Opera Anyone?

AlphaFrog · #1 06-12-2004, 12:58 PM

Inspired by the who should say Buh-bye thread....

Who besides me actually listens to Opera???

What's your favorite.....
Opera?
Composor?
Aria?
Singer?
CD?
Thing about Opera?

What's your least favorite...
Opera?
Composer?
Aria?
Singer?
CD?
Thing about opera?

PS....NO FLAMES ABOUT HOW OPERA SUCKS...blah, blah, especially if you've never even been to an opera.

AlphaFrog · #2 06-12-2004, 01:08 PM

Mine are...

Favorites....
The Magic Flute
Mozart
Aria I can't sing....Der Holler Roche (Queen of the Night)
Aria I can sing.....Vedrai Carino (Zerlina, Don Giovanni)
Duet(sorry, thought of another one)...La ci daraem la mano (Don Giovanni)
Cecelia Bartoli
The Art of Cecelia Bartoli
The humor that you only get from studying the languages

Least Favorites....
Cosi Fan Tutti...but I think that's only because I saw the Baz Luhrman(sp?) interp of it
Purcell...sorry buddy, but after awhile, all your stuff sonds the same
Caro Mio Ben...you can only hear it so many times before you want to puke
Pavarotti...dude, you're time's up
"Opera for People Who Don't Like Opera" collections
I hate how all the collection/various CD's all have the same freakin songs on them...(Un Bel Di, Der Holler Roche, O mio babbino (NOT bambino as I've seen on some albums) caro, Mi chiamo Mimi, Nessun Dorma, Dalla su pace...etc...)

swissmiss04 · #3 06-12-2004, 03:14 PM

Favorites....
Cosi Fan Tutte, The Old Maid and the Thief, Turandot, La Boheme
Mozart
Nessun Dorma; Mon couer, s'ouvre a ta voix
Rene Fleming, Ronan Tynan
don't have a favorite CD
The humor that you only get from studying the languages and the realization that people back then weren't so prudish. The sexual innuendos are incredible!

Least Favorites....
I don't have any least favorites, although I can't stand the personalities of most opera singers I know. The drama and whining got to me. And I'm not a huge Wagner fan, either.

This is really an interesting thread!

queequek · #4 06-13-2004, 01:33 AM

Not big into opera, I have seen one opera so far. It was Turandot, and we missed the ending of it because it was raining and they decided to stop it towards the end (since it was on the open amphiteater in Verona). Missed the key word of the show.

I have heard good things about Aida, so I want to see it sometime. Is there any good opera house in Atlanta?

Optimist Prime · #5 06-13-2004, 02:17 AM

I like the bull fighter song

and then that other one they always play

Kevin · #6 06-13-2004, 09:44 AM

I generally like ANY Mozart opera -- The Handel ones are decent too because they're in English (kind of boring librettos though). Occasionally, I'd play in a pit orchestra, so I've been to a few (although the view from down there sucks).

Rossini and is good. I've also wanted to go see Fidelio (Beethoven's only opera). Bizet is also good.

Favorite arias...
Definitely the "Queen of the Night" aria from that Mozart piece (I must have played the 2nd violin part to it 1thousand times) -- it was a favorite for vocal majors trying out for the solo contest. I think we had someone sing it at least every other year.

"Figaro" from The Marriage of Figaro -- I know the words (no idea what they mean).

And when we did Handel's Sampson, there was a choral piece about "Bright Seraphims" that one was nice.

One thing about operas -- I love the prelude music (especially in Mozart). Great stuff -- and engaging for string players unlike some operas.

DeltaBetaBaby · #7 10-17-2004, 01:01 PM

Okay, I need some help...my mom has never been to the opera, and she is really jealous that I am going today, so I want to take her for either hannuka or her birthday. Which is the best out of these options (and remember, she is new to opera):

Fidelio
A Wedding
Aida
Cunning Little Vixen
Tosca
Anything in Wagners Ring (but I am seeing Das Rheingold today)

My first opera ever was Albert Herring, and it was just okay, IMO, and then I saw Carmen and was BLOWN AWAY. I expect Das Rheingold to do the same.

Any advice?

Optimist Prime · #8 10-18-2004, 12:06 AM

Carmen

AlphaFrog · #9 10-19-2004, 10:32 AM

Start with something English....or if it is forgien, get her a DETAILED summary (I know, it sucks knowing what's going to happen in the end, but if not, you're not going to know what's going on when you get there)

ETA: Check with local universities also, to see if they're offering anything...I just performed The Magic Flute in English last semester at Western Illinois University, and if you're willing to drive, I know they're doing Candid next Spring...and college is a little easier to watch then professional.

