# Opera pictures



## adriesba

I often enjoy seeing old set designs of operas or photos of past productions. I saw this article and felt inspired to start a thread on the subject: https://www.roh.org.uk/news/the-most-striking-art-inspired-by-opera

Post opera-related pictures. Maybe antique prints, paintings, photos, set designs, costume designs, etc. I think this could be fun!


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## Tikoo Tuba

Porgy and Bess . Just now listened to Simon Estes in a radio interview .


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## adriesba

Act III of _Tannhäuser_ and Act II of _Der Freischütz_

View attachment 131377


View attachment 131381


Nilsson in _Elektra_. I find this one funny for some reason:

View attachment 131382


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## Sieglinde

Not so old, but I always loved this promotional photo for the Met Ballo. Don Gustavo with his loyal _consigliere_.


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## adriesba

The Met Opera Shop has several posters including the one you just mentioned as well as the one I want:
View attachment 131453


https://www.metoperashop.org/posters-prints-home-office

I think they can print posters at the print shop at college. Perhaps I should take advantage of it!


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## adriesba

O my word! We were thinking the same thing again! :lol:
I started typing before I saw your post.

Yes, it is a picture worth a thousand words for sure!


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## Rogerx

Dress sketch for Dame Joan as Lucretia Borgia :angel:


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## adriesba

/\ I wonder if whoever designed that was aware that he/she was creating a work of art in just the sketch itself. Or maybe that was the intention.


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## adriesba

Speaking of costumes, apparently one of Nilsson's Turandot dresses is on display somewhere:

View attachment 131455


This production I find looked particularly beautiful. \/ Excellent color coordination!

View attachment 131456


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## The Conte

If we are doing historic divas in Donizetti. Giuditta Pasta as Anna Bolena:









N.


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## Rogerx

Dress design for Dame Joan as Lucia di Lammermoor


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## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> Dress design for Dame Joan as Lucia di Lammermoor


Which role is this for?


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## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> Which role is this for?


Lucia di Lammermoor.
The costume designers had a trick, they always made sure that all those heavy dresses where resting on her hips, kind of construction like a bra , so she had no restrain with breath control whilst singing .


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## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> Lucia di Lammermoor.
> The costume designers had a trick, they always made sure that all those heavy dresses where resting on her hips, kind of construction like a bra , so she had no restrain with breath control whilst singing .


Interesting. You learn something new everyday.  I wonder how much of those ideas continue to today.


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## adriesba

Found some interesting stuff.
Real life location of the end of _Tosca_:

View attachment 131505


Real life setting for Act II of _Tannhäuser_, singers' hall at Wartburg castle:

View attachment 131506


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## Rogerx

That Tosca setting was used in this and at least one other recording.



Also Doming and Raina Kabaivanska.


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## erki

Bregenz Opera Festival has produced some amazing visual sets on the Lake Constance Austria.
TOSCA(look for more https://weburbanist.com/2013/04/10/performance-architecture-10-dramatic-opera-sets-stages/)


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## Tsaraslondon

THE dress, on display at Covent Garden, I assume.


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## The Conte

Tsaraslondon said:


> View attachment 131509
> 
> 
> THE dress, on display at Covent Garden, I assume.


Yes, in the new downstairs cafe/foyer area. They had some Don Carlo costumes (classic Visconti production) in the same display cases for a few months and now there are dresses from the Visconti Traviata and the previous production (the one that Callas was in). They don't have the Callas Traviata dress and so there is one that Sutherland wore. The new downstairs space is open during the day and anyone can pop in off the street so it's worth having a look if you are in the area.

N.


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## Sieglinde

Tsaraslondon said:


> View attachment 131509
> 
> 
> THE dress, on display at Covent Garden, I assume.


Do they realize how much we would pay for replicas? It's such a gorgeous dress, I'd absolutely use it for balls or the opera.


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## adriesba

The Met had a snake onstage:

View attachment 131534


This apparently is _Così fan tutte_.

Oh brother.


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## Rogerx

Legendary "O don fatale"(Don Carlo) in 1986 Salzburger Osterfestspiele, Agnes Baltsa

I know this is about pictures but this you have to see :angel:


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## Andante Cantabile

Giuditta Pasta (1797-1865), who created the roles of Norma, Amina in La Sonnambula, Anna Bolena, is seen here as Amina:


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## Tsaraslondon

Rogerx said:


> Legendary "O don fatale"(Don Carlo) in 1986 Salzburger Osterfestspiele, Agnes Baltsa
> 
> I know this is about pictures but this you have to see :angel:


I did. On the stage of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She brought the house down.


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## Tsaraslondon

So many iconic Callas photos, but this has always been a favourite, the moment Violetta capitulates to her fate. _Ebben, si t'amo_.

