What's your favorite Mozart Opera, and why?
DieZflote
I am very interested to know, what your favorite Mozart opera is. Le nozze di
Figaro, Die Zauberflote, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan tutte are my top four
favorite operas. I adore Mozart. Before I was introduced to Mozart, through
Amadeus, I LIKED opera. Now, because of Mozart I LOVE opera. It was a
revalation. His music was the music I had been waiting for my entire life. It
took me 28 years to discover him....and my life is so much better for having
his music in it.
My favorite is The Marriage of Figaro. It was the first opera I fell in love
with. When I first started dabbling in opera- it was with the usual composers-
Verdi and Puccini. I love them also, but I am a classical period person.
Figaro blew me away. How I knew it was my favorite after first listen, was
when I was done playing the cd's (all three) I couldn't remember ANYTHING I had
heard, except the final minutes. That is because with Figaro it's just one
great idea after another. It's like, you listed to the opening duet and then
once the second duet starts you concentrate on that, and don't remember the
first one. I just adore The Marriage of Figaro. It's got the great fast arias
(non piu andrai) and the beautiful slow ballads (Dove Sono).
Furthermore, I have now listened to this opera completely through more than
probably 200 times and I hear something new every single time. I some times
try to ignore the singers and the main melody when I listen to it, because
there's a whole wonderful world of music hidden behind that main melody. Well
not hidden but rather to there enhance it. It's amazing the depths to which
his music is composed. It's like the glass is perfectly full. If you put in
one more drop it would overflow, and if you took one drop out, it would be
ruined. It's perfection, pure perfection.
Figaro is a miracle to me. It is hard to believe that a human was capable of
music that is truly worthy of God.
I hope this did not come across as negative towards other composers. Mozart is
my favorite, but I love almost everything...I love Don Carlos (favorite Verdi),
William Tell (favorite Rossini), Lucia (favorite Donizetti), Butterfly
(favorite Puccini), and The Rakes Progress, Faust, Pique Dame, Khovanschina
(favorite Mussorgsky), and Fidelio (LOVE BEETHOVEN), and Susannah - so I have
wide range but Mozart is THE MAN!
I would love to hear from anyone else. On here and/or through email.
GRNDPADAVE
>Date: Sun, 24 October 1999 11:33 AM EDT
>Message-id: <19991024113328...@ng-bj1.aol.com>
What a delightful message!
I regard LE NOZZE DI FIGARO as the greatest opera ever written. It has
elements of drama, superb music and comedy that keep me enthralled at whatever
point I enter this work.
COSI FAN TUTTE is also a wonderful work. I find a certain wistful quality in
it. The duet "Prendero quel brunettino" always strikes me as modern in that
women are making a selection of their preferred male partner.
THE MAGIC FLUTE is a joy and offers a bewildering array of styles: oratorio,
opera seria, opera buffa, musical comedy and with enormous dignity. Only
Mozart could integrate all these elements into a pleasing entity. It all but
foretells the advent of Beethoven.
But the question is: "what is your favorite?" And after some thought, I find
myself drawn to DON GIOVANNI. Here is an opera that can be both incredibly
grand -- as in the scene with the three bands on stage each playing a different
dance -- and also as intimate as chamber music. It offers two of the most
wonderful tenor arias I have ever heard. It's not a perfect work, but it
offers music of incredible dimension.
Recently I have been listening to Gounod's FAUST and I am startled to find many
reflections of DON GIOVANNI in it.
Faust and Don Juan are two of the great legends of European literature.
They are always with us!
Thanks for your provocative message.
All the best,
==G/P Dave
DieZflote
what you like about his operas.
After, being introduced to opera, through "Pretty Woman" The aira from La
Traviata I went on an opera buying binge. Who would have thought THAT movie
would change my life? I made one MAJOR mistake. I watched the credits to see
what that glorious music was from...and saw "VIVALDI: FOUR SEASONS"
Stopped...ran to the store and bought it. Thought- this ain't opera. Funny.
Going with the familiar, Puccini, Verdi, and other romantics. I thought
Mozart..that's way old? Naive and stupid I was....for Mozart is the best thing
in my life. well one of them.
My opera binge cd buying (I went crazy) hit a halt when I bought Figaro. It
was all I listened to for months and months. Then I bought Don Giovanni- same
thing. I was completely enthralled by this opera. If anyone said, and many
people have, that D.G. is the greatest opera ever written, they wouldn't get an
arguement from me. D.G. challanged Figaro as my favorite opera, but I think
it's the story of Figaro that has kept the opera in its place. The scores to
both operas are incredible. You're right about the two great airas and I love
the woman in this opera, particularily Donna Elvira. I just love it. She
rages all the time, but you see through her. You know if Giovanni said "I LOVE
YOU" she'd drop in a second. She CRACKS ME UP! Also the overture is what I
call "The Kick Ass Overture" it's remarkable.
Then, naturally, I moved on to Cosi fan tutte, and immediately moved off it. I
couldn't figure it out. I didn't like it. At all. Why? I loved Figaro and
Giovanni, and Cosi was the third in the Da Ponte trilogy. Now I have, at last,
fallen in love with Cosi as well, but it took a long time. I think Cosi is in
an unfair position...competing, if you will, with the great three! It is
remarkable though and I love that it makes the woman out to be the "bad guys"
if you will. That's too strong a phrase, but you get my point. Figaro and Don
Giovanni really focus on the men. You don't like the Count and you don't like
Giovanni. Plus, Cosi has some of Mozart's most sublime music.
Then I moved on to The Magic Flute. German. yikes. Did Wagner, did other
German operas, studied German. No offense to anyone, but to me- German is not
the most beautiful language. However, through the Abduction from the Seraglio
and The Magic Flute, Mozart makes German the worlds most beautiful language.
