What are you listening to?

[fergus]

That seems like a fabulous evening. I hope you had plenty of wine to accompany your Renaissance romp!

No wine; sober as a Judge!

Nice touch with the Bruegel painting!

[fergus]

Listening to Rooley's Monteverdi:

I only have one 2xCD of Monteverdi's Madrigals by Rooley. I remember being interested in buying more but then I discovered Alessandrini and also La Venexiana and that was it for me!

[fergus]

Had a great time earlier listening to Verdi's Aida (Callas/Tucker/Gobi/Serafin [EMI}). I was comparing it to Tebaldi's Aida, but I must say that I prefer Callas in the role. There is just something about her voice. I think I have a severe crush on her voice at the moment.

I agree on the attraction of that voice. I am very far from an Opera expert but I would always be drawn to a performance if I was purchasing a work in which she sang.

[Jose Echenique]

Listening to Rooley's Monteverdi:



Had a great time earlier listening to Verdi's Aida (Callas/Tucker/Gobi/Serafin [EMI}). I was comparing it to Tebaldi's Aida, but I must say that I prefer Callas in the role. There is just something about her voice. I think I have a severe crush on her voice at the moment.

Oh Peter, if you liked Callas studio recording you should hear her legendary Mexico City performances with Mario del Monaco. They were recorded some 6 years earlier, before she lost a lot of weight, and the voice is more robust, but all her unique insights are already there, besides she sings a glorious high E flat in the concertante that has to be heard to be believed (there´s a great story about that).

Another natural-born Aida was Zinka Milanov, a contemporary of both Callas and Tebaldi. Perhaps she had the most ideal voice of all for the role, and her musicianship was exquisite.

[Jose Echenique]

<Haitink's is wonderful, it's my favourite. I have the Klemperer, Reiner, Bertini, Rosbaud and Runnicles, I have yet to listen (attentively) to the Klemperer, Reiner, Rosbaud and Bertini.>

I have a very soft spot for Haitink´s glorious recording, it was my first Das Lied, bought when I was only 15, and have love it ever since. It is also Janet Baker´s greatest recording... I think.

The Klemperer is the total opposite of Bruno Walter´s. Old Otto once said: "I am the objective, Walter was the Romantic". A completely different approach but equally valid.

And I also like a lot the Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Bernstein/VPO, of all the recordings with baritone that is still the best, and is much to be preferred to Bernstein´s later live CBS recording. That was ruined by the poor acoustics of the Mann Auditorium in Israel.

[Seán]

<Haitink's is wonderful, it's my favourite. I have the Klemperer, Reiner, Bertini, Rosbaud and Runnicles, I have yet to listen (attentively) to the Klemperer, Reiner, Rosbaud and Bertini.>

I have a very soft spot for Haitink´s glorious recording, it was my first Das Lied, bought when I was only 15, and have love it ever since. It is also Janet Baker´s greatest recording... I think.

and James King is magnificent too, don't you think, or do you? The Concertgebouw play like demons possessed, it is a superb recording, it was once a Xmas stocking filler, not sure it went down too well though.

The Klemperer is the total opposite of Bruno Walter´s. Old Otto once said: "I am the objective, Walter was the Romantic". A completely different approach but equally valid.

I do like Klemperer's work, his Mahler, Bruckner and Beethoven are superb and I LOVE Walter's work, he was special.

And I also like a lot the Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Bernstein/VPO, of all the recordings with baritone that is still the best, and is much to be preferred to Bernstein´s later live CBS recording. That was ruined by the poor acoustics of the Mann Auditorium in Israel.

Another one for the ponder pouch perhaps

[mcq]

Giulini's version with the BPO is also very beautiful, with Brigitte Fassbaender on radiant form. So many glorious versions of this masterpiece.

[Ciaran]

Das Lied von der Erde, which is perhaps Mahler's finest single achievement, is given a transcendent performance of great depth and emotional sweep, beautifully sung by Violeta Urmana and Michael Schade, and informed throughout by Boulez's trademark clarity of line in which each phrase is lovingly sculpted and every nuance in the score gently teased out for maximum expressivity.

I agree: I remember being bowled over by Boulez's Das Lied when it first came out. I still think it's probably the best I've heard. His recordings of the orchestral songs are irresistible too.

Oh Lord, have you heard Bruno Walter´s Das Lied von der Erde with Kathleen Ferrier? or Klemperer´s with Christa Ludwig? and what about Haitink´s with Janet Baker?

Yes. I remember finding an LP of the Ferrier/Walter in the library many years ago and was very excited after all I had heard about it. What a disappointment: I really disliked Ferrier's voice (people do have very personal reactions to voices) and her German is pretty poor: how did Walter let her get away with it? Patzak is good in the tenor songs. Thorborg/Kullman/Walter in 1936 is much better, but the sound quality isn't!

What I've heard of the famous Scuricht recording (with the interruption!) sounds very impressive.

Ludwig/Wunderlich/Klemperer and Baker/King/Haitink are wonderful, I wouldn't be without them, but Urmana/Schade/Boulez just impressed me more. And of course the sound is much better!

[Peter]

Oh Peter, if you liked Callas studio recording you should hear her legendary Mexico City performances with Mario del Monaco. They were recorded some 6 years earlier, before she lost a lot of weight, and the voice is more robust, but all her unique insights are already there, besides she sings a glorious high E flat in the concertante that has to be heard to be believed (there´s a great story about that).

Another natural-born Aida was Zinka Milanov, a contemporary of both Callas and Tebaldi. Perhaps she had the most ideal voice of all for the role, and her musicianship was exquisite.

You must be reading my mind Jose because last week I was listening to the 'Aida' performance you are referring to (I think)
[Maria Callas (Aida), Mario Del Monaco (Radamès), Oralia Domínguez (Amneris), Giuseppe Taddei (Amonasro), Roberto Silva (Ramphis), Ignacio Ruffino (Il Re di Egitto), Rosa Rodríguez (Una Sacerdotessa), Carlos Sagarminaga (Un Messaggero)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Palacio de las Bellas Artes, Oliviero De Fabritiis (live on 3rd July 1951)]

It is a live recording with so-so sound, but Callas's voice is spectacular (like you said). Is this the recording you are referring to? Mine was included in a set from the Bravissimo label
(http://www.amazon.com/Legendary-Perform ... imo+callas)
Do you know if there are better versions of that performance? Mine sounds like a bootleg recording....... :( (but I still like it). Would the EMI version be of higher quality?
http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-complete-Ol ... im_sbs_m_1

So what is the story about the high E flat?

[Peter]

I agree on the attraction of that voice. I am very far from an Opera expert but I would always be drawn to a performance if I was purchasing a work in which she sang.

I know exactly what you mean! :) I am still struggling to characterize voices with words. It seems to be an art of its own. Besides, I suspect that it is a very subjective realm in which people must agree to disagree a fair amount of the time.