# off the beaten path operas



## operashoppejim (Aug 20, 2013)

What are you favorite "off the beaten path' operas? They can be unusual works by a popular composer or eclectic and unknown composers. My favorite is Catalani's Dejanice. It is a fabulous opera and very rarely heard. Catalani was a musical genius whose brilliant career was tragically cut short by a very early death. What a loss to the world of music!


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

_Dejanice _has more in common with a _Gioconda_, in the music and in the plot, than with verismo operas, and it's indeed a very nice piece. There is a recording, by Bongiovanni, typical of this label, done with little known singers, and second tier orchestra. The conductor was Jan Latham-Koenig, before his appointment to the Opéra National du Rhin. A good effort.

However, my favorite Catalani's opera is _Loreley_.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

I like Boito's Nerone..........


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## Pip (Aug 16, 2013)

Erich Korngold's opera Die Tote Stadt is a great opera that never had much of a chance.
When premiered in 1920, it was criticized for being too tonal, it never achieved the popularity it maybe should have.
It needs a top tenor to sing the role of Paul and equally as good a soprano for the role of Marietta.
The baritone aria "pierrot's lied - "mein sehnen, mein waehnen" has long been beloved and regularly included in the 100 best tunes list. The rest of the opera deserves further discovery.


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Itullian said:


> I like Boito's Nerone..........


Came here to post this too. I really like it.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Actually, Die Tote Stadt has achieved an intermittant place in the repertoire in our time . The New York City opera production from I believe the 1970s, achieved considerble audience nd critical acclaim and was revived a number of times before the NYC opera's unfortunate recent financial problems whicdh forced it to
move out of Lincoln Cenjter and assume anomadic existence , and there have been a number of productions in Europe. 
The late Erich Leinsdorf made a famous recording for RCA with Carol Neblett nd Rene Kollo , and there are live recordings conducted by Leif Segerstam oin Naxos from Stockholm and Donald Runnicles on Orfeo from the Salzburg festival .


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Alexander said:


> Came here to post this too. I really like it.


And of course Mefistofele


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

A couple years ago, LA Opera produced "Grendel" based on the amazing and offbeat novel by John Gardner. It tells the story of Beowulf from Grendel's point of view, but is also a literary gem, with iconic symbolism and poetic structure. Julie Taymore wrote the libretto and produced the opera, Elliot Goldenthal the music.

Because I'm a big fan of the novel I've always wanted to see that opera. It's possible I might not like it, but hey.

I'm a fairly steady fan of Philip Glass and saw "Einstein on the Beach" some years ago, and enjoyed it mostly. I've got the CD of his "The Voyage" written in tribute to the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage. It's very avante garde of course but that's Philip Glass for you.

I'd also have wanted to see LA Opera's "The Fly" based not on the short story but the Cronenberg horror film w. Jeff Goldblum.

As you can see, I'm a "somewhat" fan of experimental and outlandish opera productions, on occasion, not all the time.


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## Hoffmann (Jun 10, 2013)

In July, I was lucky to catch a performance of a Russian opera that had never been performed in the U.S. and, indeed, had a brief and troubled performance history in Russia itself. This was Sergei Tanayev's _Oresteia_ at the Bard College Summerscape festival in Annandale on Hudson, NY. Bard College is well known for its ability to find obscure operas and breathe life into them during its summer festivals.

In my opinion, Oresteia is a really terrific opera that deserves a permanent place in the international repertory. The opera almost completely disappeared for reasons that seem to have little to do with the quality of its composition or dramatic interest. Part of its problem may be that Oresteia is an outlier in the Russian repertory in that it doesn't celebrate anything that is Russian: neither its history, literature, famous poets or authors nor fables - as does every other (or almost every other) famous Russian opera. It instead lifts its libretto from a re-working of Aeschylus' Oresteia, written ca. 458 bce. Bard's production modified/updated the setting from classical times to Tsarist Russia - with some classical elements added in to ensure plot coherence. Oresteia has grand choruses and heroic singing, and was a real highlight of the summer off-season. This production goes next to the Mariinsky, where I really hope that it is recorded for dvd and cd sales.


