One of the things that most impresses me in vocal writing is how composers of operatic works really stretch the envelope of what's possible, or normal, for a human voice. Besides the kinds of stratospheric extremes (Offenbach's Hoffmann comes easily to mind, or Strauss' Ariadne) it's this kind of writing I have in mind. Yes, I know that opera is not written for normal people to sing but for those gods and goddesses among us with the instruments capable of doing this kind of singing, but that composers even think to write music like this amazes me. And then for the singers to make music of it? After Krol Roger now I've another opera to go find.
Are there any important little known Gounod opera's ? Has The Met ever staged anything besides FAUST or R&J ?
One of the things that most impresses me in vocal writing is how composers of operatic works really stretch the envelope of what's possible, or normal, for a human voice. Besides the kinds of stratospheric extremes (Offenbach's Hoffmann comes easily to mind, or Strauss' Ariadne) it's this kind of writing I have in mind. Yes, I know that opera is not written for normal people to sing but for those gods and goddesses among us with the instruments capable of doing this kind of singing, but that composers even think to write music like this amazes me. And then for the singers to make music of it? After Krol Roger now I've another opera to go find.
https://archive.org/details/lp_mireille_charles-gounod-choeurs-du-festival-daixenp