Plus, you can't deny that Flute has the two greatest airas for the female
voice. I love the story of The Magic Flute...of all these operas.
The best part of Mozart's operas- is that they all seem to have "FORGIVENESS"
as the main theme. The Countess forgives the Count. If Giovanni repents, he is
forgiven. Sarastro forgives Pamina and Tamino. The Sultan is forgiven in
Abduction. The woman are forgiven in Cosi. It's beautiful.
You can also see Mozart in Tchaikovsky's operas. His favorite Italian opera
was Don Giovanni, and his other favorite opera was Bizet's Carmen. Carmen
heavily influenced Pique Dame.
Didn't Einstein say, "The Marriage of Figaro is the greatest artistic creation
by mankind." Who could argue.
After my wonderful Mozart discoveries, I made another incredible discovery.
The time had come. The time for Carmen. I went into Barnes and Noble, where
their music manager was extremely knowledgable and helpful in opera. I had
grabbed a 3 disc Carmen with Domingo. Well Andre would not let me leave the
store with any Carmen, but that with Callas. I had never heard her. I aruged!
I want three cd's I said! He said, "no you don't, you want Callas!" So I said
FINE! Well from her first note- I was in love. I only wish I had the
opportunity to thank him. He quit the store shortly there after.
That's what I love about opera- it's ENDLESS and wonderful discovery.
Tell me people - how did you discover Mozart? What other wonderful discoveries
have you made?
Harpsichordist
discoveries have you made?
As a pianist, I discovered Mozart at a very young age. Opera came later.
for me, Don Giovanni is unquestionably my favorite Mozart opera. It has the
grandest music - from the first scene to the finale. I might also suggest you
try Rossini. The Barber of Seville is also a masterpiece. Then theres Richard
Strauss - but thats a whole different post.
Mark
TColl65159
young. It`s through written without yards of secco recit. and one number just
flows from one to the next-foreshadowing Bellini`s endless melody and Wagner`s
music dramas. it was also one of the first costume projects I worked on after
leaving art school and I made a lot of fabric for the Royal Opera`s production.
Jante Baker was sublime as Idamante. The Colin Davis recording was one of the
first opera LP sets I bought and remains my favourite of this piece , even
though more authentic versions have come along.
after Idomeneo I think don Giovanni would be my next fave. I`m afraid I find
Figaro tedious in the extreme ! Apart from the Countess` two arias of course
which are heavenly. Cosi would be preferable for me.
Looking forward to Tito in the new Royal Opera House next year with Vinson Cole
in the title role,
Trev(UK)
Tom Silverwood
G. B. Shaw's "Don Juan in Hell" scene in "Man and Superman" which treats
both operas conversationally.
I can't pick a Mozart favorite; it has to be the last one I listened to!
Thoughtful posts from both.
Tom
GRNDPADAVE wrote in message
<19991024115705...@ng-bj1.aol.com>...
>>From: diez...@aol.com (DieZflote)
>>Date: Sun, 24 October 1999 11:33 AM EDT
>>Message-id: <19991024113328...@ng-bj1.aol.com>
>>
>>Hello everyone.
>>
>
can...@webtv.net
who always keep you guessing as to their true motives. And the final
scene when the Don is dragged down to hell is the grandest "coup de
theatre" of all for me. I always suspend disbelief and actually
imagine that stone hand's grip. Scares the heck out of me every time.
And those arias are to die for, you want to learn them all by heart.
A funny, dramatic, puzzling, scary, wonderful evening of music theater.
When it's done right it takes your breath away. I wish the Met would
revive and refurbish the Eugene Berman production.
Audrey L. Zwingli
>Hello everyone.
Hi There!
>I am very interested to know, what your favorite Mozart opera is.
Hahaha..do you even want me to get started?
> Le nozze di
>Figaro, Die Zauberflote, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan tutte are my top four
>favorite operas.
Ok. I'm going to take a hit at it too.
Die Zauberflöte was my first and favorite opera. I went to go see it
performed last August for the first time, and was drenched with tears by the
end..eliciting strange looks from my seatmates, but oh well. I can't really
give you an exact reason as to why I love it so much, but I'll try...
I have no idea what compelled me to buy it at first; though I have been a
lover of classical music all my life, I always went by the stereotype of
opera. I was listening to the radio one day and heard the Königin der
Nacht's "Der Hölle Rache" aria, and was absolutely in awe with the vocal
aerobics the soprano had to accomplish. A few months later, I bought a
Mozart mix CD that included "Der Hölle Rache" and Papageno's endearing "Ein
Mädchen Oder Weibchen" aria. Some of you may remember my first appearance
here a couple years ago, asking about "Ein Mädchen"...probably not..
Anyhow, I didn't really pay much attention until I was watching Amadeus (I
know some of you are screeching "Blasphemy!" at the computer
monitor..sorry.) and saw what I later described to a friend as "These two
weirdos dressed up as birds. And they sing this 'Pa pa pa' thing that makes
no sense. What the hell kind of plot is that?!" Obviously, my stereotypes
were being cracked through piece by piece, and curiousity was starting to
shine through. A while after that, while listening to a piano concerto, I
had this strong urge to buy Die Zauberflöte...no reason, just felt like I
needed to buy it or my life wouldn't be complete. Obviously, I bought it,
and just felt SO connected with it. I have always felt strong emotional
connection with music (especially Mozart's), but this was just unbelievable.
