ATTN: Opera Buffs, Buffos, Buffas, Buffalos

[Guest]

Hello Lit. people. I’ve received several PMs lately from Lit.sters who love opera (I mention it in my profile and in some posts). I thought I’d start this thread as I suspect there are more than a few of us. We could always have fun with the erotic in opera but we can simply talk about fave composers, singers, performances, recordings, characters, books on, journals, etc.; we can also diss same.

On one thread I responded to a Gilbert and Sullivan comment and said I didn’t know the works as I’m an opera snob. But we can certainly include G&S fans and operetta folk. However, I get really snotty when someone finds out I love opera and they tell me how much they like “Phantom’. (Actually, I only feel snotty, I’m condescendingly polite and try to avoid conversation on it.)

To start things off, here are some responses to the PM queries I received about my likes and dislikes—

I do not get Mozart. (Compared to Bach and LvB he generally bores me.) I occasionally give in to Puccini but otherwise avoid his stuff. I get the selected or ‘best of’ CDs as I do enjoy certain melodies and sounds.

I go in and out of being an obsessed Wagnerite. Bayreuth is my fantasy. I have 7 or 8 full Ring cycle recordings and videos, and near as many Tristans and Parsifals. I’ve ‘outgrown’ earlier Wagner, though I will occasionally listen to fave parts of Lohengirn and Tannhauser. And I shocked my Wagner Society friends when I said I walked out on Meistersinger. Re. the WS I only pay dues to keep notified of symposia and guest appearances. I do NOT refer to RW as ‘the master’.

I’ve been to 3 Ring cycles and wish I could do at least one a year (I only came to opera 15 years ago). My favorite Brunnhildes are Gwynneth Jones and Anne Evans (both Welsh ladies!), and Hildegard Behrans. I saw and met Jane Eaglen too and loved her (hear she’s having voice problems, hope not). Favorite Wotans—James Morris and John Tomlinson. Needless to say, I wish I were a Valkyrie, or knew one.

An ultimate performance was a couple years ago. I heard Domingo as Parsifal at the Vienna State Opera; sat in the emperor’s box! (only due to influential friends of my brother who lives there; cost a big bundle of Euros but worth every Euro-cent). Plus I could smoke at intermissions!

Jose Cura was the ultimate Don Jose for me; he's as passionate as tenors come, and a hunk. N. Ghiaurov is my favorite basso; Sam Ramey of course is always delightful and fun (another hunk, Thomas Hampson too).

I love artistic and passionate voices, vs. technically perfect; I could never warm up to Sutherland, Te Kanawa, Flagstad or Pavarotti. I hate the 3 tenors crap, but hopefully they bring in new buffs.

I appreciate good staging, set design and costumes, the general atmosphere and environs of what can rightly be called 'grand opera'. I am not anti-modern-updated productions. I love Chereau’s and Kupfer’s Ring cycles. But many really are plainly stupid.

I love all Verdi, Rossini’s Cenerentola and Barbieri, Bellini, the entire Russian repertoire, Janacek, Britten. Miscellanea: Rusalka, Carmen, Mefistofele, Faust, Tales of Hoffman, Lucia, Samson & Delilah, Elektra,

It’s a tragedy Beethoven only wrote one opera; I love Fidelio to bits.

I adore Maria Callas; have probably 98% of everything she recorded, including interviews and her Juilliard master class recording (she's one of the best Rigolettos ever!)

Your turns. Addio for the moment, Perdita

(rose held between teeth of course)

 

[phrodeau]

I'm just getting my feet wet in opera, although I have been a fan of Renee Fleming for years. I've seen her perform three times, but only once in an opera - Thais with Thomas Hampson.

I saw The Three Tenors last year, and although Placido Domingo was not in complete health and declined his solo songs, he still sang rings around the other two in the group numbers.

Mozart bores me, too.

 

[Guest]

Bravo, first reply.

