What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[Tsaraslondon]

Wolf-Ferrari's charming one act opera in a new recording.

Wolf-Ferari's Il Segreto di Susanna

[JBS]

Wolf-Ferrari's charming one act opera in a new recording.

Wolf-Ferari's Il Segreto di Susanna

Amazon US lists the Scotto/Bruson with a few cheap used copies available, and even one labelled new for under $20US.

I have the recording conducted by Petrenko. It struck me as slim but enjoyable.  The Petrenko adds on a song cycle for baritone to fill up the CD.

[Tsaraslondon]

Amazon US lists the Scotto/Bruson with a few cheap used copies available, and even one labelled new for under $20US.

I have the recording conducted by Petrenko. It struck me as slim but enjoyable.  The Petrenko adds on a song cycle for baritone to fill up the CD.

A bit pricey for UK buyers, though, once you've added postage. In any case, it isn't officially available anymore, not even as a download or on streaming services, whereas the Gardelli (with Weikl and Chiara) is. That adds an operatic recital by Chiara.

[ritter]

The recording of Il Segreto di Susanna in my collection is this vintage Italian radio production. It's not very polished, but is very charming. The fillers are orchestral operatic excerpts conducted by Angelo Questa.



Still, I prefer Wolf-Ferrari's works based on Goldoni, particularly the late Il Campiello.

[nico1616]

40 years old and still one of the best Händel opera recordings I know. Orchestral sound is superb (those ballets!) and Arleen Augér is still my favorite Alcina, despite the likes of Fleming and Kozena.

[ritter]

Let's please not stay off-topic. Thanks!

Sorry, I don't know how to say this in either Romanian or Hungarian (regardless of the latter being or not an official language in Romania). That off-topic discussion has been moved to The Diner.

[Florestan]

[ritter]

Un soave non so che, in quegl' occhi scintillò... 

[Lisztianwagner]

Johann Strauss II
Die Fledermaus

Hilde Gueden, Waldemar Kmentt, Eberhard Wächter, Walter Berry, Giuseppe Zampieri, Erika Köth, Peter Klein, Erich Kunz, Regina Resnik
Herbert von Karajan & Wiener Philharmoniker

[nico1616]

This is still the best Rigoletto for me, Giulini's conducting is slow but so compelling, Cappuccilli has his career hightlight with the title role, Domingo is seductive as always and Cotrubas does not sound young but her beauty of tone makes up for that. I love every note of this.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle
Troyanos, Nimsgern; Boulez

I think this is my third time hearing Bluebeard's Castle. It's surprisingly compelling.

For me, this is one of the great Bluebeard's Castle on record. Boulez's conducting is exciting as hell and he really rips into the music, which is, unfortunately, something that became lax as he got older despite still his considerable presence on this podium. One of the great things about this recording are the voices: Tatiana Troyanos is absolutely convincing in her role as Judith and this is, of course, not forgetting other past roles from the likes of Ludwig, Júlia Várady (quite possibly my favorite Judith of them all) and Otter. Bluebeard is well-sung from Nimsgern with that darker-hued bass-baritone of his that has graced some other other exquisite recordings under Boulez's baton like his role in Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder or under Karajan in his absolutely transcendent performance of Wagner's Parsifal (still my favorite recording of this masterpiece). Anyway, I always thought he was rather undervalued.

I hope you enjoyed this amazing performance of Bluebeard's Castle, which, for me, is a work that has held a place amongst music that has changed my life for the better.

[steve ridgway]

For me, this is one of the great Bluebeard's Castle on record. Boulez's conducting is exciting as hell and he really rips into the music, which is, unfortunately, something that became lax as he got older despite still his considerable presence on this podium. One of the great things about this recording are the voices: Tatiana Troyanos is absolutely convincing in her role as Judith and this is, of course, not forgetting other past roles from the likes of Ludwig, Júlia Várady (quite possibly my favorite Judith of them all) and Otter. Bluebeard is well-sung from Nimsgern with that darker-hued bass-baritone of his that has graced some other other exquisite recordings under Boulez's baton like his role in Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder or under Karajan in his absolutely transcendent performance of Wagner's Parsifal (still my favorite recording of this masterpiece). Anyway, I always thought he was rather undervalued.

I hope you enjoyed this amazing performance of Bluebeard's Castle, which, for me, is a work that has held a place amongst music that has changed my life for the better.

