What ` Turned you on to Opera`
Mon, Nov 29 2010, 11:34AM
Did you one day hear a recording and think mein gott i like that i must find what that was and see if there is more like it.
My early experience of listenng to opera was some Gilbert and Sullivan of
cause sung in English on tv.That turned me of the idea of opera for the next 20 years.Then one day i played an old 45 of Carlo Bengonzi singing Puccini`s
Che Gilda Manina aria from `La Boheme`.
I was hooked.Then it was down to the local libary to borrow the
Tebaldi/Begonzi/Decca and Callas/Di Stefano/Emi offerings.
A golden age of singers for us,never to be repeated
Cheers/Chris
Mon, Nov 29 2010, 11:41PM
#2
RE: What ` Turned you on to Opera`
My opera loving friends got me into opera by playing their newly purchased CD recordings before, during and after dinner at a stupidly loud volume. At the time CDs were just coming on the market and choice of complete opera recordings was limited to just one or two available recordings. I have fond memories of hearing Tosca and Norma from EMI with Callas in their first issue on disc and Boheme and Butterfly from Decca with Tebaldi. Their deep love for the works in question and their response to hearing cherished recordings given a new lease of life in the new format made me want to hear more.
These sets would now be classified under the historical category I suppose and when I began to collect versions I sought out versions in more up-to-date sound with singers who were still around on the international opera scene. My friends questioned my choices at the time as they remained faithful to artists they had seen in the theatre.
Tue, Nov 30 2010, 12:51AM
#3
RE: What ` Turned you on to Opera`
I wouldn't question your choices. You are totally right in seeking out up-to-date versions. New talent comes along all the time. Why deprive yourself of the experience of hearing new voices and hopefully performances with better sound.
Tue, Nov 30 2010, 2:55AM
#4
RE: What ` Turned you on to Opera`
I went to one.
Tue, Nov 30 2010, 7:54PM
#5
RE: What ` Turned you on to Opera`
Then it was down to the local libary to borrow the
Tebaldi/Begonzi/Decca and Callas/Di Stefano/Emi offerings.
A golden age of singers for us,never to be repeated
Cheers/Chris
With opera lovers, the golden age always seems to be the one just gone. Back in the 60s when I first started taking a real interest in the genre people were hankering after Supervia and Bjoerling.
Today it seems to me we have a pretty impressive line-up of excellent singers, perhaps a bit stronger on the female side of the house, although in Florez we have the best bel canto tenor in eons.
Fri, Dec 3 2010, 10:11AM
#6
RE: What ` Turned you on to Opera`
The first sounds of opera that ever crossed my ears was Pavarotti and possibly Sutherland singing Libiamo Ne'lieti Calici. I was only 9 or 10. From that moment I knew I loved opera before I even liked it!
It was a couple years later before I saw my first live performance, Lucia di Lammermoor. Quite a tough choice for a 12 year old girl with no other reference. But determined, I kept on listening to as much as possible until I liked it.
Fri, Dec 3 2010, 11:54AM
#7
RE: What ` Turned you on to Opera`
Three things happened at once:
- I heard Nessun Dorma on an advert for Pirelli and found that my parents had an LP of "Your Hundred Best Tunes" with James McCracken singing it. Wow!
- I heard Kiri Te Kanawa sing beim Schlafengehen from Strauss' Four Last Songs in the film The Year of Living Dangerously and borrowed it from my library.
- DECCA released an Essential Opera CD that I bought and adored. It had the finale of Act One of Turandot on it and I used to play it so loudly that the people across the road commented!
I then acquired DECCA's Your Hundred Best Opera Tunes Vols 1-6 which introduced me to the delights of Tebaldi, Di Stefano, Price, Sutherland and Pavarotti.
I got hold of (can you believe it) Harry Enfield's Guide to Opera book and went through it buying the recommended recordings - in order if I can remember Boheme (Karajan), Trovatore (Mehta), Butterfly (Barbirolli), Aida (Solti), Carmen (Karajan w L Price) and Rigoletto (Serafin). My memory fails me at that point!
Since then I have acquired over 300 recordings of operas - many now on my i-Pod to save space and I have not stopped collecting and branching out but my first love of Bel Canto remains my best love.
The first opera I saw was Norma at Scottish Opera with Jane Eaglen and I was BLOWN away by it. That then got me into Bellini and Donizetti. Can't remember who the Adalgisa was.
Funny enough I never did like Cosi Fan Tutte in my early years but it is now my favourite opera and the best recording to my mind is that of Eugen Jochum with the Berlin Phil with Gardiner coming a close second.
Fri, Dec 3 2010, 11:54AM
#8
RE: What ` Turned you on to Opera`
Three things happened at once:
- I heard Nessun Dorma on an advert for Pirelli and found that my parents had an LP of "Your Hundred Best Tunes" with James McCracken singing it. Wow!
- I heard Kiri Te Kanawa sing beim Schlafengehen from Strauss' Four Last Songs in the film The Year of Living Dangerously and borrowed it from my library.
- DECCA released an Essential Opera CD that I bought and adored. It had the finale of Act One of Turandot on it and I used to play it so loudly that the people across the road commented!
I then acquired DECCA's Your Hundred Best Opera Tunes Vols 1-6 which introduced me to the delights of Tebaldi, Di Stefano, Price, Sutherland and Pavarotti.
I got hold of (can you believe it) Harry Enfield's Guide to Opera book and went through it buying the recommended recordings - in order if I can remember Boheme (Karajan), Trovatore (Mehta), Butterfly (Barbirolli), Aida (Solti), Carmen (Karajan w L Price) and Rigoletto (Serafin). My memory fails me at that point!
