I'm primarily drawn to opera by the orchestral music, the drama, and theatrics. Oddly enough, the singing is of a secondary, almost incidental interest to me. I acknowledge this is peculiar for opera enthusiasts. Having said that, when a singer delivers a sublime performance, as Cecilia Bartoli surely does, it is a most welcome bonus!
I used to host a classical music radio program. I would feature an opera overture or intermezzo every week. We could talk forever about this, but my favorites may very well be The overture from I Vespri Sicicilliani or the intermezzo from Manon Lescaut. . . wait then there's the overture to Don Giovanni and the. . .see, what I mean. It never ends. :)
😂😂😂😂 I know EXACTLY what you mean 🤦♀️ - we are now venturing into monthly themes so this is definitely happening! I Vespri Siciliani YES and Manon Lescaut YES YES YES - crazy beauty!
Including a couple of links in case folks want to check out your recommendations:
I have returned to this post, even though we're deep into Rossini, because "Rinaldo" has been calling me. I've always been interested in the art and music of the Baroque period. I have found, however, that I can only listen to Handel's "Rinaldo" in bite-sized pieces. It's so long! At some point, I must set aside 3+ hours to listen to it from start to finish. I have been enjoying the fanciful ornamentation in the music and arias. I try to imagine myself as a bewigged, bejeweled and perfumed lady in an 18th century European court, listening in rapt attention (when not gossiping or flirting). Handel has always taken me on a musical journey that I don't want to end. He is definitely one of my favorite composers. Lucky for us he hasn't fallen out of favor, and his genius is still celebrated.
When you dig down deep, baroque opera is a beast unique to itself. . .it is opera in the broadest sense for sure. . .just as opera is theatre in the broadest sense. . .I grew up in an exclusively Puccini/Verdi (maybe a little Bizet) house. I discovered Mozart and Wagner on my own in college and it was as if I never heard opera before. . .and I never really listened to baroque opera until I was in my 40s. So many wonderful colors and patterns in this magnificent fabric.
I loved your description of baroque opera as "a beast unique to itself".😄 I wrestled with "Rinaldo" and "Giulio Cesare" for hours. I myself grew up in a family that trotted out Handel's Messiah religiously at Christmas and Easter. So I was not fully prepared for the complexity and the very different musicality of Opera Composer Handel. It's fun to be exposed to the different musical languages used by different composers to tell their stories. It's also fun to hear from another listener. Hooray!✍
I had no idea that I had finished "Rinaldo" and that YouTube had moved me straight away to "Giulio Cesare." Apparently I've been listening to the latter for much of the afternoon, and didn't know it until I decided to take a break. The two operas sound similar. Maybe I picked up on what you wrote in the 6Dec2020 post. Handel (like Rossini) borrowed music from his other works. Even so, he has a style all his own. The tenor and tone of "Giulio Cesare" was definitely more heroic than "Rinaldo". I am glad to bookmark them in my full opera playlist.
I'm primarily drawn to opera by the orchestral music, the drama, and theatrics. Oddly enough, the singing is of a secondary, almost incidental interest to me. I acknowledge this is peculiar for opera enthusiasts. Having said that, when a singer delivers a sublime performance, as Cecilia Bartoli surely does, it is a most welcome bonus!
I am intrigued! I have been tempted to do a theme week of opera overtures and I think you have pushed me over the edge!
I used to host a classical music radio program. I would feature an opera overture or intermezzo every week. We could talk forever about this, but my favorites may very well be The overture from I Vespri Sicicilliani or the intermezzo from Manon Lescaut. . . wait then there's the overture to Don Giovanni and the. . .see, what I mean. It never ends. :)
😂😂😂😂 I know EXACTLY what you mean 🤦♀️ - we are now venturing into monthly themes so this is definitely happening! I Vespri Siciliani YES and Manon Lescaut YES YES YES - crazy beauty!
Including a couple of links in case folks want to check out your recommendations:
Verdi, I Vespri Siciliani Overture, Abbado, 2002
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mck6R8M4iII
Puccini, Manon Lescaut, Intermezzo, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Muti
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZf0JHbrtpg
Would love to learn more about radio show you hosted - sounds incredible
Gentle and soothing. Lovely
Truly - a timeless, beautiful melody
Beautiful warmth in C Bartolli’s voice.. really very heartfelt song
for sure
I have returned to this post, even though we're deep into Rossini, because "Rinaldo" has been calling me. I've always been interested in the art and music of the Baroque period. I have found, however, that I can only listen to Handel's "Rinaldo" in bite-sized pieces. It's so long! At some point, I must set aside 3+ hours to listen to it from start to finish. I have been enjoying the fanciful ornamentation in the music and arias. I try to imagine myself as a bewigged, bejeweled and perfumed lady in an 18th century European court, listening in rapt attention (when not gossiping or flirting). Handel has always taken me on a musical journey that I don't want to end. He is definitely one of my favorite composers. Lucky for us he hasn't fallen out of favor, and his genius is still celebrated.
When you dig down deep, baroque opera is a beast unique to itself. . .it is opera in the broadest sense for sure. . .just as opera is theatre in the broadest sense. . .I grew up in an exclusively Puccini/Verdi (maybe a little Bizet) house. I discovered Mozart and Wagner on my own in college and it was as if I never heard opera before. . .and I never really listened to baroque opera until I was in my 40s. So many wonderful colors and patterns in this magnificent fabric.
I loved your description of baroque opera as "a beast unique to itself".😄 I wrestled with "Rinaldo" and "Giulio Cesare" for hours. I myself grew up in a family that trotted out Handel's Messiah religiously at Christmas and Easter. So I was not fully prepared for the complexity and the very different musicality of Opera Composer Handel. It's fun to be exposed to the different musical languages used by different composers to tell their stories. It's also fun to hear from another listener. Hooray!✍
I had no idea that I had finished "Rinaldo" and that YouTube had moved me straight away to "Giulio Cesare." Apparently I've been listening to the latter for much of the afternoon, and didn't know it until I decided to take a break. The two operas sound similar. Maybe I picked up on what you wrote in the 6Dec2020 post. Handel (like Rossini) borrowed music from his other works. Even so, he has a style all his own. The tenor and tone of "Giulio Cesare" was definitely more heroic than "Rinaldo". I am glad to bookmark them in my full opera playlist.
oh yes Handel loved the borrowing :-)