# Fantasy Opera Season



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Some of the bloggers have been suggesting their fantasy opera seasons.

My own *Season One *

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust
Bizet: Carmen
Donizetti: Roberto Deveruex
Giordano:	Fedora
Handel:	Giulio Cesare
Montemezzi: L'amore dei tre re
Monteverdi	: L'incoronazione di Poppea
Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Offenbach: Le Contes d'Hoffmann
Puccini: Edgar
Verdi: Attila
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Oh, you people know me...

Berg: Lulu
Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande
Donizetti: Don Pasquale
Enescu: Oedipe
Messiaen: Saint Francois d'Assise
Mozart: The Magic Flute
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov
Norgard: Nuit des Hommes
Saariaho: L'amour de Loin
Schoenberg: Moses und Aron
Sibelius: The Maiden in the Tower
Szymanowski: King Roger
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

World Violist said:


> Oh, you people know me...
> 
> Berg: Lulu
> Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande
> ...


I'm shocked, World_Violist!!! *You* want Don Pasquale?


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Almaviva said:


> I'm shocked, World_Violist!!! *You* want Don Pasquale?


What can I say? It's fun and it adds a bit of variety.


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

*replacing just some...*

Berg: Lulu============================ YES!
Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande ===================== YES!
Donizetti: Don Pasquale===========================Why not?
Enescu: Oedipe===============No: Prokofiev's War and peace instead
Messiaen: Saint Francois d'Assise=========No: Russlan and Ludmila instead
Mozart: The Magic Flute==============YES!
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov===========NO: Schreker: Die Gezeichneten instead
Norgard: Nuit des Hommes========== No: Schreker: The blacksmith of gantes instead
Saariaho: L'amour de Loin==========No. Wozzeck instead
Schoenberg: Moses und Aron============ YES
Sibelius: The Maiden in the Tower============YES
Szymanowski: King Roger==============YES
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde ===================YES!!!


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

sospiro said:


> Some of the bloggers have been suggesting their fantasy opera seasons.
> 
> My own *Season One *
> 
> ...


My fantasy season would have works that I haven't seen on stage or on video, and are not otherwise available. Stuff like La Wally, La Muete de Portici, Le Postillon de Longjumeau, Il Templario, Oedipe, Le Grand Macabre, Les Mamelles de Tiresias, etc. Plus, some fantasies of another kind - the main one being Salome portrayed by Anna, for obvious reasons (no stand-in body doublé, please), and some sort of all-female dream cast (someone should write an opera that would be ideally suited for Anna, Miah, Patricia, Danielle, Isabel, etc, all together, with a very spicy plot and lots of skin. Maybe, "Sex in the City" - can any of our musician friends here write the score, please? I'll provide the libretto.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> My fantasy season would have works that I haven't seen on stage or on video, and are not otherwise available. Stuff like La Wally, La Muete de Portici, Le Postillon de Longjumeau, Il Templario, Oedipe, Le Grand Macabre, Les Mamelles de Tiresias, etc. Plus, some fantasies of another kind - the main one being Salome portrayed by Anna, for obvious reasons (no stand-in body doublé, please), and some sort of all-female dream cast (someone should write an opera that would be ideally suited for Anna, Miah, Patricia, Danielle, Isabel, etc, all together, with a very spicy plot and lots of skin. Maybe, "Sex in the City" - can any of our musician friends here write the score, please? I'll provide the libretto.


Stop it Alma - you're giving me ideas.

_... and some sort of* all-male* dream cast (someone should write an opera that would be ideally suited for Simon, Jonas, Dmitri, Plácido, Erwin etc, all together, with a very spicy plot and lots of bare chests and tight trousers ... _


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

Good thread. 

My first season would be

1. Don Giovanni
2. Rusalka
3. Radamisto
4. Il Trovatore
5. Elektra
6. Il Turco in Italia
7. Parsifal 
8. L’Heure espagnole/Gianni Schicchi
9. The Minotaur
10. Les Contes D'Hoffman

Not necessarily all operas at the top of my best loved list but a wide enough selection all the same.


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

PS Has anyone thought of a fantasy Ring cast thread and would they be willing to get involved. let us know and I will set up.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Wagner Tristan unde Isolde
Wagner Ring
Verdi La Traviata
Puccini La Boheme
Mozart Le Nozze da Figaro
Strauss Salome
Shostakovich Lady Macbeth
Prokofiev War and Peace
Berlioz Les Troyens
Schoenberg Moses und Aaron
Berg Lulu & Wozzek
Mussorgsky Boris Godunov

Something by Handel
Something by Rossinni

and one or two world premieres.

