Opera Lovers, Come Together!

I did a search, and nothing quite like it appeared. This is a thread for all-to-do-with-oper discussion. Friendly debates are welcome, but no bashing! Comments along the lines of "Callas can't sing" will be frowned upon. Feel free to share linkies to your favorites.

Personally, I've rediscovered opera roughly seven months ago. My favorite artists are Maria Callas and Luciano Pavarotti. Favorite operas are La Boheme, La traviata, Carmen, Eugene Onegin, Queen of Spades. Favorite arias are Der Holle Rache, La Donna e Mobile, E Lucevan la Stelle, Vissi d'Arte, Sono Andai, Sempre Libera Un Bel Di, Addio de Passato.

Let the discussions begin!

There actually was a thread about opera in the theatre forums, but it's been deserted for the last months, so I'm glad you've started this.

I've been an opera fan since I was 15. I don't remember how it begun... I used to listen to it on the radio, or watch it on TV; now, I go to the theatre as often as I can afford... fortunately, Madrid Opera House sells cheap tickets for young people (it's going to be a blow when I turn 26 and I must buy normal tickets like everybody else). I love it.

I must begin disagreeing with you! I prefer Plácido Domingo to Pavarotti :lol: Unless we're talking about Rossini, in which case I must say that Juan Diego Flórez is the best (and so cute, besides...:love:). On the ladies' side, I love Cecilia Bartoli. Callas was a genius, though, when it comes to sing Puccini, I think I prefer Elisabeth Swarzkopff.

My favourite operas: Le Nozze di Figaro, The Magic Flute (Mozart is Mozart), Queen of Spades, L'Orfeo, Il Barbiere di Seviglia, La Cenerentola , Turandot and Otello. I watched Un Ballo in Maschera last week and liked it a lot. On the other hand, I have great trouble with Wagner; at least, with the soloist-sung parts, for his choirs are wonderful.

*throws herself on the thread* Opera! :love::love::love:

Well... see my name. I'm a hopeless fan.

I'm an opera geek since I was 12. I've read their stories in my granma's old book, and I wanted to see one. My first was Il trovatore. And my obsession began. It's still one of my favourites. It made me a life-long baritone fan - tenor has no chance by me if there's a baritone in the near.

What do I like best? Hard to choose. Don Giovanni, Ring and Tosca are in my top 3. Closely followed by Don Carlo, Trovatore, Ballo in maschera, Forza, Turandot, Zauberflöte, Tristan, Holländer and Carmen.

What I don't like: Fidelio and Pagliacci

What I'm waiting for now: Billy Budd. My God, all-men cast, plot filled with subtext and tragedy. That's what I need.

Wagner is growing on me. I'm in the Hungarian Wagner Society, hoping I'll see a Ring in Bayreuth one day.

Singers... dozens of them. Most of my favourites are dead, sadly. I have a special love for baritones and basses. I like only a few tenors. Can't stand lyrical tenors. The reason?
Lyrical tenor and heroic tenor see a dragon.
Lyrical tenor screams and faints. Three women save him. (Zauberflöte)
Heroic tenor laughs and kicks the dragon's bottom. (Siegfried)
That's the why.
Although Tamino is a cutie.

Living singers I adore:
Dmitri Hvorostovsky (silver-haired Russian angel. Nuff said), Eric Halfvarson (I'm going to see him in Parsifal this summer!), Matti Salminen (saw him as Hagen last summer, still *awe*), Walter Fink (saw him as Fafner/Hunding, monstrous, huge, black voice...), Domingo, Donald McIntyre (best. Wotan. ever), Christian Franz (favourite Siegfried), Peter Hoffmann (favourite Siegmund), Sherrill Milnes (favourite Rodrigo), Neil Shicoff (want his La Juive dvd... wantit wantit wantit!), James Morris (another great Wotan), Simon Keenlyside (sexiest Don Giovanni, hands up), Alan Titus (seen him as Wotan... yes, I have a thing for Wotan).

Ladies:
Nina Stemme, Mirella Freni, Fiorenza Cossotto, Giulietta Simionato (she's near 100!), Evelyn Herlitzius, Waltraud Meier, Gwyneth Jones, Shirley Verrett.


