Hey, Q (and other classical music geeks)!

[annathepiper]

So in today's episode of "why yes, we actually occasionally talk about other music besides Great Big Sea's on the OKP" theater, another lass thereupon asked me if I like opera and classical music at all. I told her that there was very little music I don't like if it's played with enough skill and talent and heart. Since this other lass tells me she is a classically trained vocalist and pianist, I told her that I tend to gravitate more towards symphonies than operas since I myself am an instrumentalist--but that kathrynt is an operatic singer and had extolled several pieces to me as ones I should check out.

So, Q (and any other classical music geeks on my Friends list)--can y'all cross-check Eirian's recommendations and give me some verdicts of your own? I'd like to whittle this list down a bit to see which ones I ought to buy first. And Q, I'm pretty damned sure you mentioned some of these pieces to me before, yes?

Now...on to opera! Your friend Kathryn is right -- Bocelli is definitely "popera" as opposed to "opera". He has a lovely lyric voice, but it's not quite strong enough to carry an opera off well. I think that's why he's recorded only one to date. Alessandro Safina has a stronger voice, although he too has put out a few "popera" albums. David Miller, an American tenor has a gorgeous voice and happens to be a singer in Il Divo. I've been dying to find some of his proper opera stuff because just singing the popera stuff, he gives me shivers!

However, I prefer bass/baritones -- especially Jason Howard and Bryn Terfel, both of whom are Welsh. Bryn Terfel especially gives me goosebumps up and down my back! My favorite singer is Anthony Warlow, an Australian baritone who has done everything from "Phantom of the Opera" to "Pirates of Penzance" to "The Magic Flute". He can sing literally anything.

Ummm...opera recommendations? My favorite five are "Rigoletto", "Carmen", "Aida", "La Traviata", and "Lakmë". Throw in "Il Trovatore", "La Boheme", and "Turandot", and you've just scratched the surface! *L* I like the Italian operas best -- the Germans tend to get a little heavy. Wager had too much time on his hands. Wink However, the "Love/Death" music from "Tristan & Isolde" is some of the most powerful I've ever heard.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

I'd go with Carmen and Aida, myself... some of the Wagner is passable, but he does get heavy with it. And they tend to run longer than the Italian ones.

If I were going to do a full-house pomp and circumstance wedding, I would strongly consider the Triumphal March from Aida as the processional. It's that good and really stands out for me.

[firni.livejournal.com]

Seconded on Carmen and Aida.

I also really, *really* like Turandot. When I saw it in Seattle, the young woman playing Liù received a standing ovation and brought tears to my eyes.

(hunts google)

Cynthia Haymon. At the end of her aria, the audience was *completely* silent for about five seconds... and then we all rushed to our feet to give her a standing ovation that probably lasted for five minutes.

For some reason, I thought this was Jane Eaglen's debut in Seattle, but I might be mistaken.

http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind9610d&L=opera-l&T=0&P=41218

I'M BABBLING, I'M SORRY

Ten years later and I still remember that aria. *swoon*

[annathepiper]

*giggle* No worries about the swoonage, the music that makes you swoon is exactly what I want to hear about here. :D I mean, I've been prone to swoon over performances I've heard done in Benaroya myself. Just ask Q how I about keeled over when she took me there to see Sweet Honey in the Rock.

[firni.livejournal.com]

I somewhat like Wagner, too... but sitting through a lot of his operas makes my butt hurt.

Lohengrin wasn't too bad, though.

[annathepiper]

I will admit, symphony and opera performances do seem to be ones that make you have to figure out how to shift around in your seat without disturbing your neighbors, don't they?

My problem at the last couple performances at Benaroya, too, was that during long instrumental pieces I have a hard time focusing on just the music; my thoughts kept wandering off. I'm too used to hearing vocals in music actively demanding my attention. I guess it's a symptom of using instrumental music for so long as background to doing other things.

Of course, it probably didn't help that the last performance we saw was on a school night and after I'd had two raspberry lambics at the Pike Place Brewery, either. ;)

[annathepiper]

Cool, thank you very much!

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

Yes, Bocelli is DEFINITELY popera. He's not all that great. Bryn Terfel . . . oooooooooh *sigh* *swoon*. Now HE is brilliant.

I agree with all those operas (especially "Turnadot" . . . who can ever get enough of "Nessun Dorma"? *swoons some more*). You know, pretty much all Puccini is great. Wagner, yes, he had a bit much time on his hands, but his music is great.

Really, I couldn't agree with those recommendations more. I also really like Purcell's "Dido and Aenaes", which is quite different from the others, but very lovely.

I also lean more toward symphonies and whatnot (Mahler's 2nd symphony is one of my favourites), but opera definitely is good.

