Recommended opera recordings?

[robin]

What opera recordings would you recommend?

Must be easy to purchase online.

Discuss.

 

[Connemara]

You don't have any composers in mind?

 

[robin]

No.

And why did I know you would be the first person to respond to this thread?

 

[edinatlanta]

THere was a book I picked up a few years ago that was pretty decent called the 100 essential opera recordings or something like that.

Honestly, if you don't know, just pick recordings from a respected company.

 

[robin]

Originally Posted by edinatlanta

a respected company
Please list a few.

 

[mink31]

The Magic Flute is very palatable if you're just getting into opera. Make sure to get the German language version, though.

Other standard fare: La Traviata, Il Pigliacci, La Boheme, Tosca, Turandot, Don Giovanni, the Barber of Seville, Eugene Onegin.

For any of these famous operas, you can't go wrong with names like Pavarotti, Domingo, Callas, Hvorostovsky, Toscanini.

 

[Gherkins]

The best rendition of the Zauberflöte is still the Marriner / Te Kanawa recording from 1990.

 

[mink31]

Originally Posted by robin

Please list a few.

Decca/London, EMI, Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, BMG, RCA.

 

[tlmusic]

I suggest getting DVDs of operas. You can watch them with the subtitles on. Opera is quite visual, so seeing the action and understanding the story is an enjoyable, essential part of the experience.

Some favorite accessible operas:

Tristan und Isolde (long but amazing)
Die Zauberflöte (very visual in most productions and really quite wild)
Carmen (maybe the most popular of all)

mink31's recommendations are solid.

 

[GQgeek]

Are you looking for full recordings and good performances? Or do you just want intro to opera stuff? If the former, the following are good recordings that I own:

Verdi - La Traviata - EMI 1955 - c. Carlo Maria Giulini - Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano
Madama Butterfly - Giuseppe Di Stefano,Titto Gobbi, Victoria De Los Angeles - Orquestra e Coro del Opera di Roma-1955
Puccini - Tosca - DECCA 1978 - Pavarotti, Freni, Milnes
Puccini - Turandot - DECCA 1973 - c. Zubin Mehta - Sutherland, Pavarotti, CaballÃ

, Ghiaurov
Puccini - La Boheme - DECCA 1972 - c. Herbert von Karajan - Freni, Pavarotti, Panerai, Ghiaurov, Harwood
Bizet - Carmen - EMI 1964 - Callas

 

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by robin

No. And why did I know you would be the first person to respond to this thread?
Because we're meant for each other. BTW, Te Kanawa is not that good (IMO).

 

[audiophilia]

Originally Posted by robin

What opera recordings would you recommend? Must be easy to purchase online. Discuss.
For a quick fix, download in iTunes Plus (Plus is a must): 1. Madama Butterfly - Scotto/Barbirolli 2. Salome - Nillson/Solti One will make you cry, one will turn you on

Some I love. The Magic Flute - Mozart (Bohm) Marriage of Figaro - Mozart (Solti) Don Giovanni - Mozart (Davis) La Traviata - Verdi (Kleiber) Der Rosenkavalier - Richard Strauss (EMI von Karajan) Wozzeck -- Berg (Abbado) Lulu - Berg (Boulez) Peter Grimes - Britten (Britten) The Ring - Wagner (Most will say Solti for good reason, but I love von Karajan) Tristan and Isolde - Wagner (Kleiber) Bluebeard's Castle - Bartok (Boulez)

 

[Cravate_Noire]

Does anyone know if there's a DVD of Don Giovanni with Samuel Ramey as Don G and Kurt Moll as the Commendatore?
I mean that one

 

[mink31]

I definitely agree with tlmusic's suggestion of getting DVDs.

IMO, this one's the best for The Magic Flute/Die Zauberflote: Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) / Keenlyside, Roschmann, Hartmann, Damrau, Selig, Allen, Sir Colin Davis, Covent Garden (2003)