Though I had a big project to finish the night I got the opera, I put all
work to a halt just to listen to the whole singspiel through. Papageno and
Papagena won my love immediately (of course!), but after I listened for a
while, I started discovering how grand this seemingly simple opera is. As I
have mentioned before, the music has the power to assuage my fears and calm
my nerves, specifically the "von FEstem" G chord from "Hm! Hm! Hm!" quintet.
Zauberflöte's opened up doors for other operas, but since you ask me about
Mozart operas...
I agree with you, Le Nozze di Figaro is an incredible opera also. I
initially bought it because I loved "Gente, gente, all'armi, all'armi!" from
the fourth act finale, but after the first hearing, I found myself
captivated by the whole second act finale. I thought my head was going to
explode, especially after "Voi signor, che giusto siete". All those people
arguing...but such wonderful music..<swoon>
Così Fan Tutte is my second favorite opera. Though the story isn't quite as
interesting as Le Nozze di Figaro (sorry, Lorenzo...), the music is...wow.
What can I say? I like my ensembles. :)
La Clamenza di Tito. Though Mozart considered this a nonsubstantial work,
genius shines through nonetheless. I usually hate choruses, but the chorus
parts in this opera are quite enjoyable. I love "Parto, parto, ma tu ben
mio" and another aria whose name slips my mind...bad me!
Overall, I tend to enjoy opera buffa more than opera seria. I think I
spelled that right..
> I adore Mozart.
Me too.
> Before I was introduced to Mozart, through
>Amadeus, I LIKED opera.
As mentioned before, I didn't. But Mozart is opening up new doors, I love
opera now.
Now, because of Mozart I LOVE opera. It was a
>revalation. His music was the music I had been waiting for my entire life.
I call it my "holy grail"
> It
>took me 28 years to discover him....and my life is so much better for
having
>his music in it.
I'm lucky to have had it with me ever since I was a child, thank god for
radio stations. (Though I'm living proof that the music of Mozart has no
effect whatsoever on the developing young brain.)
Audrey
Enrique Eskenazi
tcoll...@aol.com (TColl65159) wrote:
>My favourite Mozart has to be Idomeneo.
What a variety of tastes! (Recondita armonia :-)) Though I enjoy Idomeneo,
it's still too far embedded in the conventions of Opera Seria to be
theatrically thrilling, a characteristic shared by latter Mozart's
masterpieces (excepting 'La Clemenza di Tito' which also has wonderful
music).
Regards
---
Enrique
eske...@teleline.es
Io chi sono? Eh, non lo so.
-Nol sapete?
Quasi no.
A. Brain
I share it. I'm crazy about Sarastro's arias in Flute, and also the
choruses. I think Shaw remarked that Sarastro's were the only music one
could imagine coming from the mouth of God. Which brings me to another
point. I know this is an opera ng, but Mozart's religious music is also
hard to beat. Try the Mass in c K.427, the "Coronation Mass" in C, K.317,
the Requiem, and the Vesperae K. 339. Plenty of good recordings available.
Like Bach's, the music is so great, it's almost enough to make you believe.
--
A. Brain
Remove "nospam" when replying via email
Audrey L. Zwingli <yers...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:7uvqmc$nbt$1...@nntp3.atl.mindspring.net...
James Kahn
>. . . Though I enjoy Idomeneo,
>it's still too far embedded in the conventions of Opera Seria to be
>theatrically thrilling, a characteristic shared by latter Mozart's
>masterpieces (excepting 'La Clemenza di Tito' which also has wonderful
>music).
I had trouble parsing this sentence. I think you meant that Mozart's
later masterpieces are theatrically thrilling, not that they are
"far too embedded in the conventions of Opera Seria...." I agree
with what I think you meant.
--
Jim
New York, NY
(Please remove "nospam." to get my e-mail address)
http://www.panix.com/~kahn
Gail Mrozak
>
> I am very interested to know, what your favorite Mozart opera is.
This is tough, but my favorite really is Figaro. When I took voice
lessons in my 20's, I learned some of the arias, yet I actually like the
guys' arias and the ensembles the best. I enjoy the humor, and the way
each voice's writing is different enough to establish the character.
I also like Don Giovanni, but find it more static--more "stop the story
and let someone sing a song". Who else but Mozart could create hell
merely by adding trombones to the orchestration? (OTOH, ask me again in
a few months. My 10 yr old has just taken up trombone.)
I also have recordings of Magic Flute (old LP) and Seraglio (CD). How
come no one has mentioned Seraglio yet? I like both, but the story
doesn't flow like Figaro.
To answer an additional question, when I first became really interested
in classical music and opera in high school, I wasn't too fond of
Mozart. I liked Haydn better, but really liked the romantics. I played
(piano) and sang Mozart, but didn't feel I understood him. What clicked
for me was a vacation in France, walking through Versailles. What I had
previously considered as fluff and flounce in music and architecture and
interior decor, I then saw in a different light. I'm not sure that even
now I am able to describe it (an embarassing moment for a writer).
For sure, if you like choral music, do check out the Mozart choral
works. I've sung a few of them in my community choir, and this spring
we're going to do the c minor mass. I can hardly wait.
--
Gail Mrozak
"You play that cling cling cling jazz
or you won't get PAID tonight!"
--Stan Freberg, "The Great Pretender"
Deborah Overes
DieZflote <diez...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19991024113328...@ng-bj1.aol.com...
> Hello everyone.
>
> I am very interested to know, what your favorite Mozart opera is.
Without question, "Le Nozze di Figaro" the credit for which I give to
Mozart, Da Ponte and Beaumarchais. The story is funny and sad and so
utterly human, it's as if these three men held up a mirror in which we can
all find our own reflections. The music is wonderfully touching and nearly
perfect with such a wide variety of arias, duets, trios and ensembles that I
can never grow tired of it.
