LynneSin
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:38 PM
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Favorite Opera (and we're not talking the Browser) |
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I love Opera and lately I've been digging the "Tales of Hoffman" by Offenbach.
What's your favorite Opera?
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Fovea
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:41 PM
Response to Original message |
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The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore. Which is more of an oratorio/mimodrama than an opera, but nonetheless it is an ignored masterpeice.
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MuseRider
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:48 PM
Response to Reply #1 |
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that one. I like Menotti.
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MuseRider
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:42 PM
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I saw it as it is traditionally done and I saw a modern version. Both were amazing. Strauss happens to be my favorite composer anyway. We have no Opera here so that is one thing my brother and I used to do when I would visit him in Houston. He worked for the Opera company so I saw a few of them but that is my very favorite of the few I have seen.
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catzies
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:42 PM
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3. Figaro! Mozart's, that is. Followed by Die Zauberflote. |
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I can whistle the Queen of the Night's aria. :)
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rogerashton
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:52 PM
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10. I'll take those in the reverse order. |
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Boito's Mephisotphele is really, um interesting. Good, too.
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PAMod
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Wed Feb-11-04 12:29 PM
Response to Reply #3 |
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My voice teacher in college was Wendy Miller, a coloratura soprano who could belt out both Queen arias.
Hard to pick a favorite, but I guess that is it, front to back, also anything by Puccini.
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bif
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:45 PM
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followed closely by La Boheme and Turondot
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MuseRider
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:47 PM
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Der Rosenkavelier has some of the most beautiful music, ahhh, I just love it.
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bif
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:49 PM
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8. Isn't the trio near the end as close to sublime as it gets? |
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Heard it live with Kathlene Battle, Tatiana Troyanos and Elisabeth Suderstrom. Wow!
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MuseRider
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:56 PM
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13. Live? You are so lucky. |
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I cry real tears every time I hear it. I LOVE when we occasionally get to play parts of it for the orchestra. I need to go out and get some Dvd's, my tape of it is shot I have watched it so often.
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bif
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:07 PM
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21. I saw it with the Met when they used to go on the road |
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It was their last performance in Detroit after coming here for something like 40 years. Very emotional. At the end of the opera, people spontaineously broke into "Aud Lang Sine." I remember hearing the 100th anniversary broadcast live at the Met on the radio. They did the trio with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Fredricka Von Stade and Kathleen Battle. It was the best version I ever heard. Taped it but alas, the cassette wore out and it now sounds like crap.
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stopbush
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:10 PM
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24. I heard it at the Met with Gwyneth Jones, Troyanos and Blegen. |
Ramsey
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:49 PM
Response to Original message |
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by Wagner. That's my fave today anyway.
I also love The Pearl Fishers (Bizet), Turandot (Puccini's last opera), Lakme (Delibes), and Die Zauberflote (Mozart)
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Rabrrrrrr
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:12 PM
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26. Did you happen to catch Robert Wilson's staging of Lohengrin |
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at the Met?
Jaw-dropping WOW!
Too bad some of the hold fuddy-duddy audience couldn't deal with it and felt the need to boo. I thought it was quite powerful in its minimalism, and if one was paying attention (which the old fuddy-duddy's clearly weren't), the light boxes and everything else have signifianct symbolic meaning. But even beyond that, it was just plain BEAUTIFUL.
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SOteric
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:50 PM
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ironflange
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Tue Feb-10-04 07:04 PM
Response to Reply #9 |
40. I carried a spear in Aida once |
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Radames was a real practical joker, I don't think he missed anybody in the cast.
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TrogL
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:52 PM
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11. Peter Grimes - Benjamin Britten |
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It isn't performed much any more because it's about child abuse and the protagonist comes off as a heroic character in the end (even though he does commit suicide).
I've met Peter Pears, who debuted the role.
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MuseRider
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:58 PM
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16. That is truly amazing music |
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isn't it? It is so sad but so wonderful.
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stopbush
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:17 PM
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29. I met Jon Vickers who OWNED the role |
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despite what Britten thought of his interpretation!