Since then I have acquired over 300 recordings of operas - many now on my i-Pod to save space and I have not stopped collecting and branching out but my first love of Bel Canto remains my best love.
The first opera I saw was Norma at Scottish Opera with Jane Eaglen and I was BLOWN away by it. That then got me into Bellini and Donizetti. Can't remember who the Adalgisa was.
Funny enough I never did like Cosi Fan Tutte in my early years but it is now my favourite opera and the best recording to my mind is that of Eugen Jochum with the Berlin Phil with Gardiner coming a close second.
Sat, Dec 4 2010, 5:09AM
#9
RE: What ` Turned you on to Opera`
Three things happened at once:
- I heard Nessun Dorma on an advert for Pirelli and found that my parents had an LP of "Your Hundred Best Tunes" with James McCracken singing it. Wow!
- I heard Kiri Te Kanawa sing beim Schlafengehen from Strauss' Four Last Songs in the film The Year of Living Dangerously and borrowed it from my library.
- DECCA released an Essential Opera CD that I bought and adored. It had the finale of Act One of Turandot on it and I used to play it so loudly that the people across the road commented!
I then acquired DECCA's Your Hundred Best Opera Tunes Vols 1-6 which introduced me to the delights of Tebaldi, Di Stefano, Price, Sutherland and Pavarotti.
I got hold of (can you believe it) Harry Enfield's Guide to Opera book and went through it buying the recommended recordings - in order if I can remember Boheme (Karajan), Trovatore (Mehta), Butterfly (Barbirolli), Aida (Solti), Carmen (Karajan w L Price) and Rigoletto (Serafin). My memory fails me at that point!
Since then I have acquired over 300 recordings of operas - many now on my i-Pod to save space and I have not stopped collecting and branching out but my first love of Bel Canto remains my best love.
The first opera I saw was Norma at Scottish Opera with Jane Eaglen and I was BLOWN away by it. That then got me into Bellini and Donizetti. Can't remember who the Adalgisa was.
Funny enough I never did like Cosi Fan Tutte in my early years but it is now my favourite opera and the best recording to my mind is that of Eugen Jochum with the Berlin Phil with Gardiner coming a close second.
Hi martin_opera. Spent time responding to your post but it was lost yet again. Getting very annoyed to say the least at the lack of ability to on this site to comminicate and yes I avoided swearing about this. How many responses I post must disappear into the ether?
To the admininstrators of this forum I urge you to get the glitches sorted please.
Sun, Dec 5 2010, 1:11AM
#10
RE: What ` Turned you on to Opera`
I live in Massachusetts and wanted to see as my first opera Tosca which was going to be performed by the Boston Opera Company. I was staying about 45 miles outside of Boston so I called and asked when the ticket office would open and was told 1pm (this was before online sales and besides I didn't own a credit card). I drove in and when I got to the ticket window one of the attendants told me that the ticket window wasn't open today. I explained how I had called and was told it would be open. He disappeared and out walked Sarah Caldwell herself. She said she was sorry but she would take my name and my seat would be waiting at the boxoffice. She then asked me if I wanted to go onstage and see the set up close. She led me in and gave me a tour of the set and explained what the stage crew was doing. I was and still am astounded by her kindness and enthusiasm in explaining the setting to a complete novice. I had a full season subscription until the Boston opera was no more. Sarah Caldwell's financial mismanagement of the company was well known. There wasn't a season where a surprise substitution wasnt made at the last minute, my seat which I loved was never in good shape and got worse as time went on, a lot of things didn't work, but the opera year after year had nights when the audience walked out not feeling the ground because it was so wonderful.The Friends of the opera had their funds siezed by the IRS, and my prepayment for a season went toward some creditors. In the decades since I have seen many wonderful and some not so great operas thorughout the US and Europe but I will never forgot and will always be greatful for Sarah Caldwell and the operas I was lucky enough to see.
Sun, Dec 5 2010, 1:13AM
#11
RE: What ` Turned you on to Opera`
I live in Massachusetts and wanted to see as my first opera Tosca which was going to be performed by the Boston Opera Company. I was staying about 45 miles outside of Boston so I called and asked when the ticket office would open and was told 1pm (this was before online sales and besides I didn't own a credit card). I drove in and when I got to the ticket window one of the attendants told me that the ticket window wasn't open today. I explained how I had called and was told it would be open. He disappeared and out walked Sarah Caldwell herself. She said she was sorry but she would take my name and my seat would be waiting at the boxoffice. She then asked me if I wanted to go onstage and see the set up close. She led me in and gave me a tour of the set and explained what the stage crew was doing. I was and still am astounded by her kindness and enthusiasm in explaining the setting to a complete novice. I had a full season subscription until the Boston opera was no more. Sarah Caldwell's financial mismanagement of the company was well known. There wasn't a season where a surprise substitution wasnt made at the last minute, my seat which I loved was never in good shape and got worse as time went on, a lot of things didn't work, but the opera year after year had nights when the audience walked out not feeling the ground because it was so wonderful.The Friends of the opera had their funds siezed by the IRS, and my prepayment for a season went toward some creditors. In the decades since I have seen many wonderful and some not so great operas thorughout the US and Europe but I will never forgot and will always be greatful for Sarah Caldwell and the operas I was lucky enough to see.
What turned me onto opera was the public library's riches of LPs. My favorite aria back in my adolescence was De Espana Vengo from a zarzuela sung by Caballe.Then the experience snowballed into collecting discs.
A music lover currently living in the middle of nowhere.