Opera/Tosca

Posted by: Diccus62 on 11 August 2006

I am a novice Opera listener and would like to listen to more but am not sure where to go. I like Tosca but have only a Renata Tebaldi copy which doesnt seem to have good audio quality. Any recommendations for a excellent Tosca?

also i like Andea Bocelli's Sentimento, any other recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks

Diccus Smile
Posted on: 19 August 2006 by Diccus62
quote:
Originally posted by Big Brother:
quote:
Any other general Opera recommendations anyone to broaden my horizons

Thanks

Try almost the same forces (Callas, Gobi, Di Stefano) this time conducted by Serafin (also on EMI) in Verdi's Rigoletto, as a composer Verdi ate Puccini's lunch and the sack it came in. Smile


Cheers BB

Diccus Smile
Posted on: 20 August 2006 by Wolf
I too like Verdi, but Puccini's La Boheme is one of the 3 most popular operas around. Simple great story, done a dozen different ways over the decades. A friend recommended one on EMI conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham with Victoria de los Angeles, Jussi Bjorling and Robert Merrill which I bought and it's rather stunning. The last part of second act where they fall in love and then give in to it in last aria is absolutely wild. With his soaring tenor melody lines and she chirping, trilling, and sighing, it's pure aural orgasm. Nobody does it better!!! Of course the second CD is all down hill, purely emotionally, as she is destitue, succumbs to consumption and dies. I often only listen to the first CD.

Glenn
Posted on: 21 August 2006 by Diccus62
quote:
Originally posted by Wolf:
I too like Verdi, but Puccini's La Boheme is one of the 3 most popular operas around. Simple great story, done a dozen different ways over the decades. A friend recommended one on EMI conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham with Victoria de los Angeles, Jussi Bjorling and Robert Merrill which I bought and it's rather stunning. The last part of second act where they fall in love and then give in to it in last aria is absolutely wild. With his soaring tenor melody lines and she chirping, trilling, and sighing, it's pure aural orgasm. Nobody does it better!!! Of course the second CD is all down hill, purely emotionally, as she is destitue, succumbs to consumption and dies. I often only listen to the first CD.

Glenn


Wolf

You've ruined the plot mate Big Grin

Diccus
Posted on: 21 August 2006 by SteveGa
quote:
Originally posted by Wolf:
With his soaring tenor melody lines and she chirping, trilling, and sighing, it's pure aural orgasm. Glenn


Probably good for ear wax - just an aside Smile
Posted on: 21 August 2006 by Wolf
well sorry for ruining the ending, but few tragedies come out well and opera is bad news made glorious. How about Othello, when he's choking her at the end she sings her last aria or better yet, Rigoletto where his daughter has been stabbed to death and in a body bag she sings her last song.... tehee. Gotta love those Italians, they know drama.
Posted on: 27 August 2006 by Van_The_Man
quote:
also i like Andea Bocelli's Sentimento, any other recommendations would be appreciated.


I too am an opera novice, but Beethovens 'Fidelio' contains some of his most profound writing, and is , I found very easy to get into.
Posted on: 27 August 2006 by graham55
I'd recommend that anyone new to opera who has enjoyed Callas in Tosca should try her recording of another Puccini opera, Madama Butterfly, under a young Herbert von Karajan conducting at La Scala.

I don't know how to attach pictures, but it's available as part of the (black/white/silver) Callas Edition on two mid-price EMI CDs: also 1950s and mono.

Another exemplary performance from the lovely Maria and, at this early stage in his career, Karajan was almost as powerful a conductor as de Sabata is on the Tosca set.

G