" Of all the noises known to man, opera is the most expensive. " Molière
I've been thinking for a while now to do a little post about Operas. I believed I talked about it to very very few people in my flist but I do love opera. I don't remember who said it exactly but Operas and Litterature have this in common that it's full of people who just die for love and Tragedy. I guess that's why I love it (not to mention the three quarters of Opera's libretto are actually taken from Litterature anyway so it's like... a live motion play with music that you have ^^). I'm not extremely knowledgeable in the matter but I know the popular ones ^^. So to share it, I'll make it in for of a top 10.
10 - Barcelona sang by the wonderful Montserrat Caballé and wait for it, Freddy Mercury ^^.
I'm beginning with an actual mix of Pop/Rock and Opera. They always did wonder when put together well and this is one of the most amazing masterpiece you will ever see imho of this. Mercury was a fan of opera so it makes sense and Montserra Caballé had one of the most crystal clear voice ever. If you're a Queen's fan you probably already saw it, but if you didn't, really...enjoy :) because it might be the best thing you'll ever encounter on youtube:
I'm also leaving this link for the interviews with Freddy and Montserrat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqjMaqbw1-U. Beautiful people.
9- Song to the Moon from Rusalka de Dvorak. Sang by Renee Fleming (production 2002).
Here is a Czeck Opera. Rusalka is the slav equivalent of Ondine or the little mermaid. She's a nymph who falls in love with a human being. Everyone around her warns her that she shouldn't leave their world for that Prince. Of course she doesn't listen, go to a dark witch who takes her voice in exchange of the promise of this love. Sadly, the Prince prefers a foreign princess and it ends tragically for dear Rusalka. The most beautiful and known aria in this opera is the "Song to the moon" where Rusalka tells her feeling to the moon. It's beautiful and quite powerful. You may not understand a word of Czeck (I don't either tbh) and still feel what she's telling to the moon and the hope to be loved one day in return by her prince.
I choose Renée Fleming here because she sings beautifully this aria and she's very passionate about it.
Not to mention that production was beautiful. Seen on Arte, it was simple and yet breathtaking:
8- " Je veux vivre" from Romeo et Juliette de Charles Gounod. Sang by Anna Moffo.
That aria is full of joy and lightness ^^. Lyrics are very cute (Juliette is preparing for her bal) and Anna Moffo was an exceptional coloratura. She reaches some notes with amazing facility *____*.
8- " E lucevan le stelle" from la Tosca de Pucini. Sang by Jonas Kauffmann.
I defy anyone to listen to this very very popular song without feeling something. Anything. The music is so dark and powerful and sad. Of course it helps to know that it's a man remembering a loved one (Tosca) just before his execution (last sentence being " E non ho amato mai tanto la vita!" / " I've never ever more loved life!"). TEARS I'm telling you!
7- " Giovinette che fatte al'amore" from Don Giovanni de Mozart. Sang by Joan Rodgers and Gordon Sandison.
It's my favourite part from Don Giovanni along n°6. I REGRET NOTHING. It's cute, it's light, it's full of joy XD.
6- " Madamina" from Don Giovanni de Mozart. Sang by Hye Soo Sonn.
Leporello being a troll and explaining to Dona Elvira how many women and girls Don Giovanni has seduced so far in Europe ^^. Hye Soo Sonn is quite new but I love his voice and he has incredible pronunciation tbh. It always surprises me ^^.
5- "Der Hölle Rache" from Die Zauberflöte de Mozart. Sang by Diana Damrau.
Probably the most known opera aria ever. It's a call for murder. The Queen of the Night, in a fit of insane rage, gives the order to her own daughter to go and kill the great priest Srastro. Either she does kill the man, either she denies her as her own daughter. That aria requires technique and a flawless sense of tempo. It's beautiful and you can almost feel the blood in every word. Damrau was basically born to play that role imo. Here it's a production of 2003 and it's just amazing.
4- Barcarolle from Les Contes d'Hoffmann de Jacques Offenbach. Sang by Agnes Baltsa and Claire Powell (production 1980).
