But Is The Ear Crinkly Enough? Speed Portrait Drawing of Mesut Ozil!

[jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com]

But Is The Ear Crinkly Enough? Speed Portrait Drawing of Mesut Ozil

(Warning: Artist is a Rammstein fan!)

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Comments

[jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com]

I love you back you darling thing!!

Maria Callas, Emma Kirkby, Guiseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Mirella Freni, Mady Mesple, Fischer-Dieskau, Lucia Popp, Christa Ludwig, Jussi Bjorling.

That's a list (not even close to comprehensive though - not even a bit) of singers I can think of off-hand that I couldn't live without.

And don't even get me started on conductors. Though it's a mystery to me that one of the finest Opera recordings (Solti's Traviata) could be conducted by the same conductor who made the worst opera recording in history - Kiri Te Kanawa (normally so lovely) in Tosca. Lovely voice - worst pacing and dramatization I've ever heard in my life. I took the recording out of the CD player about 20 minutes into the experience and threw it across the room with an exclamation of utter disgust. I defaced the CD. I performed voodoo rituals on it. It is a sacrilege. I had to listen to Callas (the '53 version) to cleanse out my ears.

(Karajan's Carmen - again a conductor I normally admire - evoked a similar reaction!)

Some of those voices though are like reading War & Peace - your life wasn't complete (you realize even as you are hearing them for the first time, that there was an actual palpable gap in your life) until you heard them.

I'm related to Bergonzi, by the way. My grandmother's maiden name was Bergonzi and he was her cousin! Random fact! I love him and Tebaldi. They had a wonderful musical chemistry. But Callas is my number one for ever! I remember Beverly Sills: "Any soprano who claims she doesn't listen to Callas is lying. Callas it the morning routine. You drink your orange juice, and put on a record..."

[musetta-246.livejournal.com]

Oh, I had the same reaction with Kiri Te Kanawa's "Tosca"...she's simply not Tosca (though as you said I normally love her, especially in Puccini).
You've just list some of my favourite singers, may I add Franco Corelli, Fedora Barbieri, Margaret Price (for me her Amelia in "Un ballo in maschera" is incomparable) and well, Luciano Pavarotti! I don't want to sound bitter, but I still have to find nowadays singers that can be compared with them. Every time I go to the theatre, I come home disappointed!
Oh, and I think I fainted for a couple of minutes when I read that you're related with Bergonzi! I often listen to an aria sung by different singers and then I decide who is the winner (a bit autistic) and he's ALWAYS my winner with "Che gelida manina". Love him!

[jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com]

I do that!

His "Celeste Aida" is the best too!

Here it is:

[musetta-246.livejournal.com]

Yes, he was the perfect verdian tenor!
Thank you, you made me remember of Lucia Popp, I have a wonderful "Le nozze di Figaro" with her, but I had almost forgotten, she's so awesome, but very underrated, at least here.

[jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com]

She was in Klemperer's Magic Flute - he conducted it beautifully and she was the best Queen of the Night EVER.

I find, since then, that conductors speed up Mozart too much. He gave her time to sing:

Again - whenever you've time - her second act aria




But my favourite is the first act aria (everyone else prefers the second) - when she's still trying to convince everyone she's Mother of the Year!





Lovely isn't it - and again, not too fast!

[musetta-246.livejournal.com]

I woke up today and I found these two wonders waiting for me in my mail box...thank you! I'd never heard Popp as the Queen (I know, I know, how's that possible?), she's so amazing, I dare to say even better than my beloved Roberta Peters! I have a new obsession! I spent the last hours listening to her on youtube and, of course, I bought "The magic flute" and "L'elisir d'amore". I really wanted a "Boheme" too (I listened on youtube her singing "Quando men vo", absolutely superb), but I couldn't find anything, maybe she performed it just on stage, well God bless youtube!
Thank you again! It was so kind of you, you made my day, I'm not kidding (as a fellow opera lover you can understand my excitement!)

[jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com]

Okay - sorry for the delay - but the best Boheme is a toss-up between two versions.

I think traditionalists prefer Victoria de los Angeles and Jussi Bjorling (and I love this recording. It was one of the first I ever bought) with Beecham conducting.

But I think the best is Alagna and Vaduva. Not many listen to it - but I think it is superb. Pappano conducts it. Absolutely beautiful. Add Alagna to the list of voices I can't do without. Vaduva is a sweet Mimi and the Musetta in this version is very charming.

Incidentally: do you have an opinion on the mono-stereo debate.

I made a post btw

[jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com]

Just in case you ever want to just talk about opera...

http://jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com/7307.html

If you are new to LJ you can track a post by clicking on "track this" at the bottom of the post.

Or you can ignore it...

:P