[dozens]

I've been loving Pavarotti's "Nessun Dorma" lately and it's because of that Paul Potts guy from that British talent show (do a YouTube search) and would love some ideas for other similar stuff. Thanks!

 

[mbhaub]

If you liked that excerpt, then by all means try the entire opera, Turandot by Puccini. If you respond to that style (I sure do) then try more Puccini, which is not a bad place to begin:
1) La Boheme
2) Tosca
3) Madama Butterfly
4) Il Trittico (especially Gianni Schicchi)

If you're still craving more, try more Italian:

5) Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni)
6) Il Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)
7) Il Segreto di Susanna (Wolf-Ferrari)

By now you should be hooked, and try some Verdi. Others are going to quibble and ask where's the Mozart and Wagner? My opinion: neither of those are suitable for beginners. Too long, and sometimes just plain boring. There are many wonderful, exciting operas that no one should ignore: Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck), Schwanda (Weinberger), Sly (Wolf-Ferrari), Salome (Strauss), The Dead City (Korngold), Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky), The Consul (Menotti) and countless others. Enjoy. There's more opera than any one person can absorb in a single lifetime. So get started!

 

[scompton]

I tend to try to introduce people to opera with compilation CDs. Complete operas can be intimidating, and expensive if you don't know what you like.

Some of my favorites

The Ultimate Aria Collection.

Strauss Heroines

Puccini: Great Opera Arias

Wagner Love Duets

I'd also suggest getting a Wagner Ring highlights, although I can't recommend one since I don't own one.


Another option is to get highlights of operas. For some operas, I prefer the highlights. For example, Mozart's Magic Flute. It has a lot of talking in German that does nothing for me and is never on a highlight disc.

The best option for exploring opera is your local library if it has a good music collection. My local library has a huge opera selection and allowed me to try complete operas before buying them.

 

[wavefunction]

http://www.amazon.com/Vivaldi-Operas...5405852&sr=8-1

A good cd to introduce Vivaldi operas perhaps? I like it, though I'm not very experienced with opera at large

 

[dozens]

Thank you so much, all of you. I'm getting as much of that stuff as I can - and from my library indeed! WOuld never have thought of that!

Thank you!!!

 

[dozens]

Also, I'm still open to more suggestions! Especially your favorite moments, songs, or whatever you would call them!

 

[calaf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dozens /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you so much, all of you. I'm getting as much of that stuff as I can - and from my library indeed! WOuld never have thought of that! Thank you!!!

don't forget to check your library for operas on DVD (or videocassette): opera must be seen to be truly enjoyed!
Some safe bets to get started:
1) Monteverdi Orfeo Savall/Liceu Barcelona
2) Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro Haitink/Glyndenbourne
3) Donizetti L'Elisir D'Amore Netrebko/Villazon Vienna
4) Verdi Traviata Netrebko/Villazon Vienna
5) Wagner Siegfried Barenboim/Bayreuth

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dozens /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also, I'm still open to more suggestions! Especially your favorite moments, songs, or whatever you would call them!

My absolute favorite part of any opera is the first half of Act II of Wagner's Parsifal.

My second favorite is the ending of Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier.

What got me started in opera is the Flower Duet from Delibes' Lakme as seen in British Airways commercials.

I'm a sucker for multiple sopranos singing together.

 

[vcoheda]

ten good operas:

1. la traviata
2. la boheme
3. don giovanni
4. der rosenkavalier
5. tristan und isolde
6. lucia di lammermoor
7. norma
8. carmen
9. fidelio
10. cavalleria rusticana/pagliacci (often sold together)

+ faust, romeo et juliette, and werther. couldn't leave them off.