Watch this! It's like a painting coming to life :o. I would have sooooo loved to see that production live. Anyway, you probably already eared that music before. It was used in the movie La Vita é bella de Beligni. It's very soothing and intoxicating. Les Contes d'Hoffman is one of the easier opera to get into when you're a novice I find. The story is completely crazy but it's fine because everything is very colorful and doesn't really need to make sense anyway :p. Give it a try ne? :)
3- " Les tringles des sistres tintaient" also known as the Gypsy song from Carmen de Bizet. Sang by Grace Bumbry.
I love that opera so so much, I could put every part of it. It's the first one I bought and I always enjoy it. As far as I'm concerned Grace Bumbry is one of my fave Carmen. She has the look, the sexyness and that deep voice that makes a good Carmen. This song is the one who begins the act II and I just adore how the tempo gets faster and faster.
3 bis- " Carreau, Pique...la mort!" from Carmen de Bizet. Sang by Anna Caterina Antonacci, Elena Xanthoudakis and Viktoria Vizin.
I'm cheating yeah yeah yeah ^^. Sorry about this but ugh this is soooo good. That part is when Carmen tries to read her future in the cards and all she sees is death while her two friends see different things (one finds danferous adventurous love and the other ones marries an old man who's really rich). There's english subs that are not really well done but that convey the general idea so you'll see :). The bass notes are gold.
I'm this close to also put Anna Moffo and Franco Corelli rendition too... I need to stop :p.
2- The Mad scene from Hamlet de Thomas Ambroise. Sang by Nathalie Dessay.
No one can convey the essence of a lost soul like Nathalie Dessay on stage. You can dislike her voice (which I don't get but whatever :p) but she has such huge charisma. This is the best and most shockingly powerful scene you can see in Opera. It takes madness to another level. Ambroise's opera is mostly interesting for Ophelia's part. Here's thesecond part of act II with eng subs. Watch it. Really. If you only watch one performance in this entire top, it's this one:
1- " E strano... sempre libera" from la Traviata de Verdi. Sang by Lleana Cotrubas.
Favourite Violetta of ALL TIMES. I've listened to countless rendition of this opera and no one beats her (Montserrat Caballé is very close though). Her voice is just ... pfff... not human. La Traviata is a very angtsy story about a courtesan in Paris who falls in love with a young man. You do remember Moulin Rouge? the plot is pratically the same except it's the guy's father who asks Violetta to not compromise her son to the society (which she accepts in a terrible scene). It's beautiful and for some reason it didn't had success the first time it was presented to the public ^^. Odd tbh. The plot was probably way too shocking for those times :).
Et voilà. This post is going to be a total misery lol but I really wanted to do it :).
10 - Barcelona sang by the wonderful Montserrat Caballé and wait for it, Freddy Mercury ^^.
I'm beginning with an actual mix of Pop/Rock and Opera. They always did wonder when put together well and this is one of the most amazing masterpiece you will ever see imho of this. Mercury was a fan of opera so it makes sense and Montserra Caballé had one of the most crystal clear voice ever. If you're a Queen's fan you probably already saw it, but if you didn't, really...enjoy :) because it might be the best thing you'll ever encounter on youtube:
Click to viewI'm also leaving this link for the interviews with Freddy and Montserrat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqjMaqbw1-U. Beautiful people.
9- Song to the Moon from Rusalka de Dvorak. Sang by Renee Fleming (production 2002).
Here is a Czeck Opera. Rusalka is the slav equivalent of Ondine or the little mermaid. She's a nymph who falls in love with a human being. Everyone around her warns her that she shouldn't leave their world for that Prince. Of course she doesn't listen, go to a dark witch who takes her voice in exchange of the promise of this love. Sadly, the Prince prefers a foreign princess and it ends tragically for dear Rusalka. The most beautiful and known aria in this opera is the "Song to the moon" where Rusalka tells her feeling to the moon. It's beautiful and quite powerful. You may not understand a word of Czeck (I don't either tbh) and still feel what she's telling to the moon and the hope to be loved one day in return by her prince.
I choose Renée Fleming here because she sings beautifully this aria and she's very passionate about it.
Not to mention that production was beautiful. Seen on Arte, it was simple and yet breathtaking:
8- " Je veux vivre" from Romeo et Juliette de Charles Gounod. Sang by Anna Moffo.
That aria is full of joy and lightness ^^. Lyrics are very cute (Juliette is preparing for her bal) and Anna Moffo was an exceptional coloratura. She reaches some notes with amazing facility *____*.
