# Most Satisfying Single Act of an Opera, Musically and Dramatically



## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

I have much time on my hands these days since retiring before I was ready to do so. Making as much lemonade as I can from those lemons, I am spending my days reading, studying, singing, and enjoying other singers with much greater gifts than my modest talents.

I have recently taken great pleasure in watching (again) over a period of several days the DVDs of the Met-James Levine-Fabio Luisi-Robert LePage production of _Der Ring des Nibelungen_. I just finished (again) enjoying Act I of _Die Walküre_ with Eva-Maria Westbroek as Sieglinde and Jonas Kaufmann as Siegmund (Hans-Peter König is Hunding).

It struck me that this act of _Walküre_ is _the most satisfying single act of an opera that I can think of, _in my opinion. (And I really hope this thread does not degenerate into anything extramusical/extradramatic. Time will tell.) Particularly after the mortal-free (as some wag here wrote) _Das Rheingold _which precedes it, here we have the very-human (well, OK, they are half-gods, but horny ones) lovers who then turn out to be brother and sister.

The "ew, no" factor is somewhat mitigated by the enormously passionate music by which they (slowly, in Wagner time) discover each other's stories and respectively tell their tales. They fall in love first, and the music makes us fall in love with them as well. Various leitmotifs and dramatic flourishes actually tell us about their love before they declare it to each other. Showing his heroic side, Siegmund sings "Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater" (My father promised me a sword) in which we see the sword Wotan left, stuck in the ash-tree in Hunding's Haus, er, house! We discover in "Der Männer Sippe saß hier im Saal" ("The men of his family sat in this room") that Sieglinde was kidnapped and basically raped, forced into a loveless marriage with the brute Hunding (convincingly played here by the implacable König), whom later in the opera Wotan will smite stone-dead.

Then Spring rushes into the room in the form of "Winterstürme wichen den Wonnemond" sung by Siegfried, surely some of the most passionate tenor singing that Wagner ever wrote. Sieglinde, not to be outpassioned, ripostes with "Du bist der Lenz" (You are the Spring), in which she tells about the loveless marriage and the stranger (Wotan, her father, in disguise) who plugged the sword in the treetrunk. At this point, already hopelessly in love, they realize that they are brother and sister. Of course then Siegmund draws the big sword from the treetrunk and (ahem) shows it to Sieglinde.

The Met production draws wonderful singing from Kaufmann, whose dramatic, baritonal, unforced quality complements what is for Wagner a fairly low-lying part with a few high notes thrown in. And of course, Kaufmann's physical attractiveness for the part helps the credibility of the drama immensely. Westbroek also sings beautifully and is quite convincing as a young and naive woman who until now has never met either a real lover or a hero. (Fortunately Hunding is little more than a cipher, as his part is not overlong, just enough to provide the sense of menace required to make plain Siegmund's need for a sword.)

It occurs to me that, overall, this is musically the most satisfying single act in opera that I know of. And this particular performance by these artists is the most satisfying dramatically. For me, there are no weak moments, no extraneous bits, nothing that does not move the drama and emotion along.

What about you? How do you feel about Act I of Die Walküre? Is there another act of an opera that you feel has no weak points, and if so, who are your favorite singers in it?






:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

I fully agree with you about this act. I also feel there are no weak moments in it. And there is a wonderful atmosphere there, an awakening of nature and of love at the same time, something very heathen in the good sense, passionate and sweet. 

Another one I would like to nominate as the most satisfying act of opera is Act I of Parsifal. The prelude, the story-telling by Gurnemanz, setting the stage for the grand spiritual adventure, the solemn march to the Grail Castle ("Vom Bade kehrt der König heim... ), Amfortas' tear-wrenching confession of guilt, the ceremony of unveiling the Grail and the solemn hymn of the knights - all of that keeps me enthralled from the first note to the last.

As for the singers, I like Kurt Moll as Gurnemanz, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Amfortas, Martha Mödl as Kundry and Wolfgang Windgassen as Parsifal. Unfortunately they have never sung together on a single recording of the opera.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

Act II of _La Bohème_. It has everything - romance, humour, jealousy, comedy, you name it. Beautiful music, glorious solos, wonderful ensembles and choruses. Sheer magic.

Act II of _Die Meistersinger_ and Act III of _Falstaff_ run it close, for much the same reasons - but I give the nod to _Bohème_ because, although ultimately a tragic opera, its second act is a comedic and dramatic gem.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Barelytenor said:


> I have much time on my hands these days since retiring before I was ready to do so. Making as much lemonade as I can from those lemons, I am spending my days reading, studying, singing, and enjoying other singers with much greater gifts than my modest talents.
> 
> I have recently taken great pleasure in watching (again) over a period of several days the DVDs of the Met-James Levine-Fabio Luisi-Robert LePage production of _Der Ring des Nibelungen_. I just finished (again) enjoying Act I of _Die Walküre_ with Eva-Maria Westbroek as Sieglinde and Jonas Kaufmann as Siegmund (Hans-Peter König is Hunding).
> 
> ...


Good arguments the second act is also fine.
Other for Wagner first act of Tristan und Isolde and third act of Siegfried.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Act 1 of _Gianni Schicchi_ 

If done right then Act 4 of Les Troyens - from Royal Hunt and Storm to the gorgeous sextet, septet and the duet Nuit d'Ivresse

Susan Graham & Gregory Kunde...


