro), Arnold van Mill (Ramfis), Fernando Corena (Il Re di Egitto), Piero de Palma (Un Messaggero), Eugenia Ratti (Una Sacerdotessa)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Singerverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Wien, Herbert von Karajan
Otello
recorded in 1993
Plácido Domingo (Otello), Cheryl Studer (Desdemona), Sergei Leiferkus (Iago), Ramón Vargas (Cassio), Michael Schade (Rodrigo), Ildebrando D'Arcangelo (Lodovico), Giacomo Prestia (Montano), Denyce Graves (Emilia), Philippe Duminy (Un Araldo)
Orchestra & Chorus of Bastille Opera, Myung-Whun Chung
Falstaff
recorded in 1982
Renato Bruson (Falstaff), Leo Nucci (Ford), Katia Ricciarelli (Alice Ford), Barbara Hendricks (Nannetta), Brenda Boozer (Meg Page), Lucia Valentini-Terrani (Mistress Quickly), Michael Sells (Dr. Cajus), Dalmacio González (Fenton), Francis Egerton (Bardolfo), William Wilderman (Pistola)
os Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Carlo Maria Giulini
Requiem
Joan Sutherland (soprano), Marilyn Horne (mezzo-soprano), Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) & Martti Talvela (bass)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Staatsopernchor, Sir Georg Solti
Quattro Pezzi Sacri
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Sir Georg Solti
Messa solenne
Orchestra e Coro Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Qui tollis
Juan Diego Flórez (tenor), Raffaella Ciapponi (clarinet)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Laudate pueri
Juan Diego Flórez (tenor), Kenneth Tarver (tenor)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Tantum ergo in G major
Kenneth Tarver (tenor)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Pater noster
Coro Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Ave Maria in B minor
Orchestra e Coro Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Tantum ergo in F major
Michele Pertusi (baritone)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Libera me, Domine from ‘Messa per Rossini’
Cristina Gallardo-Domâs (soprano)
Orchestra e Coro Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Variazioni for piano and orchestra on the Romanza 'Caro Suono Lusinghiero
reconstructed Fortunato Ortombina; revised Riccardo Chailly
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
La Forza del Destino Preludio (St Petersburg version 1862)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Adagio for trumpet and orchestra
Gianluigi Petrarulo (trumpet)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Aida, Sinfonia 1872
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Canto di Virginia variations for oboe and orchestra
Alessandro Potenza (oboe)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Otello, Preludio
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Prelude to Act III from I Lombardi alla prima crociata
Luca Santaniello (violin)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Simon Boccanegra: Prelude (1st version, 1857)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Capriccio for bassoon and orchestra
Andrea Magnani (bassoon)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly
Il tramonto
La seduzione
Ad una stella
Lo spazzacamino
Perduta ho lo pace
Deh pietoso oh Addolorata
Chi i bei dì m'adduce ancora
La Zingara
L'esule
Non t'accostare all'urna
In solitaria stanza
Nell'orror di notte oscura
Il poveretto
Stornello
Ave Maria, for voice & strings or piano
Margaret Price (soprano), Geoffrey Parsons (piano)
La preghiera del poeta
Al tuo bambino
Renata Scotto, Vincenzo Scalera
Il brigidino
Paolo Washington, Vincenzo Scalera
E’ la vita un mar d’affanni
Pietà, Signor
Renata Scotto, Vincenzo Scalera
More, Elisa, lo stanco poeta
Paolo Washington, Vincenzo Scalera
L'Abandonee
Sgombra o gentil
Il mistero
Brindisi I
Renata Scotto, Vincenzo Scalera
Brindisi II (No. 6 from 6 Romanze, 1845)
Paolo Washington, Vincenzo Scalera
Romanza senza parole
Waltz in F Major
Roberto Galletto
Cupo è il sepolcro e mutolo