Are you at all interested in large choral works? You might really like Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Dona nobis pacem" or Michael Tippett's "A Child of Our Time" (both of which are incredibly relevant to our own times, and the latter is available on iTunes, I can't remember if there is more than one recording, but get the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra one).

[sarekofvulcan.livejournal.com]

Ditto the Mahler's 2nd recommendation. I've done it twice with the NW Mahler Festival. I strongly recommend hearing it live when you hear it for the first time: CDs just can't do justice to the dynamic range.

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

I sang it with the St James resident ensembles and Seattle Youth Symphony six years ago. Oh, Mahler is just wonderful. I sang eeeh . . . was it Mahler's 8th 5 or 6 years ago with the NW Mahler Festival? I can't remember precisely which year and which symphony. Someday I'd like to get some trombone action though, I enjoy playing my trombone more than singing.

[annathepiper]

I think it was a Mahler performance, actually, that was what I saw the first time I set foot in Benaroya Hall. This was back when I was still working at Attachmate, and I got a couple of free symphony tickets as a ship gift. :)

That was also the first time I ever heard Zartouhi Dombourian-Eby perform on the piccolo, which is what led me to go buy the album she'd commissioned.

I'll have to look for Mahler's Second, clearly!

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

We did Mahler 2 at Benaroya and at St James Cathedral. :-) Unfortunately at Benaroya we couldn't use the organ yet 'cause it hadn't been dedicated yet or something. Very tragic. But we got to use the new organ at St. James that year, which was LOVELY. Organs are great, they are soooo powerful. The ones at St James are really great particularly.

[annathepiper]

Sweet; I'd really like to hear the organ cutting loose at Benaroya one of these days. If kathrynt keeps handing us comp tickets to performances, perhaps I will! We were in fact admiring it this past Thursday when we were there. :)

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, definitely do. Their organist, Joseph Adam, is excellent! It's a very pretty organ, both of them. Actually, what you'd like is their Great Music for Great Cathedrals concert. They have it every year (except years the choir tours, such as this year) the last weekend (Friday and Saturday night) before Lent begins. Tickets are $20.00 and worth every single penny. It's one of my favourite concerts to go to, and I don't miss it any year! (I was very sad that they didn't do it this year, but there is next year to look forward.)

[annathepiper]

Sweet, perhaps I will have to keep an eye out for that! Thanks!

[annathepiper]

CDs and/or albums on Rhapsody are going to have to be how I check it out first--dunno if I'll be able to go a live performance this summer or not. But thanks for the tip! :)

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

Last time we did it with the SSO, a small clump of the soprano section ended up squeezed in right next to the timpani. The timpanist walked onto the stage, took one glance, walked OFF of the stage, and then came back with a handful of earplugs for us. :-)

[annathepiper]

*snicker* Very thoughtful! ;)

[annathepiper]

Re: interest in large choral works--see previous commentary re: very little music I don't like, if it's done with enough talent and skill. :) I've been quite impressed by what I've seen of the Seattle Symphony Chorale, so yeah, recommendations on good recordings there are welcome.

HAH. I actually recognize the title "Dona nobis pacem", but only because I've heard it filked. ;) I've got an old filk tape by the Technical Difficulties, where they did a wonderful parody of "Dona nobis pacem".

Right now since I've got free access to Real's Rhapsody music service, that'll be a great way for me to check out some recordings to see if I like them, so specific recording recommendations are really good. I'll see if I can find the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra recording of "A Child of Our Time". Thanks!

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

Hmm I don't have any SSO recordings with the chorale, but yes they are a great group! I love SSO+chorale

Ah, Dona nobis pacem shouldn't be confused with the cheesy round that people like to sing. It doesn't contain that at all. It's an amazing work though (the Vaughan Williams). I'll send it to you if you like through yousendit.com. Just let me know.

[annathepiper]

I just found a whole pile of Williams on Rhapsody--the service has several of his albums. Can you pinpoint what album it might be on?

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

The album that I have it on is "Sancta Civitas - Dona nobis pacem" and the artist is Richard Hickox conducing the London Symphony Orchestra.

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

Oh by the way, my Vaughan Williams album has Bryn Terfel, I just remembered. *swoon* I can't help but listen to it right now.

http://download.yousendit.com/808B714263262CFF (if you can't find it on Rhapsody)

This record, especially the Dona nobis pacem, it just has this music that is amazingly beautiful but ver sad at the same time. It's pretty much completely amazing.