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> Act II of _La Bohème_. It has everything - romance, humour, jealousy, comedy, you name it. Beautiful music, glorious solos, wonderful ensembles and choruses. Sheer magic.


I have to say I really don´t like the second act of La Boheme I prefer the third act. I can´t stand jolly Puccini I prefer jolly Wagner and sentimental Puccini.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Last act of Cosi fan Tutte


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Sloe said:


> I have to say I really don´t like the second act of La Boheme I prefer the third act. I can´t stand jolly Puccini I prefer jolly Wagner and sentimental Puccini.


If it starts at 8 PM, come at 9:45 PM. Skip all that boring stuff in Acts One and Two.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

hpowders said:


> If it starts at 8 PM, come at 9:45 PM. Skip all that boring stuff in Acts One and Two.


I like the first act too.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

When all else fails, read the directions (thank you SiegendesLicht) ... Who/what are the most satisfying interpreters/versions of those slices of operatic perfection?

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Sloe said:


> I have to say I really don´t like the second act of La Boheme I prefer the third act. I can´t stand jolly Puccini I prefer jolly Wagner and sentimental Puccini.


And I can't stand the sacchariny, sentimental Puccini. I would leave in the middle of act 3 of Boheme or after act 2 of Tosca.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Becca said:


> And I can't stand the sacchariny, sentimental Puccini. I would leave in the middle of act 3 of Boheme or after act 2 of Tosca.


I love it.
But I think Verdi was even better at being sentimental.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Impossible question.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Maybe my current preferred single act would be Act 1 of "Die Tote Stadt". I'll choose the classical recording with Leinsdorf, and René Kollo (Paul) & Carol Neblett (Marie/Marietta) in the main roles.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

1) Maria Callas stabbing the hell out of Tito Gobbi near the end of Tosca. 
2) In Mia Man from Norma (not a dead moment in the whole bloody opera)


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

The final scene of Don Giovanni. It's extremely satisfying to see him get punished for his many wrongdoings! I love that moment when he's screaming "No! No!"

This is going to sound REALLY bizarre, but I like the Peter Sellars version. It's totally wacky and postmodern and wildly unfaithful to Mozart/Da Ponte's intentions, but the craziness somehow appeals to me.


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Either Act III or Act IV of _Huguenots_.

Act III - has a series of hit numbers, including the Marcel/Valentine duet (the emotional and thematic heart of the opera) and the duel septuor. "C'est le jour du dimanche" is great (someone compared it to a bird taking off after displaying its plumage), but from the moment the night watchman walks on, there's a steadily rising crescendo of excitement.

Act IV was the most admired in the 19th century; even Wagner praised it. It has the Conjuration and the Blessing of the Swords, and _the _archetypal love duet.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Barelytenor said:


> What about you? How do you feel about Act I of Die Walküre? Is there another act of an opera that you feel has no weak points, and if so, who are your favorite singers in it?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*
Staying with Walkure, but moving to Act 3.......*

The confrontation between Wotan and Brunnhilde is the best scence of the entire RING for me, such vivid emotional characterization involving a complicated love/anger conflict Wotan feels for his loving daughter who did what she knew was right in her heart of hearts........to hear Hans Hotter navigate this scence with such vocal agility and dexterity (in the 1950s Bayreuth era) uncovering every possible emotional nuance matched by such skilled vocal partners like Varnay and Modl it is unforgettable drama that never fails to inspire!

Then the visual and musical genius of the concluding fire music and wall of flames to protect the sleeping Valkyre until a true hero could come to awaken her, what a grand thrilling bit of visual story telling, this is also really where Lepage's creation (the machine) provides a bit of stunning visual theater......


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Funny you should mention Die Walküre. It's the first opera I ever saw at the Met. Sat in the orchestra. Great seat!

I too was impressed with act one, full of mystery and sexual innuendo. And pulling that sword out of the tree as the music swelled up was magical indeed. It wasn't a long act too which I liked taking about a little over an hour.

My favorite Act is the entire opera Cavaleria Rusticana by Mascagni. It's actually two short acts linked by a beautiful intermezzo. Played without pause.
The opera takes place on Easter Sunday in a small town where everyone knows each other where a fateful lover's triangle leads to tragedy. Marvelous story. Marvelous music!


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## Valjuan (Dec 9, 2016)

The entirety of _Suor Angelica_. Absolutely mind-numbingly gorgeous and quite near to perfection, for a 1 Act-er. Beyond that, the second Act of _Tristan and Isolde_ would be my pick.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

The second act of La Traviata, the drama , the heartache.
Smashing stuff.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Act 1 of Verdi's Traviata is also some timeless opera theater that never fails to excite and introduce us to the complicated Violetta and her decadent carefree lifestyle that will soon change drastically by meeting a strange admirer at the party.....the music, vocals, story all top shelf that make for compelling repeated viewing/listening and translates well to different times and styles.


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## Balthazar (Aug 30, 2014)

*Don Giovanni -- Act I*

First five minutes: one of opera's greatest entrance arias with a socially subversive subtext, a (possible) rape, a duel, a murder...