Characters I'm in love with:

Dutchman, Wotan, Siegmund, Hagen, Don Giovanni, Riccardo/Gustavo (from Ballo), Count di Luna, Rodrigo, Carlo di Vargas, Simon Boccanegra.
Yes, bad guys are hot.


About directions: I prefer classical directions, I don't like this stupid Regietheater thing of our days. Some modernism is okay, but not those who mock the genre and the composer. Example for a good modern direction: Chéreau's Ring. Adore it.


Well. this was long.

Oooo, this thread is wonderful! I'm actually going to school in the States majoring in vocal performance with aspirations of becoming an opera singer some day.

Some of my favorite operas include Le Nozze di Figaro, Carmen, and Susannah. I love, love Mozart in general, especially after working on several scenes from his operas in my opera workshop, and I had my first live Wagner experience a couple of weeks ago, which left me wanting more.

Singer-wise... I have to agree with MmeBergerac that Juan Diego is AMAZING. :love: I saw a live broadcast from the Met a couple of months ago with him in La Sonnambula, and it was fantastic. I've been watching videos of Teresa Berganza on YouTube lately since I started working on some Carmen repertoire. I've had the pleasure of taking several classes with Sylvia McNair at school, and I have to say that she never fails to amaze me with her depth of emotion and beautiful voice. As for baritones... gaah, I love their sound in general. Hvorostovsky is one of the obvious picks. Right now I'm on a YouTube search for the best Count Almaviva; I have a special place in my heart for "Hai gia vinta la causa" since literally everyone in my studio sings that aria. (My teacher is a baritone, which results in a class of about 15 men with gorgeous, deep voices and 5 swooning girls. I'm going to come out of college with a better knowledge of baritone repertoire than anything else.)

Sieglinde, I love your comment about lyric tenors! :lol: I was in the introduction of Die Zauberflote in a workshop recently, and I couldn't help thinking along those lines every time our Tamino passed out.

Singer-wise... I have to agree with MmeBergerac that Juan Diego is AMAZING. I saw a live broadcast from the Met a couple of months ago with him in La Sonnambula, and it was fantastic

I saw him here in Madrid a couple of weeks ago. He was going to sing the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, but at last he had to cancel it and gave two concerts by way of compensation. There was so much expectation that the Opera House placed a giant screen outside the theatre so people (me among them) could see him for free...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em7rfAbPyxI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4BK-5giy8A

The very best: at the end of the concert he came out to the terrace of the theatre to salute the people outside, and seeing there were a lot of Peruvians there (with banners and all), he took the microphone and sang a Peruvian song just for fun.

As for baritone arias, I must say I prefer Figaro's Non piu andrái, also from Le Nozze. But that's just because I like Figaro better than the count.

Are you becoming an opera singer?? That's great, Lisa! I hope I can afford the tickets to see you when you come to Madrid :)

And, well, I said before that I'm not a Wagner fan, but I must say that I watched a Tanhauser a few months ago that almost made me change my mind.

I've gotten into opera really recently. I was able to see a few shows at the Met and ended up taking an opera class which was fantastic because I actually enjoyed writing about the music and staging.. it made me appreciate it a lot more too.
I don't know too many singers but I like Diana Damrau, Natalie Dessay, and Renee Fleming.
As for my favorite operas I'm kind of obsessed with Don Giovanni. I also love Lucia di Lammermoor.

And as far as Wagner goes... at first listen I don't love his operas, but when you break it down there are some incredible things there.
There's a radio program that did a really great show about The Ring (the music and the fanatics), which you can listen to here http://www.wnyc.org/music/articles/27256 or on itunes (Radiolab podcast).

I saw him here in Madrid a couple of weeks ago. He was going to sing the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, but at last he had to cancel it and gave two concerts by way of compensation. There was so much expectation that the Opera House placed a giant screen outside the theatre so people (me among them) could see him for free...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em7rfAbPyxI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4BK-5giy8A