Bruce Ford, David Harper
Guarda che bianca luna (Notturno)
Jennifer Larmore, Bruce Ford, Alastair Miles, Jaime Martin, Antoine Palloc
A toi, que j'ai cherie (from Les vêpres siciliennes)
Oh, dolore (from Attila)
Si, lo sento, Iddio mi chiama (from I Due Foscari)
Plácido Domingo (tenor)
Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev
O madra mia ... Come poteva un angelo (from I Lombardi)
Plácido Domingo (tenor), Marjorie Dix (mezzo)
Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev
Io la vidi e a quell'aspetto (from I Lombardi)
Luciano Pavarotti (tenor)
Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Claudio Abbado
Inno delle nazioni
Luciano Pavarotti (tenor)
Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus, James Levine
String Quartet in E minor
Quartetto Italiano
Gerusalemme: Ballet Music
Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Antonio de Almeida
Il Trovatore: Ballet Music, Act III
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge
Otello: Ballet Music
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly
Ballo della Regina
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly
Grand March from Aida
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly
Macbeth: Ballet Music
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly
Le Quattro Stagioni (I vespri siciliani Act III)
Guido Toschi, Giovanni Tedeschi
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologn, Riccardo Chailly
La Traviata
Ileana Cotrubas (Violetta), Plácido Domingo (Alfredo), Sherrill Milnes (Giorgio Germont), Stefania Malagù (Flora), Helena Jungwirth (Annina), Walter Gullino (Gastone), Giovanni Foiani (Dottore Grenvil), Bruno Grella (Barone Douphol), Alfredo Giacomotti (Marchese d'Obigny)
Bayerischer Staatsopernchor & Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Carlos Kleiber
My thanks to participants of this thread for their discussion. Recent lists and discussion of favorites by Tsaraslondon and others has also been very helpful.I have not heard every one of them, but of what I have or have heard, I'd say the following are excellent:
Hello, I don't want to bumble into shillery, but one the whole, but how do the GMG Verdians rate the selections included in this COMPLETE WORKS megalith? I'm going to do my Verdi homework, I promise; but I am curious how many of the recordings in this box might rate as credible, say, first-or-second-or-so choices, and conversely how many are not really very good at all, if any. I know the man's work very little; the only operas I've spent some real time with are the half-dozen in that EMI Callas studio megabox (Santini, Serafin, Votto, Karajan) and also Karajan's AIDA, DON CARLO, FALSTAFF, OTELLO). And Giulini's and Reiner's REQUIEM.
I have not heard every one of them, but of what I have or have heard, I'd say the following are excellent:
-Un giorno di regno
-I Due Foscari
-Giovanna d'Arco
-Gerusalemme (Jerusalem)
-Il Corsaro
-La Battaglia di Legnano
-Stiffelio
-Simon Boccanegra
-Otello
-Requiem (Solti)
-La Traviata
-La Forza del Destino Gergiev (nice to have both versions)
-Don Carlo Solti
-Il Travatore
-Luisa Miller
-Macbeth
Versions I did not like:
-Un ballo in maschera (the only true dud in my opinion)
-La forza Sinopoli (not my favorite to be honest, but has its admirers, Carreras not on best form)
The rest are generally good or better (based on my having heard it (but some time ago) or on general reputation), assuming I didn't miss anything. Because it is difficult to find good recordings of the earlier operas, I consider those Gardelli recordings 'must-haves' for the most part (originally on Philips), and they alone make this box worthwhile. Add to that a number of other truly excellent performances (in mostly good to excellent sound) and I think you have a pretty good box set. Of course, if you tried to put together such a box yourself, you'd never spend so little. If the interest is there, I doubt there will be a better box.