And it only gets better from there.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

DarkAngel said:


> Act 1 of Verdi's Traviata is also some timeless opera theater that never fails to excite and introduce us to the complicated Violetta and her decadent carefree lifestyle that will soon change drastically by meeting a strange admirer at the party.....the music, vocals, story all top shelf that make for compelling repeated viewing/listening and translates well to different times and styles.


I know D.A but then again act 3 is also wonderful, in short: wonderful music all the way.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Funny you should mention Die Walküre. It's the first opera I ever saw at the Met. Sat in the orchestra. Great seat!
> 
> I too was impressed with act one, full of mystery and sexual innuendo. And pulling that sword out of the tree as the music swelled up was magical indeed. It wasn't a long act too which I liked taking about a little over an hour.
> 
> ...


For Mascagni and maybe all of opera I have to say the second act of Iris. The whole opera is wonderful but if I have to choose I say the second act.


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

Tough call. These are the candidates for me:

1) *Le Nozze di Figaro*: Act 2
3) *Medee*: Act 2
2) *Lucia di Lammermoor*: Act 2
3) *Don Carlo*: I know it had multiple versions, but whatever act includes the Inquisitor Scene and the Prison Scene. 
4) *Siegfried*: Act 3
5) *Otello*: Act 3
6) *Parsifal*: Act 2
7) *La Gioconda*: Act 4
8) *Pelleas et Melisande*: Act 4
9) *Jenufa*: Act 2
10) *Billy Budd*: Act 2


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Walkure Act 3.............


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## Morton (Nov 13, 2016)

As Woodduck says this is an impossible question, but never mind here goes.
I would nominate the second act of Gotterdammerung, quite short for Wagner (not that I have a problem with Wagnerian length, l could just have easily chosen the third act of Meistersinger), it is packed with drama & amazingly exciting music.
I have seen many excellent performances but for recordings I would go with Solti.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Morton said:


> As Woodduck says this is an impossible question, but never mind here goes.
> I would nominate the second act of Gotterdammerung, quite short for Wagner (not that I have a problem with Wagnerian length, l could just have easily chosen the third act of Meistersinger), it is packed with drama & amazingly exciting music.
> I have seen many excellent performances but for recordings I would go with Solti.


Always nice to see another Solti fan.


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## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

Il Trovatore Act I


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

Sloe said:


> I have to say I really don´t like the second act of La Boheme I prefer the third act. I can´t stand jolly Puccini I prefer jolly Wagner and sentimental Puccini.


The third act is good, but on balance I'd rather watch people having a great time and falling in love at the _Café Momus_.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Itullian said:


> Walkure Act 3.............


That's my favorite act of Walkure as well. I really enjoy the dynamic between Wotan and Brunnhilde.

La Boheme has come up: I love the whole opera, but especially the first act. The interplay between the friends is fun, and I love when Mimi and Rodolfo meet.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> The third act is good, but on balance I'd rather watch people having a great time and falling in love at the _Café Momus_.


I prefer to have a good time myself than watching others have a good time.
First act of Simon Boccanegra is also really good from to end maybe favourite Verdi act also second act of Madama Butterfly unfortunately the humming chorus drags it down.
The last act of Don Carlo.


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## Anselm (Feb 24, 2011)

Morton said:


> As Woodduck says this is an impossible question, but never mind here goes.
> I would nominate the second act of Gotterdammerung, quite short for Wagner (not that I have a problem with Wagnerian length, l could just have easily chosen the third act of Meistersinger), it is packed with drama & amazingly exciting music.
> I have seen many excellent performances but for recordings I would go with Solti.


Can't choose between Acts I and II. That great leap in Act I from the mythic timeless (the Norns) to the mythic present (Brünnhilde) to the mundane (the Gibichungs) and back again - this time, corrupted. For me, Hagen's watch is the highlight of the entire act. Act II is, I think, peerless for sheer human drama as Brünnhilde is dragged ever downwards. Hagen's savage call to the vassals (especially in the Solti recording with the steerhorn), followed by Brünnhilde's mortified entry, is the highlight of the entire act to me - especially Brünnhilde's shock as she raises her downcast eyes when Gunther ends his rhapsody with "...two happy couples are here on show: Brünnhild' and Gunther, Gutrun' and...SIEGFRIED!!!"

Of course, what makes it all work is the visceral violence of Wagner's music, nowhere more so than the terrific contrasts he uses to portray this emotional thunderbolt.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Don Carlo last act, some the whole opera up, speciously the last scene near the grave.


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## Retrograde Inversion (Nov 27, 2016)

I could cite various acts in Mozart and Wagner, but I think I'll give a shout-out to Act IV of Aida: the fabulous, searing drama of the first scene for Amneris, Ramfis and Radamès (one of opera's great mezzo moments), followed by the haunting ending in the vault.


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## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

hpowders said:


> Funny you should mention Die Walküre. It's the first opera I ever saw at the Met. Sat in the orchestra. Great seat!
> 
> I too was impressed with act one, full of mystery and sexual innuendo. And pulling that sword out of the tree as the music swelled up was magical indeed. It wasn't a long act too which I liked taking about a little over an hour....