[annathepiper]

I couldn't find the album on Rhapsody, foo, so I'll check the download and delete it when I'm done with it. (I figure that's the closest I can get to physically borrowing the CD.) If I like what I hear, I'll put it on the queue of music to buy. Thanks! :)

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a good plan. :-)

[annathepiper]

Couldn't find that specific title. Foo. See my other comment. :)

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

Hmm I don't have any SSO recordings with the chorale

It's been close to a decade since the SSO did any recordings using us (unless you count radio broadcasts). :-( I think the last one was Howard Hanson's Merrymount, which happened a year or two before my time.

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

Yah, there are perhaps 294356349857345 pieces that include "dona nobis pacem" because it's part of the Mass, and it's highly unlikely the filk version you've heard is based on the RVW piece.

[annathepiper]

If I can find it on Rhapsody, and if I can find my old Technical Difficulties tape and something to play it on, I'll let you know. ;) (That's actually one of the things I liked about them, how a lot of their filk was based off of classical works.)

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

I'm personally a bit swoonier at Mahler 3 than Mahler 2. You can't go wrong with ANY of the Beethoven symphonies. For the big German symphonic works, it's good to look for Chicago, Berlin, Cleveland.

Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz would probably go over well.

The "meh" is... well. I'm just not that fond of the Verdi/Rossini/Puccini Italian opera thang. Which I know is unusual amongst opera lovers. Love love Mozart opera, Don Giovanni possibly topping my list there.

[annathepiper]

I've glommed an entire boxed set of Beethoven's symphonies into my Rhapsody library, but I forgot to check who's actually performing it; I'll have to look at the set in question. Found some of his other pieces that Eirian on the GBS board had recommended as well. Noted about Mahler and Berlioz, too!

And re: your opera tastes, gotcha. :)

[clauclauclaudia]

*dirty secret* I adore Wagner's Ring Cycle. Leitmotifs are fun!

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

Ah, any intelligent person prefers Wagner to Verdi! :-)

*ducks and runs from the Italian opera fans*

[firni.livejournal.com]

oh NO you didn't!

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

Hee hee hee heee heee

[annathepiper]

So how much Wagner do I need to listen to before I stop wanting to sing "KILL DA WABBIT! KILL DA WABBIT!" ;)

[solcita.livejournal.com]

I second the first four operas, but with the exception of the Flower Duet, "Lakmë" is... not much to write home about, really. "La Boheme" (the story that RENT was based upon, if you've seen that) and "Turandot" are good though! "Carmina Burana" is wonderful (with the added bonus of racy lyrics in Latin), and Mozart's "Requiem" is a favorite.

Anonymous 4 is a group that does gorgeous early choral music, I highly recommend them.

If you're looking for orchestral music, I've got lots of recommendations there, too. =)

[sarekofvulcan.livejournal.com]

Speaking of operas movies were based on, La Traviata is going to look rather familiar to anyone who's seen Moulin Rouge!.

[annathepiper]

Which I have! So that's interesting to know. :)

[kathrynt.livejournal.com]

the Bell Song from Lakme is pretty awesome if you have a coloratura who can pull it off.

Which, I do. Or rather, I have a recording which does. Anna, I have full opera recordings of both Lakme and Turandot, and possibly Carmen, and excerpts from Traviata if you want to take a listen.

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

I think I've got Carmen.

I am a bad, bad singy-person, because a lot of those suggestions leave me a bit "meh."

[annathepiper]

So give me some suggestions that don't leave you "meh". :) *points up the thread at what she just told firni* The music that makes you swoon is specifically what I want to hear about here. (And specific recordings would be neat, if you can pinpoint those, so's I can look for them on Rhapsody.)

[annathepiper]

That'd be fabulous, babe! If you can give me a list of the recordings, I can look for them on Rhapsody and see if I can check them out that way; failing that, if you don't mind loaning your CDs out, I'd be delighted to check them out.

[annathepiper]

I have not yet seen RENT, though I heard about it when it came out.

Orchestral recommendations are also most welcome. I only own a bit of orchestral work myself--I've got an album of Shostakovich's Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, and I've got an album of works by Edvard Grieg. Dara's got Holst's The Planets, and I believe she also has Tchaikovsy's The Firebird Suite. So anything besides those, lay your recommendations upon me!

[janne.livejournal.com]

I'd also go with Carmen and Aida as good 'newbie' operas (though I think I'd class Carmen as operetta instead, if that's the english term. Closer to a musical :) La Traviata is also good -- there was a very faithful movie version made back in the eighties that I loved, I think I'll have to think about buying that sometime now that I'm reminded.
I also like Wagner a lot, but it is indeed a bit on the heavy side. Might want to get a 'greatest hits' version rather than full operas.
(I have Carmina Burana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmina_Burana) on my own wishlist, what I've heard from that is wonderful.)

[annathepiper]

Cool, thank you! :)