I love Verdi and Mahler but this opera is the reason I can't not believe in
God.
Deborah
Matthew B. Tepper
has been surpassed in my affections by _Don Giovanni_.
Fortunately, I don't confuse *either* of them with _Aida_....
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://www.deltanet.com/~ducky/index.htm
My main music page --- http://www.deltanet.com/~ducky/berlioz.htm
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
"Compassionate Conservatism?" * "Tight Slacks?" * "Jumbo Shrimp?"
Edward A. Cowan
[snip]
> What a delightful message!
>
> I regard LE NOZZE DI FIGARO as the greatest opera ever written. It has
> elements of drama, superb music and comedy that keep me enthralled at whatever
> point I enter this work.
My father's first opera was a student performance of _Le nozze di
Figaro_ at what is now The University of North Texas, in Denton, ca. 40
miles north of the Dallas-Ft. Worth "Metroplex". That was back in the
1920s. When I was a boy, he always showed interest in classical music
but was too busy with entomology to go into it in depth. He especially
liked the snappy "Ardir, andiam!" chorus in _Il trovatore_, Act 2,
sc.ii, and he always paid attention whenever I played that from the 1952
RCA-Victor recording with Bjoerling, Milanov, Warren, and Barbieri,
cond. Cellini (now on CD from BMG/RCA). Myself, I especially loved
hearing Eleanor Steber sing "Dove sono" from Act 3 of _Figaro_. Back in
the late 1940s, one still heard echoes of the celebrated Mozart revival
at the Met from the *early* 1940s which started with this particular
opera, as did, indeed, the Texaco Met broadcasts themselves in 1940,
although I was too young then to have encountered them. If you can find
a CD edition of the great 1944 Met broadcast, cond. Bruno Walter, with
Pinza, Sayão, Steber, Brownlee, Novotná, and Baccaloni -- a performance
that elicited a rare rave review from B.H. Haggin that is a classic of
its kind -- do grab it!
>
> COSI FAN TUTTE is also a wonderful work. I find a certain wistful quality in
> it. The duet "Prendero quel brunettino" always strikes me as modern in that
> women are making a selection of their preferred male partner.
That is a work I first heard from a Met broadcast from the
English-language version introduced by General Manager (Sir) Rudolf Bing
back in 1952. Even then, I managed to acquire the Schirmer vocal score
of that opera, as it contained the Ruth and Thomas Martin translation
then used. (This translation is too silly for latter-day listening, but
the recording reissued from Sony does contain the formidable Fiordiligi
of Eleanor Steber.)
>
> THE MAGIC FLUTE is a joy and offers a bewildering array of styles: oratorio,
> opera seria, opera buffa, musical comedy and with enormous dignity. Only
> Mozart could integrate all these elements into a pleasing entity. It all but
> foretells the advent of Beethoven.
Again, I encountered _Die Zauberflöte_ (_The Magic Flute_) on Met
broadcasts back in the late 1940s, also in English, sometimes conducted
by Bruno Walter. I understand the poster's enthusiasm for Mozart, and
this one particularly attracted me back then.
>
> But the question is: "what is your favorite?" And after some thought, I find
> myself drawn to DON GIOVANNI. Here is an opera that can be both incredibly
> grand -- as in the scene with the three bands on stage each
playing a different
> dance -- and also as intimate as chamber music. It offers two of the most
> wonderful tenor arias I have ever heard. It's not a perfect work, but it
> offers music of incredible dimension.
This opera, too, was often heard on the air in the late 1940s and I was
always attracted to it. I may have caught a last broadcast with Pinza,
who left the Met in 1948, but my real devotion to this opera came with
my discovery of the 1936 Glyndebourne Festival recording on 78s, cond.
Fritz Busch, that I heard some time around 1952. This is on CD from EMI
and also from Pearl. (I have the EMI.) I still contend that this is the
greatest recording of the work, approached only by the early stereo
recording from EMI, cond. Carlo Maria Giulini, also on CD. In the Busch
recording, with sonics only slightly limited by monophonic sound but
still vivid for 1936, one experiences the dark, demonic side of the
title character and of Mozart's conception of him. The other singers are
good (Salvatore Baccaloni is outstanding as Leporello).
I hope these nostalgic musings from an older opera fan don't prove too
boring! <g>
-- E.A.C.
Benjamin Rochefort
> Tell me people - how did you discover Mozart?
I discovered Mozart with the movie Amadeus. The first opera set I ever
bought was the Magic Flute, and it's still one of my favorite operas !
--
Benji di Parigi
DieZflote
I have a couple Barber of Seville recordings, but that opera still hasn't taken
my heart yet. I guess maybe I don't get it. I enjoy it and who can argue the
Fatorum aira isn't GREAT, but I guess I have a huge fault- I measure everything
by Mozart, which is wrong but I can't help it.
I have a friend that says "everything's not Mozart"
I know it's bad, but I can't help it and it's so easy to compare Mozart and
Rossini because they are classical composers.
For Rossini I heavily favor and believe William Tell to be his masterpiece.
Harpsichordist
I agree, the Coronation Mass is great music.
Mark
DieZflote
that really shows Mozart's talent at such a young age...like anything he did.
It is wonderful.
I still haven't fully gotten into the Opera Seria's. It's just hard to listen
to because a whole piece seems like 50 recititives in between 50 aria's. I
love aria's but Seria doesn't offer enough mix for me.
Harpsichordist
Wrong!!! The Barber is a masterpiece. The entire first act. Listen to it with
the words in front of you. It is sublime, funny, sad , everything. The second
act- is hysterical, and with great music. Study it a little more, You'll see.
mark
DieZflote
in William Tell. I'm certain libretto wise Barber is his masterpiece, but
music wise I definitely prefer Tell.