The very best: at the end of the concert he came out to the terrace of the theatre to salute the people outside, and seeing there were a lot of Peruvians there (with banners and all), he took the microphone and sang a Peruvian song just for fun.
That's so amazing!! I went through those videos, and I have to say I'm very jealous! The Met's doing an encore telecast performance of Barber with him as Count Almaviva in a few weeks, and I'm definitely going to be going.
As for baritone arias, I must say I prefer Figaro's Non piu andrái, also from Le Nozze. But that's just because I like Figaro better than the count.
Don't get me wrong, I love Figaro, too! That opera as a whole is probably my favorite. The Count's aria just holds a special place in my heart because about half my studio has sung it at some point or another. :)
Are you becoming an opera singer?? That's great, Lisa! I hope I can afford the tickets to see you when you come to Madrid :)
Well, I'm trying to! :) Next year is my last of undergrad, and then I'm thinking of going to graduate school for vocal performance. I put up a couple of scenes that I did in Opera Workshop on YouTube if you'd like to see them. Here are the links:
Die Zauberflote- Act 1 Introduction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxlt9D0_UeY)
Die Zauberflote- Act 1 Quintet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnwlxx_9MuU)

I'm playing 3rd Lady in both scenes. (I'm the tall one with dark, curly hair! :))
And yes, they are in English... we had two weeks to learn the music before our staging director came in, and a couple of the people in our Flute scenes hadn't taken German yet so our teacher had us learn everything in English instead.
And, well, I said before that I'm not a Wagner fan, but I must say that I watched a Tanhauser a few months ago that almost made me change my mind.
I don't know too much about Tannhauser, but I just got a compilation album with a few pieces from it so I'll see how I like it!
I've gotten into opera really recently. I was able to see a few shows at the Met and ended up taking an opera class which was fantastic because I actually enjoyed writing about the music and staging.. it made me appreciate it a lot more too.
I don't know too many singers but I like Diana Damrau, Natalie Dessay, and Renee Fleming.
As for my favorite operas I'm kind of obsessed with Don Giovanni. I also love Lucia di Lammermoor.
I'm soooo jealous! I really want to have an opportunity to see some live performances at the Met instead of just the telecasts in the movie theaters.

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying opera and really getting into it. I wouldn't worry about knowing too many singers-- we're all students of the art and still learning! It's an ever-evolving field so someone who is popular today might be gone tomorrow. I actually haven't heard of Diana Damrau before, but I do love Natalie Dessay! :)

We're doing Lucia at my university next year. I'm not familiar with the show, but I'm really looking forward to seeing it!

I'm soooo jealous! I really want to have an opportunity to see some live performances at the Met instead of just the telecasts in the movie theaters.

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying opera and really getting into it. I wouldn't worry about knowing too many singers-- we're all students of the art and still learning! It's an ever-evolving field so someone who is popular today might be gone tomorrow. I actually haven't heard of Diana Damrau before, but I do love Natalie Dessay! :)

We're doing Lucia at my university next year. I'm not familiar with the show, but I'm really looking forward to seeing it!
Well every time I've been to the Met I've sat on the very top level, which is reeaallly far away so it's hard to see anything. But it's fun just being there and hearing the singers.

Diana Damrau played Lucia when I saw it. She's young but she's so good. I think she's a lot like Natalie Dessay, not just because they sing the same voice part but they're both natural actresses too. Here's a video of her recording the queen of the night aria: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMPv8mADpA4&feature=related

I can't believe I just discovered this thread! I love opera. I was brought up on classical music, so I know and have seen many operas.

My favorite right now is Aida, but it always changes. As a kid, I really liked Carmen. I still do of course, but I find that if you listen to a piece more than once you begin to notice melodies you hadn't noticed before. That's what happened when I heard Aida recently, I just noticed the "Sul del Nilo" and the "Gloria All'Egitto" arias. So lovely!!

I don't listen to opera on CD etc, but I like going to see it live, when I can. I haven't seen enough to have a favourite singer.

Favourite opera: Rigoletto

I went last night to the theatre to watch L'italiana in Algeri, an opera I didn't know, and... Well, I don't remember when was the last time I laughed so much at the opera. The singers were all excellent, the two baritones (Mustafa and Taddeo) were played by a couple of real clowns (the one playing Taddeo is still the funniest Figaro I've ever seen), and Isabella was funny, cheeky, smart and absolutely lovely. The setting was very funny and original, something like a mixture of fairytale and comic. You can watch some photos here (http://www.teatro-real.es/Galerías/?posicion1=3631).

In a word, a wonderful opera night.

Whoa, did I abandon this thread...