Although I had been familiar with it from recordings, *Die Walküre* at the Met was the first opera I ever saw live on stage. In the Army at the time, stationed at Fort Dix, NJ., I had come to New York on a weekend pass and the uniform got me a free admission. That was in 1960. I was thrilled to the core, became a Wagner fanboy on the spot. Still am :clap:.


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## waldvogel (Jul 10, 2011)

Act I of _Carmen_ has it all - a great overture, the two best arias for Carmen, a couple choruses, some nice funny scenes, and a glimpse of what looks like the opera that people expected to see at the Opera Comique - a nice little comedy. Sure, there are a couple complications, with Micaela and Don Jose feeling homesick, and yeah, there's the introduction of the fate theme that makes you think that the sort-of happy ending to Act I might not be the direction that the opera is going.

I'm sure you could run Act I to an uneducated audience, and they would come out feeling happy, singing the tunes, thinking that they had just seen a nice little 45 minute comedy.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

znapschatz said:


> Although I had been familiar with it from recordings, *Die Walküre* *at the Met w*as the first opera I ever saw live on stage. In the Army at the time, stationed at Fort Dix, NJ., I had come to New York on a weekend pass and the uniform got me a free admission. *That was in 1960*. I was thrilled to the core, became a Wagner fanboy on the spot. Still am :clap:.


Do you remember any main cast members, Nilsson perhaps as brunnhilde?


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## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

DarkAngel said:


> Do you remember any main cast members, Nilsson perhaps as brunnhilde?


Yes! It was Nilsson's debut season at the Met. A few weeks earlier, six of us in my company who liked opera* had listened to the Met live broadcast of *Tristan and Isolde*, which I believe was her first Met performance that season. But it was a long time ago, I was still much the newbie and don't remember the rest of either the T&I or Valkure casts. Nilsson, however, became one of my two top favorites of the time, along with Renata Tebaldi. The effect on me of hearing both in *Turandot* was indescribable.

*It was a draft army with all kinds of people in it, including those of the educated who had no good reason or desire to avoid service. One of our trainee platoon leaders was an opera singer in real life, his authoritative baritone the principle reason he was given leadership responsibility. He was the one who arranged our radio get-together.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

znapschatz said:


> Although I had been familiar with it from recordings, *Die Walküre* at the Met was the first opera I ever saw live on stage. In the Army at the time, stationed at Fort Dix, NJ., I had come to New York on a weekend pass and the uniform got me a free admission. That was in 1960. I was thrilled to the core, became a Wagner fanboy on the spot. Still am :clap:.


Do you remember who were the singers in that production? It sounds like a marvelous memory.

Oh, never mind, now I see the answer just above! :Jealous: 

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Retrograde Inversion said:


> I could cite various acts in Mozart and Wagner, but I think I'll give a shout-out to Act IV of Aida: the fabulous, searing drama of the first scene for Amneris, Ramfis and Radamès (one of opera's great mezzo moments), followed by the haunting ending in the vault.


I think I prefer act 3 of Aida. That is probadly the only act of Aida without dull moments.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

waldvogel said:


> Act I of _Carmen_ has it all - a great overture, the two best arias for Carmen, a couple choruses, some nice funny scenes, and a glimpse of what looks like the opera that people expected to see at the Opera Comique - a nice little comedy. Sure, there are a couple complications, with Micaela and Don Jose feeling homesick, and yeah, there's the introduction of the fate theme that makes you think that the sort-of happy ending to Act I might not be the direction that the opera is going.
> 
> I'm sure you could run Act I to an uneducated audience, and they would come out feeling happy, singing the tunes, thinking that they had just seen a nice little 45 minute comedy.


Yeah, Acts 1 and 2 have all the colorful Spanish-flavored melodies. The exotic musical style disappears in Act 3, when everything becomes less flashy and more serious. The castanets become silent and tragedy starts brewing.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

For me Act 2 of Carmen is the best. From the seductive opening dance at Lillias Pastias to Carmen's seductive flirtations slinking seductively around Don Jose with castanets (why can't I ever meet women like that....but I digress) to Don Jose's great Flower Song; the entrance of Escamillio and the Toreador Song. Act 2 has it all!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Another that fascinate me : Norma Act two, from the the first note till the last, duo's, trios and ensemble work, all building up to heartbreaking climax.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

And your favorite/ideal singers in that Norma are?

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

hpowders said:


> For me Act 2 of Carmen is the best. From the seductive opening dance at Lillias Pastias to Carmen's seductive flirtations slinking seductively around Don Jose with castanets (why can't I ever meet women like that....but I digress) to Don Jose's great Flower Song; the entrance of Escamillio and the Toreador Song. Act 2 has it all!


So who takes on those roles best to you? I never meant for this thread to become merely a "vote for my favorite Act" but rather a discussion as well of which singers best sing/interpret your favorite/most dramatically operatic works.

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Barelytenor said:


> So who takes on those roles best to you? I never meant for this thread to become merely a "vote for my favorite Act" but rather a discussion as well of which singers best sing/interpret your favorite/most dramatically operatic works.
> 
> :tiphat:
> 
> ...


Glad to respond, George.

Carmen: Victoria de los Angeles

Micaela: Mirella Freni

Don Jose: Plácido Domingo

Escamillo: Jose von Dam

Conductor: Carlos Kleiber

Man, would that cast have been possible! Count me in!!!