I will study it more though and see if I can see what I'm missing. I took
along time for me to like Cosi fan tutte...so time will TELL! haha!
THANK YOU
Harpsichordist
The first act tenor solo then chorus, the first act duet with Figaro
(numeroQuindicce), the second act subterfuge arias (Pace gioa , Gioa Pace) .
The finales from all the acts. Great music. You must really see it, theres no
substitute.
Mark
A. Brain
forget that both Bach and Haydn were criticized during their lifetimes for
the "operatic'' nature of their sacred works. That was a long time before
Verdi's Requiem.
BTW, who has a suggestion for getting started on the [overlooked] Haydn
operas? Not quite so overlooked are the Handel operas, especially in the
last few years.
--
A. Brain
Remove "nospam" when replying via email
Harpsichordist <harpsic...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19991025000945...@ng-ca1.aol.com...
Enrique Eskenazi
Kahn) wrote:
>In <7uvrdc$107$2...@talia.mad.ttd.net> "Enrique Eskenazi"
<eske...@teleline.es> writes:
>
>>. . . Though I enjoy Idomeneo,
>>it's still too far embedded in the conventions of Opera Seria to be
>>theatrically thrilling, a characteristic shared by latter Mozart's
>>masterpieces (excepting 'La Clemenza di Tito' which also has wonderful
>>music).
>
>I had trouble parsing this sentence. I think you meant that Mozart's
>later masterpieces are theatrically thrilling, not that they are
>"far too embedded in the conventions of Opera Seria...." I agree
>with what I think you meant.
>--
I meant that Idomeneo and Clemenza suffer from the rigidity of Opera Seria,
while the other mature operas and singspiele -included Entfuhrung- are
lively and theatrically thrilling, indeed. Regarding to musical beauty I
couldn't choose between them, but as satisfying theatre I rather stick to
Nozze, Don Giovanni, Cosi and Zauberflote. Each one is my absolute favorite
while I'm listening to it :-). And almost the same happens with Entfuhrung.
Ivrys88
>I am very interested to know, what your favorite Mozart opera is.
Being a keyboard player, Mozart is one of my favorite composers in general. As
far as opera is concerned, as I grow older, _Figaro_ is the one that I return
to again and again. The final scene of the Countess' pardoning her erring
husband speaks to anyone who has looked at the big picture, and decided once
more to try and make an imperfect relationship work. I agree with Grout when he
says that in no other opera do the characters seem so much like real human
beings.
Cristina Keunecke
of Amadeus as an introdutory way to the world of opera, and I sent the
following reply, which can answer your question on how I dicovered
Mozart (and opera):
<snip>
"...Furthermore,I want to add my voice to those of some subscribers of
this n.g. who already said that Amadeus was indeed a wonderful way to
introducing them to the passionate world of opera. Just to tell you
something about myself, I live in Brazil, and not in the big cities (São
Paulo and Rio de Janeiro). The live operatic activity here is almost
null. Here, the maximum number of live opera performances we have is one
or two each year, and these are very amateurish productions, with
severely restricted financial conditions, and sung by local singers (and
sometimes with some singers from the Teatro Colon, Argentina). I came
from a family without any knowledge or interest for classical music, let
alone opera. My parents never had one single recording of opera, they
had never seen a performance and they always thought (and still think)
that opera is just a fat lady with a viking helmet and a breastplate
screaming some unintelligible words. My colleagues and friends of my age
also have the same idea. Not even at school, in the music classes, I had
never learned anything about this subject. So, with this background, how
could I have developed a profound and true love and interest for opera
and singers whom I had never seen or heard on live performances (not
only because of my birthplace, but also because of my youth), like
Birgit Nilsson, Lisa della Casa, Leonie Rysanek, Jon Vickers,
Windgassen, Cesare Siepi, Fritz Wunderlich, Joan Sutherland, Renata
Tebaldi, Mario del Monaco, Christa Ludwig, Martti Talvela, Elisabeth
Schwarzkopf..... just to name a few, and not to mention the singers of
the past 20 years!.... How could I've come to a point that I simply
cannot live a single day of my life without listening to this supreme
art form? The answer is very simple: it was the movie Amadeus, and I
will be forever thankful to Peter Shaffer and Milos Forman for having
opened my eyes and ears to opera (and also to the other genres of
classical music). Had I not seen this movie, I would never had bought
the LP with the original soundtrack. And after countless repetitions of
this LP, specially of the tracks with highlights of the operas, I
finally discovered a place where I could borrow complete recordings of
those operas (It was on the library of the Goethe Institut, where few
months later I begun to learn German). The first one I heard was Le
Nozze di Figaro (the 1955-Erich Kleiber recording). And ..... WOW!!!
Something "clicked" inside of me, I had the feeling that THAT was the
kind of music that I always wanted to hear, and from that day since I
begun to listen, see, read and buy everything I could find about opera.
In these almost fifteen years of listening, I've gone far beyond Mozart
among opera composers (though I've developed a notable preference for
the triad Mozart-Wagner-Strauss - but without dismissing the Italian or
French repertory). Of course I am somewhat restricted for not having the
opportunity to experience worthy live performances and for not having
the specific knowledge of a musician or musicologist (I can even
identify the notes in a simple musical score, but I don't know how the
notes can be properly "used" by the human voice), and this is one of the
reasons why I don't post messages more frequently in rmo. But by no
means these restrictions diminishes my "true love,interest
and understanding of opera"!....."
[Sorry for repeating this post!]
<snip>
-------------------
Well, as you, I also LOVE Mozart! Not only the operas, but literally
everything, symphonies, the concerts for piano, violin, wind instruments
(that clarinet concert!!!), string quartets, the Masses,etc, etc, etc.
