Classical Music

[latraviata]

OMG! It's like watching Monty Python meets Les Ballet de Trocodero de Monte Carlo!

I love just about all classical music -it just depends on my mood. I'm a sucker, though, for Pavane for a Dead Princess and Bolero by Ravel, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and Dance of the Blessed Spirits by Gluck. It just occurred to me that two of those pieces feature the flute. No wonder I like them!

edited for riffle

I am a classical music omnivore, listen to this:

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[latraviata]

And from American soil, the absolutely stunning, brings tears to my eyes, tenor Lawrence Brownlee!!!!

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[latraviata]

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Some madness for the weekend, Donizetti's Lucie de Lammermoor, performed by Natalie Dessay.

[Val78]

In a string phase (to listen to, I don't play)...specifically the cello. Could listen all to it all day

[latraviata]

In a string phase (to listen to, I don't play)...specifically the cello. Could listen all to it all day

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My favourite instrument!!!

[MamaJunebug]

OMG! It's like watching Monty Python meets Les Ballet de Trocodero de Monte Carlo!

I love just about all classical music -it just depends on my mood. I'm a sucker, though, for Pavane for a Dead Princess and Bolero by Ravel, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and Dance of the Blessed Spirits by Gluck. It just occurred to me that two of those pieces feature the flute. No wonder I like them!

edited for riffle

OmG Les Ballet de Trocodero de Monte Carlo!!!! I didn't know if any body else had ever heard of them! Love them.

I'm a homer, so I'm absolutely ga-ga over Southern Illinois' finest, whose name I am totally blanking on .... oh my dawg this isn't funny. CHRISTINE BREWER, thank you very much, failing brain cells!!!!!!!! :cracking-up:

I'm also shallow as hal so I'll confess my absolute favorite operas are Gilbert & Sullivan's, followed by Stephen Sondheim's musical theater, which to my mind is the contemporary equivalent.

There's an opera theater in St. Louis, Mo., that does EVERYTHING in English. Highly regarded, but I've never been able to make it there.

AFter three years of only a very little local programming on the NPR affiliate, my area now has its own 24/7 arts station, which is listenable (I am, right now!) at http://www.raflstl.org/listen

BTW, OP flyawaystray, I love your avatar. You know Johnny's an accomplished cellist, right? :violin:

ETA: BigDaddyJunebug tried to teach us to appreciate tenors. Dunno about the rest of my sibs but it "took" with me. I still sniffle and snurffle to think that Pavarotti's no longer with us. If I could get my voice to the right timbre, I'd so try to sing tenor.

[latraviata]

Have a nice sunday!!

MUnDXmJaiko

[latraviata]

ETA: BigDaddyJunebug tried to teach us to appreciate tenors. Dunno about the rest of my sibs but it "took" with me. I still sniffle and snurffle to think that Pavarotti's no longer with us. If I could get my voice to the right timbre, I'd so try to sing tenor.

I love tenors, but I am not too impressed by Pavarotti. My elderly neighbour calls him a wet teabag. He had a nice voice when he was young, but he was never able to sing Mozart.

There are so many fantastic young tenors, the above mentioned Lawrence Brownlee, Juan Diego Florez, Rolando Villazon just to name a few.....

[crazyforkate]

My voice teacher had a tune-up session with Pavarotti when he was in Toronto for a tune-up once. Said he had an ego which far outstripped his talent. Still, she kept his autographed picture on the shelf...

[LilMissMetaphor]

Vivaldi.

[sparkles]

Big, big, big classical music and opera fan here, and have been even as a very little kid, thanks to my parents. (I actually made my 8th grade music teacher cry with joy because I went up to her and told her how much I enjoyed our opera module--not a very popular subject with kids back in 1967.) Until a couple of years ago, I basically just listened and enjoyed but I wasn't a terribly educated listener. Then I started attending the Met's Live in HD broadcasts (FLOVE!) and I wanted to learn more so I've been taking online classes in music and opera appreciation.

I know they have their critics, but I can't say enough good things about HD broadcasts, which are shown worldwide (check the Met's listings!). I'm very close to NYC and have gone to a number of live performances but it's just way too expensive. For the price of one Met ticket, I can see practically every HD broadcast in a VERY comfortable theatre close to home. The camera work is excellent, the sound is superb and you get a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff as well. I think I'm going to just about every performance next season.

Last year's favorite was probably Maria Stuarda with Joyce DiDonato (again, FLOVE!) and Elza van den Heever. Beautiful voices and superb staging. Least fave was probably Aida with Lyudmila Monastyrska, whose singing was okay but whose acting ran the gamut from A to B--a major snore. It was also a somewhat creaky production; I like more updated staging (Act II of Parsifal was phenomenal). For the most part I also liked the recent Ring Cycle. And I adored the Met's original production of The Enchanted Island.

I saw both Juan Diego Flores and Le Comte Ory mentioned upthread. I was lucky enough to see him in that production and enjoyed every minute of it. JDF was wonderful, especially considering he raced to the Met literally minutes after attending the birth of his son.

[latraviata]

[i know they have their critics, but I can't say enough good things about HD broadcasts, which are shown worldwide (check the Met's listings!). I'm very close to NYC and have gone to a number of live performances but it's just way too expensive. For the price of one Met ticket, I can see practically every HD broadcast in a VERY comfortable theatre close to home. The camera work is excellent, the sound is superb and you get a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff as well. I think I'm going to just about every performance next season.*]

Right, I have seen many MET HD broadsts in theatre in my hometown in the Netherlands. It is a wonderful experience, the close ups, the details of the fantastic costumes and... the glass of prosecco offered during the intermission. It is cheaper than going to the life opera and actually more exciting and comfortable.

