Classical Music & Opera Forums

I just listened to a deadly dull performance (recorded earlier from Sirius) of L'Assedio di Corinto from 1975 with Sills and Verrett, Richard Woitach conducting. The dead hand on the performance was Woitach's, and it highlighted the fact that a good conductor in Rossini is as critical to the success of a performance as a good conductor in Verdi or Wagner. The contrast was all the greater with the Schippers-led broadcast of the same production a few months earlier, in the previous season.

calvert wrote:

pczipott wrote:Jamie, it will repay your effort to disable your web nanny, just this once.

As Anna Russell said, commenting on Siegfried's "Das ist kien mann" statement: "I mean, have you seen the average Brunnhilde?"
.

kein, not kien.. Try Siegfried as a way to remember ie and ei.

Just a typo. I know the difference between "kein" and "kien."

"Das Holz ist kein Kien."

calvert wrote:Just a typo. I know the difference between "kein" and "kien."

"Das Holz ist kein Kien."

I suspected you did.

I have a recording of Tiefland from the 60s on Eurodisc, with Rudolf Schock and several other once well-known German singers conducted by Hans Zanotelli, and this is excellent.
I'd like to get the DVD ,too. Tiefland might be worth a revival at the Met.
The role of Pedro would have been a good one for Placido Domingo, but at this late stage in his great career this would be unlikely.
Several years ago there was a recording of another D'Albert opera on CPO called
"Die Toten Augen", or the Dead Eyes, which sounded intriguing. I don't know if it's still available.

Carmen


I know some people don't like this version of Carmen, but I love it. They say Callas' voice is at the end but I'm listening to it now and think she's wonderful as Carmen. This is a great recording and Callas is Carmen, my favorite. Gedda is great, too. Odd, but I also had a Marilyn Horne cd on and the very first track was the Haberna and while I will get pilloried for this I think Callas's Haberna rungs rings around Horne and I love Horne, thinking she is one of the greatest mezzos ever, if not the greatest.

I've finally got around to listening to last month's Gramophone sampler CD, and it contains some of the most thrilling singing I've heard in years: Max Emanuel Cencic in Handel's Faramondo. If the rest of the work (and performance) is even half as good as the chosen aria, this is a must-buy. Cencic is not just the most wonderful countertenor I've ever heard; he's right up there with the greatest sopranos/mezzos.

The Sirius Met online schedule is off-kilter - again... Today's schedule is nowhere to be found - current listings start with Sun 7/12. I know they're playing a Fliegende Hollander at the moment - anyone have the comprehensive schedule for the rest of the day? (And anyone know the reason why this seems to happen so much, and/or what we can do about it?)

(Even odder - I found yesterday's version of the page through a google cache search, but it omits Saturday - going right from Fri 7/10 to Sun 7/12. So even that didn't help!)

Meanwhile, listening to a BBC broadcast of an ENO Peter Grimes which is quite good - I guess I'll have to put off today's errands for another couple of hours...

lulu wrote:Carmen

I know some people don't like this version of Carmen, but I love it. They say Callas' voice is at the end but I'm listening to it now and think she's wonderful as Carmen. This is a great recording and Callas is Carmen, my favorite. Gedda is great, too. Odd, but I also had a Marilyn Horne cd on and the very first track was the Haberna and while I will get pilloried for this I think Callas's Haberna rungs rings around Horne and I love Horne, thinking she is one of the greatest mezzos ever, if not the greatest.

I've never been a fan of the Callas Carmen, but many people think highly of it. And I have never ranked Horne among one of the great Carmens; too blatant and vulgar, musically speaking, although the vocalism itself is impressive.

calvert wrote:

lulu wrote:Carmen

I know some people don't like this version of Carmen, but I love it. They say Callas' voice is at the end but I'm listening to it now and think she's wonderful as Carmen. This is a great recording and Callas is Carmen, my favorite. Gedda is great, too. Odd, but I also had a Marilyn Horne cd on and the very first track was the Haberna and while I will get pilloried for this I think Callas's Haberna rungs rings around Horne and I love Horne, thinking she is one of the greatest mezzos ever, if not the greatest.

I've never been a fan of the Callas Carmen, but many people think highly of it. And I have never ranked Horne among one of the great Carmens; too blatant and vulgar, musically speaking, although the vocalism itself is impressive.