This production probably changed for ever people's ideas about producing Italian opera. Visconti updated the action to _fin de siècle_ simply he said, because Callas would look fabulous in the fashions of that period. Back in 1955, some people were outraged by some of the naturalistic acting. At the end of Act I Callas/Violetta sat by the fire slowly removing the pins from her hair as she sang _Ah fors 'e lui_, then sprang up to sit on the table, kicking off her shoes for _Sempre libera_. Seems tame enough now but it caused a sensation at the time.

Here are a couple from Act II.










And the moment she writes that fatal letter.


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## Andante Cantabile

Tsaraslondon said:


> So many iconic Callas photos, but this has always been a favourite, *the moment Violetta capitulates to her fate*. _Ebben, si t'amo_.
> 
> This production probably changed for ever people's ideas about producing Italian opera. Visconti updated the action to _fin de siècle_ simply he said, because Callas would look fabulous in the fashions of that period. Back in 1955, some people were outraged by some of the naturalistic acting. At the end of Act I Callas/Violetta sat by the fire slowly removing the pins from her hair as she sang _Ah fors 'e lui_, then sprang up to sit on the table, kicking off her shoes for _Sempre libera_. Seems tame enough now but it caused a sensation at the time.


The very moment Violetta capitulates to her fate/her fate is sealed occurs rather in "Ah...Dite alla giovine" during the Violetta-Germont pere scene in Act 2.

Among all her recorded Violettas, Callas expressed this moment most poignantly in the 1958 Covent Garden performance:


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## Sieglinde

Last summer's Verona Arena Trovatore had horses. I wish they didn't.









"I'm on a horse"









"Yeah I know honey so am I"









"I want a horse too!"
"They are Dangerous Creatures I tell you"


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## Rogerx

Dame Joan and M Horne as they ruled for many years


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## Rogerx

Massenet's: Esclarmonde.


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## Andante Cantabile

Rosa Raisa creating the role of Turandot at the opera's world premiere at La Scala, Milan on 25 Apr 1926:


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## Tsaraslondon

Augastine said:


> The very moment Violetta capitulates to her fate/her fate is sealed occurs rather in "Ah...Dite alla giovine" during the Violetta-Germont pere scene in Act 2.
> 
> Among all her recorded Violettas, Callas expressed this moment most poignantly in the 1958 Covent Garden performance:
> 
> View attachment 131542


Matne I didn't put it very well. You are right of course, and no soprano sings that long _Ah_ before _Dite alla giovane_ quite like Callas, especially in London in 1958, somehow filling that one note with all the conflicting emotions in her heart. That is when she takes the decision which seals her fate, and it precipitates what happens later.

But utter capitilation happens later when Alfredo backs her into a corner and she has to lie to him that she is in love with the Baron. The photo I posted captures that moment of total surrender


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## Andante Cantabile

'Ah! Dite alla giovine' in the scene with Germont pere - the pivotal moment (turning point) in _La Traviata_. As critic John Steane puts it most astutely in _Grand Tradition_, Maria Callas seizes this moment of tragic and noble decision and makes something utterly riveting and unforgettable out of it. Here's that moment in the legendary Visconti production at La Scala, May 1955:


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## Tsaraslondon

Augastine said:


> 'Ah! Dite alla giovine' in the scene with Germont pere - the pivotal moment (turning point) in _La Traviata_. As critic John Steane puts it most astutely in _Grand Tradition_, Maria Callas seizes this moment of tragic and noble decision and makes something utterly riveting and unforgettable out of it. Here's that moment in the legendary Visconti production at La Scala, May 1955:
> 
> View attachment 131584


And here is Peter Heyworth's description of that exact moment in the Covent Garden performance, taken from his review in _The Observer_



> But perhaps the most marvellous moment of the evening was the long sustained B flat before Violetta descends to the opening phrase of "Dite alla giovine". This is the moment of decision on which the whole opera turns. By some miracle, Callas makes that note hang unsuspended in mid air; unadorned and unsupported she fills it with all the conflicting emotions that besiege her. As she descends to the aria, which she opened with a sweet, distant mezza voce of extraordinary poignancy, the die is cast.


Incidentally, I review the recording of that Covent Garden performance in detail in my blog.


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## Rogerx

Humble and loved till the very end of a long and prosperous career.


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## Tsaraslondon

Anneliese Rothenberger, Sena Jurinac and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in the final trio from *Der Rosenkavalier*.


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## Andante Cantabile

World premiere of _Norma_ at La Scala, Milan, 26 December 1831, starring Giuditta Pasta, with Giulia Grisi as Adalgisa and Domenico Donzelli as Pollione:


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## Andante Cantabile

Joan Sutherland in her role debut as Norma at Vancouver Opera, Oct 1963, with Marilyn Horne as Adalgisa and producer Irvin Guttman:


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## Tsaraslondon

Callas as Norma at Covent Garden in 1952, with Sutherland as Clotilde behind her.