:tiphat:

Best Regards,

hpowders


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> The third act is good, but on balance I'd rather watch people having a great time and falling in love at the _Café Momus_.


So Reichstag who are your favorite Rodolfo-Mimi and Marcello-Musetta? (And why?)

For me, it's Victoria de los Angeles as Mimi and the great Jussi Bjoerling as Rodolfo. Those lyric voices are ideally made for those roles, and Bjoerling's Che gelida manina to me is matchless.

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Barelytenor said:


> And your favorite/ideal singers in that Norma are?
> 
> :tiphat:
> 
> ...


Can I make my dream cast or just recordings?


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Barelytenor said:


> So who takes on those roles best to you? I never meant for this thread to become merely a "vote for my favorite Act" but rather a discussion as well of which singers best sing/interpret your favorite/most dramatically operatic works.
> 
> :tiphat:
> 
> ...


So, George, I cannot go home without asking you who would fill your ideal Carmen roles, including the conductor.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

hpowders said:


> So, George, I cannot go home without asking you who would fill your ideal Carmen roles, including the conductor.


Pugg: go for the dream cast, let your imagination be your guide!

hpowders: Wow. What an opportunity. Let me see:

Fritz Reiner as the conductor. Best orchestral colors!

Carmen: Marilyn Horne (early in her career when she fit the part physically and vocally).
Micaela: Mirella Freni (none better).
Don Jose: Nicolai Gedda. One of the best French tenors ever (but put him in a sexier body).
Escamillo: Juan Pons (great Spanish baritone).

And for luxury casting, make Remendado and Dancairo as Georges Thill and Gérard Souzay, respectively. (Come to think of it, Georges Thill could probably do a great Don Jose as well.)

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Barelytenor said:


> Pugg: go for the dream cast, let your imagination be your guide!
> 
> hpowders: Wow. What an opportunity. Let me see:
> 
> ...


Yes. Those are fine picks, George. The Fritz Reiner performance with Risë Stevens was "the" performance for many years.

I agree about Nicolai Gedda, the most underrated great tenor in history. I have him doing the Flower song. Forever fabulous.

So we share common ground on Mirella Freni as Micaela. I agree. None better.

I didn't care for Marilyn Horne's Carmen in the Leonard Bernstein recording, but that wasn't made "early in her career".


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## Buoso (Aug 10, 2016)

My vote goes for Act 2 of Tosca specifically the De Sabata version. We are incredibly lucky in this case that perfection does exist!!!


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Buoso said:


> My vote goes for Act 2 of Tosca specifically the De Sabata version. We are incredibly lucky in this case that perfection does exist!!!


It is really exciting.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Barelytenor said:


> And your favorite/ideal singers in that Norma are?
> 
> :tiphat:
> 
> ...


The young Joan Sutherland as Norma.
Cossoto or Troyanos as Adalgisa, very hard to choose.
Carlo Bergonzi as Pollione.
With these main singers I take the rest for granted.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Parsifal Act II. In all other opera we are asked to suspend disbelief because people don't really sing to music in real life, but somehow the music to Kundry and Parsifal's conversation is as natural as breath is to words... it flows so effortlessly that it is life itself, absent music, that seems artificial in comparison.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Couchie, who are your ideal/favorite interpreters of this more-natural-than-life operatic act?

I just bought the DVD with Jonas Kaufmann and Katarina Dalayman and am going to dive deeply into _Parsifal_ as soon as I get some free time.

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Pugg said:


> The young Joan Sutherland as Norma.
> Cossoto or Troyanos as Adalgisa, very hard to choose.
> Carlo Bergonzi as Pollione.
> With these main singers I take the rest for granted.


I would vote for Cossotto, love her wonderful legato and Italianate singing, somehow Tatiana Troyanos leaves me cold with her tone quality even though I recognize her tremendous musicianship. My _Don Carlo_-Met DVD production with Scotto and Domingo is lessened by her presence (and that horrible eye patch).

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

My votes go to:
1. The Poker Scene in _Fanciulla del West_ (2nd act)
2. The last act of _Dialogues des Carmelites_
3. The 3rd act (or 4th depending) of _Don Carlo_ which includes Philippo's "Ella giamma m'mo" and the Grand Inquisitor scene.
4. Last act of _Otello_.
5. The Prologue to _Mefistofele_


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Act 4 of Nozze Di Figaro when the "extra" filler arias are ommitted.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

And who are your favorite singers of those important arias?

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Barelytenor said:


> And who are your favorite singers of those important arias?
> 
> :tiphat:
> 
> ...


what - Basillio and Marcellina's act 4 arias? or do you mean who are my favourite singers for the key roles. No absolute favourites but I have several singers I love to listen to in the countess, susannah and figaro roles.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Barelytenor said:


> Couchie, who are your ideal/favorite interpreters of this more-natural-than-life operatic act?
> 
> I just bought the DVD with Jonas Kaufmann and Katarina Dalayman and am going to dive deeply into _Parsifal_ as soon as I get some free time.
> 
> ...


https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Parsi...1481666128&sr=1-2&keywords=barenboim+parsifal

I haven't seen the DVD you got (still waiting for this production to come to Toronto) but it's highly regarded as well.