I'm just getting my feet wet in opera, although I have been a fan of Renee Fleming for years. I've seen her perform three times, but only once in an opera - Thais with Thomas Hampson.

I saw The Three Tenors last year, and although Placido Domingo was not in complete health and declined his solo songs, he still sang rings around the other two in the group numbers.

Mozart bores me, too.

Thanks for posting. Yes, Domingo is still king. Keep at it. Fleming is a favorite too, she's so intelligent outside singing too.

Best, Perdita

p.s. looking forward to Mozartean replies.

 

[patient1]

I didn't know Bach wrote Opera, so I can't compare.

I love Cossi, for the way the Baritone & Bass interplay. I guess I think of Motzart as soothing, rather than boring.

That's a lot of ring cycles.

 

[Guest]

I didn't know Bach wrote Opera, so I can't compare.

I love Cossi, for the way the Baritone & Bass interplay. I guess I think of Motzart as soothing, rather than boring.

That's a lot of ring cycles.

Hi. I didn't mean Bach wrote operas, he and LvB are supremo for me, that's all. Most people put Wolfie with them; I don't. My first in person opera was Nozze though and I still remember von Stade as Cherubino. That did it for me; I felt her voice literally enter my ears and it was quite orgasmic. I wanted more.

regards, Perdita

 

[Guest]

for patient1

Meant to say I love your AV and 'status'. P.

 

[patient1]

Thanks.

I'm too tired to continue tonight, but I like the thread.

 

[RetEng]

Opera Buffs, ..., Buffalos

OPERA BUFFS,....

Neat topic!

For those of you who have not yet found this opera source, look up Sacramento Capital Public Radio for "Friday Night at the Opera." It is on from 8:00PM to midnight. Sean Bianco pulls out LPs for a full opera followed by short selections. Most of his recordings are old enough that copies are hard to find. So what I usually do is hit Amazon and sort through the best CDs currently available.

Here are some of my favorites:

Berlioz, Hector; La Damnation of Faust

Delibes, Leo; Lakme (Southerland at her best)

Gomes, Antonio Carlos; Il Guarany

Joplin, Scott; Treemonisha (He did only one opera and its lively.)

Meyerbeer, Giacomo; L'Aficaine, Le Prophete, Les Huguenots.

Offenbach, Jacques; Orpheus in the Underworld, The Tales of Hoffmann

Strauss, Johann; Die Fledermaus (This opera was my wife's intro. to opera; she was hooked.)

Verdi, Giuseppe; Can't go wrong with any of his operas.

Weber, Carl Maria von; Der Freischutz.

Performers:

Montserrat Caballe & Montserrat Marti; Two Voices, One heart.

Tracy Dahl; Glitter and be Gay

Eileen Farrell; Sings Verdi

Mirella Freni; Great Opera Duets.

Leopold Simoneau; Opern-Arien und Duette.

 

[Guest]

RetEng

Thanks, that's quite a humbling list and reminds me how much I haven't heard and don't know.

To all: I'd love to hear specifics about favorite performances, recordings; even good hot gossip! I think there's nothing like backstage at the opera.

There's a wonderful video, maybe on DVD now, on the chorus of the San Francisco opera, and at same house a behind the scenes documentary of a Ring production through the rather perceptive eyes of the stagehands (it's called "Sing faster!", can't recall the title of the chorus doc.)

 

[RoyalPurpleVelv]

I have to go against seemingly popular opinion here. I absolutely adore Mozart. Mostly because as a singer I can appreciate his genius in how he set text and how well he knew voices. All difficulty passages and pyrotechnics are approached stepwise or by easy intervals. All of them are on a vowel sound that is most comfortable for the voice type the piece is written for. His genius and attention to detail in this is unparalelled.

I just can't get into Wagner. Probably because I don't have the heavy voice necessary for his operas. I can't sing any of it so it doesn't interest me as much.

*sigh* I need to get back into performing again.

