Can DVDs count? Fredericka von Stade as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro at Glyndebourne in 1973 is an iconic performance, and I can't imagine anyone ever equaling her in that role for both her looks and her voice.
Does Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen count as one opera?
Anyway, that or at least Walkure from it. Then I will take Bellini's La Sonnambula, (Grubrova), Mascagni's L'amico Fritz (Gheorghiu), and Flotow's Marths (Lucia Popp).
First, Orfeo and Eurydice with Stephanie Blyth playing Orfeo. It so fits the seductive strangeness of opera - going down in the underworld to save a lover. Orfeo pleading to the gods to save his Eurydice is one of my favorite songs. Second, Don Giovanni, with Ferruccio Furlanetto as Leporello - so funny (and Byron Terfel as DG. Third, La Traviatta, Met Opera with Natalie Dessay as Violetta - oh that partying hussy - and the bizarre stage. Eugene Onegin with Dimitri Hvorostovsky and Renee Flemming - the letter writing scene is exquisite. Lastly, Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, with Christopher Maltma singing "Largo al Factotum". Though his version of "L al F" isn't my favorite, he is my favorite (funny) Figaro. Guess I'm mostly a Verdi fan.
1. Delibes: Lakmé, Dame Joan Sutherland, Gabriel Bacquier, Emile Belcourt, Jane Berbié, Orchestre national de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo & Richard Bonynge, 1968
2. Rossini: La Cenerentola, Cecilia Bartoli, Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna & Riccardo Chailly, 1993
3. Verdi: Macbeth, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Renato Bruson, Mara Zampieri, Robert Lloyd, Neil Shicoff & Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin, 1984
4. Catalani: La Wally, Vol. 1, Renata Tebaldi, Giacinto Prandelli, Jolanda Gardino, Dino Dondi, Pinuccia Perotti, RAI Orchestra of Rome, RAI Chorus of Rome & Arturo Basile, 2006
5. Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, Rolando Villazón, Marina Rebeka, Joyce DiDonato, Regula Mühlemann, Tara Erraught, Adam Plachetka, Chamber Orchestra of Europe & Yannick Nézet-Séguin, 2018
If I were stranded on a desert island, I would like lighter operas. Rossini: Il Viaggio A Reims 88-89 Staatsoper season, Abbado conducting. Brilliant!;
Guillaume Tell (it's always nice to hear the "Lone Ranger theme)! Donizetti:
L'Elsir d'amore - La Scala 2019. Mozart (sorry, I can't do umlauts): Die Entfuhrung ...; Die Zauberflote.
If I went a bit heavier I'd choose Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with Baltsa and Gruberova, Staatsoper April 1986. This one "hooked" me on opera! Verdi's Don Carlo because of the duet. Bizet's The Pearl Fishers ... because of the duet. Enough!
Probably I'd take Nabucco, since is the first opera I saw live at the Opera house in Bucharest and ever since then I am in love with it. As for the interpretation, can I take with me the entire cast & orchestra? It has to be powerful if I am to spend my life stranded on that island 😂
The Catalani would be wonderful. Remember Wilhelmina Fernandez in the 80’s film ‘Diva’ -? The rest can be shared between Mozart, Handel and Verdi please!
Lucia di lammermoor (Callas), Nabucco (Muti-Ghiaurov), Falstaff (both of the version in the Met app, so Maestri and Plishka), Capriccio, Magic Flute. Also these last two, the Met versions. This is pretty much what stayed with me during the lockdown, probably I heard two of these every week, between others…
I don't want to influence this thread but Callas in Norma/1958 is going to be at the top of that list....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-TwMfgaDC8 - shoot this is hard 🤭
Does the Ring count as one?
We will take the selections that are here and share background/commentary in future posts! (If they are pieces we haven’t covered yet)
Can DVDs count? Fredericka von Stade as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro at Glyndebourne in 1973 is an iconic performance, and I can't imagine anyone ever equaling her in that role for both her looks and her voice.
My own new opera Company with Il Prigionero by Dallipiccola; Poulenc's LA VOIX HUMANE; and Menotti's THE TELEPHONE sotto voce !!!
Does Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen count as one opera?
Anyway, that or at least Walkure from it. Then I will take Bellini's La Sonnambula, (Grubrova), Mascagni's L'amico Fritz (Gheorghiu), and Flotow's Marths (Lucia Popp).
1. Wagner, RofN, Solti; 2. Puccini, La Boheme (Freni, Pavarotti), Schippers, 1969; 3. Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier (Te Kanawa, Von Otter, Hendricks), Haitink; 4. Verdi, Aida (Price, Domingo), 1970; 5. Bellini, Norma (Sutherland, Horne), Bonynge
First, Orfeo and Eurydice with Stephanie Blyth playing Orfeo. It so fits the seductive strangeness of opera - going down in the underworld to save a lover. Orfeo pleading to the gods to save his Eurydice is one of my favorite songs. Second, Don Giovanni, with Ferruccio Furlanetto as Leporello - so funny (and Byron Terfel as DG. Third, La Traviatta, Met Opera with Natalie Dessay as Violetta - oh that partying hussy - and the bizarre stage. Eugene Onegin with Dimitri Hvorostovsky and Renee Flemming - the letter writing scene is exquisite. Lastly, Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, with Christopher Maltma singing "Largo al Factotum". Though his version of "L al F" isn't my favorite, he is my favorite (funny) Figaro. Guess I'm mostly a Verdi fan.
