Today weāre listening to āUna furtiva lagrimaā from Act II of the Italian opera LāElisir dāAmore by Gaetano Donizetti. Written in the bel canto style,
Juan Diego FlĆ³rez delivered a sweet rendition of "Una furtiva lagrima" from Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'amore". Pavarottiās version was very impressive, though Iām not sure that his muscular singing really matched the character of Nemorino, a humble ānobodyā. Of three artists I explored, I liked Enrico Carusoās performance best. It was musically interesting, had more emotional depth, was credible in light of the story, and had the creativity and decorative qualities characteristic, I gather, of bel canto singers.
I now know that āopera buffaā is the term used for two comic operas I enjoyed in my youth - "The Barber of Seville" and "The Marriage of Figaro". I imagine opera composers and fans alike welcomed a respite, from time to time, from the heaving bosoms and tragic laments that dot the operatic landscape.
Finally, I checked out this amazing website by Tom FrĆøkjƦr, http://www.enricocaruso.dk (English). Itās an extraordinary labor of love with all of Carusoās recordings and incredible photos. Iām hooked on Caruso now. (YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t936rzOt3Zc )
Thank you for this: "You can hear the arias again and again, with different singers and with full operas, different stagings, and with each hearing you will not merely hear music you know, but experience it again, and in deeper ways. While I go through the process of curating multiple interpretations of a role or an aria each week, my love of opera has deepened." This is exactly what it's been like for me to follow your (so much more than a) newsletter. You're like The Pied Piper without the unhappy ending. This pandemic, and you, have given us subscribers a blessing. Amen.
George Jellinek the Hungarian/New York music historian hosted The Vocal Scene on WQXR in the 1970's-1980's. His programs are a gold mine of Classical Music and Operatic Singers History,
Opera Daily š¶ ā The Elixir of Love
This was truly beautifully sung, thank you.
Juan Diego FlĆ³rez delivered a sweet rendition of "Una furtiva lagrima" from Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'amore". Pavarottiās version was very impressive, though Iām not sure that his muscular singing really matched the character of Nemorino, a humble ānobodyā. Of three artists I explored, I liked Enrico Carusoās performance best. It was musically interesting, had more emotional depth, was credible in light of the story, and had the creativity and decorative qualities characteristic, I gather, of bel canto singers.
I now know that āopera buffaā is the term used for two comic operas I enjoyed in my youth - "The Barber of Seville" and "The Marriage of Figaro". I imagine opera composers and fans alike welcomed a respite, from time to time, from the heaving bosoms and tragic laments that dot the operatic landscape.
Finally, I checked out this amazing website by Tom FrĆøkjƦr, http://www.enricocaruso.dk (English). Itās an extraordinary labor of love with all of Carusoās recordings and incredible photos. Iām hooked on Caruso now. (YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t936rzOt3Zc )
Thank you for this: "You can hear the arias again and again, with different singers and with full operas, different stagings, and with each hearing you will not merely hear music you know, but experience it again, and in deeper ways. While I go through the process of curating multiple interpretations of a role or an aria each week, my love of opera has deepened." This is exactly what it's been like for me to follow your (so much more than a) newsletter. You're like The Pied Piper without the unhappy ending. This pandemic, and you, have given us subscribers a blessing. Amen.
George Jellinek the Hungarian/New York music historian hosted The Vocal Scene on WQXR in the 1970's-1980's. His programs are a gold mine of Classical Music and Operatic Singers History,