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TrogL
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Wed Feb-11-04 09:38 PM
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61. I've seen him sing it |
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Did a good job, but too dramatic. I preferred Pear's more understated approach.
Vickers would have made a good Balfour.
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GoddessOfGuinness
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:55 PM
Response to Original message |
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Edited on Tue Feb-10-04 04:55 PM by GoddessOfGuinness
and everything else Puccini wrote... :o
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BlackVelvetElvis
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:56 PM
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14. Handel's "Julius Ceasar" |
Rabrrrrrr
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:58 PM
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15. Tristan Und Isolde. Einstein on the Beach |
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and the Ring Cycle and Turandot.
I tend to shun Italian opera (except for the genius Puccini), and go for the more serious stuff.
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MuseRider
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:02 PM
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18. The Ring Cycle is a serious |
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committment! It was the first Opera I ever really listened to and it peaked my interest. I really know next to nothing about Opera but since my brother worked for the Opera I learned some. He and I listened to Turandot as he died so I doubt I will ever be able to hear it again.
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stopbush
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:05 PM
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19. I just received the entire Boulez version of the Ring on DVD |
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Edited on Tue Feb-10-04 05:06 PM by stopbush
today. A friend of mine at Universal Music sent it to me.
Can't wait to watch it again (I owned it on laserdisc), only this time, in Surround Sound.
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Rabrrrrrr
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:07 PM
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22. And I'm looking forward to standing through it again this Spring! |
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The Met does the Ring Cycle every four years, so this year will be my THIRD time to stand through it! (standing tickets are WAY cheaper, plus, I'd rather stand and have room to pace and move around for six hours than to sit in an enclosed chair for six hours)
YEE HAH!!
Turandot has such lovely music. I'd never heard it, and then a friend gave me a ticket to see it at City Opera, so I went. I'd known Puccini, of course, but never Turandot. Blew me away - so beautiful, even more so than Puccini's other stuff.
I can understand wanting to listen to it while dying.
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stopbush
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:15 PM
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28. I find Puccini's Manon Lescaut to be his most beautiful music. |
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But I admit that I still get choked up at the end of La boheme, even after seeing it many times and singing in the chorus for numerous productions (at least when you're in the chorus, you leave after the start of Act 3, saving yourself the embarrassment of sobbing in front of your colleagues at the end of Act 4).
BTW - I've also sung in Puccini's Tosca, Turandot, Butterfly and...Le Villi!!
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Westegg
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:12 PM
Response to Reply #15 |
25. My choices EXACTLY. Honey, you got EARS! |
Rabrrrrrr
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:14 PM
Response to Reply #25 |
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Those are your four faves as well?
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ironflange
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Tue Feb-10-04 07:07 PM
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Notice how the literal translation of "Vorspiel" is particularly appropriate here.
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Rabrrrrrr
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Tue Feb-10-04 07:09 PM
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wryter2000
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:00 PM
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I'm one of those. I love ooompa Verdi. Rigoletto and Traviatta.
Also, Otello, Mefistofele, and the Barber of Seville.
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Sapphocrat
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:06 PM
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Cav/Pag for the pure joy of it, La Boheme for the tragedy, Carmen for the hum-ability factor, Turandot for the costumes & scenery, Rigoletto for the catharsis when you've been screwed over.
You wouldn't have to twist my arm to see Tosca and Traviata again, either.
P.S. I hear Volpe's retiring as G.M. from the Met... in 2006.
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stopbush
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:09 PM
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23. Too many to denote a fav, but |
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Pelleas et Melisande, Don Carlo, Werther, Trovatore, Boris Godonov (in the Rimsky-Korsakov vers), and many others.
BTW - Joe Volpe announced that he's retiring as head of the Met in 2006.
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Demeter
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:18 PM
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Not only is the music lucious and gorgeous, but there's a relatively upbeat ending (for an opera), and a real story.