VERDI FANS!! How is everyone doing? I hope all of you are celebrating Verdi's 200th Anniversary this year- or at least giving this composer more attention than usual. Personally I am deep into Verdi's operas! A few months ago, in March I bought the COMPLETE WORKS of Verdi on the Decca label. This MEGA BOXSET:Glad you are enjoying it! You have some wonderful performances still ahead!
and if I may be blunt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxDoldFID4s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxDoldFID4s)
I started with Oberto and am working my way through the operas in chronological order of composition (Tsaraslondon 8) style). I have now reached Luisa Miller. I was unfamiliar with Verdi's early works and was skeptical at first. But after listening to Jerusalem, La Battaglia de Legnano and Il Corsaro as well as Alzira and Giovanna D'arco I finally understand what I once read about Verdi..... "Every Verdi opera is a class act!" It is incredible how in every opera there is at least a few arias, a few ensembles and not mention choral lines that sent my heart pounding with delight!
This is the BEST boxset I own! With the sole exception of Ernani (a disappointingly strained performance by Dame Joan Sutherland) the performances are on the whole top notch! Thankfully I have a recording of Schipper's Ernani with Price to supplement. Sound quality on this boxset is superb!
I am especially excited about the French Version of Don Carlo which is unfamiliar to me (the boxset features both the Italian and French Versions) In addition there are 2 versions of La Forza the original (1862 St Petersburg Version) and the revised version 1869. There are also 8 CDs covering the Requiem, Quattro Pezzi Sacri, Sacred Works, Songs , Arias and other Rarities, String Quartets and Ballet Music....OH MY! The only issue is the lack of libretti but the 2 books included in this boxset include a synopsis of each opera on a track by track basis. My local library has some libretti as well, so I am managing quite well.
For a total price of around £125 for 75 CDs and performances drawn from the EMI, DG and Decca catalogues I would encourage anyone interested in this boxset to snap it up.
Happy Listening!
marvin
I have a confession to make. For the last two or three years I have been searching for a live production of Verdi's little-known opera Jérusalem, which I consider a great stride forward from I Lombardi and a very good opera of its kind, and I thought that surely somewhere in Europe (I live in U.K.) would be performing this as part of marking the 200th anniversary. But no, my Google search only reveals a performance by Sarasota Opera in March 2014. Does anyone know anything about this company? Would it be worth going all that way (and enduring immigration etc.) just to see this rarely-performed opera?I don't know anything about them, but whether it makes sense for you depends on you (desire, cost, etc.). Although it is not performed that often, it is periodically played somewhere, so it is possible there will be other performances in the next 3-5 years. There is a DVD of this work, which I mention if that would suffice (though reviews appear mixed - perhaps someone else here will have seen it).
I have found clips on YouTube for a 1995 Vienna State Opera production which looks very good, but unfortunately I was not 'into it' then, having bought the Mescheriakova/Giordani/Scandiuzzi CDs cond. Fabio Luisi since then - I love it, though hearing Italians/Russians trying to pronounce French is often painful.
I marked the occasion last Sunday, seeing a marvelous production of Nabucco by Opera Philadelphia: excellent singers, a superb (and large) chorus, and an interesting "show-within-a-show" concept by director Thaddeus Strassberger, who placed an audience of Austrian aristocrats in the hall's balconies. And in a nice touch, rather than repeating the "Va, pensiero" chorus immediately after it appears, Strassberger waited until the final curtain call: the entire cast - including the principals - reprised it a cappella, and beautifully, too.
Tonight, some of the following, including this Traviata that I haven't seen:
Verdi: Arias (Ramón Vargas, tenor)
Verdi: La Traviata
--Bruce
Verdi fans please celebrate in kind as there is so much to be grateful for. Verdi lived well into his 80s and produced his greatest works when he was well into old age (even by today's definition of old age!) Whether its Otello, Falstaff, Aida, Don Carlo, Un Ballo there is an opera to suit all tastes. So why not join me in this joyous occasion? What Verdi operas are you listening to today?There's a good idea. I'm with you! I will listen to one of my newer acquisitions: La Forza del Destino with Tebaldi and del Monaco (not to mention Siepi, Simionato, etc.). :)
marvin
There's a good idea. I'm with you! I will listen to one of my newer acquisitions: La Forza del Destino with Tebaldi and del Monaco (not to mention Siepi, Simionato, etc.). :)
I've glanced through my collection and realised that the only Verdi I have right now is the String Quartet in E minor.... and his birthday ends in 2 hours here as well :<
It's a nice string quartet though!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY VERDI
What Verdi operas are you listening to today?
