Verdi Operas

I know opera doesn't get a lot of play here on Head-Fi, but I thought I'd make another try.

What are your favorite Verdi operas? Favorite recordings? Favorite Verdi singers? Conductors? Comments? Questions? Recommendations?

Discuss.

Recent Verdi purchases I've made:



This recording really does live up to the hype. The criticism of Thomas Hampson's performance is justified, and his flat performance is really a surprising disappointment considering his very impressive body of past work. Other than that, though, this Traviata is a firecraker. Villazon and Netrebko are both outstanding, providing even more promise for their futures than any of their recital CDs have. Listen to Villazon cut loose when he tears into Violetta in the gambling scene, and then listen to genuine he sounds at the lovers' reuinion in Act III. Though judging from Netrebko's recital CDs it would seem that she prefers lighter weight, coloratura singing, she impressed me most in the big moments. Listen to her in Act II after "Che fai..." That was probably the most heartbreaking moment of this performance for me, even more than the finale. The two young stars' portrayal of Violetta's obvious distress despite her attempt to hide it and Alfredo's confused and worried attempts to reassure her of his love even as he senses that something tragic is upon him is nearly perfect. I only wish Hampson's performance were better, because Netrebko's half of their duets is very very good. The Vienna Philharmonic plays great, and the sound is pretty good despite some strange mixing going on at the end of the opera.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this Traviata?

Also:



I have only listened to Otello so far from this set. I am familiar with some of Toscanini's Verdi, which from my experience has been excellent, so I'm excited to dive in. I was very pleased with the Otello, but it is a work I'm not extremely familiar with, so I will leave it to others to comment more specifically. Does anyone else have this set? I'd love to hear some thoughts.

Anything operatic by Verdi is fair game. Knock yourselves out.

-Jay

It really was an extremely fortuitous find. I had received a gift card to FYE, so I was forced to root through that abysmal store for anything that I would enjoy. While going through the classical section (more like tiny corner), I happened upon that set. Now, when yours arrives you can see for yourself, there is not one shred of decent identifying information anywhere to be found on the outside of that box. "Toscanini - the Verdi Recordings" is all you get. I had no idea what was contained within. Were they full opera recordings, or was I going to open it up and be furious to find a bunch of cut segments and highlights? Were they his most well-known and well-respected recordings, or were they some other unknown performances? What casts? What orchestras? What operas? What dates? Would they be good remasters or terrible thrown-together transfers?

Basically I saw that it was 12 CDs (I don't recall if even that piece of info was on the outside of the box; I may have gotten it from the in-store listening station which also had no track titles, opera titles, or any other useful info - nor did any of the tracks actually play.), and figured that it would hopefully be 5 to 6 complete operas, with maybe some other interesting excerpts or possibly the Requiem. Also, I own a couple other boxes from the RCA Complete Collections series, and I have always been pleased. Based on those guesses, and the fact that I knew I needed the Toscanini Verdi opera recordings in my collection, and that it was on sale, and that the one box would be a great way to get the music assuming it was the right recordings, I took the plunge.

Luckily it turned out to be a fantastic purchase. There are 5 complete operas (Otello, Falstaff, Aida, La Traviata, and one more I don't remember. I'm not at home now, but I will check when I get back), as well as the complete Requiem, one complete act from Rigoletto, and some other shorter excerpts from a few other things, if I remember correctly. They are the same performances that are only available in more expensive single-work albums otherwise, and they are very well remastered. There are no librettos, and the cast and recording date/location info leaves a bit to be desired, but I can forgive those things since it was such a great deal and such great and important music.

I was also previously familiar with Toscanini's Falstaff, which I too think stands head and shoulders above any others, so I didn't think it was too much of a risk to buy the box.

Like I said, I'm not home right now, but I believe the leads in Otello are Vinay and Valdengo. They're favorites of Maestro Toscanini and they are excellent.

I'm glad I was able to bring the set to your attention and I will be interested to hear what you think.

Regarding the Netrebko/Villazon La Traviata:

I would have to agree with you for the most part about the ending. I don't think it was extremely weak, but I do think it wasn't as strong as the other major moments in the opera. Like I mentioned before, Violetta's farewell when she leaves the country for Paris was the most emotionally impactful part of the performance for me, which is probably a combination of how impressive the two of them are in that scene and the slightly under-performance at the bitter end.

I also love the Callas recording,and I agree that the ending of that one is the most heartbreaking I have heard, which is to be expected from La Diva. I'm not familiar with the Fabbricini/Alagna performance. The other modern recording that gets talked about a lot is the Gheorghiu/Solti,which I have not heard. I can't say I would think of Solti first when talking about La Traviata, nor have I been as thrilled with Gheorghiu as many have. But that recording really has been drowned in praise, so I'm curious. Are you familiar with it?

-Jay

I generally stick with CDs rather than DVDs for opera even though it seems counterintuitive. Is the singing bad or is it just a poor production/acting?

-Jay

Yes, it does seem like he runs away without her there at the end a little bit. Solti to me is a mixed bag. There really are some gems in his catalogue, and if you stick to his repertoire you can usually expect at least a good performance. However, there are plenty of other recordings where I can't help but wonder what he was thinking.

-Jay

P.S. In the spirit of this thread, I just finished giving the Björling/Milanov Aida another spin.

A keeper indeed. I was lucky to find it. And I agree about Valdengo; I think he is very underrated.

-Jay

Haven't listened to Toscanini's Traviata yet, but I'm sorry to hear that it's not up to snuff.

Have you checked out Otello? I think you'll be more pleased with that.

-Jay