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Red State Rebel
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Wed Feb-11-04 12:37 PM
Response to Reply #30 |
55. Turandot has my vote too |
DU GrovelBot
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:19 PM
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31. ## Support Democratic Underground! ## |
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RUN C:\GROVELBOT.EXE This week is our first quarter 2004 fund drive. Please take a moment to donate to DU. Thank you for your support. - An automated message from the DU GrovelBot
Click here to donate.
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LynneSin
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Tue Feb-10-04 06:12 PM
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34. ACK!!!! MY POST HAS BEEN GROVELBOTTED |
kodi
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Tue Feb-10-04 05:50 PM
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32. toss up: Don Giovanni or Madame Butterfly |
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however, the most emotional to me is Isolde's Love-Death (Isoldens Liebestod) from "Tristan and Isolde."
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CBHagman
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Tue Feb-10-04 06:05 PM
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Really, anything by Mozart is just fine with me.
First opera seen, at age 11: La Traviata.
Second opera seen, age 11: Madama Butterfly.
Favorite opera film: Ingmar Bergman (yes, THAT Ingmar Bergman) version of The Magic Flute. In Swedish.
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BL_Zebub
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Tue Feb-10-04 06:15 PM
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I even guest starred on there for a while when I posessed Marlena :evilgrin:
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Rabrrrrrr
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Tue Feb-10-04 06:18 PM
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36. And I totally forgot to add "Writing to Vermeer" |
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It was so stunning, so mind-blowing, so moving, that after the performance I forced my partner to walk around outside with me for a half an hour before I was ready to speak again.
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youngred
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Tue Feb-10-04 06:23 PM
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aQuArius
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Tue Feb-10-04 06:26 PM
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38. Not a huge Opera fan, but |
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I really like Porgy & Bess. I am more of a Broadway musical lover, even though my grandma insists I should've gone into opera singing as a profession. I really should look into Opera more, but I can't get enough Broadway.
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ironflange
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Tue Feb-10-04 07:02 PM
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39. I'm partial to the Ring |
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Edited on Tue Feb-10-04 07:02 PM by ironflange
Pretty time-consuming though.
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Mrs. Venation
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Tue Feb-10-04 07:15 PM
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43. Wow, That's A Tough Question |
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I had season tickets to the Washington Opera for several years,and saw many excellent productions. Among the more memorable were:
Salome La Boheme Rigoletto The Merry Wives of Windsor Lucia de Lammermoor Don Giovanni Aida Don Juan The Magic Flute (saw that one twice)
Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. There were many more fabulous performances. Opera is wonderful!
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Lydia Leftcoast
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Tue Feb-10-04 07:18 PM
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44. The Russians: Boris Godunov, Khovanshchina, Eugene Onegin |
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I also like Tannhauser and Don Giovanni.
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populistmom
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Wed Feb-11-04 08:31 AM
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Gotta love those romantic tragedies.
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noonwitch
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Wed Feb-11-04 08:38 AM
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46. Rossini's "The Barber of Seville". |
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It's fun and light and the music is good. Yes, I will always think of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd when I see it, but that's not a bad thing.
I also like "Tosca" because it has a good story. I'm not a Wagner nor a Gilbert and Sullivan fan, however.
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arwalden
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Wed Feb-11-04 10:01 AM
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47. All My Children... or Passions |
non sociopath skin
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Wed Feb-11-04 10:42 AM
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48. Love "Tales of Hoffman" too... |
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.. Offenbach is an amazing composer. Which recorded version do you like?
The Skin
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TreasonousBastard
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Wed Feb-11-04 10:49 AM
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Favorite? Can't say I have one. Some have great arias and duets, but it's tough to sit through the whole thing. And, a lot depends on the singers and staging. The acting better be good-- just getting the notes right doesn't cut it with me, not does spending too much time on sets and costumes.
Others, like much of Wagner, I'd prefer to listen to the music without the singing.
Carmen and Traviata are easy to sit through the whole thing. Carmen has more earworms than ABBA. Butterfly, Turandot, Aida, and a bunch of the light ones, too-- Rossini and Mozart were the greatest of hacks. Earworms abound, and you just feel good after watching their stuff.