Verdi was a composer of operas first and foremost. May I recommend that you explore AIDA and OTELLO. No music collection should be without those 2 operas.....and then there is La Traviata, Il Trovatore, La Forza, Rigolleto, Don Carlo and Un Ballo we really are spoiled for choice here! I once read a statement on Verdi that I believe to be true...."Every Verdi opera is a class act!"
Please explore the operas.....there is so much to admire.
marvin
There's a good idea. I'm with you! I will listen to one of my newer acquisitions: La Forza del Destino with Tebaldi and del Monaco (not to mention Siepi, Simionato, etc.). :)
VERDI FANS!! How is everyone doing? I hope all of you are celebrating Verdi's 200th Anniversary this year- or at least giving this composer more attention than usual. Personally I am deep into Verdi's operas! A few months ago, in March I bought the COMPLETE WORKS of Verdi on the Decca label. This MEGA BOXSET:
and if I may be blunt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxDoldFID4s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxDoldFID4s)
I started with Oberto and am working my way through the operas in chronological order of composition (Tsaraslondon 8) style). I have now reached Luisa Miller. I was unfamiliar with Verdi's early works and was skeptical at first. But after listening to Jerusalem, La Battaglia de Legnano and Il Corsaro as well as Alzira and Giovanna D'arco I finally understand what I once read about Verdi..... "Every Verdi opera is a class act!" It is incredible how in every opera there is at least a few arias, a few ensembles and not mention choral lines that sent my heart pounding with delight!
This is the BEST boxset I own! With the sole exception of Ernani (a disappointingly strained performance by Dame Joan Sutherland) the performances are on the whole top notch! Thankfully I have a recording of Schipper's Ernani with Price to supplement. Sound quality on this boxset is superb!
I am especially excited about the French Version of Don Carlo which is unfamiliar to me (the boxset features both the Italian and French Versions) In addition there are 2 versions of La Forza the original (1862 St Petersburg Version) and the revised version 1869. There are also 8 CDs covering the Requiem, Quattro Pezzi Sacri, Sacred Works, Songs , Arias and other Rarities, String Quartets and Ballet Music....OH MY! The only issue is the lack of libretti but the 2 books included in this boxset include a synopsis of each opera on a track by track basis. My local library has some libretti as well, so I am managing quite well.
For a total price of around £125 for 75 CDs and performances drawn from the EMI, DG and Decca catalogues I would encourage anyone interested in this boxset to snap it up.
Happy Listening!
marvin
A sprawling score, that contains some of Verdi's greatest music. I am not so thrilled by the scene painting in the crowd scenes and rat-a-plan stuff, whilst understanding their purpose in relieving the otherwise unremitting gloom of the rest of the score.Yeah, I will probably end up getting the Price recording eventually, although the Tebaldi/Del Monaco does have some wonderful moments.
I am listening now to the second scene of Act II, one of the greatest in all Verdi, in the Callas recording, with Rossi-Lemeni a most sympathetic Padre Guardiano. Callas is superb in this scene. Though others may have sung the aria with fuller, more rounded tone, none have brought to it such intensity and meaning.
That said, I know you have an antipathy for Callas,so there is no point me recommending it to you.
However, the recording above is not really the best Forza out there, though there is a live Tebaldi one around somewhere, conducted by Mitropoulos, which shows what a great Leonora Tebaldi could be, and also a DVD of a performance from La Scala with Corelli, Bastianini and Christoff, on which the singing is spectacular. This studio one is a bit earthbound.
Price/Domingo/Levine is much more alive and probably the best all round set. Price doesn't have Callas's way with words, nor does she sing the music, particularly in the first act, with Callas's accuracy, but she is in all other aspects ideal, and that easily recognisable, smokey timbre of hers is ideal for the role.