 

[Octavian]

I also adore Mozart but it took a long while for me to appreciate his works.

My operatic journey began with Verdi's 'Il trovatore' This is as passionate an Italian opera as you are ever likely to encounter. This has led to a lifelong devotion to Verdi and to his compatriots, Rossini, Bellini, Puccini and Donizetti.

I got into Wagner by way of his Flying Dutchman. I still prefer his earlier works such as Lohengrin, Tannhauser and The Mastersingers. I can admire the Ring Cycle and Parsifal but I am not sure I could ever really love them. However I do love Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss as can be deduced from my name and avatar. Richard Strauss wrote primarily for women's voices, (the male character in Der Rosenkavalier is sung by a woman) and he has a sound all his own. Listen to The Four Last Songs and you will see what I mean.

I cannot omit French opera either. The Trojans by Berlioz has to be one of the the masterpieces of the genre and there is a limpid beauty in much of Massenet's work. Gounod's Faust, at one time arguably the most popular opera in the world still is a powerful opera as it depicts the torment of Marguerite and of Faust himself. Bizet's Carmen is perhaps the most popular opera in the world, today.

And so to Mozart. Some may find him boring, I even once described him as trite but it was out of ignorance. Mozart is subtle; you will not find the intense passion of Verdi or the overwhelming power of Wagner. But listen to The Marriage of Figaro and you will find sublime musicality allied to the truly inspired libretto of Da Ponte. The Marriage of Figaro has been referred to as the most perfect opera ever written.

We may all like different operas but perhaps what we do have in common is great fortune. Because those of us who are able to appreciate and to enjoy opera are truly fortunate.

Octavian

 

[just pet]

I had season tickets for years.
The new season of the L.A. Opera is looking very tasty, too.

I am off to bed, but will play later
Goodnight, all

 

[TWB]

Personally, I like Opera better than IE6.

 

[oggbashan]

Operetta and ...

I like Operetta especially the silly Ruritainian stuff ridiculed in Kiss Me Kate as "Wunderbar".

Offenbach's jokes are great if staged properly and not in modern dress or in English.

More serious stuff: I like Der Freischutz and Carmen as long as the director remembers that Bizet was a Frenchman writing about Spain and not a Spaniard. Too much "Spanishness" shows the flaws in Bizet's knowledge of Spain too clearly.

I could listen to Mozart's Operas all day long IF I could spare the time to concentrate on them. That is why I like Operetta which has no pretensions to be anything other than entertainment. I can listen to Operetta and work. I cannot listen to Mozart or any other Grand Opera without giving it my whole attention.

Back in the 1960s I used to get cheap tickets for Sadlers Wells in London which became the English National Opera. Some weeks I would go 3 or 4 times with different young ladies. I saw and appreciated a wide range of operas.

Seeing the same opera twice a week gave me a greater understanding but the orgy scene from Samson and Delilah was rather daunting for the young ladies from the front row. One night I had rude comments from the stage about the beauty of the current young lady and a comparision with the one I had escorted to the previous performance. I didn't think that audience involvement went that far.

I went to my first opera as a Boy Scout. Ditto ballet. Do Scouts do that sort of thing now? We were out of place in our uniforms but enjoyed ourselves and started with a guided back-stage tour and a lecture from the director about Opera and this particular one. I can't remember which opera it was, but I remember the evening as being enjoyable.

Og

 

[Subo97]

ignorant fan

Ok, I stand naked before you. I love opera but know very little about it, I just listen to it. Down here in the Mickey Mouse wasteland of Orlando, we have a few staged every year, but the expense has kept me away from my first opera in person. Someday maybe I'll get tickets for Father's day.

I already learned a lot from this thread. Whether or not any of it stays in my head after it rattles around for a while is anybodies guess.