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## Andante Cantabile

Callas' first Norma, at Teatro Comunale, Florence, 30 Nov 1948, with Mirto Picchi as Pollione and her mentor Tullio Serafin conducting her role debut.


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## Tsaraslondon

Augastine said:


> Callas' first Norma, at Teatro Comunale, Florence, 30 Nov 1948, with Mirto Picchi as Pollione and her mentor Tullio Serafin conducting her role debut.
> 
> View attachment 131645


A lot slimmer here than she was in 1952. We forget that she put quite a bit of weight on before she decided to diet.


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## AlexD

Here is a link to Audrey Beardsley's illustrations for Salome from the British Library's digital collection. There is a set of originals currently on display at Tate Britain.

Be warned, some of the illustrations are the uncensored originals - so there is some nudity. So if they are likely to offend, then don't follow the link and then complain about it.

https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/aubrey-beardsley-illustrations-for-salome-by-oscar-wilde


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## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> Legendary "O don fatale"(Don Carlo) in 1986 Salzburger Osterfestspiele, Agnes Baltsa
> 
> I know this is about pictures but this you have to see :angel:


One of the most energetic performances I've ever watched of just about anything!


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## adriesba

Tsaraslondon said:


> So many iconic Callas photos, but this has always been a favourite, the moment Violetta capitulates to her fate. _Ebben, si t'amo_.
> 
> This production probably changed for ever people's ideas about producing Italian opera. Visconti updated the action to _fin de siècle_ simply he said, because Callas would look fabulous in the fashions of that period. Back in 1955, some people were outraged by some of the naturalistic acting. At the end of Act I Callas/Violetta sat by the fire slowly removing the pins from her hair as she sang _Ah fors 'e lui_, then sprang up to sit on the table, kicking off her shoes for _Sempre libera_. Seems tame enough now but it caused a sensation at the time.
> 
> Here are a couple from Act II.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the moment she writes that fatal letter.


If they thought that was too much, I wonder how they would react to some of today's edgier productions!


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## adriesba

I got so busy this week and was so eager to reply to this thread. Lots of cool stuff here!


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## Rogerx

Dame Joan as Olympia.


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## Rogerx

Dame Joan Sutherland in dress rehearsal for her Met debut as Lucia...


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## Tsaraslondon

Rogerx said:


> Dame Joan Sutherland in dress rehearsal for her Met debut as Lucia...


Maybe someone should re-title this thread "Pictures of Sutherland".


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## Andante Cantabile

The world premiere of Puccini's _La fanciulla del west_, New York Met, 10 Dec 1910, starring Enrico Caruso and Emmy Destinn:


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## Andante Cantabile

The world premiere of Haydn's _Orfeo e Euridice_, 9 June 1951, Teatro della pergola, Florence, starring Maria Callas and Tyge Tygesen:


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## ldiat

1978 Arena di Verona.
Il trovatore.
Piero Cappuccilli, Katia Ricciarelli, Luciano Pavarotti e Fiorenza Cossotto.


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## adriesba

Amalie Materna as Brünnhilde:

View attachment 131844


If I'm not mistaken, she is likely the origin of the saying "It ain't over till the fat lady sings" and also probably the origin of the image that those unfamiliar with opera often have of opera singers. It's not very nice to her, but that's what it is... I wish they still made costumes somewhat like this for _Ring_ productions consistently.


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## adriesba

Apparently this is how they made the Rhinemaidens move for the first Bayreuth Festival:

View attachment 131845


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## Rogerx

Freni and Pavarotti L'elisir d'amore


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## Rogerx

Joan Sutherland's farewell performance in Sydney with Bonynge in the pit.


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## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> Joan Sutherland's farewell performance in Sydney with Bonynge in the pit.


An opera you don't see performed much, yet Sutherland performed in it. Quite interesting. I can't remember exactly where I read it (it might have been YouTube), but somebody said somewhere that Sutherland chose this opera because she wouldn't have to sing as much. I don't know.


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## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> An opera you don't see performed much, yet Sutherland performed in it. Quite interesting. I can't remember exactly where I read it (it might have been YouTube), but somebody said somewhere that Sutherland chose this opera because she wouldn't have to sing as much. I don't know.


Just singing two acts from 4 ( Only 2 and 3) is a plausible explanation was the reason as far as I recall .


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## Tsaraslondon

Poliuto at La Scala in 1960.

It was Callas's return to the house after a two year hiatus. Visconti was scheduled to direct, but pulled out as a protest at government censorship of his film _Rocco e i suoii fratelli_, but the designs by Nicola Benois were already in place. Apparently Karajan was most enthusiastic about the sets, refusing to believe they were actually painted flats as they looked so real even from the front row. Benois had to take him back stage to touch the canvases and see for himself.

Sadly this quality of scene painting is now a lost art.


