What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[ritter]

Cross-posted from the WAYL2N thread in the general discussion (this is an opera, after all)..

Another parcel sent by the Stockhausen-Verlag in Kürten was awaiting me when I came home from work this evening...



Now listening to Freitags-Gruß. I'm not really into electronic music, but can understand this making a strong effect in performance: 8-track electronic music reproduced over eight loudspeakers (or groups thereof) placed in a circle or oval in the foyer of the theatre, which is lit with candles, while the audience enters.

The central 2 acts of Freitag aus Licht have three layers of music: i) the purely electronic, ii) the prerecorded "sound scenes" of "vocal couples", electronically modulated for the most part, and iii) a layer of 10 "real scenes" (with live performers) that take place between the "sound scenes". Then, in the Abschied, we revert to the purely electronic sounds as the audience leaves the house.

Well, I'm halfway through the Gruß as I write. It lasts more than a hour, but can be "shortened according to the situation" — an opera house with very  efficient and energetic ushers, perhaps?  .  So far, so good... 

[ritter]

Now returning to my (cursory) traversal of Verdi operas set in Spain.

Act III (which isn't set in Spain, but is my favourite  ) of La Forza del destino.



This 1941 recording conducted by Gino Marinuzzi is probably one of those opera recordings that can be regarded as "legendary" (and it was the first ever of this opera). Galliano Masini (Don Alvaro) was highly regarded in his day. The singing now sounds a bit old-fashioned and unsubtle, but the tone is ardent. Gino Marinuzzi was one of the leading opera conductors of his time in Italy. He conducted the world premieres of many relevant works, and was also a composer of renown. This is his only complete opera recording.

[Mapman]

Dvořák: Jakobín
National Theatre Brno

[Henk]

Excellent

[Florestan]

Excellent

Believe it or not, an hour ago I was listening to this:

[Lisztianwagner]

Crossposting from the WAYLT thread:

Richard Wagner
Das Rheingold

Georg Solti & Wiener Philharmoniker

[DavidW]

Crossposting from the WAYLT thread:

Richard Wagner
Das Rheingold

Georg Solti & Wiener Philharmoniker

It was same for me!

[ritter]

Listening to this new arrival...



Gino Marinuzzi was highly regarded as a conductor in his day, and led the world premieres of operas by Wolf-Ferrari, Alfano, Respighi, Pizzetti and Puccini (La Rondine). Unfortunately, he left only one complete opera recording, a superb La Forza del destino (a wartime EIAR broadcast, released by Cetra).

He was also a composer of note, and his Symphony was regarded by the late critic Paolo Isotta as the greatest in the form composed in Italy in the 20th century (a hyperbolic assertion, but the work is quite attractive and interesting).

This Palla de' Mozzi is the last of his three operas; I already knew his second one, Jacquerie (recorded years ago by the Nuova Era label), but TBH have little recollection of it.

This is an ambitious work, to a libretto by Giovachino Forzano, set in 15th century Florence. I have previously described Marinuzzi's operatic style as "neo-renaissance verismo", and I think this is quite apt. The orchestral writing is post-romantic but also archaising, and rather refined. The vocal lines are more declaimed than anything else (again, a typical post-verismo trait), and the sound world that results is a sort of mixture of Mascagni (that of Parisina and Isabeau) and Zandonai, with Respighi and even Richard Strauss. This amalgam, though, is rather effective and enjoyable.

A very engaging live performance from the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, one of the most adventurous opera houses in Italy! Good stuff!

[Papy Oli]

I watched the documentary "Maria by Callas" earlier on in the week, currently on the BBC I-Player:



Full of TV Archives, interviews in French and English, and read extracts from her own letters.

Considering Callas was nothing more than just an artist name to me only a few months ago, I found this documentary really fascinating. I didn't even know she had been in a relationship with Aristotle Onassis!   

Recounting her hounding by the press is quite an insight and displays both her strength of character and her fragility.

My god, how mesmerizing she was  Oh and that accent when she speaks French made me weak at the knees, I confess

(I still need to catch up on a 2-part interview programme also on the BBC I-Player)

[Tsaraslondon]

I watched the documentary "Maria by Callas" earlier on in the week, currently on the BBC I-Player:



Full of TV Archives, interviews in French and English, and read extracts from her own letters.

Considering Callas was nothing more than just an artist name to me only a few months ago, I found this documentary really fascinating. I didn't even know she had been in a relationship with Aristotle Onassis!   

Recounting her hounding by the press is quite an insight and displays both her strength of character and her fragility.

