What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[Wanderer]

A Rossini-thon in progress! So far (mainly streaming the Naxos issues and, whenever available, more versions of): La cambiale di matrimonio, L'equivoco stravagante, L'inganno felice, Ciro in Babilonia, La scala di seta, Demetrio e Polibio; listening at the moment to the delightful La pietra del paragone. 

[Florestan]

Ciro in Babilonia

That famous aria on a single note! How did you like it? 

[Wanderer]

That famous aria on a single note! How did you like it? 

Ah, La caduta di Baldassare. That one was a first listen. I thought it was a fine early work, the farse that Rossini composed before and after being, according to present mood, a lot more enjoyable. I'll re-listen when I reach his other Lenten opera, Mosè in Egitto.

The Rossini-thon continues: after the delights of La pietra del paragone and the effervescent L'occasione fa il ladro, it's now the turn of Il signor Bruschino (3 versions of it). 

[Florestan]

Ah, La caduta di Baldassare. That one was a first listen. I thought it was a fine early work, the farse that Rossini composed before and after being, according to present mood, a lot more enjoyable. I'll re-listen when I reach his other Lenten opera, Mosè in Egitto.

The Rossini-thon continues: after the delights of La pietra del paragone and the effervescent L'occasione fa il ladro, it's now the turn of Il signor Bruschino (3 versions of it). 

Splendid!

[Tsaraslondon]

Today is the 90th birthday of the great Dame Janet Baker and I am listening to this 1973 performance of her singing one of her greatest roles, and one that she chose as her farewell to opera in 1982 (a performance that was also recorded and originally issued by EMI). The sound is not so good in this version but Baker is in marginally fresher voice. Here is my review on my blog Janet Baker as Maria Stuarda
 

[JBS]

The above is the cover image used in the Norrington Complete Erato Recordings set.
Alternate cover that lists the main cast

[Tsaraslondon]

I first came across this set in 1976. I was in Italy working as a dancer in an Italian Operetta company and had walked into a record shop (I can't remember the city) and was absolutely stunned to see several opera sets featruing Callas that I didn't even know existed. My budget wouldn'st stretch to more than one and in any case I didn't have much room in my suitcase, so I plumped for this set of Anna Bolena, though I didn't get to hear it until I returned home to England a couple of months later. I've never regretted the purchase of the LPs (they were on the MRF label) and still think this is one of the most valuable of all Callas's live opera sets, catching her at the height of her powers as a tragedienne in a role that was perfect for her in 1957.

If you believe in the validity of opera as drama and think that bel canto opera is much more than high notes and vocal showing off, then this is the set for you. No other recording of the opera, live or studio, comes within a mile of this. It really takes you on a thrilling dramatic journey. This Divina transfer is excellent as well, so much better than the awful Warner transfer, which used the EMI source (also not good).

I've written a detailed review on my blog Callas in Anna Bolena- La Scala, Milan April 14 1957

[Florestan]

in 1976. I was in Italy working as a dancer in an Italian Operetta company

You must have had a fantastic time, I reckon.

[Tsaraslondon]

You must have had a fantastic time, I reckon.

Yes. Pretty good. I was 24 and it was my first professional job. We were stationed in Montecatine Terme to begin with, then toured round Tuscany, Sardinia and eventually Sicily. We played lots of diffefrent theatres, cinemas,  beautiful opera houses, sometimes a makeshift stage erected in the local square and once a Roman amphitheatre. Italy has so many beautiful opera houses. I remember one that was exquisitely beautiful, but also tiny, so small that you couldn't get the whole dance troupe and chorus on stage at the same time so we had to do pared down versions of the operettas. I certainly learned a lot.

[T. D.]

Listened to this the other day.

[Tsaraslondon]

Listening to the Ars Vocalis transfer of this famous performance. I've always thought the sound perfectly listenable, but this Ars Vocalis transfer is much better than any of the others I've heard. It also include the announcements by the Radio 3 announcer .

I doubt I will ever hear a performance to match this one. Callas's 1958 voice, aside from a rather strident top Eb in the first act, can still cope with the demands of the role and her interpretation has further deepened to give us the most moving, most heart-rending Violetta ever recorded.

My review of the performance is on my blog Callas's Covent Garden Traviata

[JBS]

Tonight


From 1963.
The booklet says some lines from the libretto were censored out, but doesn't give details.

The sound is excellent even by 2023 standards.

[JBS]

This afternoon...from the Erato Norrington Complete Recordings set.

One of three operas in this set.

[Tsaraslondon]

I enjoyed this disc of excerpts, which concentrates on the three female roles, omitting all of Ochs's music completely. Some will no doubt think this is a bonus (and I might just be one of those  ).

Though Octavian is usually sung by a mezzo, here the role is taken by the soprano Elisabeth Söderström, who is the ardent, impulsive Octavian to the life and hers was the performance I enjoyed most. I've never been much of a fan of Crespin on the Solti recording, but I find her much preferable here. The voice is fresher, more youthful (the Marschallin is supposed to be in her early thirties, after all) and her annoying tendency of hitting notes from below is much less in evidence. Considering she is not singing in her native tongue, she points the text wonderfully well and is a warm and feminine Marschallin. She doesn't quite erase memories of Schwarzkopf, who is my Marschallin imprint, but then no other soprano does.

As for Güden, I've never really got on with her. To my ears, the tone can turn hard and slightly acid on top and she can't really float the voice like the best Sophies, such as Stich-Randall, Popp, Elisabeth Schumann or even Schwarzkopf in an early recording of the Presentation of the Silver Rose with Irmgard Seefried as Octavian.

Varviso paces the music wonderfully well and, to be honest, I prefer his condcuting to that of Solti.

[Tsaraslondon]

A wonderful performance of Così fan Tutte, which is an absolute joy. This was apparently Schwarzkopf's favourite of all her recorded performanvces of the opera. Certainly she is in superb voice, but so are the rest of the cast and there isn't a single weak link. Cantelli's conducting is superb and the sound acceptable for a live recording from 1956.

[T. D.]

[Henk]

Great

[ritter]

Cross-posted from the general WAYLTN thread:

An opera I haven't listened to in many years, but that again makes a very strong impression:



Othmar Schoeck is a composer I don't really appreciate that much, but Penthesilea(on Kleist) is quite something. The alternation of the lyrical (or autumnal, as this is the word that comes to my mind in much of Schoeck's music) and the downright savage, of the spoken and the sung, and of the hugely scored and the almost chamber-like, is very, very effective, and the work is really beautiful (despite its gory story — next to it, Elektra appears as tame as L'Elisir d'amore  ).

I got this recording, with a very convincing Yvonne Naef in the title rôle and conducted by Mario Venzago, several years ago, but I think I hadn't listened to it until now. It seems to include more music —95 minutes spread over two CDs— than the other one I have in my collection (Helga Dernesch under Gerd Albrecht live from Salzburg, on a single CD —as are other recordings I know about—).

Really enjoying this!

[Tsaraslondon]

In my opinion, and that of many Callas devotees, this is the best of all her recorded Normas. The sound isn't at all bad in this Divina transfer.

Reviewed on my blog Callas's Norma – 7 December 1955
 

[KevinP]

Since my Shakespeare class went through this time, Abbado's Macbeth.