I love the Ring, Offenbach, and of course, all the "ini's"

Oh, and I had a crush on Teri Tekenawa for years

 

[Guest]

‘mornin, Buffs

Velvet: I envy you. How I would love to sing well and intelligently. Do tell more of your career. I think I admire singers most of performing artists. I knew a woman who studied opera seriously beginning in her late 50s. She was a former ballerina and master teacher, and said singing was the hardest work she’d ever done. Her teacher was an Old Russian in L.A. I do appreciate Mozart technically; why he doesn’t grab me like others is beyond me.

Octavian: Perhaps I’ll get Mozart late too. These comments are inspiring me to try harder. Gawd, I love 'Il Trovatore' too. I went to my first performance not knowing a thing and could not believe the story, haha. Amazing plot and characters. Dolora Zajek (sp?) was Azucena—amazing woman; I’d see her in anything.

For anyone with an interest in Wagner I always recommend 'Die Walkure'. It was my first and destroyed me. As soon as I got out of the house and away from the crowds I broke out sobbing, blubbering and not conscious of where I was. The music becomes the most viscerally felt for me still. Better than therapy, haha.

I love the little I know of Strauss. Gw. Jones was my first Elektra—magnificent. I have yet to see Der Rosenkavalier, awful to admit. Yes, yes, yes—the Last Songs. Now that I think of it I did see, as a teenager, the good ole movie, ‘San Francisco’ wherein Jeanette MacDonald was an opera singer and performed as Marguerite. I loved it but at the time did not look into opera; Duh! Fortunate, indeed, Octavian.

Pet: do come back and tell us about your seasons. I subscribed for over ten years to SFO but quit a few years ago as the programming and performers went downhill (from what the audiences were used to). I’m hoping the new director turns things around.

Off, uh, Ogg: just a typo at first but left it in for the smile it gave me. I’d love to get into operetta (love the word) but there is hardly time to listen to what I love most. Note to self: squeeze in Mozart and operetta.

Speaking of ‘Kiss Me Kate’, I love the grand old movie musicals too. Minelli’s are favorites.

I agree with you re. ‘Carmen’ a la Françoise.

I am as great a buffa of ballet as opera. Hmmm, a new thread?

anon, Perdita

 

[aly*]

I have to go against seemingly popular opinion here. I absolutely adore Mozart. Mostly because as a singer I can appreciate his genius in how he set text and how well he knew voices. All difficulty passages and pyrotechnics are approached stepwise or by easy intervals. All of them are on a vowel sound that is most comfortable for the voice type the piece is written for. His genius and attention to detail in this is unparalelled.

I just can't get into Wagner. Probably because I don't have the heavy voice necessary for his operas. I can't sing any of it so it doesn't interest me as much.

*sigh* I need to get back into performing again.

well said! and, i'm the same with wagner vocally.

great post as well, octavian.

thanks for the thread, perdita.

 

[RetEng]

Opera buffs, ....

Opera lovers,

I looked up a great opera resource that Sean Bianco, "Friday Night at the Opera", mentioned. Its Opera Glass and is found at:
opera.stanford.edu

Enjoy, RetEng

 

[Svenskaflicka]

What does Buffy have to do with Oprah?

Seriously - I like Mozart. His music is cheerful and lighthearted, and me likes that. Wagner is too heavy for me - the little I have heard, that is. I don't know that much opera.

 

[Guest]

What does Buffy have to do with Oprah?
Seriously - I like Mozart. His music is cheerful and lighthearted, and me likes that. Wagner is too heavy for me - the little I have heard, that is. I don't know that much opera.

Svenskaya: glad you dropped by. I don't like cheer and light hearts. I love helden-tenors and bassos, and those dykey valks. Gee, you should listen to the Ring, it's based on your roots, gurly.

Hmm, a Buffy opera. Please tell me you're a BtVS buff-buff.

While I'm here, I want to say in public that your other lit-site writing on Snape's past was delicious. Of course I imagined Alan as I read, and his voice. Please write more and keep me informed. You did good by Snape and AR.

