Aria's from Marilyn Horne as CARMEN and Isabella in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algieri; Grace Bumbry in TOSCA at The Met and MEDEA at City Opera I agree. Heard Janet Baker in a stunning recital at the Kennedy Center with her back arched over the piano. All great ones for sure and still heard in my memory decades later.
So many! The Prize Song from Meistersinger; The Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde; Wotan's Farewell from Die Walküre; Brunnehilde's Immolation from Götterdämmerung; The final trio from Der Rosenkavalier (one of my most favorite moments in all opera) and on and on. What amazes me is just how many there are from both our established "great" composers, but also "lesser" composers. Rusalka's Moon Song, for example (we don't really think of Dvorak as a "great" opera composer like we do Mozart, Verdi, etc. after all), but that is a truly magnificent aria. One can fill up a playlist for several hours of listening and still find yet more to add. What I like about listening to old 78s are the wealth of arias that have long fallen out of favor. Not to mention that all of the aria from the 24 Italian Songs and Arias are all from operas that were once much performed but no longer are; it's enlightening to hear a mature artist sing those! There is on archive.org a recording of Pavarotti singing a recitcal in Brooklyn NY and he sings a few of these 24 Italian Songs and Arias and they are wondeful (which I think also shows that at least in the 1950s the arias in that book were still be used by voice teachers in Italy).
I have 3 I believe are musts. Sempre Libera and Vissi D’arte The third is lasting but remarkably thankless. Always anticipated but never thrilling I have seen Carmen many times but the Toreador song as famous as it is is a black hole for the Baritone. No matter who is the singer I have never heard a bravo but rather tepid applause
The thing is I enjoy everything that Pavarotti sings, I always feel he is singing personally to me. My favourite has to be Nessun Dorma, so powerful, so uplifting - I never tire of it.
The first outstanding aria that comes to my mind is “Porgi, amor”, sung by the countess at the opening of the second act of Figaro. The lyrics, music, and dramatic situation make it heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The best rendition I have heard is by Rene Fleming in a 1994 DVD.
Too much Puccini----
Aria's from Marilyn Horne as CARMEN and Isabella in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algieri; Grace Bumbry in TOSCA at The Met and MEDEA at City Opera I agree. Heard Janet Baker in a stunning recital at the Kennedy Center with her back arched over the piano. All great ones for sure and still heard in my memory decades later.
So many! The Prize Song from Meistersinger; The Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde; Wotan's Farewell from Die Walküre; Brunnehilde's Immolation from Götterdämmerung; The final trio from Der Rosenkavalier (one of my most favorite moments in all opera) and on and on. What amazes me is just how many there are from both our established "great" composers, but also "lesser" composers. Rusalka's Moon Song, for example (we don't really think of Dvorak as a "great" opera composer like we do Mozart, Verdi, etc. after all), but that is a truly magnificent aria. One can fill up a playlist for several hours of listening and still find yet more to add. What I like about listening to old 78s are the wealth of arias that have long fallen out of favor. Not to mention that all of the aria from the 24 Italian Songs and Arias are all from operas that were once much performed but no longer are; it's enlightening to hear a mature artist sing those! There is on archive.org a recording of Pavarotti singing a recitcal in Brooklyn NY and he sings a few of these 24 Italian Songs and Arias and they are wondeful (which I think also shows that at least in the 1950s the arias in that book were still be used by voice teachers in Italy).
The "Sull'aria" duetto from "The Marriage of Figaro," featured in "Shawshank Redemption," was transforming for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzuM2XTnpSA
I have 3 I believe are musts. Sempre Libera and Vissi D’arte The third is lasting but remarkably thankless. Always anticipated but never thrilling I have seen Carmen many times but the Toreador song as famous as it is is a black hole for the Baritone. No matter who is the singer I have never heard a bravo but rather tepid applause
The thing is I enjoy everything that Pavarotti sings, I always feel he is singing personally to me. My favourite has to be Nessun Dorma, so powerful, so uplifting - I never tire of it.
The first outstanding aria that comes to my mind is “Porgi, amor”, sung by the countess at the opening of the second act of Figaro. The lyrics, music, and dramatic situation make it heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The best rendition I have heard is by Rene Fleming in a 1994 DVD.
Well that’s a rare talent I’m sure any Pinza audience would have also broken my general rule.