Don Giovanni

1990, Decca Record Co.

(Eugene Perry, Herbert Perry, Dominique Labelle, Carroll Freeman, Lorraine Hunt, Ai Lan Zhu, Elmore James, James Patterson; Arnold-Schönberg-Chor; Wiener Symphoniker, cond. Craig Smith)

(dir. Peter Sellars)

This modern-dress studio production is “not your parents’ Don Giovanni” – the very opening shots, depicting a real New York slum full of rundown buildings, dead rats and garbage-covered snow, make that clear. Set in the South Bronx, this Giovanni strips the characters of their social statuses, keeps humor Read the rest of this entry »

Carmen

1963, RCA Victor

(Leontyne Price, Franco Corelli, Robert Merrill, Mirella Freni; Wiener Staatsopernchor; Wiener Philharmoniker, cond. Herbert von Karajan)

This recording is the quintessential example of “Carmen as grand opera.” If you dislike Guiraud’s recitatives, or if your ideal Carmen is one performed with lithe opéra-comique finesse, this version is one to avoid. But if, like me, you sometimes enjoy the grand approach Read the rest of this entry »

Cast

Don Giovanni: Ildebrando d’Arcangelo

Donna Anna: Julianna Di Giacomo

Donna Elvira: Soile Isokoski Read the rest of this entry »

Die Zauberflöte

1970, RCA Victor

(Peter Schreier, Helen Donath, Gunther Leib, Sylvia Geszty, Theo Adam, Harald Neukirch; Rundfunkchor Leipzig; Staatskapelle Dresden, cond. Otmar Suitner)

This Flute is an obscure one (I had already loved the opera for years before I even knew it existed), but definitely worth hearing and worth owning. While not an outstanding or even especially distinctive performance, it still provides plenty for a Mozart devotee to enjoy. Otmar Suitner leads Read the rest of this entry »

Rigoletto

1955, EMI

(Tito Gobbi, Giuseppe di Stefano, Maria Callas, Nicola Zaccaria, Adriana Lazzarini, Plinio Clabassi; Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano; Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, cond. Tullio Serafin)

This legendary Rigoletto is musically far from perfect, but I doubt its dramatic power will ever be surpassed. The mono sound is ‘50s fuzzy, the standard cuts are in place (don’t expect to hear “Possente amor”) and the singing is a mixed bag, but Verdi and Piave’s tragedy is brought to gripping, moving life. This is due Read the rest of this entry »

Cast

Mimí: Rebecca Davis

Rodolfo: Ben Gulley

Musetta: Sara Duchovnay Read the rest of this entry »

In modern Internet speak, “canon” means the unquestionable truth of a work of fiction: what’s actually written or shown in it, or what the author says about it. “Fanon” means ideas about the story and characters that are commonly held by fans of the work, but really have little to no basis in canon. Fanon can result either from misinterpretation of the text, from “filling in the blanks” of a subject that the text leaves vague,

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