Now, answering your question about my favorite Mozart Opera, it's really
hard to make a choice! I really love DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE ("Der hölle Rache",
the Papageno's scenes, Pamina's aria, the chorus, and specially,
Sarastro's aria and Tamino's "Dies Bildnis is bezauberdn schön...") and
DON GIOVANNI (what wondrous music! and as you, I also adore the three
women's characterization, specially Donna Elvira). But I can say that LE
NOZZE DI FIGARO gets the top. And it's not only a "sentimental
favorite", since it was the first opera I had ever heard. I really love
it: for me, its the perfect opera, musically and dramatically. And of
course, there is that wonderful Mozartian magic! So much I love it, that
I own six different recordings, among CDs, tapes and video, and I think
it's still not enough! I cannot even chose a favorite among the arias
and ensembles, so much I love them all. The finalle of the second act
it's a jewel of perfection. And the end, oh my God, the end! What a
moving end! The "Contessa, perdono...." is, IMHO, the one of the most
sublime melodies composed ever, if not the MOST SUBLIME! No matter how
many times I heard it, it always brings me to tears. Another thing that
I love in Figaro is its humanity. In some way, it reminds me of
Shakespeare. In one of his plays (ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL) he states:
"The web of our life is a mingled yarn, good and ill together. Our
virtues would be proud if our faults whipped them not, and our crimes
would despair if they were not cherished by our virtues". That is, in
this world, nobody is a complete evil, and nobody is a perfect person.
We all have a "good side" and a "'bad side". In LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, even
the Count, who seems to be a disgusting person, is able of an act of
real contriction; even the good Figaro is able of an act of (wrong)
jealousy. And this serves for all other characters, though I didn't find
the "bad side" of Susanna and the Countess yet. And also, LE NOZZE DI
FIGARO tells us about the same message of the referred Shakespeare's
play: the nobility of heart and mind is miles above the nobility of
birth - the end is very similar).
Among all the repertory of opera, LE NOZZE DI FIGARO is one of my very
favorite ones. I only cannot say that it's my forever favorite because
this position was later taken by TRISTAN UND ISOLDE (well, Wagner also
bewitched me!). Even so, Mozart's operas are always in the botton of my
heart!
Cheers,
Cristina Keunecke
Porto Alegre, Brazil
E-mail: keun...@myway.com.br
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
STF Filmz
along time for me to like Cosi fan tutte...so time will TELL! haha!>>
I find that my likes and dislikes run in large phases over months or years.
Then one day I find I like a piece I used to dislike, or vice versa, and it's
simply because I as a person have changed. Then in the future it might reverse
again. Who knows....
As for preferring TELL to BARBER, it's also a matter of personal taste. Many
prefer grand opera to opera buffa, or the other way around. All of these works
do deserve persistence and further study, of course, but if you never get
around to liking a given opera, that's okay too!
STF Filmz
sheer music.
Aage Johansen
Gail Mrozak wrote (in the sig line):
> "You play that cling cling cling jazz
> or you won't get PAID tonight!"
> --Stan Freberg, "The Great Pretender"
Would you know whether there is a CD available with Stan Freberg's
recordings ?
If so, what & where ?
Aage J.
Enrique Eskenazi
harpsic...@aol.com (Harpsichordist) wrote:
>>For Rossini I heavily favor and believe William Tell to be his
masterpiece.
>
>Wrong!!! The Barber is a masterpiece.
Well, I think that most of Rossini's operas are masterpieces, so maybe both
of you are right (and wrong) :-)
Matthew B. Tepper
what I'm pondering as follows...
Well, there are parts one and two (finally issued a couple of years
ago!) of "The United States of America" on Rhino Records; just released
is a compilation called somthing like "The Tip of the Freberg."
Larisa Migachyov
> Hello everyone.
>
> I am very interested to know, what your favorite Mozart opera is.
Le Nozze di Figaro - no question. I like the other ones, but that's my
favorite. It is also the first opera I ever really listened to. I was
about 14, and I borrowed the CD set from the library. I listened to it
and fell in love at first hearing. When I came to "Voi che Sapete", I
stopped the recording and listened to the aria again - that particular
aria seemed the epitome of musical perfection. I think I repeated it
about 4 times that night - in any case, enough times to memorize it. (it
is still my favorite aria) Then I got to the finale of the 2nd act... but
that's another story.
--
Larisa Migachyov
Quaternion Press Publishing House
Have a math question? Ask the Quaternion at
http://www.quaternionpress.com/mathhelp.html
Val
> moved off it. I
> couldn't figure it out.
I think Cosi is a wonderful wonderful opera but it does take some time
(at least it did for me) to get to like it. Again, I don't really know
why. But I think "il core vi dono" is the most beautiful piece of
music I know - it brings tears to my eyes. I purchased the Cecilia and
Bryn CD just because they did this duet (and did it quite well, IMO)
Why is "cosi" harder to get to like? Then one day when you are playing
it you realize - THIS IS REALLY NEAT! and the music is so wonderful.
Excellent post by the way, this is when r.m.o. is really great.
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
DieZflote
Thank you.
My favorite finale is the fourth act, followed by the thrid, then the second.
IT's all so awesome
Capa081348
>From: "Deborah Overes" dov...@sprint.ca
>> I am very interested to know, what your favorite Mozart opera is.
>
>Without question, "Le Nozze di Figaro" the credit for which I give to
>Mozart, Da Ponte and Beaumarchais. The story is funny and sad and so
>utterly human, it's as if these three men held up a mirror in which we can
>all find our own reflections. The music is wonderfully touching and nearly
>perfect with such a wide variety of arias, duets, trios and ensembles that I
>can never grow tired of it.