Domingo is good here, but even better on the later Muti. Unfortunately Freni, thoughtful and musical singer though she is, sounds overparted as Leonora.
The Sinopoli won a Gramophone Award, but it hasn't stood the test of time. The best singing comes from Baltsa as Preziosilla, which is not really the reason one buys a recording of Forza.
I eventually had to cancel my order from Vivace Classical (after waiting in vain for a few months) and I ordered it for a bit more at Amazon.es. It arrived within days. It is a great box promising many more hours of listening pleasure. Viva Verdi!
Congratulations! I believe you will find it as I did quite stunning! The very high performance quality of the recordings in this box set sets it apart from any other COMPLETE works boxset I have come across.
marvin
Listening at present to Act II of Ballo in the live recording from La Scala with Callas, Di Stefano and Bastianini, and Gavazzeni a much more propulsive conductor than Votto on the studio set. All three principals are superb, Callas singing with absolute security above the stave on this occasion, and pouring out phrase after phrase of true spinto tone. If there is a more erotically charged love duet (one of the greatest in all Verdi) than this on record, then I have yet to hear it, both singers at their peak.
That's interesting, as I thought the Macbeth and Don Carlo arias were the best pieces. Some of her singing is plain out sloppy; but overall the many reviewers I have read like the Macbeth and don't mention the doubtful areas of her singing. I never believed her in the lighter range of roles such as Guilda. i always thought her voice had a dark quality to it and her best recital was of Russian arias, which do tend to draw on a darker timbre.
That is really superb performance all around. I usually stream it from Opera Today site, but don't have it on CD. Any idea what is these days considered to be the best transfer? EMI has had some copy/paste job done because some missing bits, Melodram is hard to find, Opera d'Oro is supposedly same as EMI, Myto which is easiest to find some consider best but others claim to be sharp throughout. All in all confusing. :-\
Verdi - La traviata
Callas, Valetti, Zanasi
The Covent Garden, Orchestra, Nicola Rescigno
This is an amazing performance! And Violetta's arioso in Act 2 ("Ammami Alfredo!") is simply tear-inducing.
This is my favourite of all Callas's recorded Violettas, which makes it, by default, my all time favourite La Traviata.
There is a curious anomaly regarding this transfer though. In all previous incarnations, the microphone picks up Callas quietly singing a couple of notes during the prelude. It's a charming moment, which most of us collectors listen out for. However those notes are entirely absent in this pressing, and I wonder a) how they were ommitted or b) whether some jiggery pokery has gone on and ICA have spliced in some bars from another performance. It's all very mysterious and ICA could shed no light on the matter when I wrote to them.
My all time favourite is Scotto with Raimondi and Bastianini. It was my first Traviata and I played it over and over ad nauseam when I was a teenager.
Yet they still mention the anomaly in the booklet, which made me wonder when I could not hear it.
It's odd how the recordings we grew up on are the ones we cling to in later life. I grew up on the Karajan Otello, with Del Monaco and Tebaldi, and for years it was my favourite. However I now prefer both Vickers and Domingo in the role, and would prefer both Scotto and Freni to Tebaldi, who sings beaitifully, but a little anonymously.
This is especially true for me as well. I grew up with the Chung Otello and the Karajan Aida with Tebaldi. I have yet to find a recording that I prefer to those 2 respectively.
I am happy with many Otellos, though I think Domingo is probably my favorite. He was certainly consistently good in the role that seemed to suit his voice well. I love the end of Act I when he sings with Scotto on the RCA version. Divine!
Post war, there was Mario Del Monaco (not especially subtle, but with the right voice for the role), Vickers and then Domingo. Who is today's great Otello?
I was really disappointed with Botha as Otello in the recent MET HD broadcast. He is probably the best Lohengrin today, but his Otello was really flat and lifeless.
Time for a Verdi session!Great cast there. The set in the big Verdi Decca box is very good too (Abbado).
Any suggestions on other prime versions of Macbeth? I really enjoyed Warren's voice in this particular performance.