My god, how mesmerizing she was  Oh and that accent when she speaks French made me weak at the knees, I confess

(I still need to catch up on a 2-part interview programme also on the BBC I-Player)

The interviews with Lord Harewood are fascinating. They don't really touch on her private life and concentrate on matters musical. She was a complete musician and incredibly serious about her work. That aspect of her work occasionally gets forgotten.

[Papy Oli]

The interviews with Lord Harewood are fascinating. They don't really touch on her private life and concentrate on matters musical. She was a complete musician and incredibly serious about her work. That aspect of her work occasionally gets forgotten.

I thought this aspect did come across a few times in the documentary, her aim to perfection in singing and acting, conveying it the best she can to the audience in the opera house, not settling for a shabby production, practising and practising again (particularly when she was trying somehow to regain her voice's past glory so to speak). I look forward to those interviews for it's more artistic angle, thank you.

[ritter]

Mascagni's short (45') and bittersweet Zanetto. This neo-renaissance mini-opera (originally it was to be subtitled "scena lirica"), for soprano, mezzo and wordless chorus (in the introduction), is no masterpiece, but has its quaint charm.

A live recording from 1986 from Livorno, included in this set.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

The interviews with Lord Harewood are fascinating. They don't really touch on her private life and concentrate on matters musical. She was a complete musician and incredibly serious about her work. That aspect of her work occasionally gets forgotten.

I thought this aspect did come across a few times in the documentary, her aim to perfection in singing and acting, conveying it the best she can to the audience in the opera house, not settling for a shabby production, practising and practising again (particularly when she was trying somehow to regain her voice's past glory so to speak). I look forward to those interviews for it's more artistic angle, thank you.

Those interviews with Lord Harewood are quite interesting.  From what I recall, they are part of a set that I have.  Would be happy to provide the info if anyone is interested (They are on CD).

PD

[Tsaraslondon]

Recordings of Charpentier's paean to Paris aren't exactly numerous and this recording is now almost fifty years old. Fortunately it does full justice to the work. Though recorded in London the majority of the supporting roles are taken by French nationals and Prêtre conducts a superb performance. If Cotrubas and Domingo don't erase memories of Vallin and Thill, who recorded a considerably truncated version of the opera back in 1935, they are nonetheless excellent in the two main roles and some of the supporting singers could hardly be bettered.

[springrite]

Recordings of Charpentier's paean to Paris aren't exactly numerous and this recording is now almost fifty years old. Fortunately it does full justice to the work. Though recorded in London the majority of the supporting roles are taken by French nationals and Prêtre conducts a superb performance. If Cotrubas and Domingo don't erase memories of Vallin and Thill, who recorded a considerably truncated version of the opera back in 1935, they are nonetheless excellent in the two main roles and some of the supporting singers could hardly be bettered.

I remember in my early days of being introduced to opera, this opera was called "the first proletariat opera".

I must watch the DVD that I have one day. (Shameful that I have had it for years but not watched it.)

[Tsaraslondon]

Believe it or not, Rutland Boughton's The Immortal Hour was once, in the UK at least, as popular as any opera by Puccini or Verdi, running for 216 consecutive performances in London on 1922 and a further 150 the following year. It was also seen in New York in 1926. However it has rarely been revived since and soon disappeared from the stage.
It is a fairy-tale opera, with a story akin to that of Rusalka, the score owing much to Wagnerian leitmotifs, though it doesn't sound in the least like Wagner. The music is tonal and melodious and there are at least two memorable tunes, which haunt the memory. Though it might never become a repertory work, I think it could take the occasional revival, especially in a festival situation.

The recording is absolutely splendid, the sound rich and glowing, and the singing really very good indeed. All the singers have excellent diction, but the two stand-out performances are Roderick Kennedy as Dalua, The Lord of Shadow and the soprano Anne Dawson as the Princess Etain, whose voice kept reminding me of Janet Baker. The recording was made almost forty years ago. I'm surprised she didn't have a bigger career or make more recordings.

Well worth seeking out.

[Papy Oli]

Those interviews with Lord Harewood are quite interesting.  From what I recall, they are part of a set that I have.  Would be happy to provide the info if anyone is interested (They are on CD).

PD

Watching Part One of these interviews at the moment. Fascinating to hear her approach and work method.

[ando]

Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore (1991, Brian Large)
The famous MET production. First time listen/watch this morning. Fun! Prime Pavarotti and Battle.

[brewski]

R. Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten (Staatsoper Stuttgart, recorded November 2023)

-Bruce

[ritter]

A live recording of Puccini's Manon Lescaut which has acquired almost legendary status (despite the so-so sound), from the Teatro Municipal in Caracas in 1972. Magda Olivero (62 at the time) and Richard Tucker (58) are the very impressive leads, and the performance as a whole functions very well.