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## Hoffmann (Jun 10, 2013)

schigolch said:


> _Dejanice _has more in common with a _Gioconda_, in the music and in the plot, than with verismo operas, and it's indeed a very nice piece. There is a recording, by Bongiovanni, typical of this label, done with little known singers, and second tier orchestra. The conductor was Jan Latham-Koenig, before his appointment to the Opéra National du Rhin. A good effort.
> 
> However, my favorite Catalani's opera is _Loreley_.


I don't know Catalani's works at all - other than the famous aria from _La Wally_ of course. But I was browsing through Arkivmusic.coms cds for sale the other night and ran across and was temped by a recording of _Loreley_, because it included Elena Suliotis in the cast. Since I didn't know anything about it - I had never even heard of it, I tabled the purchase for another day. Your reference to it is the first time I've heard it mentioned. I guess it's worth the purchase?


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

During the 70s ,I believe, there was DG reocrding of Tanyeyev's Oresteia with the forces of the Belarussian state opera in Minsk . Not a sinlge big name in it . I don't blieve it has been reissued on CD yet, 
but there is no excuse for it not to be . I really want to hear it .


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Some that come to mind are Weber's Euryanthe, Britten's Albert Herring, Martín y Soler's Il Burbero di Buon Core, Cavalli's Il Giasone and Elena, Massenet's Le Cid, Verdi's Aroldo/Stiffelio, and Busoni's Arlecchino. I REALLY want to hear the Tanyeyev.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Hoffmann said:


> I don't know Catalani's works at all - other than the famous aria from _La Wally_ of course. But I was browsing through Arkivmusic.coms cds for sale the other night and ran across and was temped by a recording of _Loreley_, because it included Elena Suliotis in the cast. Since I didn't know anything about it - I had never even heard of it, I tabled the purchase for another day. Your reference to it is the first time I've heard it mentioned. I guess it's worth the purchase?


The opera was first given in Turin, back in 1890. It was then performed in the rest of Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England,... and also in America. It enjoyed some success until well into the 1930s, but since then has been staged only a handful of times.

The plot is relatively simple. In a castle besides the river Rhine, Count Walter (tenor) is throwing a party for her fiancée, Ana (soprano), niece of Margrave Rodolfo (bass). The Count confess to his friend Hermann (baritone), secretly in love with Ana, that his real interest is the beautiful Loreley, and that he is having an affair with her.

The Count and Loreley meet, but she is not precisely elated to know he plan to drop her, and decides to fling herself into the Rhine in desperation, but after a pact with the sorcerer Alberich, emerges for this predicament transfigured and even more beautiful than before.

Meanwhile, Hermann tries to convince Ana of Walter's betrayal, but the young girl is adamant she will marry the Count. During the wedding, however, a strange image of Loreley appears, and Walter, blind with love, abandons Ana, who dies racked with pain.

His conscience is gnawing at Walter, while he spent his days frolicking with Loreley. Finally, she must honor her deal with Alberich, returns to the Rhine and Walter, desperate, also throws himself into the river.


















Those recordings above are fine. "Amor, celeste ebrezza..." is one of the more beeutiful Italian arias for soprano:


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Itullian said:


> And of course Mefistofele


You won't be surprised to know it's one of my favourites. Hopefully it's not considered off the beaten track. I don't understand why it's not part of the core repertory. The tunes pack a punch up there with the best of them.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Just came across this in an old book on opera. Never heard of it before. Only one recording available and i's pretty pricey. No DVD (of course). So, I'd say it qualifies as OTBT.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

That recording with Marcella Pobbe and Pier Miranda Ferraro it's not complete. The one below:










contains more material, though the voices are not the ones Mascagni would have dreamed when he wrote the opera (with a libretto by Luigi Illica, inspired in the legend of Lady Godiva), and then conducted the premiere, in Buenos Aries, with Maria Farneti singing Isabeau.