MysticCat · #10 10-19-2004, 04:29 PM

What's your favorite.....
Opera?
Suor Angelica. La Boheme, Gianni Schicchi, Die Fledermous and Il Pagliacci probably come in close after. And I love Humperdink's Hansel und Gretel.
Composor?
Puccini. Call me crazy, but I love Wagner, too.
Aria?
"Senza Mamma (o bimbo, tu sai morto)" from Suor Angelica (see the pattern developing?)
Singer?
Kiri Te Kanawa
CD?
Don't think I could pick that. Maybe Florence Foster Jenkins' "The Glory of the Human Voice?" or "The Anna Russell Album." (Major kudos to anyone who knows these two masterworks.)
Thing about Opera?
How music, lyric, and drama (or comedy) can combine to tell a compelling story.

What's your least favorite...
Opera?
Probably Cosi Fan Tutte.
Composer?
I know that this will sound like heresy, but I really don't care for Mozart operas (except for Die Zauberfloete, which I really, really like). Never been big on Verdi either. Weird, I admit.
Aria?
Not really an aria, but the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" from Nabucco.
Singer?
Weird again, I know, but there's something about Pavarotti's voice that I've never really liked.
CD?
Can't say I have a least favorite.
Thing about opera?
When an opera drags, it really drags.

JupiterTC · #11 10-19-2004, 04:36 PM

I like anything by Wagner. One of these days I will see a live performance of all four operas of the Ring Cycle in one sitting. I'm currently playing the Magic Flute overture in woodwind quintet, and I've played several other Mozart overtures in orchestra and wind ensemble. Those are really fun to play.

Kevin · #12 10-19-2004, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DeltaBetaBaby
Okay, I need some help...my mom has never been to the opera, and she is really jealous that I am going today, so I want to take her for either hannuka or her birthday. Which is the best out of these options (and remember, she is new to opera):

Fidelio
A Wedding
Aida
Cunning Little Vixen
Tosca
Anything in Wagners Ring (but I am seeing Das Rheingold today)

My first opera ever was Albert Herring, and it was just okay, IMO, and then I saw Carmen and was BLOWN AWAY. I expect Das Rheingold to do the same.

Any advice?

I'd be all over Fidelio just because anything Beethoven is good

Never seen it or heard it, but you just can't go wrong with Beethoven.

dzandiloo · #13 10-19-2004, 07:39 PM

Hee. I read this, and Les Miserables & Rent popped into my head b/c my brother & I were talking about them this weekend.... He saw Les Mis on Saturday and commented on how much he enjoyed it-I told him I was shocked b/c he had always told me he hated opera music...hehehe. Imagine his surprise when he found out Les Mis is an opera.

As for the traditional operas, too many to list. I love La Boheme, dislike Amahl and the Night Vistors ("this is my box. this is my box. I never travel without my box.")

MysticCat · #14 10-20-2004, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dzandiloo
I love . . . dislike Amahl and the Night Vistors ("this is my box. this is my box. I never travel without my box.")

Ms. MysticCat and I are always sing-quoting that bit, whenever the subject of Amahl or of a box comes up.

I have to admit I like Amahl, and between being in English and being a one-act, I think it's a great introduction to opera, especially for kids since the main character is a kid. I think I'm taking the 7-year old to see it next month.

Speaking of Rent and Les Miz, I have a recording of West Side Story with Kiri Te Kanawa as Maria, Jose Carreras as Tony, Tatiana Troyanos as Anita and Marilyn Horne singing "Somewhere." Before anyone thinks "how bizarre," I should also note that Bernstein both conducts and cast the album -- so far as I know, it is the only recording of all of the music from WSS. Bernstein always saw WSS as more of an opera than a musical, and he did this recording to get the sound he always wanted. If you get past Carreras's noble but unsuccessful attempt to sound like an American, his "Maria" is fantastic -- a wonderful sustained high note toward the end that is the way Bernstein wrote it but that no one on Broadway or the movie had been able to do.

aephi alum · #15 10-20-2004, 09:50 AM

When I saw the thread title, I immediately thought of the Opera web browser until I realized it was in the entertainment forum. I've been a web designer too long.

I've been to a few operas. Can't really say I have favorites or least-favorites, though; opera isn't really my thing.

I'm not a big Three Tenors fan, though. My folks have a CD from them where they take turns singing, and it's patently obvious they are simply trying to outdo each other.