I like the Callas Carmen a lot too. It was the first full recording of the opera I heard when I was a kid, and I do think that first impressions/first recordings have a way of influencing the way you hear a piece. I should go back and listen to this version - I haven't heard it in a long time. Some things stick with me, though - like the way Gedda holds the "adieu p-o-u-r....jamais" (at the end of the Act II duet) just a bit longer than one expects, lol - a bit of bravura, perhaps - but maybe also an insight into the character - he'd rather hold on, than to commit to really saying farewell?

lulu wrote:Carmen


I know some people don't like this version of Carmen, but I love it. They say Callas' voice is at the end but I'm listening to it now and think she's wonderful as Carmen. This is a great recording and Callas is Carmen, my favorite. Gedda is great, too. Odd, but I also had a Marilyn Horne cd on and the very first track was the Haberna and while I will get pilloried for this I think Callas's Haberna rungs rings around Horne and I love Horne, thinking she is one of the greatest mezzos ever, if not the greatest.

Two roles in which I disliked Horne in were Carmen and Rosina. Vocally, she was fine but her acting was terrible. There was nothing sexy about her Carmen nor charming about her Rosina. Callas is stylistically fine as Carmen, but vocally very flawed in her complete recording. She is much better in th arias on her French Arias album. He Louise aria on this recroding is vocally flawed, but stylistically great, so that even a vocal freak like me can really love her performance. The Dalila arias, though not really vocally right for her voice, are great too.

pczipott wrote:I've finally got around to listening to last month's Gramophone sampler CD, and it contains some of the most thrilling singing I've heard in years: Max Emanuel Cencic in Handel's Faramondo. If the rest of the work (and performance) is even half as good as the chosen aria, this is a must-buy. Cencic is not just the most wonderful countertenor I've ever heard; he's right up there with the greatest sopranos/mezzos.

Thanks for the heads-up. While I usually like the countertenor voice very much, I find it too two-dimensional and limited in its expressive qualities. So, I went searching on youtube and this guy has a very dynamic voice. And his lower register sounds more like a contralto than a typical countertenor. The coloratura is also excellent. A real find.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMFeLzCjd4M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggT1wTakaWM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnCiyCr_X1o

Marilyn Horne's special gifts were wasted in roles like Carmen and Amneris. She was born to sing Rossini, Handel, and Vivaldi.

So, everyone: stand up and salute General Horne. Better yet, go down on your knees before one of the sovereign singers of all time.

calvert wrote:Marilyn Horne's special gifts were wasted in roles like Carmen and Amneris. She was born to sing Rossini, Handel, and Vivaldi.

So, everyone: stand up and salute General Horne. Better yet, go down on your knees before one of the sovereign singers of all time.

I think it's funny how the heading of the video clip reads "Marilyn Horne Or La Tromba..." - I mean, is that:

Marilyn Horne [sings the aria] "Or La Tromba"

or is it:

Marilyn Horne, or "La Tromba"

(I think both are accurate, especially in this instance, lol - even though I know her friends call her Jackie, not neccesarily "La Tromba," lol.)

One of Marilyn's many marvels, IMO, is her coloratura. Does anyone else sing passagework as pinpoint-accurately as she does? You can hear her attack every pitch, and yet somehow the flow of the line is still there. Amazing.

HERE is what is probably Marilyn Horne's greatest performance EVER. Such artistry, such greatness, such taste and imagination. (And the headgear is amazing.)

calvert wrote:HERE is what is probably Marilyn Horne's greatest performance EVER. Such artistry, such greatness, such taste and imagination. (And the headgear is amazing.)

It doesn't take a great mind to know that you are joking.

But seriously, did you notice the wobble in the opening lines?

mogliettina wrote:Confession Time:
I am almost embarrassed to say this but I will chance it here and hope you will hold back on your barbs.
It's not that I think she's terrible or anything like that because I like her voice, but for some odd reason Karita Mattila doesn't do for me what she seems to do for everybody else. I just don't get her. It won't stop me from going to see her but that certain "something" just isn't there for me. Wonder what's wrong with me.
Oh well, so there it is! (slinking off)

I must confess that I agree.

Lauritz wrote:

mogliettina wrote:Confession Time:
I am almost embarrassed to say this but I will chance it here and hope you will hold back on your barbs.
It's not that I think she's terrible or anything like that because I like her voice, but for some odd reason Karita Mattila doesn't do for me what she seems to do for everybody else. I just don't get her. It won't stop me from going to see her but that certain "something" just isn't there for me. Wonder what's wrong with me.
Oh well, so there it is! (slinking off)

I must confess that I agree.

I would take the above statement and instead insert Marilyn Horne's name, except that I have never especially like her voice or singing, but do kinda admire her technical ability. To me Horne sounds like a machine gun when she sings florid passages---not as bad as the freakish Bartoli.



And I am NOT embarrassed to admit this!