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## mrpeterson (Dec 15, 2016)

I think my most satisfying single act is Act 3 of Wagner's Siegfried (_interactive full score_). The moment when Brünnhilde awakes is subtle in a way I've never seen it before. I like it even more than Act 2 of Tristan and Act 3 of Götterdämmerung.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

^
Personally I think it's quite silly. Wotan tells Siegfried that he will meet Brünnhilde on the rock surrounded by fire but then he gets up there and admires the (male) hero with a breastplate, etc. Then he loosens it and goes through all this "Das ist kein Mann" stuff. How stupid is this guy?

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Barelytenor said:


> ^
> Personally I think it's quite silly. Wotan tells Siegfried that he will meet Brünnhilde on the rock surrounded by fire but then he gets up there and admires the (male) hero with a breastplate, etc. Then he loosens it and goes through all this "Das ist kein Mann" stuff. How stupid is this guy?
> 
> :tiphat:
> ...


It is a kind of a fairy tale George.


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Barelytenor said:


> ^
> Personally I think it's quite silly. Wotan tells Siegfried that he will meet Brünnhilde on the rock surrounded by fire but then he gets up there and admires the (male) hero with a breastplate, etc. Then he loosens it and goes through all this "Das ist kein Mann" stuff. How stupid is this guy?
> 
> :tiphat:
> ...


Keep in mind that this guy is a teenager who had up to that point lived all his life in a forest and had never seen a human female before.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Yes, yes, I know he doesn't have many friends. But how many folks are up on that rock surrounded by fire besides Brünnhilde, the woman/warrior maiden who Wotan told him would be waiting? This is one of the reasons why this act of Wagner is not satisfying dramatically for me. (And I have to point out, if he has never seen a woman before, how does he know that her breasts are the tipoff? I don't think Mime gave him the Birds and Bees fatherly talk.)

I just don't buy it.

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Barelytenor said:


> (And I have to point out, if he has never seen a woman before, how does he know that her breasts are the tipoff? I don't think Mime gave him the Birds and Bees fatherly talk.)


Observations from nature plus a healthy masculine instinct. Just an opinion of course, but I find in Wagner a pretty consistent inner logic - more so than in most other opera.


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## Morton (Nov 13, 2016)

Barelytenor said:


> Yes, yes, I know he doesn't have many friends. But how many folks are up on that rock surrounded by fire besides Brünnhilde, the woman/warrior maiden who Wotan told him would be waiting? This is one of the reasons why this act of Wagner is not satisfying dramatically for me. (And I have to point out, if he has never seen a woman before, how does he know that her breasts are the tipoff? I don't think Mime gave him the Birds and Bees fatherly talk.)
> 
> I just don't buy it.
> 
> ...


This is the sort of thing that would bother me a bit when I first got into Wagner, but then music just swept me away so that the few logical inconsistencies in the Ring, to me, now seem very unimportant.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

^ Note that I did not say that the act in question was unsatisfying _musically._ While I think a lot of the duet-dialogue scenes in Wagner go on overlong (including the one in this act between Wotan and Siegfried before they get to it), the love duet is absolutely sublime. And yes, by this point I am not in the least concerned that Siegfried is falling for his half-aunt. :lol:

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

^^^^ The story of Siegfried can get very deep, he was intended to be isolated and ignorant of the world around him by plan of Wotan, he had to complete the arranged task of returning the gold ring to Rheinmaidens of his own free will without knowing it was part of a plan.......he was raised "without fear" so he could pass through the fire wall and find Brunnhilde, again this was all planned ahead by Wotan

On the surface Siegfried seems like a silly braggart and the plot makes little sense....until you go back and tie it all together with preceding events from 1st two operas and know the backstory of Wotan's dilemma


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Yes, yes, Siegfried is not terribly bright. Barbarian heroes aren't celebrated for their intellect. But I suspect the reason that Siegfried had been told what to expect by the forest bird, yet was still unprepared for the reality, is that seeing a woman's breasts is not just a sexual experience for him but an oedipal one. This scene prefigures Parsifal in Klingsor's garden; like Parsifal, Siegfried never knew his father, and felt responsible for his mother's death (he questions Mime, _So starb meine Mutter an mir?_, "So my mother died through me?"). Both heroes need to sort out their identities as man vis a vis woman, and just as Kundry appears to Parsifal as his mother reincarnated, Siegfried calls out to his mother as he gazes upon Brunnhilde's feminine form. Brunnhilde confirms this conflation when she tells Siegfried how she loved him even before he was born. Parsifal, of course, realizes that he can't go home to mama, while Siegfried, never having felt the terrible wound of Amfortas, jumps into the sack with Brunnhilde, his masculine identity unfinished and destined to remain so. His persistent unconsciousness helps us understand the meaning of his subsequent attraction to Gutrune, whom Anna Russell calls "the first woman Siegfried has ever seen who wasn't his aunt." She was close to a more basic truth, for it was Brunnhilde's maternal aspect that necessitated her betrayal by Siegfried.

The oedipal conflict may be but a subtext of the _Ring_. In _Parsifal _it takes center stage.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Thanks for the thoughtful explication, Woodduck.

My Parsifal study begins soon!

