operas?

[Smeik]

So my grandfather invited me to come along iwth him to the opera yesterday and I liked it quite much(Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser, fo the interested). I have already listened to several other "traditional" operas before and now I'm interested if there are fellow playgrounders who share this interest.

Do you like operas?
If yes, why?
What operas would you recommend?

Greeting, Smeik.

[CurlyKitGirl]

I enjoy operas. I'd reccommend Gilbert&Sullivan for fun/light opera ones.

Avoid some of the heavier ones though.

[Semidi]

Wagner’s operas are some of my favorite because of his use of the orchestra and epic feel to them. I recently saw The Flying Dutchman, a very good show.

I don't like Verdi's Operas too much, the female leads hurt my ears when they're doing an aria.

If you get a chance, see Don Giovanni, I really like that one too.

I'd also recommend operah buffa for the uninitiated.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

@ Curly
Gilbert and Sullivan's stuff are more considered to be operettas or musicals rather than operas.

I'm not much of an opera fan, but one I would definitely recommend would be Madame Butterfly.

[Occasional Sage]

@ Curly
Gilbert and Sullivan's stuff are more considered to be operettas or musicals rather than operas.
Very true. Operettas are a very different creature. I hafta say, though, I really do enjoy G&S. There's a G&S Society here in town that does a production every year, and it's always a blast. You can't ever go wrong with a pattersong.

I think somebody suggested Wagner earlier... Semidi? Wagner has very good, stirring orchestration, and I've enjoyed everything of his that I've seen. Save the Ring cycle until you KNOW you're a fan, though....

In general, what you can see is in large part dictated by what your local theaters put on, unless you're in a major city. While hitting the video store/IMDb is a quick way to familiarize yourself with a broad range, I've tended not to be very happy with videos of performances, as they become clinical on film IMHO. The mood rarely comes through for me, even with the really solid productions that I would've loved in person.

[Jorkens]

I'm quite a fan of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes. It's reasonably modern, but not in a particularly 'difficult' way, and very very powerful.

Mozart's The Magic Flute is good, too.

[DomaDoma]

Gilbert and Sullivan are awesome - go with the obscure ones, though, because it's not nearly as fun if you know all the jokes beforehand. Trial By Jury was absolutely riotous. It was also all of twenty minutes long, but still.

Gianni Schicchi (think I'm misspelling it) is also a short-but-sweet one - more like 70 minutes, though. Very funny one-shot about an estate dispute.

As for dramatic opera? Only good ones I can think of are called "musicals" instead. Considering the amount of spoken lines in some of these operas, the distinction sometimes feels awfully arbitary - I think it's mainly a Europe vs. America thing - but the likes of Puccini's work are just melodramatic dreck with ten-minute songs that don't advance the plot. Pleh.

EDIT: Aaaand, Gianni Schicchi is apparently Puccini. And he didn't write the insufferable one about the court jester like I thought he did, either. La Boheme is still his, though.

[Occasional Sage]

I'm quite a fan of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes. It's reasonably modern, but not in a particularly 'difficult' way, and very very powerful.

Mozart's The Magic Flute is good, too.

Oooo, yes! The six Interludes are fabulous, even if you don't listen to the rest of the opera. They are (I think) the only parts without lyrics too, which makes them good for independent listening.

[Semidi]

In general, what you can see is in large part dictated by what your local theaters put on, unless you're in a major city. While hitting the video store/IMDb is a quick way to familiarize yourself with a broad range, I've tended not to be very happy with videos of performances, as they become clinical on film IMHO. The mood rarely comes through for me, even with the really solid productions that I would've loved in person.

I have to agree. opera must be seen in person, recordings never do the singers or the production justice. The only down side to this is that going to one is a bit expensive if you're on a budget.

[Trazoi]

I like Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas, but I've never really liked straight classical opera. I do get a kick out of watching foreign language operas on TV and making up my own "translations" to fit my own madcap plotlines (best done alternatively with someone else).

[rubakhin]

My one problem with opera is that looking for recordings in real life is pain. Your average classical music section in a real store consists of six five-dollar CDs, all entitled Easy Listening New Age Soothing Piano Meditation Sunset Walk: Classic Favorites. Also, I don't think I've ever seen an opera DVD for sale in a physical store. At least there are things to rent on Netflix, and there's a surprising amount of opera on BitTorrent.

Most people's introduction to this type of music is Carmina Burana. It's a great starter opera. (Yes, I know it's actually a choral piece.) Try to see this live if you can. The right stage production will often involve nudity and setting things on fire. If you can't see it live, I've listened to most of the available recordings, and the best is the one with Arleen Auger. Also, if you poke around everything2.com, you'll find the lyrics translated and annotated, which will make it much more fun.