Verdi: Macbeth Warren/Rysanek/Bergonzi/Hines/Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Leinsdorf (1959)
from
I have tried various versions, but Abbado is my favourite version, great singing and conducting. The sound is still fresh.
Mike
Verdi: Macbeth in English on Chandos: Keenlyside, Brindley Sherratt, Latonia Moore, Gwyn Hughes Jones. ENO Orchestra, Edward Gardner.
...I have always thought it a pity that Verdi wrote the witches and murders as chorus parts: the first, because three witches with Macbeth and Banquo would have made for a terrific intimate scene of drama instead of the rather public crowd rum-ti-tum stuff we get... Although based on Shakespeare the translation does not try to echo him significantly. The English is designed primarily for clear singing. In this the work of the chorus may as well be in Italian, but the soloists do well...
Mike
I cannot remember which opera it was, it was Verdi, but listening in English bits sounded like Gilbert and Sullivan. It was not a happy connection. I thought the translation was fine, plain, but the l language was direct.Sir Arthur would be pleased, since much of the music of the Savoy operas was inspired by Italian opera, and often meant to parody it.
Mike
Verdi: Rigoletto Moffo/Merrill/Kraus/Elias/Flagello/RCA Italiana Opera Chorus & Orchestra/Solti
Excellent version of one of my favorite Verdi operas! Somehow Rigoletto became more enjoyable after I took in a staged version on a dvd. It was fantastic. The imagery of the staging blended with the music so now any Rigoletto triggers the enjoyable experience. This Solti version was very good with wonderful singing from Moffo and Merrill. Solti's orchestra embraced the performance. I am still looking for my #1, but this one and a version with Callas would qualify as my current contenders.
Such a sad story! :'( :'( :'( :'(
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GzmSNs58Ry4/Ub-uZCAZ9SI/AAAAAAAAEII/OCk1UHLtoCE/s1600/07.jpg)
I do like Kraus's stylish Duke on this recording, but can't stand Solti in Verdi, so the Callas/Gobbi recording with Serafin at the helm still wins for me.
Tscherniakov does not give us the usual 'park-and-bark' 'organ grinder' Verdi, but the most exciting, thought-demanding version of this old outlived war horse.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B73RNO0mL._AA160_.jpg
I do share your enthusiam and admiration for Herbert von Karajan, Juliani, et al; my remark of "park and bark" refers to singers! I don't think conductors, as a rule, sing. Maestro Rico Saccini has been known to take over a few bars for a singer who lost it all, words and melody, to bring the artist's memory back to the performance.
From: " Made in Italy"Copyright © Rico Saccani:
"And then Houston
“Il Trovatore” is not a sing-long, but the few notes sung by conductor Rico Saccani last night were undoubtedly the first thing on the lips of the audience following Houston Grand Opera’s opening night. Those notes were a jolt. His voice came during the Act Three tenor aria ‘La pira’ covering both orchestra and singer. It was Saccani in stentorian tones correcting the tenor (Vyacheslov Polozov), who had gotten completely lost. A lot of people woke up from their dozing to attend to the podium.
- The Houston Chronicle, January 25, 1992."
On my end I can not tell one way or the other as I have not heard the Karajan recording. Perhaps some of GMG's Verdi experts can weigh in on the differences?
I am also left to wonder if Falstaff really is an opera buffa in the traditional (i.e. Rossini, Mozart etc.) sense?
marvinbrown
I love the Karajan recording, though some have also opined that it too lacks humour. For my part, I think it fizzes and sparkles like vintage champagne, and the Philharmonia play brilliantly for Karajan. With a near ideal cast, it remains my first choice for the opera.
Jessop, just the opposite for me... :D
Take the Otello for example.
I don't need to watch it to enjoy it, the drama is in the music, nowhere else, from the first blasting chord to the quiet, transfigured end. What does it make it so popular and much more loved than the Shakespeare's original? I think it's simply Verdi's music...