I have found I enjoy a few operas having listened to this Boulez box. He picked some good stuff .

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

I have found I enjoy a few operas having listened to this Boulez box. He picked some good stuff .

Yep, that's a great set. I can't believe it's OOP or, at least, hasn't been reissued. I bought it back when it was still in-print and affordable.

[ritter]

RW: Gotterdammerung, Act III. Wolfgang Sawallisch conducts the forces of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Recorded in 1989.



From this set:

[nico1616]

My search for a Don Carlo with a perfect Rodrigo has finally come to an end: Bastianini is the one. I was beginning to think the role is too difficult for any singer, but here we have a perfect interpretation with all the notes right. I had never heard of Flaviano Labò, but what a fantastic Don Carlo he is. Even Antonietta Stella can match with the best Elisabetta's. Everything is perfect here, the conducting, the sound and the cast down to the smallest role. A wonderful discovery!

[San Antone]

My search for a Don Carlo with a perfect Rodrigo has finally come to an end: Bastianini is the one. I was beginning to think the role is too difficult for any singer, but here we have a perfect interpretation with all the notes right. I had never heard of Flaviano Labò, but what a fantastic Don Carlo he is. Even Antonietta Stella can match with the best Elisabetta's. Everything is perfect here, the conducting, the sound and the cast down to the smallest role. A wonderful discovery!

I will have to look for that one - it doesn't appear to be available on Spotify, was it transferred to CD or only available as LP?

This one by Santini is the one I know:

Don Carlo (1884) 
Boris Christoff (bass) – Filippo II, King of Spain;
Mario Filippeschi (tenor) – Don Carlo, Infante of Spain;
Tito Gobbi (baritone) – Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa;
Giulio Neri (bass) – The Grand Inquisitor;
Plinio Clabassi (bass) – A Monk;
Antonietta Stella (soprano) – Elisabetta di Valois;
Elena Nicolai (mezzo) – Princess Eboli;
Loretta Di Lelio (mezzo) – Tebaldo, page to Elisabetta;
Paolo Caroli (tenor) – Count of Lerma / A Royal Herald;
Orietta Moscucci (soprano) – A Voice from Heaven;
Chorus and Orchestra, Opera House, Rome, Gabriele Santini
rec. Rome, October 1954



Well regarded mainly because of the singing despite the abridged 4-act version. Giulini (1970) with Domingo and Caballé is the one I usually listen to.

[nico1616]

I will have to look for that one - it doesn't appear to be available on Spotify, was it transferred to CD or only available as LP?

It appeared on cd a few times it seems (with different covers - see below). But it is not easy to find, momox has a copy for 95 euros, which is crazy. I found mine on marktplaats.nl for 4 euros. Second-hand market is really full of all kind of treasures these days.

[ritter]

It appeared on cd a few times it seems (with different covers - see below). But it is not easy to find, momox has a copy for 95 euros, which is crazy. I found mine on marktplaats.nl for 4 euros. Second-hand market is really full of all kind of treasures these days.

It is a very good recording of Don Carlo. I posted about it some years ago, but for the life of me can't find that post.  I got it as a made-to-order CD-R (with full artwork and booklet, in the garb of the first image above) from ArkivMusic, but I think that service no longer exists.

Actually, all those recordings DG made at La Scala in the 60s —under Serafin, Gavazzeni, Votto, Santini— are excellent (I don't know the Kubelik Rigoletto, though, as I do not care for that particular work). They usually had strong or even stellar casts, but some singers (e.g. Gianni Poggi) are less than adequate.

[JBS]

Used copies are available on Amazon US Marketplace starting at about $55.

Presto has it available as a download from *Urania*.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7997326--verdi-don-carlo

[Number Six]

Callas IS moving in Violetta, there's no doubt about that. It's the whole work that I fail to enjoy. I find nothing to like in the characters. I just don't root for them (including Violetta). And that has nothing to do with who sings the title role - I've heard all of these Callas performances. And Sutherland, Scotto, Cotrubas, Lorengar... I'm nothing if not perseverant. For many years I thought there was something I didn't 'get'. Turned out this particular blind spot is very obstinate...

I get a lot more musical and dramatic thrills from Rigoletto and Il Trovatore - operas in which Callas gave some of her best portrayals, by the way.

Your problem is you've never heard Netrebko in the role. I mean, all those gals are good, but they're not La Netrebko.