This is really difficult. I might say Parsifal (Wagner), but reading a lot about it recently has kind of turned me off. Nietzsche, even after their falling out, cited it as the most powerful piece of music ever written. (I think he even cited it as the greatest work of art, period, rivaling Dante.) Listening to the prelude, it's difficult to disagree, but the overarching chastity message is hard to swallow, and Parsifal himself somehow manages to be even more boring than Siegfried. All of the supporting characters are awesome, however, and there are lots of unforgettable moments (Kundry's possession, Amfortas' bleeding crotch-wound or whatever) that are probably exciting to see live.. The only other Wagner that rivals it for me is Die Walkure, which probably has the best thrilling::boring ratio of any of his operas.
None of the Mozart operas do it for me, although I've only seen Don Giovanni (I don't have a recording). Also, I've never heard Fidelio (Beethoven), a lot of the classic Verdis, or Bartok's opera. Carmen and La Bohème bug me. I need to listen to Strauss' Elektra and Salome more. And even though I've only heard it once, I highly rate Janacek's Katya Kabanova.
I hadn't heard them yet, but for some reason I really think I'm going to love Peter Grimes (Britten), Manon (Massenet), and for some twisted reason: Esclarmonde, a rarely performed Massenet that's supposed to be really strange. (Same with Strauss' 'Die Frau Ohne Schatten.')
My actual answer feels kind of lame, and sort of Old Hat New Hat after the other operas I've listened to, but when I'm listening to it, nothing beats Tosca (Puccini), especially the third act. I get a similar feeling when I'm watching a Kubrick film: I'm so confident in his hands that I never have to worry about where the music/film is going next. The orchestration has so much texture, the characters are well-matched, and the whole thing is less than two hours!
It's funny, because Tosca is one of the only operas my small-town opera company dared to produce, so I can remember sitting in the audience when I was 8 years old, bored out of my mind, trying to count down the songs by matching who was on stage to the list in the program. But, I've only heard about 25 operas, and there are several hundred worth hearing, so.. we'll see.
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 02:49 (eighteen years ago)
all my children
― Christyles, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:16 (eighteen years ago)
can you believe susan lucci has been doing that since 1970?
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:39 (eighteen years ago)
And has kept the same hair-do.
― Christyles, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:41 (eighteen years ago)
Right now, my favorite wavers between Verdi's Falstaff and Weill's The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.
― HI DERE, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 12:25 (eighteen years ago)
Puccini's Turandot and Delibes' Lakme are both well-worth checking out
― Joe, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 12:31 (eighteen years ago)
Definitely Don Giovanni. But my sentimental fave is The Abduction from the Seraglio. Other faves include Carmen (the Placido Domingo/Julia Migenes recording is the best), The Tales of Hoffmann, and Aida, especially the gut-wrenching finale (I'm talking Verdi here not the odious Elton John version).
Fidelio is awful.
Anyway, these days, I prefer the All My Children-type of opera.
― Kevin John Bozelka, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 12:35 (eighteen years ago)
Oh forgot about Weill! The Threepenny Opera might eclispe Don Giovanni for me.
― Kevin John Bozelka, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 12:37 (eighteen years ago)
I taped a documentary called I Live For Art: Tosca off of Bravo or some such channel about 100 years ago. It was great - a bunch of divas getting their chance at singing "SigNOR!!!!"
― Kevin John Bozelka, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 12:39 (eighteen years ago)
Verdi's La traviata.
― Daniel, Esq., Wednesday, 8 August 2007 13:02 (eighteen years ago)
Threepenny is also awesome but I am biased towards Mahagonny because I was in a production of it earlier this year.
― HI DERE, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 13:26 (eighteen years ago)
production stills?
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 13:34 (eighteen years ago)
Carmen
― Myonga Vön Bontee, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 15:17 (eighteen years ago)
http://graphics.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Original_Photo/2007/02/26/1172503764_6065.jpg
― HI DERE, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 15:23 (eighteen years ago)
(ps: not me)
Can I do POV instead?
Verdi- Don Carlo Wagner- Die Walkure Debussy- Pelleas et Melisande Janacek- The Cunning Little Vixen Britten- Midsummer Night's Dream
― Jon Lewis, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 15:28 (eighteen years ago)
La Bo Em
― Hurting 2, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 15:32 (eighteen years ago)
(I know that makes me a complete cheeseball - I don't really like opera! I grew up practically bathing in it, so please understand)
favourite? couldn't say. but i've really been enjoying "the makropoulos case" a lot recently.