Verdi gave to Otello, Falstaff (!), Macbeth and all others (Rigoletto!! Hugo's original is almost forgotten...) a new greatness, a new immortality, thanks to his music and the drama which is deeply interwoven with it, not to the plot or the staging. Verdi made this alchemy and this is possibly why people enjoy his music so much.
Don't waste your time analyzing it too much.
Jessop, just the opposite for me... :D
Take the Otello for example.
I don't need to watch it to enjoy it, the drama is in the music, nowhere else, from the first blasting chord to the quiet, transfigured end. What does it make it so popular and much more loved than the Shakespeare's original? I think it's simply Verdi's music...
Verdi gave to Otello, Falstaff (!), Macbeth and all others (Rigoletto!! Hugo's original is almost forgotten...) a new greatness, a new immortality, thanks to his music and the drama which is deeply interwoven with it, not to the plot or the staging. Verdi made this alchemy and this is possibly why people enjoy his music so much.
Don't waste your time analyzing it too much.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Verdi: Rigoletto Moffo/Merrill/Kraus/Elias/Flagello/RCA Italiana Opera Chorus & Orchestra/Solti
Excellent version of one of my favorite Verdi operas! Somehow Rigoletto became more enjoyable after I took in a staged version on a dvd. It was fantastic. The imagery of the staging blended with the music so now any Rigoletto triggers the enjoyable experience. This Solti version was very good with wonderful singing from Moffo and Merrill. Solti's orchestra embraced the performance. I am still looking for my #1, but this one and a version with Callas would qualify as my current contenders.
Such a sad story! :'( :'( :'( :'(
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GzmSNs58Ry4/Ub-uZCAZ9SI/AAAAAAAAEII/OCk1UHLtoCE/s1600/07.jpg)
Ha ha! I have returned to Solti's performance of Verdi's Rigoletto once again. And, once again being reminded by Tsaraslondon that I should revisit the Serafin performance with Callas/Gobi! :)
Hmm, not much activity in the Verdi thread since 2014..... :'( :'( :'(
No love for Verdi?
Latest on ClassicsToday (InsiderContent):
A Lady Macbeth From Hell
by Jens F. Laurson
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DwvajGIX4AAWwHB.jpg)
The idea of Verdi’s Macbeth (in the original, dramatically taut 1847 version) performed by a period instrument ensemble is, generously viewed, intriguing–at least when Europa Galante and Fabio Biondi are involved, with all their creditable expertise in Italian music. Granted, Verdi is not Vivaldi and... Continue Reading (https://www.classicstoday.com/review/a-lady-macbeth-from-hell/)
To me the only important flaw...unfortunately a very important flaw...was the Lady Macbeth. But I have to wonder if that may not stem from an intentional choice by Biondi, since the liner notes make a point of Verdi's statements that he wanted an ugly sounding singer for the role.
(Not being an Insider I have no idea of what you wrote beyond the lead...)
Whatever Verdi's intentions and, as I've pointed out before, they should no doubt be taken with a pinch of salt, there is no excuse for bad singing. Not only does Michael have a vibrato you could drive the whole of Macbeth's army through, her singing of the notes Verdi wrote is approximate in the extreme. I used to think Souliotis's singing on the Gardelli set was pretty disastrous, but beside Michael she is a paragon. I can't imagine what possessed those involved to go ahead. A Macbeth with an inadequate Lady Macbeth is as disastrous for Verdi as it is for Shakespeare, and I have no idea what Biondi was thinking. Back in Legge and Culshaw's day she would have been dismissed before she even got into the recording studio.
Verdi Fans......Ciao, come stai?
Oh I am tempted.....anyone here familiar with this boxset?
I am tempted because it is all the operas,in Bluray (great picture and sound), the productions seem for the most part to be traditional with some elaborate staging (maybe not as elaborate as the MET or Covent Garden productions but from what I can tell it is not Regietheatre which I hate. But how is the singing?, how is the action/acting overall? Any advice? thoughts impression?
marvin