>
>I love Verdi and Mahler but this opera is the reason I can't not believe in
>God.
>
>Deborah
>
What a felicitous way of putting it! A beautiful sentiment.
This kind of thread is one of the reasons, I keep coming back to this newsgroup
despite dozens of resolutions to give it up. Everyone's contribution has been
heartfelt and interesting.
I came to Mozart's operas (in fact, all opera) largely as a result of the
vignettes in Amadeus, as a number of others have written. (There must be
thousands like us world-wide, I'd wager).
To answer the original question, Le Nozze di Figaro is my favorite Mozart
opera. As I wrote here recently, I don't believe any other opera has music of
such a consistently high level, with one masterpiece after another. (Carmen,
Faust, and Trovatore come closest, in my view, of the Non-Wagnerian operas).
And Figaro is imbued with a humanity, an affection for its characters, that is
very rare indeed.
Die Zauberflote and Don Giovanni are very nearly as good, but each has passages
that are relatively weaker (some of the Monostatos material in the fomer, some
of the Leporello business in the latter).
To me, those three are on a much higher plane than Cosi fan tutte, despite its
lovely music. I don't care for the young men taking up Don Alphonso's
challenge, and I don't care for the young women's reaction to the young men's
"departure". A more serious musical criticism is that I find a much greater
variety of musical effects in the first three. Figaro ranges from the cheeky Se
Vuol Ballare, to the faux-martial Non Piu Andrai, to the plaintive Dove Sono;
Don Giovanni's music has the comic Madamina, the stately Il Mio Tesoro, and the
heart-pounding entrance of the Commendatore. And Zauberflote very possibly
offers a greater variety of musical experience than any other opera -- the
music of the lovers, The Queen of the Night, Sarastro, Papageno, and the ladies
and the genii, all being completely individualized. Cosi, lovely as it is,
pales in comparison. Personally, I prefer Die Entfuhrung to Cosi fan tutte.
A number of posters compared Le Nozze di Figaro to Il Barbiere; I think that
the high spirits of a well-staged performance can convey Il Barbiere to a
very high level, but from a listener's point of view, it is of a lesser order
of magnitude altogether.
One of the most marvelous things about Mozart is his universality. Operas (in
two un-related languages!), symphonies, religious music, secular music,
concerti, sonatas, chamber music. Only Handel comes close to rivalling this
diversity of output at such a level of mastery. And Handel, much as I love
him, doesn't really come very close. Beethoven, of course, only comes up short
as an opera composer, but since this *is* an opera ng, that is a significant
failing. Fidelio is a fine work, but I don't think most opera lovers would
rank it with Mozart's best.
I am a devoted adherent of Wagner, and consider him the greatest of all
operatic composers -- the most original, the most profound, the most
interesting. (Can you imagine being in the audience at the first performance
of Die Walkure? After the wonderful Act I, and the poignant Act II, to be
greeted by the Ride of the Valkyries as Act III begins? We've all heard it
dozens of times, but do you remember its effect on you the first time you heard
it? The most original operatic music ever conceived, I dare say.)
And yet, while Wagner may have been the greater operatic composer, Mozart was
the greater artist, in terms of diversity, empathy, and insight into human
nature.
Has anyone else noticed that when Mozart is the topic of an rmo thread, people
rarely indulge in taking shots at the various performers who have essayed his
leading roles? ( The Queen of the Night perhaps excepted). I think this is
because, to be at all successful as a Mozartean singer, one must be willing to
subordinate one's self-importance a little, to be willing to be part of a
Gestalt experience. (The whole being greater than the sum of its parts).
Accordingly, very few of the "great singers of the century" are principally
known for singing Mozart. There is never any doubt about which are the lead
roles in Verdi and Puccini. But in Mozart, the glory is shared -- Figaro,
Susannah, Almaviva, The Countess, Cherubino. Don Giovanni, Leporello, Donna
Anna, Donna Elvira, Zerlina, Don Ottavio. Tamino, Pamina, Papageno, Die
Konigen, Sarastro -- much harder to pinpoint the 'stars' in Mozart, isn't it?
And to think that he accomplished all this in thirty-five years! When Handel
was 35 he had yet to write Giulio Cesare and Rodelinda. When Verdi was 35 he
had not yet written Rigoletto (the first of his universally acknowledged
masterpieces). When Wagner was 35 he had not yet written Lohengrin, much less
any of the great works to follow. When Puccini was 35 he had yet to write La
Boheme. When Richard Strauss was 35 he had yet to write Feuersnot, much less
Salome, Elektra, and Rosenkavalier.
I hope that the next millennium affords a genius of similar stature to our
grandchildren's grandchildren. But it won't happen often, if at all.
Best Regards,
Pat Finley
Der Reine Tor
Anthony Ames
I am not a very religious person. Just a matter of opinion.
Regards,
Anthony
Deborah Overes wrote:
> DieZflote <diez...@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:19991024113328...@ng-bj1.aol.com...
> > Hello everyone.
> >
Gail Mrozak
>
> In article <3814A1C3...@online.no>, aagj...@online.no pondered
> what I'm pondering as follows...
> >
> >Sorry to be so far off rmo topics ...
> >
> >
> >Gail Mrozak wrote (in the sig line):
> >
> >> "You play that cling cling cling jazz
> >> or you won't get PAID tonight!"
> >> --Stan Freberg, "The Great Pretender"
> >
> >Would you know whether there is a CD available with Stan Freberg's
> >recordings ?
> >If so, what & where ?
> >
> >Aage J.
