Try Tosca with Maria Callas. It's from the 50s and monaural but worth a listen. I'm also a fan of some of the earlier stuff such as Montiverdi.
New to Opera, have some questions
I heard part of Carmina Burana last year and decided I really wanted to buy it. I have a few copies, and recently bought Der Mond.
I also bought a version of Carmen, but the surface noise was too much. I was disappointed because I liked the music, and singing.
I'm wondering what other Opera's people might suggest, and does it make any difference to most listeners if they can understand the language? I like Der Mond because I do speak some German.
I also bought a version of Carmen, but the surface noise was too much. I was disappointed because I liked the music, and singing.
I'm wondering what other Opera's people might suggest, and does it make any difference to most listeners if they can understand the language? I like Der Mond because I do speak some German.
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I respectfully disagree with Ellery911 and some of the others. As a professional orchestral musician, I've sat in my fair share of orchestra pits, and I've had quite a lot of experience with opera. You DON'T need to know the language or have supertitles to the enjoy the opera. While nothing subsitutes for a real staged performance, there's plenty to be said for listening to the music without having a visual cue. In fact, opera singers perform arias all the time as concert pieces, with no staging. There are some amazing operas out there, and some amazing performances. For me, Mozart has always been the pinnacle. The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute, as well as Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutti, are all great places to start. Good luck! |
In addition to the Callas recording of Puccini's Tosca that was mentioned by Rja, I would suggest Puccini's La Boheme. I have been listening to von Karajan's 1972 Decca recording, which features Pavrotti in his prime. I own this recording on vinyl, and the sound is spectacular. Here is a link to the CD version of the recording: Puccini: La Boheme The music is simply beautiful, and there is no need to understand the Italian language or see the performance to appreciate this musical masterpiece. Also, this opera is very manageable in length (70 minutes), so it is a work that you can appreciate in one sitting without ever feeling that you are sitting through a marathon. |
I just noticed that Archiv Music indicates the length of the von Karajan/Pavrotti La Boheme recording is 110 minutes, so it would appear I underestimated the length of the recording. My estimate was based on the fact that the LP version of this recording is only four LP sides. Nonetheless, it is very manageable and enjoyable to listen to this entire recording in a single listening session. |
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