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

The final act of Gotterdammerung, the final act of Walkure, and the final act of Aida for me.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Since I can't honestly choose a single act, I will have to say that the final acts of _Die Walkure_, _Tristan,_ and _Parsifal_ leave me with the deepest sense of something miraculous and inexplicable having happened. Nobody does a final act better than Wagner; nobody takes you on such a harrowing or exultant journey, and leaves you scarcely knowing how to return to "real life." But maybe it's _Parsifal,_ above all, in which the journey is most astonishing: from hell to heaven in little more than an hour. When I first heard it at about age 16 I was in a trance for half an hour afterward. But let some great composers share their impressions of it:

Hugo Wolf: "Colossal - Wagner's most inspired, sublimest creation. Parsifal is without doubt by far the most beautiful and sublime work in the whole field of Art."

Jean Sibelius: "Nothing in the world has made so overwhelming an impression on me. All my innermost heart-strings throbbed... I cannot begin to tell you how Parsifal has transported me. Everything I do seems so cold and feeble by its side.That is really something."

Gustav Mahler: "I can hardly describe my present state to you. When I came out of the Festspielhaus, completely spellbound, I understood that the greatest and most painful revelation had just been made to me, and that I would carry it unspoiled for the rest of my life."

Claude Debussy: "Incomparable and bewildering, splendid and strong. Parsifal is one of the loveliest monuments of sound ever raised to the serene glory of music."

Alban Berg: "Magnificent, overwhelming."

Max Reger: "When I first heard Parsifal at Bayreuth I was fifteen. I cried for two weeks and then became a musician."


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

I still vote for _Gianni Schicchi_ as the most satisfying single act


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck, I don't listen and relisten to Parsifal like the other Wagner operas, but in the theatre it is a very, very moving experience. Near the top of my list. They opened our new opera house with Parsifal.

```

```


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Woodduck, I don't listen and relisten to Parsifal like the other Wagner operas, but in the theatre it is a very, very moving experience. Near the top of my list. They opened our new opera house with Parsifal.
> 
> ```
> 
> ```


Seattle has a new opera house?


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Woodduck, I don't listen and relisten to Parsifal like the other Wagner operas, but in the theatre it is a very, very moving experience. Near the top of my list. *They opened our new opera house with Parsifal.*
> 
> ```
> 
> ```


The program of the grand opening of the newly built Elbphilarmonie in Hamburg, which is to take place on January 11th, carries the name "Zum Raum wird hier die Zeit" (time here becomes space) - a quote from Act I of Parsifal. There will be excerpts from the opera in the program too - among other music. JUst a little factoid


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

SiegendesLicht said:


> The program of the grand opening of the newly built Elbphilarmonie in Hamburg, which is to take place on January 11th, carries the name "Zum Raum wird hier die Zeit" (time here becomes space) - a quote from Act I of Parsifal. There will be excerpts from the opera in the program too - among other music. JUst a little factoid


Isn't that the space that took a LOT of time?


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

SiegendesLicht said:


> The program of the grand opening of the newly built Elbphilarmonie in Hamburg, which is to take place on January 11th, carries the name "Zum Raum wird hier die Zeit" (time here becomes space) - a quote from Act I of Parsifal. There will be excerpts from the opera in the program too - among other music. JUst a little factoid


Are you going to see that?


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Becca said:


> Isn't that the space that took a LOT of time?


Yes, and a lot of money. It was originally expected to be completed in 2010, and the costs in the end were ten times higher than the original estimate. In the Wagnerian epos they sunk a chunk of gold in the Rhine, here they have sunk a lot of Euros in the Elbe. So yes, it might be something of an irony. But it is completed finally!


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Pugg said:


> Are you going to see that?


The tickets to the grand opening were not sold to the public at all, they were auctioned off, I think, in an attempt to cover some of that tremendous cost  The opening festival will continue for threee weeks after that, with the Wiener Philarmoniker and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra visiting and lots of good music - Beethoven, Mahler, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Richard Strauss etc - and by now every single concert is already sold out. Naturally, with my uncertain situation (still waiting for that residence permit) I cannot afford to make any plans for now. But that's OK, I will get to attend concerts in the future yet.

The North German Radio Symphony Orchestra has taken up residence in the new building, and as far as I know, it is pretty good. From the Wiki article on it: "The orchestra is renowned for its performances of the core classical and romantic repertoire by composers such as Beethoven and Bruckner..." Just what I need!


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Barelytenor said:


> Thanks for the thoughtful explication, Woodduck.
> 
> My Parsifal study begins soon!
> 
> ...


Have a lot of fun with Parsifal! It is indeed a most musically beautiful and intellectually engaging opera, with layers upon layers of meaning. Just remember that there is not a single correct interpretation of it. Whatever truth you find in it, with your own ears and heart - will be yours.


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Woodduck said:


> Parsifal, of course, realizes that he can't go home to mama, while Siegfried, never having felt the terrible wound of Amfortas, jumps into the sack with Brunnhilde, *his masculine identity unfinished and destined to remain so*. His persistent unconsciousness helps us understand the meaning of his subsequent attraction to Gutrune, whom Anna Russell calls "the first woman Siegfried has ever seen who wasn't his aunt." She was close to a more basic truth, for it was Brunnhilde's maternal aspect that necessitated her betrayal by Siegfried.


