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Operas... Any fans?

Hi all,
I'm starting to get into Opera (I actually have season tickets to the Opera de Montreal)...

I would like to find some well recorded and well interpreted opera on CDs. The only problem is that I find that most CDs I purchased have a poor recording (or they sound like they were recorded from the 250th row).

Does anyone have any suggestion as to what opera CDs I should try getting (or any better labels than other ones)?

By the way, I am looking for complete operas or CDs with multiple opera passages (sorry, I don't know any better english words).

So in short, I'm looking for must have CDs...

So far the operas I really liked were:

Madama Butterfly
Rigoletto
Turandot
Lakmé
Carmen

Any of the above operas or any other operas worth while listenning would be appreciated...

Thanks ahead
lgregoir
ljan
7 posts
 
i'm a Britten/Pears fan but they don't seem to be for everyone.

Given your list I second Puccini's LaBoheme, with Freni/Pavarotti/Karajan
ellery911
549 posts
 
Bizet's "Pearl Fishers" was the opera that I enjoyed the most. Barber of Seville is a fun one too. I agree with rphscv about "The Ring"...as a newbie however, I found that seeing this opera live in it's entirety can be a bit overwhelming as it is actually presented in 4 seperate operas usually over a 5 day period with each segment being quite lengthy 3hrs+ from what I remember. Still, my parents who are quite the opera buffs (travel the world to see operas) saw the Ring Cycle countless times. If you ever get the opportunity, they told me that the best place was in Bayreuth sp? (sounds like buyroit) where the venue was originally built for Wagner.
ellery911
549 posts
 
spoke with my dad...he suggests puccini's Tosca as does Jacpiii and also recommends Rosenkavelier (sp?) by Strauss

just his 2cents...but if there ever were "Deadheads" of opera...my parents were such
hassel
248 posts
 
If you start out with opera, get yourself the Grammophone Classical Good CD Guide 2003 (ISBN 0-860-24902-6) for 28 dollars. It is an 1400-page-strong encyclopedia of classical CDs, with excellent reviews, comparisons and a lot of info about quality of interpretation and sound.
sjpin
13 posts
 
Another good guide is the Metropolitan Opera's Guide to Recorded Opera. Unfortunately, it is out of print, but you may be able to pick up a copy on eBay or Half.com. The guide only covers operas recorded prior to the early 90s, but covers most of the classic recordings. While everyone one has there own personal taste, if you get one of operas the book recommends, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

As a final note, if you can't find a specific opera you're looking for, try Amazon UK or Tower UK. I have picked up some great recordings that are no longer available in the US.
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