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VERDI's top ten operas..........

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53K views 84 replies 44 participants last post by  MNGuy  
#1 ·
rank from greatest on down.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
1. Don Carlo
2. Traviata
3. Trovatore
4. Otello
5. Rigoletto
6. MacBeth
7. Un Ballo Maschera
8. Aida
9. Simon Boccanegra
10. Luisa Miller

Itullian.....
you seem to have neglected to give us your considered top 10, inquiring minds need to know

Macbeth
Is earliest opera to make my list all the way up to #6, I have recently been buying many versions, there are so many great aria sequences and orchestral sections.....a real showcase for dramatic soprano to soar

I wish there was a studio Callas, her 1952 live has very compromised sound but her performance is so great

 
#9 ·
Meistersinger , Rigoletto, Falstaff, Trovatore, Aida, Traviata, Otello, Carlos, Macbeth, SB
 
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#24 ·
1. Rigoletto
2. La Traviata
3. Aida
4. Macbeth
5. Otello
....

and there I have to stop. While I've listened to and enjoyed them all alot, I've not gotten round to any of the others yet (apart from his Requiem, which I also love)

I do have Il Trovatore, Un Ballo in Marschera, anc La Forza del Destino in my pile to listen to (they were in the complete Callas studio recordings set I bought)
 
#30 · (Edited)
I have this :

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The one Natalie recommended, probably because of Placido Domingo in the principle role...! ;) I'm just kidding, it's really an awsome recording of the original french version, which I'm quite satisfied with (Thanks again, Natalie)

I have also the famous 1960 Salzburg festival recording of the revised Italian version in 4 acts, extremely good, featuring legendary singers like Sena Jurinac, Giulietta Simionato, Ettore Bastianini and Boris Christoff.

and the DVD from La Scala, 1992, conducted by Ricardo Muti directed by Franco Zeffirelli (Italian version with Luciano Pavarotti) :

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I don't have this Dominog/Freni/Ghiaurov Met DVD, but it must be also terrific :

Image


Because of various versions in French and Italian, it's actually impossible to find a definite Don Carlos, I think.

You can read more about, here in Wiki :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Carlos

See also here for more recordings :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Carlos_discography
 
#35 ·
In a Don Carlos mood I revisited the three Don Carlos videos in my collection. the following is my observation

The one I least like is the 4 acts La Scala 1992 production. Unless someone is familiar with the original story, he will find it confusing as to why Elisabeth became Philip''s wife in the first place (this was how I felt when I watch the video the first time). Although it was explained in Carlos the opening aria, the fact was not sufficiantly made clear that Elisabeth had to agree to the marriage for the peace treaty between France and Spain. The staging was sumptuos, as in all Zeffirelli's production, but the acting was not quite up to it. Pavarotti was far too fat for performance on the opera stage at that stage of his career. He could not lie down and get up easily. So him reclined against the fountain in his meeting with Elisabeth, likewise against the furniture in the prison. And Ramey's Philip did not look like an old man either. But there is one really nice touch by the director in the scence where Philip met the Grand Inquisitor. As the Inquisitor was leaving the room, his giant bat like shadow was thrown against the wall. It was quite errie.

The one I like best is the unabridged 5 act 1983 Met production. The story line was expanded properly so that the audience understand the motive of Elisabeth from the start. The set was less sumptuos but not in the minimal fashion. All the principle singers did a great job, both vocally and acting wise. But it is a very long opera, I found it best to watch it in two parts.

The 2008 Royal Opera production 1886 version slots in between these two. It has the advantage of explaining away the reason of Elisabeth's marriage and is not so long that the audience might lose concentration. Personally I found the stage a little too bare, but Ferruccio Furlanetto alone is worth the price of the video.
 
#37 ·
Dster said:
The 2008 Royal Opera production 1886 version slots in between these two. It has the advantage of explaining away the reason of Elisabeth's marriage and is not so long that the audience might lose concentration. Personally I found the stage a little too bare, but Ferruccio Furlanetto alone is worth the price of the video.
Click to expand...
I love this version but for me it's Simon Keenlyside which makes the price worthwhile!!
 
#42 ·
I ordered Simon Boccanegra (Abbado), Nabucco (Gardelli) and Don Carlo (Solti)

I realise I'm ignoring the advice on Don Carlo that everyone gave me (I was going to plump for the Giulini recording), but I'm going through a bit of a Tebaldi phase just now... as much as I love all the main cast on the Giulini... Which I will be picking up next haha)
 
#46 ·
1. Aïda
2. La Traviata
(one and two sometimes reverse, to my perspective)
3. Rigoletto
4. Falstaff
5. Il Trovatore
6. La Forza del Destino
7. Otello
8. Un Ballo in Maschera
9. Nabucco
10. Simon Boccanegra...

Too bad for opera-house schedulers that Verdi & Wagner were born in the same year. It'll likely mean that next year, when both have a bicentennial year, neither one will get the focus normally shown for such an anniversary----
 
#48 · (Edited)
Bump the thread.

Recently italian state television aired Falstaff at the Maggio Fiorentino in Florence so I watched it for the first time:

I've found it very boring.
The idea that women would trick men to their will is nice but the music was uninteresting.
Also it was nice the fairy mood change at the end.
First and last time I will listen it probably.

Also yesterday on Rai 5 there was live the staging of Un ballo in maschera from Teatro Regio in Turin.

Sadly for work related reasons I could only watch the last third (last hour or so).
Again first time I witnessed this Verdi opera.
In this case however I was utterly impressed by the music and setting (I liked the masquerade theme).
I liked it so much that I think it could become my favorite Verdi opera with Aida, Il Trovatore and La Traviata as soon I trace down the complete opera.
 
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