Is it lame to pick 5 Mozart operas? 🤔
1. Tristan und Isolde, Reiner
2. Turandot, Leinsdorf
3. Ring des Nibelungen, Boehm (lots of listening hours on a desert island 😉)
Norma
Faust
Madame Butterfly
1. Delibes: Lakmé, Dame Joan Sutherland, Gabriel Bacquier, Emile Belcourt, Jane Berbié, Orchestre national de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo & Richard Bonynge, 1968
2. Rossini: La Cenerentola, Cecilia Bartoli, Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna & Riccardo Chailly, 1993
3. Verdi: Macbeth, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Renato Bruson, Mara Zampieri, Robert Lloyd, Neil Shicoff & Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin, 1984
4. Catalani: La Wally, Vol. 1, Renata Tebaldi, Giacinto Prandelli, Jolanda Gardino, Dino Dondi, Pinuccia Perotti, RAI Orchestra of Rome, RAI Chorus of Rome & Arturo Basile, 2006
5. Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, Rolando Villazón, Marina Rebeka, Joyce DiDonato, Regula Mühlemann, Tara Erraught, Adam Plachetka, Chamber Orchestra of Europe & Yannick Nézet-Séguin, 2018
Faust, Carmen, The Pearlfishers
Faust; Rigoletto; Aida; Don Giovanni; Tannhauser.
Wow! What a great erudite group of people!
If I were stranded on a desert island, I would like lighter operas. Rossini: Il Viaggio A Reims 88-89 Staatsoper season, Abbado conducting. Brilliant!;
Guillaume Tell (it's always nice to hear the "Lone Ranger theme)! Donizetti:
L'Elsir d'amore - La Scala 2019. Mozart (sorry, I can't do umlauts): Die Entfuhrung ...; Die Zauberflote.
If I went a bit heavier I'd choose Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with Baltsa and Gruberova, Staatsoper April 1986. This one "hooked" me on opera! Verdi's Don Carlo because of the duet. Bizet's The Pearl Fishers ... because of the duet. Enough!
Tosca—Corelli
Turadont — Corelli
La Boheme— Pavarotti
Cenerentola, Barber of Sevilla, La Nozze de Fígaro
Claudio Monteverdi, L'INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA (Marc Minkowski, Anne Sophie von Otter) https://youtu.be/iON2bq3-_q0
Giacomo Puccini, LA BOHÈME (Mirella Freni, Gianni Raimondi)
https://youtu.be/5U2N2c96Kuk
Jules Massenet, THAÏS (Barbara Frittoli, Lado Ataneli) Teatro Regio di Torino
https://youtu.be/lGYtASTqi_Y
George Frideric Handel, GIULIO CESARE EN EGITTO (Montserrat Caballé) Liceu Opera Barcelona
https://youtu.be/7kjM2UoKYBw
Georges Bizet, CARMEN (Maria Callas, Georges Prêtre & L'opéra nationale de Paris) https://youtu.be/LUyhI_Hug78
*No particular order ❤. Loved the challenge🎵.
1. Marriage of Figaro
2. Don Giovanni
3. Falstaff
4. Rigoletto (the one with this cast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6S_kx0gDzc&ab_channel=JesusVillabrilleCastillo )
5. Elixir of Love (gotta be PAvarotti.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrh5oiy5kR8&ab_channel=Jos%C3%A9AntonioNavarro )
Probably I'd take Nabucco, since is the first opera I saw live at the Opera house in Bucharest and ever since then I am in love with it. As for the interpretation, can I take with me the entire cast & orchestra? It has to be powerful if I am to spend my life stranded on that island 😂
1. Puccini’s La Boheme (RCA/Victor Vinyl) Jussi Björling, Victoria De Los Angelos
2. Verdi’s La Traviata (DVD), Edita Gruberova, Neil Schicoff, Georgio Zancanara
3. Bizet’s Carmen (DVD/Film Francesco Rosi), Placido Domingo, Julia Migenes-Johnson
The Catalani would be wonderful. Remember Wilhelmina Fernandez in the 80’s film ‘Diva’ -? The rest can be shared between Mozart, Handel and Verdi please!
Lucia di lammermoor (Callas), Nabucco (Muti-Ghiaurov), Falstaff (both of the version in the Met app, so Maestri and Plishka), Capriccio, Magic Flute. Also these last two, the Met versions. This is pretty much what stayed with me during the lockdown, probably I heard two of these every week, between others…