What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[Iota]

The only VW opera I've seen live (ROH) and I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting to.

[JBS]

The only VW opera I've seen live (ROH) and I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting to.

It's interesting to compare it with Verdi. Far more of the original play (meaning characters and incidents), far less of Henry IV, and of course using Shakespeare's language with no need to translate,  in the RVW. And so much of RVW's music  is folksong-based.

My copy is part of the Warner New Collection. The images for the CD jackets are a bit of a mismatch.




William Logsdail The Ninth of November 1888 (the Lord Mayor's Procession)

JHF Bacon The Relief of Ladysmith

[Papy Oli]

First listen

Berg
Wozzeck
Act I
Boulez

[Florestan]

The other day listened to the 1st act of this:



This the very first opera Rossini ever wrote and the exact authorship of its numbers is still disputed, although that the overture is not by him is an established fact, that I could've established myself. Given that the only thing that made me sit up and listen so far was a love duet, I'd say it's most certainly Rossini's.

Worth a try as a historical curiosity, but I doubt I'll ever listen to it again.

[ritter]

The other day listened to the 1st act of this:



...Given that the only thing that made me sit up and listen so far was a love duet, I'd say it's most certainly Rossini's.

Some people would say it's most certainly Meyerbeer's... 

Good evening, Andrei.

[Florestan]

Some people would say it's most certainly Meyerbeer's... 

Hah! Touché!

No, really, very good one. Bravo!

Btw, did you know that Meyerbeer was one of the pall-bearers at Chopin's funerals?

Good evening, Andrei.

Good evening, my friend.

[Papy Oli]

Wozzeck

Boulez Act II

[Lisztianwagner]

Leoš Janáček
From the House of the Dead

Charles Mackerras & Wiener Philharmoniker