Do you remember the music in the scene of Brünnhilde's awakening, right after the words: "Siegfried bin ich, der dich erweckt!" - Siegfried's leitmotiv resounding in full orchestral power? I have always understood that moment as a sign that Siegfied's masculine identity has now become complete. The hero has performed extraordinary feats of strength: killing the dragon, shattering Wotan's spear and passing through the magic fire, and now he has also won an extraordinary woman. Isn't that the stuff of all heroic tales?

As for Gutrune, well, Wagner does not say it one way or the other, but my impression is that Siegfried had been on his adventure hunt for some time between leaving Brünnhilde's rock and coming to Gunther and Hagen's court. It's not like he sailed down the Rhine right into the arms of his nemesis Hagen. So who knows how many other women he saw in the meantime. And the sole reason for his attraction to Gutrune was Hagen's forgetfulness potion that made him forget all his previous life. But that is only my subjective impression.

Siegfried is the ultimate _Naturmensch_, noble, strong and observant in what concerns the things of the natural world. That is precisely what makes him unable to survive in a world of men that is driven by greed, lies and manipulation.


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## Roland (Mar 13, 2013)

I wonder if the twilight of the gods begins when Siegfried shatters Wotan's spear. When a man can't recognize or respect any god then spiritual concerns can become irrelevant to one's life. When divine treaties become worthless, promises between men can come to mean little.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

For me the one that always comes instantly to mind is Act II of RIGOLETTO. It's such an emotional roller coaster ride and contains my favorite baritone aria ever, "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata."


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## Metairie Road (Apr 30, 2014)

Domenico Cimarosa - Atto Primo: Chi dell'Altrui si veste presto si spoglia.

Fabulous, stuffed full of wonderful music. Every bit as good as anything by Mozart or Rossini.

Best wishes
Metairie Road


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## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

Pugg said:


> Another that fascinate me : Norma Act two, from the the first note till the last, duo's, trios and ensemble work, all building up to heartbreaking climax.


I'd agree with you on that. From the very first orchestral passage it's completely riveting.


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## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

Pugg said:


> The young Joan Sutherland as Norma.
> Cossoto or Troyanos as Adalgisa, very hard to choose.
> Carlo Bergonzi as Pollione.
> With these main singers I take the rest for granted.


I always return to Callas as Norma. I'd love to have heard her with a lyric soprano Adalgisa.
I adore Marilyn Horne as Adalgisa but I'm not sure how she and Callas would have sounded together.


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## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

The third act of Aida is a favourite.
My dream cast would be Rita Gorr and Jon Vickers as Amneris and Radames, and then Montserrat Caballe as Aida. Caballe's singing in the final duet is sublime. It's especially beautiful after all the blood and thunder of the first part of the act.


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## Buoso (Aug 10, 2016)

An interesting question i cant decide so I will have 3 acts from 3 different operas that are all precise and on point. 
Act1 Of Il Trittico in other words Il Tabbaro it is a remarkable work and in the context of the whole triptych sets the right mood 
Act 2 of Tosca which is completely perfect there is no problem with it and it is the most effective piece in the whole opera preferable Callas and Gobbi singing 
Act 3 of Un Ballo in Maschera. Though the Ball of the title last only in the latter half of the final act it is more than worth the wait as the inevitability of what will happen and it finally occurring comes to its apex. Un ballo in maschera is wonderful in that the inevitability of Gustavo's death is obvious from the first piece sung in the opera and pervades every single act and scene in a manner that he never managed to do quite as effectively.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

damianjb1 said:


> I always return to Callas as Norma. I'd love to have heard her with a lyric soprano Adalgisa.
> I adore Marilyn Horne as Adalgisa but I'm not sure how she and Callas would have sounded together.


I prefer soprano Adelgisas in general. Generally, Adelgisa is cast to dark and heavy and Norma too light.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

damianjb1 said:


> I always return to Callas as Norma. I'd love to have heard her with a lyric soprano Adalgisa.
> I adore Marilyn Horne as Adalgisa but I'm not sure how she and Callas would have sounded together.


Wow, what a concept! I think Horne would have played off of Callas's dramatic sensibilities and Callas would have played up off of Horne incredible coloratura technique, so that the two would have sounded fantastic together!

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> I prefer soprano Adelgisas in general. Generally, Adelgisa is cast to dark and heavy and Norma too light.


Montserrat Caballé did a pretty good job on the Second Sutherland recording.


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## gellio (Nov 7, 2013)

stomanek said:


> Act 4 of Nozze Di Figaro when the "extra" filler arias are ommitted.


Act 4 of _Le nozze di Figaro_ when the "extra" arias are included.


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## gellio (Nov 7, 2013)

_Le nozze di Figaro_ ACT IV, or ACT III, or ACT II or ACT I. The whole damn thing - every note is wonderfully satisfying.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

gellio said:


> _Le nozze di Figaro_ ACT IV, or ACT III, or ACT II or ACT I. The whole damn thing - every note is wonderfully satisfying.


For sure one of Mozart best.


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## DonAlfonso (Oct 4, 2014)

Verdi's not my favourite composer but I'd like to put in a plug for Act III of Rigoletto. Absolutely perfect, nothing superfluous, nothing missing.
Best recording? Gobbi, Callas, di Stefano, Serafin


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