# Some Operas That Could Use New Recordings



## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

I'm not talking about DVDs . These are operas which have not been commercially recorded for a very long time and which need recordings . Unfortunately , very few commercial studio recordings of opera are being made now, because they're very expensive and often don't sell very well . 

Gustave Charpentier : Louse . Has not been given a digital recording yet. 
Last two studio recordings were Rudel /Sills on EMI and Cotrubas /Pretre , on what used to be C.****, now Sony Classical . Renee Fleming or Natalie Dessay outh to record this opera.

Richard Strauss : Die Schweigsame Frau . Only studio recording so far is with Theo Adam and Mrek Janowski on EMI . Very good, but we need a new one badly .
How about Bryn Terfel , Dianan Damrau ,Jonas Kaufmann and Christian Thielemann conducting ?

Wagner : Rienzi . All the live recordings are heavily cut, and the only studio version and more complete is on EMI with Rene Kollo and Hollreiser conducting .
How aboujt a new one with Ben Heppner and Thielemann conducting . Levine ought to do this but may not be in good enough health .

Richard Strauss : Intermezzo . The EMI recording with Sawallsich conducting and Fischer-Dieskau and Lucia Popp is superb ,but not digital and from around 1980 .
We could use a new recording with Thielemann or Luisi conducting and maybe 
Thomas Hampson and Diana Damrau .

Any more suggestions for operas to be recorded ?


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

Prokofiev: The Story of a Real Man. Only one mono-recording from the premiere with Mark Ermler conducting (nicely de-noised by Chandos). Gergiev promised to do it, but that was long ago.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

Decca released the word premier recording of Ferdinando Paer's "_Leonora_" in 1979 with Urszula Koszut and a (then) unknown tenor named Siegfried Jerusalem in the two leads. (The roles of Marcellina and Giacchino were sung by another pair of newcomers named Edita Gruberova and Wolfgang Brendel.) I know pigs will probably fly first . . . but I'd love to see Decca issue a new version of this neglected opera with Nylund or Harteros and Kaufmann in the leads.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Britten's Curlew River. There's Britten's recording, and there's an apparently crappy one from Guildhall or something, and then there's another one that's unavailable by Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. We need a new one, because it's a great work.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Maxwell Davies' Eight Songs for a Mad King (although it's more 'music theatre' than opera, I suppose) and The Lighthouse - I believe there is only one recording of each (one by the Fires of London on UK and the other with the BBCPO on Collins) and neither remain in the catalogue. Used copies are cost-prohibitive.


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## GoneBaroque (Jun 16, 2011)

I nominate Britten's Lets Make an Opera, a delightful piece which had an excellent lp released by EMI appeared some years ago. I seem to recall it had Robert Tear and robert Lloyd in the cast. It seems time for a new presentation.

For that matter what about The Prodigal Son by Britten?

Rob


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

GoneBaroque said:


> For that matter what about The Prodigal Son by Britten?


That's part of the set of three church parables (Curlew River, Burning Fiery Furnace, and Prodigal Son). They all need to be recorded again, but I single out Curlew River as it's my favorite of the three by far.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Another I forgot to mention is Barber's controversial "Antony and Cleopatra" which was considered a fiasco by many critics at its legendary world premeiere in 1966 opening the 
new Met in Lincoln center. 
There is a live recording from the Spoleto festival which was on New World Records, but we need a first-rate recording conducted by say, Leonard Slatkin ,possibly with Renee Fleming as good old Cleo.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Pleeeeeease someone give me new versions of Korsakov's _Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh_, as well another Borodin _Prince Igor_!


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Polednice said:


> Pleeeeeease someone give me new versions of Korsakov's _Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh_, as well another Borodin _Prince Igor_!


Obviously not a Gergiev fan then, Polednice - heh heh...


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

I wouldn't mind new recordings of these Rimsky-Korsakov operas, but the Gergiev 
recordings are simply the bee's knees ! It just doesn't get better than this !
There are other Rimsky operas ,such as Mlada , Tsar Saltan, May Night and 
The Snow Maiden, which Gergiev ought to record. 
His main label,Philips, has unfortunately permanently ceased making new recordings of any kind, and much of its back catalogue is being reissued on Decca, at bargain prices.
Let;s hope that the mariinsky Theater's own label,which was recently formed,will give us these and more ,from Gergiev, and possibly a Ring cycle,too. They've already released Gergiev's Parsifal performance with them.
I''d also like to see Gergiev and the Mariinsky give us Tchaikovsky's The Maid of Orleans, 
which is about Joan of Arc. I remember the Rozhdestvensky/Melodiya /Columbia recording from the LP era ,with the late Irina Arkhipova as Joan. If this comes out on CD, by all means get it.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

elgars ghost said:


> Obviously not a Gergiev fan then, Polednice - heh heh...


Indeed I am not. Even if I were, choice would be nice!


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Paderewski's _Manru_. It was recorded only once with Ewa Michnik conducting and I didn't buy this CD yet only because I was so heavily disappointed by other opera recording she made. I have no choice though and sooner or later I will have to get it, unless someone will finally record alternative which would be nice and totally reasonable considering the work's qualities.

They even picked one of worst pictures of Paderewski for the cover, how could I trust such crew:


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## Elgarian (Jul 30, 2008)

Massenet's _Sapho_. The only version available seems to be this, on 'Opera d'Oro':










Unfortunately the clearly discernable turntable rumble and surface noise indicate that the CD recording is based on a poor transfer from a vinyl LP. Great shame - setting aside the inadequacy of the recording, the opera has a bitter-sweet character to it that I find very appealing.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

I remember an LP of Sapho conducted by I believe, Roger Boutry,which has not been reissued on CD. The opera is not quite top drawer Massenet, but worth hearing.
We could also use new recordings of his Le Cid, Le Jongleur De Notre Dame,
and Cendrillon.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

superhorn said:


> I remember an LP of Sapho conducted by I believe, Roger Boutry,which has not been reissued on CD. The opera is not quite top drawer Massenet, but worth hearing.
> We could also use new recordings of his Le Cid, Le Jongleur De Notre Dame,
> and *Cendrillon*.


This one is lovely. Can't beat Flicka. And I'm happy having a tenor in the Prince role, although I aware some would disagree.


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## Elgarian (Jul 30, 2008)

mamascarlatti said:


> This one is lovely. Can't beat Flicka. And I'm happy having a tenor in the Prince role, although I aware some would disagree.


A thousand times yes. This is one of my favourite recordings! The combination of Ruth Welting as the fairy and von Stade as Cendrillon is pure magic.
"Je suis reine! reine! reine!"


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Flicka is just extraordinary. She electrifies the performances she is in.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Quite a few, I'd daresay... 

Today... perhaps Leoncavallo's _Zazà_.

There are already 3 versions available, but the only good one is the first, that's heavily cut.


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## jgrv (Jun 8, 2011)

You beat me to it, I was just going to write "Zaza!" (Brilliant minds think alike!) Many of Leoncavallo's operas ("Pag" notwithstanding) would be worth a revival: La Boheme, Zingari, Edipo Re, Der Roland von Berlin, I Medici, Maia, etc.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

About _I Medici_, there is a beautiful and recent recording that I can heartily recommend. It's this one:










and you can take a look here:


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