>
> Well, there are parts one and two (finally issued a couple of years
> ago!) of "The United States of America" on Rhino Records; just released
> is a compilation called somthing like "The Tip of the Freberg."
Wow, I thought this ng was kind of a dud, since no one even noticed my
sig block! Yes, yes, there is lots of Freberg re-issues (historic opera
singers aren't the only ones with re-issues).
My local library has the "United States of America" 2 CD set, which
includes a couple of items that didn't make it on to the original
albums.
My husband (a guy w/a great sense of humor) recently bought me "The Very
Best of Stan Freberg", an EMI-Capitol Special Markets. The U.S.
distributor has a toll-free number: 1-800-336-4627. (Collectables
Records, P O Box 35, Narberth PA 19072) The liner notes were co-written
by Freberg, who mentions that the pianist on "The Great Pretender" was a
real jazz pianist who was Ella Fitzgerald's favorite accompanist.
--
Gail Mrozak
Ivrys88
>And yet, while Wagner may have been the greater operatic composer, Mozart was
>the greater artist, in terms of diversity, empathy, and insight into human
>nature.
Emphasis on the _may_. :-)
Caffarelli27
are so... I would go on in length, but I'll just give you the address to my web
page with a term paper that I wrote on Cosě. It got an A+ (don't ask how.)
<http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/1254/comedy.html>
There's also the term paper that I did the following semester for my
Intellectual Heritage class comparing Despina to Machiavelli...hmm...
<http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/1254/despina.html>
Antonio, detto il Caffarellino
Caffarelli27
>forget that both Bach and Haydn were criticized during their lifetimes for
>the "operatic'' nature of their sacred works.
Oi, I'm assuming that the church hadn't brushed up on their scriptures? Had
they? Some of the stories in the bible are just as bad, if not worse, than some
of the buffa and semi-seria operas. The seven deadly sins are mentioned in the
Bible, and eight of them have appeared in opera by that time. IMHO, the bible
is a very dramatic book, if one is reading it for other than it's intended
purpose. So I'm assuming that the characters in the Bible didn't deserve any
life breathed into them?
>BTW, who has a suggestion for getting started on the [overlooked] Haydn
>operas?
Hmm, well we could force La Bartoli (who I just adore) to do a revival tour of
all of Haydn's operas. The catch would be that she couldn't cancel. HA!
Val
Thanks, Val DeVito
gggg...@gmail.com
> DieZflote wrote in message <19991024113328...@ng-bj1.aol.com>...
> >Hello everyone.
>
>
> Hi There!
> >I am very interested to know, what your favorite Mozart opera is.
>
>
> > Le nozze di
> >Figaro, Die Zauberflote, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan tutte are my top four
> >favorite operas.
>
> Ok. I'm going to take a hit at it too.
> Die Zauberflöte was my first and favorite opera. I went to go see it
> performed last August for the first time, and was drenched with tears by the
> end..eliciting strange looks from my seatmates, but oh well. I can't really
> give you an exact reason as to why I love it so much, but I'll try...
> I have no idea what compelled me to buy it at first; though I have been a
> lover of classical music all my life, I always went by the stereotype of
> opera. I was listening to the radio one day and heard the Königin der
> Nacht's "Der Hölle Rache" aria, and was absolutely in awe with the vocal
> aerobics the soprano had to accomplish. A few months later, I bought a
> Mozart mix CD that included "Der Hölle Rache" and Papageno's endearing "Ein
> Mädchen Oder Weibchen" aria. Some of you may remember my first appearance
> here a couple years ago, asking about "Ein Mädchen"...probably not..
> Anyhow, I didn't really pay much attention until I was watching Amadeus (I
> know some of you are screeching "Blasphemy!" at the computer
> monitor..sorry.) and saw what I later described to a friend as "These two
> weirdos dressed up as birds. And they sing this 'Pa pa pa' thing that makes
> no sense. What the hell kind of plot is that?!" Obviously, my stereotypes
> were being cracked through piece by piece, and curiousity was starting to
> shine through. A while after that, while listening to a piano concerto, I
> had this strong urge to buy Die Zauberflöte...no reason, just felt like I
> needed to buy it or my life wouldn't be complete. Obviously, I bought it,
> and just felt SO connected with it. I have always felt strong emotional
> connection with music (especially Mozart's), but this was just unbelievable.
> Though I had a big project to finish the night I got the opera, I put all
> work to a halt just to listen to the whole singspiel through. Papageno and
> Papagena won my love immediately (of course!), but after I listened for a
> while, I started discovering how grand this seemingly simple opera is. As I
> have mentioned before, the music has the power to assuage my fears and calm
> my nerves, specifically the "von FEstem" G chord from "Hm! Hm! Hm!" quintet.
> Zauberflöte's opened up doors for other operas, but since you ask me about
> Mozart operas...
> I agree with you, Le Nozze di Figaro is an incredible opera also. I
> initially bought it because I loved "Gente, gente, all'armi, all'armi!" from
> the fourth act finale, but after the first hearing, I found myself
> captivated by the whole second act finale. I thought my head was going to
> explode, especially after "Voi signor, che giusto siete". All those people
> arguing...but such wonderful music..<swoon>
> Così Fan Tutte is my second favorite opera. Though the story isn't quite as
> interesting as Le Nozze di Figaro (sorry, Lorenzo...), the music is...wow.
> What can I say? I like my ensembles. :)
> La Clamenza di Tito. Though Mozart considered this a nonsubstantial work,
> genius shines through nonetheless. I usually hate choruses, but the chorus
> parts in this opera are quite enjoyable. I love "Parto, parto, ma tu ben
> mio" and another aria whose name slips my mind...bad me!...
Levine's DVD was designated AMAZON'S CHOICE.