Any opera I hear for the first time is my most boring at that time. This changes as I become familiar with it. I do not really have a list of the most interesting. This evolves and changes all the time.

Jim

I agree completely with Darksoprano. If one cannot achieve what one wants without nudity on stage, then the individual should probably not be in the business. I have seen some nudity on stage on a number of occasions, not always in opera, and cannot think of any performance when it was either necess...

Yes Kraus. Also Bjorling, Freni, Sutherland, Taddei, Talvela and a myriad others.
Jim

Agreed Geoff, the forum has lost it's way a little. It does not seem that there is any shortage of 'views' but very few of these contribute. I wonder why. This is a very respectful forum and the content is largely personal opinion and hopefully new discoveries. I wonder what would encourage more of ...

You do have a good point antfreire. No singer can be great at everything and none of these singers were. Nonetheless while I do try to be neutral until I hear the prerformance, I still do have favourites and prejudices. Mind you these change every so often so in a couple of months time I would proba...

Indeed I much prefer the sound of Richard Crooks to that of Jan Peerce.



Jim

I have just listened to Mauro Peter, Geoff and agree very nice singing and a good even voice. As an aside I am a little concerned that the modern tenor has a very good lower and middle register compared to many tenors of the past such as Giacomo Lauri Volpi (Caruso excluded, but that is another disc...

Yes, in USA there seems to be a severe financial crisis in what might loosely be called 'culture'. I very much doubt that culture in Europe is any cheaper than the USA but seems to be supported by populations more readily. I am just back from Vienna and the Concert Halls and and Opera House were ful...

Nabucco has always been an opera with magnificent music but tricky to get into as it is a very difficult sing. Getting singers capable of doing it justice in one spot at the same time is not easy. The Fenena and the Ismaele are particularly difficult to cast, I think. Abigaile is perhaps a little ea...

I recently came across a fairly new site of Conrad L. Osborne an American opera critic. In his preamble he made a statement which resonates with me and has been referred to obliquely here on more than one occasion. He comments on all aspects of opera production, but this one particularly caught my a...