Thats about perfect.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Wagner: Lohengrin (has to have Jonas)
Wagner: Ring
Mozart: Don Giovanni (complete with barihunk)
Puccini La Fanciulla del West
Verdi: Otello
Massenet: Manon (has to have Natalie)
Janacek: Jenufa (has to have Nina Stemme)
Britten: The rape of Lucretia (has to have Christopher Maltman)
Thomas: Hamlet (has to have Simon Keenlyside)
Prokofiev: War and Peace (has to have Nathan Gunn)
Berlioz: Les Troyens
Something by Handel with Bejun Mehta and Andreas Scholl and if we can get Christophe Dumaux too I won't complain


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

sospiro said:


> _... and some sort of* all-male* dream cast (someone should write an opera that would be ideally suited for Simon, Jonas, Dmitri, Plácido, Erwin etc, all together, with a very spicy plot and lots of bare chests and tight trousers ... _


I think _Armida_ is about as close as you can get to *that* one.


jflatter said:


> PS has anyone thought of a fantasy Ring cast thread...


I kind of ambled up sidelong to that topic with this post- but I (for one) would be delighted to explore the concept further in another thread.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Chi_townPhilly said:


> I think _Armida_ is about as close as you can get to *that* one.


 I already have this on order


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

jflatter said:


> PS Has anyone thought of a fantasy Ring cast thread and would they be willing to get involved. let us know and I will set up.


I'd personally rather like this idea.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Here are some of my choices. It's pretty exotic season, so there's not much chance of anything like this actually materializing anywhere:

Albert Roussel: Padmavati .

Janacek.The Excursions of Mr.Broucek.

Ernest Chausson. Le Roi Arthus.

Dvorak.The Devil And Kate.

Howard Hanson.Merry Mount.

Szymanowski.King Roger.

Smetana. Dalibor.

Richard Srrauss.Die Schweigsame Frau.

Nielsen.Maskarade, Saul & David.

Zdenek Fibich. Sarka. (pronounced sharka).

Rimsky-Korsakov. The Snow Maiden.

Pfitzner.Palestrina.


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

Season 2 for me would be:

1. Das Rheingold
2. La Cenerentola
3. Werther
4. Der Rosenkavalier
5. La Fanciulla Del West
6. Billy Budd
7. The Cunning Little Vixen
8. La Traviata
9. Cosi Fan Tutte
10. Der Walkure


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

There are two or three different trends developing here, and it's kind of interesting to see the style of different members in terms of what they crave.

1) Some are aiming for works that are exotic, rare, off the beaten path. 2) Others are aiming for a selection of their favorites. 3) Others are focusing on what they wanted to see some attractive singers perform. 

Of course, some do a combination of the above. 

My post was a mix of trends 1 and 3.

Probably the ideal season would be a combination of all three trends.

If we could have seasons as extensive as those in Vienna or St. Petersburg (40 to 60 different operas per season) we would be able to get wild and fill it up with lots of representatives of all three trends; can you guys/gals imagine such a paradise? Sometimes I envy people who live in such cities.

My meager regional opera company has 3 operas and 1 recital per year.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

OK, I'll take the plunge of doing 40 operas. No particular order, since I have no idea how these houses are run.

1. Boris Godunov
2. Kovanschina
3. Oedipe
4. Don Pasquale
5. Tristan und Isolde
6. Parsifal
7. Das Rheingold
8. Die Walkure
9. Siegfried
10. Gotterdammerung
11. Siddharta
12. Nuit des Hommes
13. Gilgamesh
14. Cav/Pag (see, I even know the abbreviation of this double-bill!)
15. Doktor Faust (Busoni)
16. House of the Sun
17. Aleksis Kivi
18. Kaivos
19. Thomas (Rautavaara, if the preceding three didn't make that blatant)
20. Wozzeck
21. Lulu
22. War and Peace
23. L'amour de loin
24. The Abduction of Figaro
25. The Stoned Guest
26. That One Bellini Opera About Romeo and Juliet
27. Madama Butterfly
28. Saint Francois d'Assise
29. Pelleas et Melisande
30. The Maiden in the Tower
31. L'Orfeo
32. Curlew River
33. The Burning Fiery Furnace
34. The Prodigal Son
35. Death in Venice
36. Rape of Lucretia
37. Le Grand Mort
38. The Magic Flute
39. Le Nozze di Figaro
40. Don Giovanni
41. Cosi fan tutte

And this from the guy who knows virtually nothing about (conventional) opera. Should be easy for anyone else.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Great list, WV!:tiphat:

24. The Abduction of Figaro

What the hell is that???


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Almaviva said:


> Great list, WV!:tiphat:
> 
> 24. The Abduction of Figaro
> 
> What the hell is that???