Well, to those who haven't, I recommend listening to one Anna Moffo. Her Violetta and Lucia are breathtaking. I bought films of La traviata and Lucia di Lammermoor with her taking part... gorgeous! She is a wonderful sunger and actress, which does not happen too often.

Also, my most recent personal discovery is Tito Gobbi. Listen to his Largo al Factorum and Cortigiani on YouTube - I am obsessed.

And I might see Madama Butterfly this spring! I'm so excited!

Diana Damrau played Lucia when I saw it. She's young but she's so good. I think she's a lot like Natalie Dessay, not just because they sing the same voice part but they're both natural actresses too. Here's a video of her recording the queen of the night aria: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMPv8mADpA4&feature=related
This post is a long time coming, but I watched a bunch of the Damrau videos on YouTube, and I have to say she is really great! Her Queen of the Night is one of the best I could find on the site.
I went last night to the theatre to watch L'italiana in Algeri, an opera I didn't know, and... Well, I don't remember when was the last time I laughed so much at the opera.
L'Italiana is hilarious! They did this show at my school back in September, and it was also my first experience with it. One of my good guy friends was Taddeo, and I ended up seeing it twice. It was a rather trippy production with lots of extremely bright colors and lighting effects; however, it really just added to the ridiculousness of it. I'm glad you liked it, too! :)
And I might see Madama Butterfly this spring! I'm so excited!
How exciting! Where are you going to see it at?

I'm looking forward to the Chicago Lyric's production of Figaro this spring. Joyce DiDonato is playing Cherubino, and I'm going to make sure I get up there to see it!

I really love opera!

It amazes me how beautiful humans can be sometimes.
Our voice is practically a violin!

Here is a link to a solo artist who's voice I'm fond of.
I don't like all of his songs.
I just like the falsetto he does.

Tell me what you guys and girls think!

Vitas- Lucia De Lammermoor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3yfFOq_CFQ)

Yesterday I watched on cinema La Fille du Regiment, live from the Liceo in Barcelona, with (wonderful, gorgeous and again wonderful) Juan Diego Flórez. He even had to sing a bis of the aria Ah, mes amis, though I must say that Patrizia Ciofi was at least equal to him (perhaps a bit better; she displayed an astonishing vis comica and made a funny, impetuous, wild and tender Marie). The setting was lovely (I think it was the Met production, the one you see in the youtube videos).

You can read and watch some photos here (http://www.liceubarcelona.cat/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=230&temporada=4&Itemid=30&lang=es)

So nice to see such appreciation for real, beautiful music!

I've been an opera fan since I started taking voice lessons and realized that my voice is well suited for opera. This was only 4 years ago, so forgive me, I'm not well versed in the opera world!

But my favorite singer hands down is Renee Fleming. There really are no words to describe what she brings to every aria she sings. It's so beautiful and filled with such emotion, not to mention crazy talent (ever heard her trill? Ridiculous!)

I also like Cecilia Bartoli, Kiri Te Kanawa, Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas, Anna Moffo, Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jussi Bjorling, and Enrico Caruso.

My favorite opera would have to be La Boheme. Truly a classic and you can't go wrong with arias like "Mi chiamano Mimi," "Quando m'en vo," and "Che gelida manina." I also love Le Nozze di Figaro. I first saw this on YouTube with the all-star cast including Renee Fleming and Cecilia Bartoli and was absolutely blown away. "Porgi amor" has to be one of my favorite arias of all time. Other favorites include La Traviata, the Barber of Seville, and Tosca (Maria Callas owns this role!)

That's about as far as my opera knowledge goes, except for the arias that I have studied. These include: O mio babbino caro, Batti batti o bel Masetto, Vedrai carino, and In quelle trine morbide.

As for arias that I have not studied, but LOVE: Sempre libera (tied with Porgi amor for favorite aria. I hope I can continue voice lessons starting next school year so that I can learn this someday!), Vissi D'arte, and Dove sono. Casta diva from Norma is one of the most beautiful arias I have ever heard-especially sung by Renee Fleming.

Cavalleria rusticana, by Pietro Mascagni.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79RxceV-UJw&feature=fvst

How moves me!
Quanto mi emoziona!

The only opera I have seen is "Orlando". It is not very famous, but I like it. It is a very dramatic story. This is my favorite song from it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i61BzbC1Ik0