The performances in Buenos Aires were a big success, but then the opera was staged at La Scala, and received only with mild reviews, and a lukewarm response from the audience. This is the beautiful Intermezzo:


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## Bardamu (Dec 12, 2011)

There are many for me.

I love Mascagni and while being a pretty well known opera composer, most known him just for Cavalleria Rusticana and to a lesser extent L'amico Fritz and Iris (the latter of which is my favorite opera ever) and it's a big shame since I think operas like Isabeau (mentioned above), Il piccolo Marat, Parisina (although there no good recording...) and the delicate Zanetto are all worth a listening (even more!).

For the really obscure reference I cite Ennio Porrino's I Shardana which is my favorite italian opera from the fifties.
The sudden composer death short after the premiere meant the opera fell quickly in oblivion (there is a recording directed by Armando La rosa Parodi) however next september I Shardana will be staged again at Teatro Lirico in Cagliari for the first time after many decades.



Itullian said:


> I like Boito's Nerone..........


Me too.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

schigolch said:


> [The Count and Loreley meet, but she is not precisely elated to know he plan to drop her, and decides to fling herself into the Rhine in desperation, but after a pact with the sorcerer Alberich, emerges for this predicament transfigured and even more beautiful than before.
> 
> Meanwhile, Hermann tries to convince Ana of Walter's betrayal, but the young girl is adamant she will marry the Count. During the wedding, however, a strange image of Loreley appears, and Walter, blind with love, abandons Ana, who dies racked with pain.
> 
> His conscience is gnawing at Walter, while he spent his days frolicking with Loreley. Finally, she must honor her deal with Alberich, returns to the Rhine and Walter, desperate, also throws himself into the river.


Old Alberich certainly liked hanging around the Rhine, didn't he?


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

I see that there are recordings of Tchaikovsky's "Cherevichki (The Slippers) and "the Oprichnik", Also Meyerbeer's "Robert le Diable". I know nothing about the three of them.


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## LouisMasterMusic (Aug 28, 2013)

I could like Puccini's Gianni Schicchi more if someone helps me how to go about listening to it (I just listened to "O Mio Babbino Caro" and I know "Firenze E Come Un Albero Fiorto). I own a recording already, it's just about finding other Puccini/Italian operas to compare it with.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

moody said:


> ...Also Meyerbeer's "Robert le Diable". I know nothing about ...


_Robert le Diable_ was a huge success after its premiere in 1831, and the first French opera that we can count as part of the "Gothicism", that then started a trend that would remain for the rest of the century. It was also the first of many successes for Meyerbeer. In 1834 there were already one hundred performances given at Paris, and soon the opera was staged all across Europe, in the US and even in faraway places like Calcutta, Jakarta and Manila. It was also translated and performed in English, German and Italian.

Meyerbeer fused perfectly the music with the libretto, even integrating with great skill the required Parisian ballet. This is a story of 'condemnation and redemption', and the end of the opera, the great final trio (Alice, Bertram, Robert) is presenting all the emotions fighting in Robert, torn between his love for Isabelle and the temptations offered by his father, Bertram, the demon.

From a musical point of view, we can find a very original orchestration, and an expressive and daring vocality. Sure, there are some precedents, like _Der Freischütz_, but Meyerbeer was creating something really new with this opera.

The famous painter Edgar Degas painted a couple of paintings based on Meyerbeer's opera, like this one with the moment of the nuns's dance under the moonlight, after being resurrected by Bertram, at Santa Rosalia's cloister.










Franz Liszt wrote his Réminescences de Robert le Diable, even the dancer Marietta confided to Paul that she was in Brugges to work in some performances of the opera, in Korngold's Die Tote Stadt ...

Somehow, this big popularity disappeared. The opera was still regularly staged during the first decades of the 20th century, but it didn't survive the Nazi campaign against Jewish composers, or Meyerbeer's growing reputation as a weak, merely entertaining, composer.

Now we have the DVD from the performances at ROH, and this could be the best starting point to rediscover Robert:


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## LouisMasterMusic (Aug 28, 2013)

O.K, but what about the achingly beautiful rune that is Marietta's Lied?


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