I shall ultimately defer to my cat, who while "Un bel di" was playing, sat through the whole thing staring at the speakers with his ears perked and his eyes wide. Art that crosses species is a rare and marvelous thing.
Or, maybe he just thought he heard a bird in there.
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MrsMatt
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Wed Feb-11-04 11:06 AM
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the first live performance I saw (which was actually a dress rehearsal), the duet between Norma and Adalgesia was so perfectly sung I got goosebumps.
I also saw the Minnesota Opera production (1989/90 season)of "Carmen" which featured Denyce Graves in the title role (THAT was one amazing production).
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Rabrrrrrr
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Wed Feb-11-04 11:09 AM
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51. Am I the only person who DOESN'T like Carmen? |
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Sat through it a few years ago - and that was outside, with wine and cheese and on a blanket, so I was relaxed and comfy, and didn't enjoy it much at all. It has that famous aria, which I am sick of hearing since it seems to get played everywhere and sung constantly at the italian opera restaurant I like to go to, but otherwise, it's kinda yucko.
IMO.
Tell me I'm not the only one?
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stopbush
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Wed Feb-11-04 11:19 AM
Response to Reply #51 |
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Next time you see it, pretend you're watching "Don Jose" rather than "Carmen." Jose's fall from honorable soldier to murdering nut job is really what the opera is all about.
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Rabrrrrrr
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Wed Feb-11-04 11:32 AM
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53. it's not the story, it's the music |
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that drives me to not care any more after a while...
I think you are right, though - the interesting part of the story is the guy.
I just wish the music were better.
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GoddessOfGuinness
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Wed Feb-11-04 02:01 PM
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56. I think Bizet is better indoors... |
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There are subtleties that are simply lost outside...regardless of how good the sound system is.
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Rabrrrrrr
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Wed Feb-11-04 02:04 PM
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57. Nah, I've heard on recordings as well |
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Just couldn't get into it.
I think it's just one of those things that are the way they are. It's never struck me as very interesting, and probably never will.
Though I appreciate your passion for it. :-)
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stopbush
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Wed Feb-11-04 03:00 PM
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58. I don't find any of the recordings to be absolutely satisfying. |
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Most of them feature a soprano as Carmen, and a soprano who has never even sung the role onstage, for that matter.
I'm waiting for some director to update the story to bush's Iraq adventure. Imagine if Jose was a US soldier who fell for a Muslim girl and deserted his unit to take up with al Qaeda! That scenario would probably have the same impact on today's audiences as the original story had on Bizet's audience.
I'm wondering if the problem you have with Carmen are the elongated melodic lines which resemble those of Berlioz. I've known people who are, how shall I say, motivically oriented in their music likes.
I think the biggest obstacle to enjoying Carmen is that not many singers are really equipped to show the opera to it's best advantage. Both Carmen and Jose are multi-faceted roles that require real French opera vocal techniques - you must have the voix mixte as well as dramatic capabilities. It's rare that you get two singers who both have those qualities, so you end up with a lop-sided production, ie: either a strong Jose or Carmen but not both. In those instances, the show is usually stolen by the one-dimensional role of Micaela which requires a singer with a sweet-sounding voice and little else.
I know, I'm getting long winded.
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Rabrrrrrr
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Wed Feb-11-04 05:19 PM
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59. No, I like long melody, or absence of melody |
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One of the things that annoys me about Mozart et. al. sometimes, is the short melody lines over and over and over. I like Wagner. I like Philip Glass. I like Steve Reich. I also really like Berlioz.
I like your idea of redoing the show! If a producer/director had the guts to do it, I'd pay money to see it.
I know youa re passionate about wanting me to like the thing, and I can't say I *dislike* it. It just does nothing for me that compels me to keep listening, and if it fell out of the repertoire, I would never miss it or care.
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qwertyMike
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Wed Feb-11-04 09:11 PM
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Edited on Wed Feb-11-04 09:14 PM by qwertyMike
Not an opera Mahler's 9th that is
Opera - christ I cry at them all
Puccini, Verdi, Pete Townshend (ormerly of the "Who Me?")
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