Thread: Fav Opera

I love Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. This is an important work from a historical standpoint. Mozart's Figaro eventually sparked off the French Revolution.
I love opera...love the costumes, the music, the story lines, but I hate verdi, wagner and all romantic opera output. I can't stand the chromatism, esp. the recitative sections. And I really don't like the wagnerian type of orchestral sound. It's vulgar.
Mozart's Marriage of Figaro is jovial, and so is the music, gallant and hearty. My fav character is Cherubino...and I find it interesting how the opera company always get lyrical sopranos to sing his part. It's really a wise strategy, caz no voice can offer u the tenderness needed for the role of this youthful brat(Cherubino), unless u were to use a castrato like the olden days. The Castratos sounded really unique. I was told that they had the most beautiful tonal palette. Their voice sound much like a young girl, but much richer and without the tonal 'masking'. Their voice is pure and literally crystal clear.

Hey, no Wagner fan either! I don't like his music much and also not his personality.

I like The magic flute, Carmen ( ).i love also Rossini stuff. Barbier from Sevilla, Giollomo Tell... Weber has also a deep and a real opera flair.

I like Carmen, too, but my favourite opera is Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung.

I like the Magic Flute also, but particularly the story.

OMG! I just auditioned for a opera at the local theater, and they might pick "The Marriage of Figaro!" I heard a song from Marriage of Figaro...and it is so awesome! It was a guy singing like, "la la la la la la etc." Coolies!!!!

"la la la la la la etc."

LOL Reminds me on many arias

But the Marriage of Figaro is a great stuff indeed

Hi Angel! What's yr voice part? BTW, yr male or female?

I am what my singing teacher calls(she graduated from Manhattan School of Voice in New York...almost as good as Juilliard)..she calls me a, "Very Light Light Super High Coloratura Soprano :blink: ...eh...and I am a girl . LOL. I know I can go up to a high "a" above regular...or something...and my teacher believes I can go higher...MUCH higher than that...but she says she doesn't want me to strain my voice too much. :unsure: *grumbles*. LOL. What type of voice are you?

LOL, the "la la la la la la la la" reminds me of many arias I am to learn and am learning too :P

Very Light Light Super High Coloratura Soprano

That means you will be exceptionally good in recitative and trills next time!

I am not a big opera fan...although I'm trying...but I do like bits and pieces of various operas...like Figaro...LOL...

I love opera! It was my first true introduction to music beyond baroque. You see, for my first three years of liking classical music... I only liked one kind of classical mysic; Baroque harpsichord music. Nothing else. I wouldn't even try anything else.
Then one day someone convinced me to listen to the end part of Bellini's Norma... I was hooked! I loved it. I then for about six konths listened to all the opera I could. I listened to everything from early baroque to Romantic. I was a complete opera fanatic for a year. I didn't get into symphonic and chamber music until later ( the music of Havergal Brian made me fall in love with orchestral music too ).
My favorite operas are ( in no particular order );

Mefistofele ( Boito )
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucretia Borgia
Maria Stuarda ( all Donizetti )
Anything ellse by Donizetti if sung well
Norma ( Bellini )
Ruslan and Ludmilla ( Glinka )
Anything by Meyerbeer ( I adore his music, but it's so hard to find! )
Elektra ( My favorite Strauss opera; I sing the opening monologue by myself in the shower )
King Roger ( I forgot who wrote it )
Ariadne auf Naxos ( Another Strauss, love Zerbinetta's aria; can't sing it though! )
La Vestale ( Cherubini, but there is no good reccording out now )
Many baroque operas, which are good if practically interchangable
Many other operas too, but I can't remember them right now

Operas I don't like;

Any Wagner
Any Mozart
Nearly all Britsh opera
Nearly all American opera ( Einstein can stay on the beach; I don't want him in the opera house! )
Many others that I can't remember and I probably don't want to.

Someone here said Mozart's Figaro started the french revolution; no more so than Beethoven's Eroica crowned Napoleon. Mozart was with the establishment. I think you are confusing what the opera is based on with the opera itself. Or Verdi, who really did help a start revolution.
godzilla

My last favourite opera is Il Barbier di Siviglia by Rossini. A funny opera, really to enjoy. I began to listen to more Wagner. I get a closer entrance than the times before...

And there was broadcasted a World Premiere Perfomance of an Opera by Mendelssohn (The uncle from Boston or the two newphes), written in the age of 13-15. As a pure Mendelssohnian I love it!!! It is a charming opera buffa in 3 acts, influenced by Weber and Mozart, but typical spreading and genious melodious and motif-working Felix!

Originally Posted by godzillaviolist

King Roger ( I forgot who wrote it )

Karol Szymanowski. It's a superb work.

I feel a bit bad looking back on my list: so much has changed for me ( in taste and musical opion ) over time.