What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[Pohjolas Daughter]

A blind listen to Verdi's Don Carlo (Giulini, Domingo, Caballé, Raimondi).

Don't know yet if someone dies. I am on a deckchair and not worrying about a libretto.  

Looking forward to reading how you (hopefully) enjoyed it.  It's one of my favorites...and yes, do pick up the libretto sometime whilst listening to it, or at least read the synopsis. 

PD

[Papy Oli]

One of Verdi's darkest operas and one which many Verdi lovers would call their favourite. It has some glorious music, and, yes, somebody dies.

  

Looking forward to reading how you (hopefully) enjoyed it.  It's one of my favorites...and yes, do pick up the libretto sometime whilst listening to it, or at least read the synopsis. 

PD

Joking above aside, the music and singing are indeed superb and gripping. I have read the synopsis this morning and I am halfway through Act IV at the moment. I'll have to listen to the French version as well at some point.

[Wendell_E]

Rossini's Le comte Ory is a delight,

That's one I should have mentioned. Also, Smetana's The Bartered Bride.

[Que]

Acts II & III

[Mapman]

Bernstein: Candide
Scottish Opera

[Que]

Acts IV & V

[Papy Oli]

Mozart - Cosi Fan Tutte Act I (Böhm)



I have read the synopsis beforehand. Nobody dies...

they just pretend to...   

[vandermolen]

I listened to most of Joby Talbot's new opera 'Everest' (based on the 1996 disaster) on the radio last night. The music was quite effective in conveying the terrifying grandeur of the mountain but the libretto was banal and the whole thing rather mawkish. It seemed to show the influence of Vaughan Williams's 'Sinfonia Antartica' with wind machines and percussion. However, unlike VW's also one-act opera 'Riders to the Sea' 'Everest' failed (IMO) to convey anything of the human tragedy behind the events. Furthermore, many of those who died on Everest in 1996 will have living relatives and I found the whole thing rather distasteful. I won't be buying the CD although I wouldn't mind hearing it again one day.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jun/25/everest-review-barbican-opera-joby-talbot-bbcso

[Papy Oli]

Mozart - Cosi Fan Tutte Act I (Böhm)

ACT II today.

[Papy Oli]

A tale of two halves with the above opera.

In Act I, I found some of the recitatives/"talking" bits (?) too frequent, monotonous and eventually distracting.

In Act II, the "singing" felt more prevalent and made this Act more enjoyable to me. There's been 2 or 3 instances where I found myself bowled over by some of the male singing. I will have to look back through the tracks with the leaflet in hand to find out which particular singer(s) impressed me that much (I don't think I have anything with Kraus or Berry in my collection. Taddei appears on my shelves with "Nozze" and "Don Giovanni".)   

Overall, an opera I am likely to revisit.

[Papy Oli]

In the mood for a little bit of Callas:

[Todd]

The eight-buck Tristan.

First, the plus.  The winds of the Janacek Philharmonic harken back to the Czech Philharmonic of decades past.

Now the non-plusses.  Recorded balances sometimes sound wonky.  None of the singers appeal.  Juyeon Song is not a good Isolde.  Roy Cornelius Smith is a mediocre Tristan.  If you think that the singers portraying Tristan and Isolde must be good to make for a good recording of Tristan und Isolde, then this may not be the recording for you.

This marks the first time in my listening experience where I broke listening to the opera into multiple weekends (three in the course of four weeks) to allow me to take it all in.  Take from that what you will.

[ritter]

Haven't listened to Chausson's Le Roi Arthus in ages.



I've never really warmed to Gallic pseudo-Wagnerism, but let's see what impression it makes this time aroun...

[KevinP]

HINT: I want to buy that hat of peacock feathers

If you don't know what I'm listening to from the hint, you've probably never heard the opera.

[ritter]

HINT: I want to buy that hat of peacock feathers

If you don't know what I'm listening to from the hint, you've probably never heard the opera.

And it was all over 10 minutes after you started listening to it? 

[KevinP]

Yep.

[Florestan]

Okay, so may we the unwashed masses know what you are talking about, your highnesses? 

[KevinP]

Barber's A Hand of Bridge, a ten-minute opera.

The 'I want to buy that hat of peacock feathers' line gets often stuck in my head.

[Florestan]

Barber's A Hand of Bridge, a ten-minute opera.

The 'I want to buy that hat of peacock feathers' line gets often stuck in my head.

Thanks. Never heard (about) it indeed. 

[KevinP]

Allegedly the shortest opera performed regularly, which liner note writers seem incapable of not mentioning.

Nonetheless, I agree it's not well-known. Although miniature opera have grown in popularity, this one remains overlooked and relatively unknown.