Then: Mozart. In particular Der Zauberflote/The Magic Flute. They sent a recording of Der Holle Roche up into space on the Golden Phonograph. It's that good.

From there on you'll want to go on with Puccini and Mascagni. (*shakes impotent fist of rage* stfu h0r. Puccini = God.) I love Mascagni. Take full advantage of any Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci double bill you might come across. Although, the best opera I've ever seen live was Cav coupled with, inexplicably, Gianni Schicchi. :smallconfused:

Britten's okay, but if you get into him, skip his adaptation of Death in Venice. Britten fans like saying some variation on "Grandiose emotions do not necessarily need grandiose music!" Which, yes, but that doesn't mean " ... so please enjoy listening to the operatic equivalent of a middle-aged guy mumbling to himself for two hours."

Verdi, eh, okay, overrated, but I liked La forza del destino.

Russians: everybody, but especially Glinka, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov.

Oh, and they're a little more difficult to find, but if you can manage it, hunt down the operas by Ravel and by Gluck. I love them to death. Oh, and if you come across it - I have a special fondness for Zeus und Elida by Wolpe. His music was considered degenerate during the war and the Nazis ate him alive, though ... now his stuff is nigh-impossible to track down.

[dehro]

Try to see this live if you can. The right stage production will often involve nudity and setting things on fire. If you can't see it live, I've listened to most of the available recordings, and the best is the one with Arleen Auger.
Verdi, eh, okay, overrated, but I liked La forza del destino.


uhm... I must definitely go and see it...
Verdi. is. not. overrated.!. .

yay for the zauberflote, and for the old classics, The Barber of Seville, the barber of Seville 2, the vengeance (read "the marriage of Figaro")
la Tosca, la Traviata, i pagliacci, der ring des Nibelungen, il Nabucco, Aida, Don giovanni, rigoletto...
there's just too many

[Manga Shoggoth]

Do you like operas?

Only in as far as there are one or two Operas I like.


If yes, why?

Because I try not to analyse too much...


What operas would you recommend?

Although it is technically an operetta, Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach) is a major favourite of mine, followed by The Magic Flute (Mozart).

They are things to be seen live - a video can work, but a straight sound recording loses all the charm.

Should you ever happen to be in England, check the Collesieum in London - they do an awesome production of the Magic Flute. The best thing in it being the transformation of Papaganea (she was protrayed as an old tea-lady with a harsh Lancastrian accent. When she "de-aged" she softened the accent, dropped a heavy layer of clothes and a wig, and behold - the young Papaganea!).

Not quote off-topic: I don't know how it will survive the translation, but you might want to read "Maskerade" by Terry Pratchett (The german version is "Mummenschanz", apparantly), which derives a great deal of humour from Opera and Musicals.

[Smeik]

Although it is technically an operetta, Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach) is a major favourite of mine, followed by The Magic Flute (Mozart).


They are things to be seen live - a video can work, but a straight sound recording loses all the charm.

Should you ever happen to be in England, check the Collesieum in London - they do an awesome production of the Magic Flute. The best thing in it being the transformation of Papaganea (she was protrayed as an old tea-lady with a harsh Lancastrian accent. When she "de-aged" she softened the accent, dropped a heavy layer of clothes and a wig, and behold - the young Papaganea!).


When I happen to be in London the next time, I will see for it, thanks for the suggestion. The Magic Flute is actually what got me into operas in the first place. When I was younger I had a CD with parts of a children's version which I adored!

Oh, and Carmina Burana is really good, one of the few I have already seen live (although in a modified version with lots of old instruments but the original script). But I would also recommend the other operas by Orff, especially "Die Kluge".



Not quote off-topic: I don't know how it will survive the translation, but you might want to read "Maskerade" by Terry Pratchett (The german version is "Mummenschanz", apparantly), which derives a great deal of humour from Opera and Musicals.

It survived quite good, as far as I can compare :smallbiggrin: .

[unstattedCommoner]

Should you ever happen to be in England, check the Collesieum in London - they do an awesome production of the Magic Flute. The best thing in it being the transformation of Papaganea (she was protrayed as an old tea-lady with a harsh Lancastrian accent. When she "de-aged" she softened the accent, dropped a heavy layer of clothes and a wig, and behold - the young Papaganea!).

Personally I like my opera sung in the original, so I won't be touching the ENO with a bargepole (although I concede that the achtzehn/achtzig banter also works in English).

Additional: Mozart/Weber/Marschner/Wagner/Rossini/Verdi FTW. Puccini is overrated.

[Hoggy]

I like Tosca.

Okay, I admit it, I only know of it from Hitman: Blood Money. But I liked the song.