― Frogman Henry, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 15:55 (eighteen years ago)
actually, handel's "guilio cesare" might as well do it, if it stands in for his output.
― Frogman Henry, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 15:56 (eighteen years ago)
going to see monteverdi's poppea this autumn. that's pretty unbeatable. oh, and and "dido and aeneas" too.
― Frogman Henry, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 15:57 (eighteen years ago)
i was in La Bohème when i was in 5th grade! I was the kid that throws the ladies stockings up into the air... i have no idea what i'm saying, but i can still repeat the whole chorus part to that. Viva Parpignol!, etc.
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 15:59 (eighteen years ago)
Lakme for me, although Damnation of Faust is in close competition. Threepenny is my sentimental vote, for the same reasons as Dan's but in reverse, and a lot longer ago.
― John Justen, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 16:10 (eighteen years ago)
Britten- Midsummer Night's Dream
i fell asleep during a performance of this. which really pissed me off cos i was enjoying it.
― Frogman Henry, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 16:12 (eighteen years ago)
Yeah, La Damnation is climbing and climbing for me too (tho if you wanna get pedantic it's a "dramatic legend" and not an "opera" :/)
― Jon Lewis, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 16:12 (eighteen years ago)
another vote for verdi's falstaff
yea, falstaff is awesome. are most people rocking out to the Karajan recording?
i can't remember if there's a good toscanini recording of it, but i'm positive he cited it as his favorite opera.
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 16:18 (eighteen years ago)
yes karajan.
― Frogman Henry, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 16:19 (eighteen years ago)
there is v. famous toscanini recording, don't have it.
My Falstaff is Muti's. I've been kind of putting off listening in earnest, want to digest lots of earlier Verdi first.
― Jon Lewis, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 16:21 (eighteen years ago)
1 opera is stupid. jon's right. let's turn this beeyotch into a POV (plus preferred recording!).
Puccini - Tosca (di Sabata, Callas; EMI) Wagner - Die Walkure (Bohm; Philips) Wagner - Parsifal (Knappertbusch; Philips ... Karajan; DG) Janacek - Katya Kabanova (Mackerras) Berg - Wozzeck (Abbado)
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 16:40 (eighteen years ago)
La Traviata seconded.
― Surmounter, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 16:41 (eighteen years ago)
Violent opera
Still not got around to 'Oresteia'
― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 18:01 (eighteen years ago)
Its good I'll be able to check out Nono's "Promoteo", which is getting a staging over here (no idea when). The recording is ok, but you'll probably only get so much form a recording of that -- or any opera, I suppose.
― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 18:04 (eighteen years ago)
oh, does Honegger's Jeanne d'Arc au Bucher count?! That is an awesome piece!
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 18:18 (eighteen years ago)
The Magic Flute. Which I'm kinda surprised to be the first to nominate. It'd be a lot harder to pick a 5, I'd want more like a dozen but I'd have to include Das Rheingold and Rigoletto and prob Peter Grimes and Einstein on the Beach and too hard to decide.
― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 19:19 (eighteen years ago)
somehow manages to be even more boring than Siegfried
haha.
I haven't heard enough, recently enough, and not familiar enough with baroque and non-puccini C20 (I really don't know Strauss at all), but I'll still POV Rheingold, Figaro, Falstaff, Cenerentola and maybe Boris Godunov over Turandot (over Tosca?), tho I might secretly like Fledermaus better than either.
― gabbneb, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 20:55 (eighteen years ago)
I really appreciate the love for Rheingold. It really should have been in my pov, too, but i felt lame picking 3 wagner.
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 21:06 (eighteen years ago)
http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/drc400/c463/c46356pj08x.jpg
― Ben Boyerrr, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 21:24 (eighteen years ago)
nixon in china
― pinkmoose, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 21:24 (eighteen years ago)
hey, two of my operas are also beers
― gabbneb, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 21:29 (eighteen years ago)
Richard Strauss- St. Pauli Girl
― Jon Lewis, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 21:47 (eighteen years ago)
Puccini - Negro Modelo
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 21:49 (eighteen years ago)
Wagner - Die Budweißer
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 21:50 (eighteen years ago)
The Abduction of the Sierra Nevada
― gabbneb, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 22:09 (eighteen years ago)
John Adams - Sam Adams
― poortheatre, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 22:15 (eighteen years ago)
A+
― Jon Lewis, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 22:49 (eighteen years ago)