8- " E lucevan le stelle" from la Tosca de Pucini. Sang by Jonas Kauffmann.
I defy anyone to listen to this very very popular song without feeling something. Anything. The music is so dark and powerful and sad. Of course it helps to know that it's a man remembering a loved one (Tosca) just before his execution (last sentence being " E non ho amato mai tanto la vita!" / " I've never ever more loved life!"). TEARS I'm telling you!
7- " Giovinette che fatte al'amore" from Don Giovanni de Mozart. Sang by Joan Rodgers and Gordon Sandison.
It's my favourite part from Don Giovanni along n°6. I REGRET NOTHING. It's cute, it's light, it's full of joy XD.
6- " Madamina" from Don Giovanni de Mozart. Sang by Hye Soo Sonn.
Leporello being a troll and explaining to Dona Elvira how many women and girls Don Giovanni has seduced so far in Europe ^^. Hye Soo Sonn is quite new but I love his voice and he has incredible pronunciation tbh. It always surprises me ^^.
5- "Der Hölle Rache" from Die Zauberflöte de Mozart. Sang by Diana Damrau.
Probably the most known opera aria ever. It's a call for murder. The Queen of the Night, in a fit of insane rage, gives the order to her own daughter to go and kill the great priest Srastro. Either she does kill the man, either she denies her as her own daughter. That aria requires technique and a flawless sense of tempo. It's beautiful and you can almost feel the blood in every word. Damrau was basically born to play that role imo. Here it's a production of 2003 and it's just amazing.
4- Barcarolle from Les Contes d'Hoffmann de Jacques Offenbach. Sang by Agnes Baltsa and Claire Powell (production 1980).
Watch this! It's like a painting coming to life :o. I would have sooooo loved to see that production live. Anyway, you probably already eared that music before. It was used in the movie La Vita é bella de Beligni. It's very soothing and intoxicating. Les Contes d'Hoffman is one of the easier opera to get into when you're a novice I find. The story is completely crazy but it's fine because everything is very colorful and doesn't really need to make sense anyway :p. Give it a try ne? :)
3- " Les tringles des sistres tintaient" also known as the Gypsy song from Carmen de Bizet. Sang by Grace Bumbry.
I love that opera so so much, I could put every part of it. It's the first one I bought and I always enjoy it. As far as I'm concerned Grace Bumbry is one of my fave Carmen. She has the look, the sexyness and that deep voice that makes a good Carmen. This song is the one who begins the act II and I just adore how the tempo gets faster and faster.
3 bis- " Carreau, Pique...la mort!" from Carmen de Bizet. Sang by Anna Caterina Antonacci, Elena Xanthoudakis and Viktoria Vizin.
I'm cheating yeah yeah yeah ^^. Sorry about this but ugh this is soooo good. That part is when Carmen tries to read her future in the cards and all she sees is death while her two friends see different things (one finds danferous adventurous love and the other ones marries an old man who's really rich). There's english subs that are not really well done but that convey the general idea so you'll see :). The bass notes are gold.
I'm this close to also put Anna Moffo and Franco Corelli rendition too... I need to stop :p.
2- The Mad scene from Hamlet de Thomas Ambroise. Sang by Nathalie Dessay.
No one can convey the essence of a lost soul like Nathalie Dessay on stage. You can dislike her voice (which I don't get but whatever :p) but she has such huge charisma. This is the best and most shockingly powerful scene you can see in Opera. It takes madness to another level. Ambroise's opera is mostly interesting for Ophelia's part. Here's thesecond part of act II with eng subs. Watch it. Really. If you only watch one performance in this entire top, it's this one:
1- " E strano... sempre libera" from la Traviata de Verdi. Sang by Lleana Cotrubas.
Favourite Violetta of ALL TIMES. I've listened to countless rendition of this opera and no one beats her (Montserrat Caballé is very close though). Her voice is just ... pfff... not human. La Traviata is a very angtsy story about a courtesan in Paris who falls in love with a young man. You do remember Moulin Rouge? the plot is pratically the same except it's the guy's father who asks Violetta to not compromise her son to the society (which she accepts in a terrible scene). It's beautiful and for some reason it didn't had success the first time it was presented to the public ^^. Odd tbh. The plot was probably way too shocking for those times :).
Et voilà. This post is going to be a total misery lol but I really wanted to do it :).