My posted part of 'le comte Ory' is Glyndebourne with Marc Laho, Annick Massis and (my) Ludovic Tézier.

[latraviata]

Have a nice sunday!!

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[spookyginger]

I'm a classical musician (cellist) and teach high school orchestra as well as theory/world music/music history. I love this thread! Somebody mentioned Handel's Messiah and Monty Python..you should know that Monty Python actually did an oratorio, complete with choir, soloists, and orchestra, called "Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy!". It's basically Life of Brian in oratorio form. Highly recommend.

For those of you who liked the Messiah...Bach's St. Matthew Passion. I'm not religious in the least but I've played this a few times and love it, especially the finale.

Is anybody else interested in film music? It's kind of my pet genre right now.

[latraviata]

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Murray Perahia playing this very concerto on Mezzo, the French classical music TV station.

To me Murray Perahia is absolutely the greatest!!!

Years ago somewhere in the seventies I went to one of his concerts in my hometown. Because my father was president of the theater/concert hall board I was invited for drinks after.

Next to me, a very timid gentleman offered me to get me a drink and I said yes please and what a fantastic concert we had, you ever heard of him? Yes the man said, I am Murray Perahia.......

[Maread]

Latraviata - your video of Jaroussky and Cencic turned out to be private, so I thought I'd post another as they are too good to pass up!

(Hope it works, not having posted a video before).

[latraviata]

Latraviata - your video of Jaroussky and Cencic turned out to be private, so I thought I'd post another as they are too good to pass up!

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(Hope it works, not having posted a video before).

Thank you! Isn't it angelic? I tried to fix it....

[latraviata]

La Traviata an opera very dear to me......

Natalie Dessay and the American tenor Charles Castonovo

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[latraviata]

Well...why not another one, La Traviata!

Natalie Dessay and Ludovic Tézier.

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[sparkles]

I saw the recent Willie Decker Met production of Traviata with Natalie Dessay, Dimitri Hvorostovsky and Matthew Polenzani. Overall I loved the staging (very spare) and although it wasn't Dessay's finest hour--she'd been ill and it definitely showed--I enjoyed it.

Just got my tickets for the upcoming Met Live in HD season. It's a pretty varied group of productions, including a few things that I feel like I need to see to round out my opera education (like Cosi Fan Tutti--not really a fan of Mozart opera--and Zifferelli's La Boheme, which will probably be a little too overblown and sentimental for my taste). The rest of the season includes Eugene Onegin, The Nose, Tosca, Falstaff,Rusalka, Prince Igor, Werther, and La Cenerentola. Nice way to spend an afternoon and the price of the entire HD season is probably still less than the cost of one decent Met ticket.

[latraviata]

I saw the recent Willie Decker Met production of Traviata with Natalie Dessay, Dimitri Hvorostovsky and Matthew Polenzani. Overall I loved the staging (very spare) and although it wasn't Dessay's finest hour--she'd been ill and it definitely showed--I enjoyed it.

Just got my tickets for the upcoming Met Live in HD season. It's a pretty varied group of productions, including a few things that I feel like I need to see to round out my opera education (like Cosi Fan Tutti--not really a fan of Mozart opera--and Zifferelli's La Boheme, which will probably be a little too overblown and sentimental for my taste). The rest of the season includes Eugene Onegin, The Nose, Tosca, Falstaff,Rusalka, Prince Igor, Werther, and La Cenerentola. Nice way to spend an afternoon and the price of the entire HD season is probably still less than the cost of one decent Met ticket.

Yes, you are right. I went to Willie Decker´s Traviata as well in HD season in the Dutch cinema,directly from the Met, isn't it wonderful? And indeed cheap?

It wasn't Nathalie's finest hour, I have seen better Violettas, but wow can that woman act!

In interview she is very honest about that and that is something I really admire.

I already have the tickets for La Bohème and La Cenerentola.

Here is the interview:

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[asinglevoice]

I've never been a huge fan of Dessay myself but her performance in Manon alongside Jonas Kauffmann was stunning! Saw them in Chicago at a dress rehearsal...just magic.

[latraviata]

I've never been a huge fan of Dessay myself but her performance in Manon alongside Jonas Kauffmann was stunning! Saw them in Chicago at a dress rehearsal...just magic.

What about this one, Natalie and Laurent Naouri (her husband) in this hilarious Offenbach's duet "Orphée aux Enfers.":

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[sparkles]

I feel the same way about Jonas Kaufmann and singing as I do about Keanu Reeves and acting. Pure eye candy, anything else is a bonus. Except Jonas can actually sing. Keanu and acting? Not so much. But do I care? Nuh uh.

I've seen JK in a few HD performances, the Ring Cycle, Faust (HATED the production--Des McAnuff, feh), Parsifal and I think one more than I'm blanking on. More please!

[latraviata]

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The famous aria 'La Fille du Regiment' oh mes amis, which has 9 high Cs and it is called 'the Mount Everest aria' for tenors. The tenor Juan Diego Florez sings this aria with the same ease as if he eats a sandwich.

Have a nice weekend!