Listen to opera and imagine AR as the lead singer, can't hurt.

your pal, Purd

 

[phrodeau]

Perdita, I'm curious for your opinion of Previn's "A Streetcar Named Desire", which came out of the SFO in the Mansouri years (1998). I've seen a broadcast production, and I thought the staging and talent were excellent. (Of course, Renee was in it.)

Where would you place it in the descent of quality you refer to?

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Svenskaya: glad you dropped by. I don't like cheer and light hearts. I love helden-tenors and bassos, and those dykey valks. Gee, you should listen to the Ring, it's based on your roots, gurly.

Hmm, a Buffy opera. Please tell me you're a BtVS buff-buff.

While I'm here, I want to say in public that your other lit-site writing on Snape's past was delicious. Of course I imagined Alan as I read, and his voice. Please write more and keep me informed. You did good by Snape and AR.

Listen to opera and imagine AR as the lead singer, can't hurt.

your pal, Purd

Glad you liked the story, Perdy! I'm ALMOST finished with part two - it has a very cute scene. Snape and...

Actually, the Ring trilogy is based at the German culture, not the Scandinavian. Lots of people don't know the difference. I've read about the Ring many times - my favourite murder story detective is married to a Wagner soprano, and many of the stories include opera houses in Stockholm and Copenhagen - so I'm actually rather curious to see it. And if AR would ever star in an opera, I'd be there at once!

What's a "BtVS buff-buff"?

 

[Guest]

Buffiana

Glad you liked the story, Perdy! I'm ALMOST finished with part two - it has a very cute scene. Snape and...

Actually, the Ring trilogy is based at the German culture, not the Scandinavian. Lots of people don't know the difference. I've read about the Ring many times - my favourite murder story detective is married to a Wagner soprano, and many of the stories include opera houses in Stockholm and Copenhagen - so I'm actually rather curious to see it. And if AR would ever star in an opera, I'd be there at once!

What's a "BtVS buff-buff"?

Do send the next chapter when finished. I loved when Snape said, "Ooh, I hate that word! 'Baby'! Indeed!" I could just hear Alan say it. And Dumbledore's last line was so sweet.

Wagner used German *and* Scandinavian myth and lore for his libretto; he borrowed whatever suited him. You must know I wouldn't confuse Germs with Scanties.

BtVS = Buffy the Vampire Slayer (an American cult to which I belong; I'm sure Alan would approve.)

 

[lavender]

The Vienna State Opera is nice, but you haven't seen opera in an appropriate manner until you have seen a performance from the gallery at La Scala. Once you have been there, didn't sit in the "perfect" seats but among the students and the true opera lovers, then you have seen authentic, wonderful opera. I saw a performance of Armide there after seeing the ballet La Vedova Allegra the day before. It is a stunning site.

I lived in Vienna for a time period and was able to attend the opera fairly regularly. I had visited on previous occasions and was able to see many operas, but while living there as a student at the University I could get great seats for amazingly cheap prices.

If you don't understand Mozart, you need to see a performance of his at the Volksoper in one of the German cities. At these performances you see the Mozart operas in the German language - it is opera for the masses. Although Mozart operas are by far not my favorite you have to examine them through their cultural, social, and historic roots as well as influences in order to fully appreciate them. I dislike Mozart's Idomeneo though. IT is dreadfully long and hopelessly boring. Not even the performance by Domingo could capture my attention in this snoozer. I have never wanted out of a theatre so quickly in my life.

It is unfortunate that you are not a big Puccini fan because I find his operas to be delightful. They do not have nearly as much bravado as some of the "meatier" operas, but Puccini operas are a nice divergence when you don't want to spend a grueling three hours at the opera house.

As for your choice of Beethoven and opera, I have to disagree. While I love Beethoven's symphomic and piano works - I happen to play more Beethoven than any other composer - I find his opera not so great. Fidelio is definitely not among the better operas I have seen.

 

[lavender]

Additionally, you should check out the opera house in Budapest - it is breathtaking.