PDQ Bach. "What the hell" is right.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

World Violist said:


> PDQ Bach. "What the hell" is right.


:lol: I looked it up on Wikipedia, and it does sound hilarious! Is there a video version?

Edit: Yep, I see that there is one! This must be on my wish list, for after I unfreeze my opera spending.










OK, I've read the enthusiastic reviews, and it's just too tempting. I have ordered it, breaking my spending freeze for the first time in a couple of weeks. Damn!!


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## Poppin' Fresh (Oct 24, 2009)

Honestly, if I could choose more than one opera by the same composer, my first fantasy season would be to see all of Wagner's music dramas, given the rarity that they are performed anywhere near me. It's always a trek to hunt down anything he wrote after _Lohengrin_.

But, if one opera per composer is the rule, this would be mine:

Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov
Strauss: Elektra
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia
Glass: Einstein On the Beach
Mozart: Don Giovanni
Janáček: Jenůfa
Puccini: Tosca
Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle
Weber: Der Freischütz
Verdi: Otello
Berg: Wozzeck


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

*The abduction of Figaro (?)*



> OK, I've read the enthusiastic reviews, and it's just too tempting. I have ordered it, breaking my spending freeze for the first time in a couple of weeks. Damn!!
> __________________


Could you tell us more about this "opera",,,Opera? Real opera? By a guy called Bach?
What is this exactly.

Thank you for telling us.

Martin


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

*Figaro*

I'm sorry. I found it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Abduction_of_Figaro

OK.

Martin


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

My Fantasy *French* Opera Season

Bizet: Les pêcheurs de perles
Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila
Donizetti: La fille du régiment
Massenet: Werther
Verdi: Don Carlos
Rameau: Les Indes galantes
Donizetti: Lucie de Lammermoor
Berlioz: La damnation de Faust
Thomas: Hamlet
Verdi: Les vêpres siciliennes
Gounod: Roméo et Juliette
Bizet: Carmen


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

I doubt that any opera house would actually present a season such as this, but I thought it could be fun to compare composers' different treatments of the same subject matter. And it would give me an excuse to include my very favorite opera -- naturally cast with my favorite singers!

Ferdinando Paėr - "Leonora"
Beethoven - "Fidelio"
Massenet - "Manon"
Puccini - "Manon Lescaut"
Paisiello - "Il Barbiere di Siviglia"
Rossini - "Il Barbiere di Siviglia"
Ernest Reyer - "Sigurd"
Wagner - "Siegfried"
Glück - "La Clemenza di Tito"
Mozart - "La Clemenza di Tito"
Rossini - "Otello"
Verdi - "Otello"
Leoncavallo - "La Boheme"
Puccini - "La Boheme"
Gounod - "Romeo et Juliette"
Bellini - "I Capuleti e i Montecchi"
Richard Strauss - "Salome"
Massenet: "Herodiade"

There are other pairs one could include (Rossini's and Massenet's versions of the Cinderella story, for example; Verdi's and Otto Nicolai's versions of "The Merry Wives of Windsor," etc.), but I can see that such a season would carry a preponderance of works by certain composers -- the aforementioned Rossini and Massenet among them. 

But still, this would give me an excuse to hear my favorite, "Fidelio," as well as Paėr's opera, for which I've developed a certain fondness. Leonore/a, Florestan/o, Rocco, and Marzelline/Marcellina could all be sung by the same individuals (Camilla Nylund, Jonas Kaufmann, Stephen Milling, Diana Damrau). Beethoven's Pizarro would be Dietrich Henschel; Kurt Streit could sing Paėr's tenor version of the role. I'd rather like Toby Spence as Beethoven's Jaquino, and Nathan Gunn as Paėr's baritone Giacchino


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

MAuer said:


> I doubt that any opera house would actually present a season such as this ..


It's your fantasy & you can do anything there 



MAuer said:


> .. but I thought it could be fun to compare composers' different treatments of the same subject matter. And it would give me an excuse to include my very favorite opera -- naturally cast with my favorite singers!
> 
> Ferdinando Paėr - "Leonora"
> Beethoven - "Fidelio"
> ...


That's a really interesting list. And there are some *pairs* I didn't know.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

MAuer said:


> I doubt that any opera house would actually present a season such as this, but I thought it could be fun to compare composers' different treatments of the same subject matter. And it would give me an excuse to include my very favorite opera -- naturally cast with my favorite singers!
> 
> Ferdinando Paėr - "Leonora"
> Beethoven - "Fidelio"
> ...


Fabulous idea! In most cases I don't know the less popular version of the same story in your pairs above, would love to get to know them, and it would be a spectacular way to design a season. You should mail your idea to the managers of the main opera houses!:tiphat:


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