Music Lane

• Thanks, guys! - Feanor 16:02:50 04/09/05 (0)
  In Reply to: Any good opera on DVD? posted by Feanor on April 6, 2005 at 05:33:20:

  I have suggestions here to keep me going for quite a while.
  

  Bill Bailey
  _______________
  Beauty? Or Truth?
  
  

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• Re: Any good opera on DVD? - John C. - Aussie 23:26:38 04/06/05 (3)
  In Reply to: Any good opera on DVD? posted by Feanor on April 6, 2005 at 05:33:20:

  My favourite "Carmen" is the Covent Garden production featuring Maria Ewing.

  I love "La Traviata" featuring Tiziana Fabbricini (an electrifying performance) and prefer it to the highly aclaimed version starring Angela Gheorghiu.

  Also highly recommend Rossini's "Cinderella" with Von SDtade on DGG.

  The above three are on laserdisc here but might be available on DVD.

  On DVD some of my favourites are -

  * "La Belle Helene" by Offenback on Image cond. by Harnoncourt - an extremely tuneful, happy and light opera, more of an operetta. A very good starting point.

  * "Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail" by Mozart on TDK cond by Zubin Mehta - another fun opera

  * "L'elisir d"amore" by Donizetto on Decca with the Opera de Lyon - superb singing

  * "Falstaff" by Verdi on BBC featuring Bryn Terfel - also fun/farcical

  * "Don Pasquale" By Donizetti on TDK cond by Gerard Korsten - and yet another fun opera

  I second the other recommendations given by others although I would caution against Wagner in your early opera exploration. Come to his works later and you will appreciate just how superb they are. Repulsive man, but heavenly composer. Work out that enigma if you can - I have problems with it + the Nazi associations but soon forget them once immersed in the music.

  The Handel, Haydn, Gluck and other earlier operas are pretty static so you would be wise to avoid them initially, beautiful as much of the music is.

  Good luck & welcome to the superb world of opera :-)

  John
  
  Interesting times
  
  

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  • Wagner - Feanor 06:40:17 04/07/05 (2)
    In Reply to: Re: Any good opera on DVD? posted by John C. - Aussie on April 6, 2005 at 23:26:38:

    John C., I guess your Wagner caution is a reasonable one. However I've had some exposure to Wagner, both in live performance, (Tristan & Isolde and Meistersingers at least), and on record; Das Rheingod and Tannhauser the two operas that I actually own (on LP).

    Wagner was a classic "heel" personally, but as you say a great composer. As for Nazi associations, let's remember that happened long after Wagner had gone to his grave so they are, in all reasonableness, totally irrelevant to the appreciation of his music.
    

    Bill Bailey
    _______________
    Beauty? Or Truth?
    
    

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    • MC DVDs - John C. - Aussie 16:23:13 04/07/05 (1)
      In Reply to: Wagner posted by Feanor on April 7, 2005 at 06:40:17:

      Hi Bill

      I should have read your first posting more carefully and seen you are already into opera and I did not answer your query re MC DVDs.

      On this subject of MC DVDs, the offerings vary. Just about all which are only 4:3 video are only 2CH. With the costs so high most recordings are of live performances and MC might only add to the distractions of the audience. DD 5.1 musical recordings can sound "thin" and compressed but the video drama on stage often offsets this.

      The MC DVDS here are -

      * Decca Donizetti "L'elisir d'amore" mentioned before - a gem, desert Is stuff

      * The "Don Pasquale" mentioned before

      * Dvorak's "Rusalka" on TDK featuring Renee Fleming, also a desert Is candidate

      * Glinka's "Ruslan & Lyudmila" on Philips

      * "Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail" of Mozart mentioned before,

      * Prokovief's "War & Peace" on TDK

      * "La Belle Helene" mentioned before

      * Purcell's "The Fairy Queen" on Image

      * Rossini's "Cinderella" featuring Bartoli on Decca

      * Verdi "Falstaff" mentioned before - brilliant

      * Verdi "Simon Boccanegra" on TDK

      * Verdi's "Rigoletto" on BBC Opus Arte - a contraversial production because of the nudity, but great singing.

      * Verdi "Macbeth" featuring Giuseppwe Sinopoli.

      And yes, those Wagnerian operas are among the most dramatic on the system here. My favourite remains the Boulez Bayreuther set of the Ring. My set is 2CH laserdisc but it has been reissued on DVD in MC. The modernised Stuggart interpretation was shown here on TV recently. I taped it but, try as I might, the 1930's setting is a complete turn off and stops me appreciating the singing etc. I've seen some successful transpositions of operas to modern dress but this is not one of them for me.

      John
      Interesting times
      
      

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      • Re: MC DVDs - Feanor 15:38:39 04/09/05 (0)
        In Reply to: MC DVDs posted by John C. - Aussie on April 7, 2005 at 16:23:13:

        John,

        Regarding m/c and dd 5.1, I understand about the quality of Dolby Digital. On top of that, my multi-channel/HT system is much less good than my main, stereo system. But, as you say, the video drama does of offset the less than great sound in my particular case.
        

        Bill Bailey
        _______________
        Beauty? Or Truth?
        
        

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• Re: Any good opera on DVD? - SR 13:24:49 04/06/05 (0)
  In Reply to: Any good opera on DVD? posted by Feanor on April 6, 2005 at 05:33:20:

  I've never bought a DVD of a Met or a Teatro alla Scala performance that was anything less that very good.

  I agree with your sentiments opera is a multimedia experience.

  
  Steve
  The Mozart Forum
  
  

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• There are tons. Here are a few... - Thornhill 06:34:44 04/06/05 (0)
  In Reply to: Any good opera on DVD? posted by Feanor on April 6, 2005 at 05:33:20:

  Bizet - Carmen / Kleiber, Vienna (TDK)
  Mozart - Figaro / Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists (DG)
  Mozart - Cosi Fan Tutte / Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists (DG)
  Mozart - Don Giovanni / Muti, La Scala Opera (Opus Arte)
  Verdi - Aida / Levine, Met (DG)
  Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Levine, Met (DG)
  Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Boulez, Bayreuth Festival (Philips) (This is OOP, but coming back in print soon)
  R. Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier / Kleiber, Vienna (DG)
  Rossini - Il Barbiere di Siviglia / Ferro, Stuttgart (ArtHaus Musik)
  Janacek - The Cunning Little Vixen / Mackerras, Paris (Image)
  
  

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