Yes, I have to say that Carmen did the trick with my group of (female) friends, about six of them. They haven't exactly become fans of opera on their own, but I now schedule opera parties (we've had about 4 so far) to encore Carmen, watch Tosca (with JK) and next up, Lohengrin (with JK)--this one will require some serious prep on my part, but the only guy in the group loves Wagner....
Good luck and welcome to the group!
No really, go for the Domingo-Migenes film. It is really the best opera film ever made, the sets and atmosphere are so evocative (filmed in the beautiful Andalucian town of Ronda), Migenes is a perfect Carmen, and it has two gorgeous leading men. You can't go wrong. Buy it! buy it! buy it!
Natalie
Decisions, more decisions! I looked at some YouTube clips of the Antonacci/Kaufmann Carmen. Definitely good. And my sister showed considerable appreciation of Kaufmann in die Walkure--appreciation of more than his voice.
But....Mamascarlatti, you're right. How COULD I go wrong with the Domingo/Migenes? Also, as I look at the Carmen discussion in this forum, it would have gotten more votes, if it had actually been available at the time of the voting.
OK, I'll buy the Domingo/Migenes - but then, I also want the Antonacci/Kaufmann. And I already have 3 Carmens. Arggghhh!!!
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
Hey buddy, if you ever feel oppressed by the weight of your huge DVD collection, feel free to siphon some of it off to me, and I'll take part of that burden upon myself.Originally Posted by Almaviva
Because I'm just that kind of friend.
You need the Domingo/Migenes for the sets and the Antonacci/Kaufmann for the assets. Sorry, buddy.
Natalie
Absolutely, get the Domingo/Migenes for the *sets.*You need the Domingo/Migenes for the sets and the Antonacci/Kaufmann for the assets. Sorry, buddy
As in, Julia Migenes has a nice one.
Yes, but I reckon Antonacci needs more of the special sticky tape to hold her dress up.Absolutely, get the Domingo/Migenes for the *sets.*
As in, Julia Migenes has a nice one.
Last edited by mamascarlatti; Aug-31-2011 at 04:37.
Natalie
Looks like both these ladies are worthy acquisitions for my collection.
[Alma gets his little book, which looks suspiciously like Don Giovanni's]
Hm... let's see... In Spain, they're already...
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
Have we kind of reviewed most of what is out there to be reviewed?
This thread has been quiet, lately.
I wonder how many operas on DVD exist in the current catalog (not out of print).
What is your guess? 500?
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
A quick tally of the listings at ArkivMusic shows 398 different operas on DVD, with a total of 1,493 productions currently available or soon to be released.
So don't despair, Alma. You've still got a few more to go to complete your collection!
By the way, the top 50 operas, in terms of number of DVD productions, is as follows:
1. Don Giovanni, K 527 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (35)
2. Le nozze di Figaro, K 492 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (31)
3. Così fan tutte, K 588 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (30)
4. Tosca by Giacomo Puccini (26)
5. La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi (25)
6. Aida by Giuseppe Verdi (24)
- . Die Zauberflöte, K 620 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (24)
- . La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini (24)
9. Carmen by Georges Bizet (21)
- . Die Walküre by Richard Wagner (21)
- . Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi (21)
12. Das Rheingold by Richard Wagner (19)
-- . Götterdämmerung by Richard Wagner (19)
14. Siegfried by Richard Wagner (18)
15. Otello by Giuseppe Verdi (17)
16. L'Elisir d'Amore by Gaetano Donizetti (16)
-- . Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini (16)
18. Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K 384 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (15)
-- . Fidelio, Op. 72 by Ludwig van Beethoven (15)
-- . Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini (15)
21. I Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo (14)
-- . Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi (14)
-- . Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi (14)
24. Idomeneo, K 366 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (13)
-- . Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner (13)
-- . Turandot by Giacomo Puccini (13)
27. Don Carlos by Giuseppe Verdi (12)
-- . Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi (12)
-- . Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Puccini (12)
-- . Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi (12)
-- . Norma by Vincenzo Bellini (12)
32. Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss Jr. (11)
-- . La clemenza di Tito, K 621 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (11)
-- . Les contes d'Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach (11)
-- . Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti (11)
36. Andrea Chénier by Umberto Giordano (10)
-- . Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni (10)
-- . Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59 by Richard Strauss (10)
-- . Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner (10)
-- . Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria by Claudio Monteverdi (10)
-- . L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi (10)
-- . La Cenerentola by Gioachino Rossini (10)
-- . Simon Boccanegra by Giuseppe Verdi (10)
-- . Un ballo in maschera by Giuseppe Verdi (10)
45. Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti (9)
-- . Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph W. Gluck (9)
47. Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky (8)
-- . Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner (8)
-- . Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (8)
-- . L'Incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi (8)
-- . La Fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini (8)
Last edited by amfortas; Aug-31-2011 at 21:12.
Very interesting, amfortas, thanks for posting the list.
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
A friend gave me the loveliest and the weirdest Carmen ever...It is sung...in Russian!!!!
LOL
Martin
I bet that's .. er .. different! I ordered this before I realised it was in Italian. I was going to send it back but decided to keep it. It's interesting!!
Ann
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