Chandos Opera in English

6505 Views 61 Replies 20 Participants Last post by Sonata, Jul 25, 2017

Sonata

Discussion Starter · Sep 2, 2015

I know many people aren't a fan of translated operas, and it wouldn't be my primary method either. But as a side niche it interests me a bit. So what versions of these (or other English translated) operas do you find to be of reasonably good quality? And if you can't actually understand the words feel free to skip it, it'd only be worthwhile if I could actually understand it, I would prefer the original language if I'm not going to understand anyway

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SixFootScowl

· #5 · Sep 2, 2015

I have Rossini's Thieving Magpie in Opera in English and like it a lot. On the other hand, the Fidelio is not very good.

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SixFootScowl

· #30 · Dec 6, 2015 (Edited)

Pugg said:
Another disaster
Donizetti ;Maria Stuarda

Sung in English (translation by Tom Hammond)

Dame Janet Baker (Mary Stuart), Rosalind Plowright (Elizabeth I), David Rendall (Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester), Alan Opie (Sir William Cecil), John Tomlinson (George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury), Angela Bostock (Hannah Kennedy)

English National Opera Orchestra, English National Opera Chorus, Sir Charles Mackerras

I have it. And I also have a DVD Mary Stuart sung in English with Janet Baker that I haven't watched yet, but for the confrontation scene (which is very good).

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SixFootScowl

· #36 · Dec 14, 2015 (Edited)

I am liking these Operas in English a lot. My collection so far:

Fidelio (this is the only one I regret buying)
Elixir of Love
Martha (Excellent--not a Chandos product)
Mary Stuart
Tosca
Thieving Magpie
Flying Dutchman
and my latest addition, Mastersingers

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SixFootScowl

· #37 · Jun 16, 2017

Florestan said:
I am liking these Operas in English a lot. My collection so far:

Fidelio (this is the only one I regret buying)
Elixir of Love
Martha (Excellent--not a Chandos product)
Mary Stuart
Tosca
Thieving Magpie
Flying Dutchman
and my latest addition, Mastersingers

Adding to my Opera-in-English list:

Wagner's Ring:
Rheingold
Valkure
Siegfried
Twilight of the Gods

Handel's Julius Caesar (this one extremely clear diction)

May be one or two others, but I can't remember.

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SixFootScowl

· #49 · Jul 20, 2017 (Edited)

mountmccabe said:
I have generally found translations to English to be weird, but that's a good point, this opera will probably benefit from more immediacy, what with how the prologue works, and the shenanigans of the commedia dell'arte group.

Probably better to get an English version of an opera that you have not ever heard before. Then without previous experience in the original language, you might even like the English better.

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SixFootScowl

· #53 · Jul 20, 2017

mountmccabe said:
To be clear, I'm not attacking the translator or even this translation. I don't have time to work on an alternate translation, and maybe this is very good for what can be done. And maybe they were trying to change things around in support of a production.

And I had not spent this much time focusing on the translation of this section. I wasn't even sure why the English language version felt off, but it did.

I love variation, and I like listening to opera in translation, and want to hear more - including Carmen in German and Tannhauser in French - but while these may be interesting or even compelling, they are not ideal. And while I basically don't believe in definitive performances of operas, I'm fine with ruling out those sung in translation as in the running.

Agree. Definitive performance must be in the language that the opera was written in.

Also agree that English translation performances are largely a novelty and generally not as satisfying. Even though I don't understand the foreign language, the art is complete, whereas the sung-in-English usually is a cheap knock off artistically, even though the translator and singers tried their best. It is just impossible to convey certain things from one language to another as your example shows.

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SixFootScowl

· #54 · Jul 21, 2017 (Edited)

Here are some examples of Flotow's Martha in English translation. The first two are librettos I picked up. The third is off the sung-in-English CD set. And the last one is a version adapted for use in schools (1913). You can see the wide variety of translation for this small bit of dialog where Plunket and Nancy are joking while pretending Plunket is hiring Nancy as a servant:

PLUNKETT: Well, my pretty! What can you do

NANCY: To begin, sir
I can spin, sir

PLUNKETT: (Who can top her
With that whopper?)

--------------------------------------

PLUMKET: What can you do, my fine girl?

NANCY: Would you take me,
then forsake me...

PLUMKET: I will take you and
I'll break you

---------------------------------------

Plunket: Well and you girl, what about you?

Nancy: I'm a spinster, who can spin sir...

Plunket: Your a faker, mischief maker..

--------------------------------------

Plun: And what can you do, you useless bit of baggage?

Nancy: I can cook, sir, I can bake, sir, --

Plun: You are jesting. You are my own little good-for-nothing.

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SixFootScowl

· #56 · Jul 21, 2017

I listened a second time to my new La Gazza Ladra set tonight. It is great, but now am listening to the Chandos set, The Thieving Magpie, and still like it better. The Thieving Magpie may be one of the better Chandos English sets.

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