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## Woodduck

Tsaraslondon said:


> Poliuto at La Scala in 1960.
> 
> It was Callas's return to the house after a two year hiatus. Visconti was scheduled to direct, but pulled out as a protest at government censorship of his film _Rocco e i suoii fratelli_, but the designs by Nicola Benois were already in place. Apparently Karajan was most enthusiastic about the sets, refusing to believe they were actually painted flats as they looked so real even from the front row. Benois had to take him back stage to touch the canvases and see for himself.
> 
> Sadly this quality of scene painting is now a lost art.


Amazing. People talk disparagingly now about painted backdrops, which are seen as a cheesy and obsolete relic of the past. But anyone who's seen some of the superb dioramas in major natural history museums ought to appreciate the art's potential.


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## Sieglinde

Speaking of painted sets:










Some of those trees are "real" and then it seamlessly blends into a painted backdrop. This is probably the oldest still-running production in the world, the Hungarian State Opera's La Boheme originally designed in the 1930s. They can't replace it with a new one because the audience would riot.

Here's also the Act I / IV set:


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## Rogerx

Dame Joan as Esclarmone.


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## Andante Cantabile

The spectacular scenery of act 1, Andrea Chenier, Rome Opera Feb 1929, starring Aureliano Pertile, Claudia Muzio and Benvenuto Franci:


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## Tsaraslondon

Wieland Wagner's production of *Parsifal* at Bayreuth in 1952.


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## Woodduck

Tsaraslondon said:


> Wieland Wagner's production of *Parsifal* at Bayreuth in 1952.


Looking at the intensely simple beauty of this, I can hear the magical music of the Grail's unveiling. Wieland's _Parsifal_ was called by some one of the deepest spiritual experiences of their lives, and Bayreuth was slow to abandon the production, preserving it into the 1970s. The conductor, Hans Knappertsbusch, was less impressed, and reportedly wondered for a long time why the scenery was taking so long to arrive. The original Bayreuth sets were lavish and ponderous; the temple was inspired by the Cathedral at Siena, which had impressed Wagner on a visit:

http://www.wagneroperas.com/index1882parsifal1.html

Wagner's feel for visual art seems to have been rather conventional, certainly not equal to his music's ability to evoke its own pictures in the mind, and I'd like to think he'd have found his grandson's simplified, abstract conceptions at least intriguing. I tend to agree with Wieland that _Parsifal_ in particular, being a concentrated, emotionally subtle mystery play that really takes place in the shadowy corridors of the mind, makes its points best without a cluttered stage.


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## elgar's ghost

I've always been bamboozled by Hogarth's picture depicting a scene from Handel's _Giulio Cesare_. Look how small Farinelli and Senesino's heads are compared to their bodies. In fact, Farinelli looks like he's on stilts - and very wobbly ones at that.


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## adriesba

elgars ghost said:


> I've always been bamboozled by Hogarth's picture depicting a scene from Handel's _Giulio Cesare_. Look how small Farinelli and Senesino's heads are compared to their bodies. In fact, Farinelli looks like he's on stilts - and very wobbly ones at that.


Oh my.


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## Woodduck

^^^Hogarth's works were essentially caricatures. The huge bodies and small heads might be a comment on the pompous posturing and small brains of star singers in a highly artificial art form. It works for me.


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## adriesba

More Wagner pictures coming! 
The Rhinemaidens from the 1876 Bayreuth premiere:

View attachment 131945


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## adriesba

Apparently this is a set design for Act II of _Siegfried_ from an 1878 production in Vienna:

View attachment 131946


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## adriesba

I can't tell if this is a photo or painting, but it's interesting.  Nilsson and Hotter in their prime roles:

View attachment 131949


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## Woodduck

adriesba said:


> More Wagner pictures coming!
> The Rhinemaidens from the 1876 Bayreuth premiere:
> 
> View attachment 131945


Two of these Rhinemaidens from the 1876 Bayreuth premiere are the young Lilli Lehmann and her sister Marie (the two on the right, I think). They had to sing while being carried around on a swimming machine, and apparently they did such a stellar job that Wagner, according to stage assistant Richard Fricke, "thanked them with tears of joy." Marie Lehmann went on to sing one of the Norns in a later Bayreuth production, and I seem to recall that Lilli was one of the flower maidens in the 1882 premiere of _Parsifal._


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## adriesba

Woodduck said:


> Two of these Rhinemaidens from the 1876 Bayreuth premiere are the young Lilli Lehmann and her sister Marie (the two on the right, I think). They had to sing while being carried around on a swimming machine, and apparently they did such a stellar job that Wagner, according to stage assistant Richard Fricke, "thanked them with tears of joy." Marie Lehmann went on to sing one of the Norns in a later Bayreuth production, and I seem to recall that Lilli was one of the flower maidens in the 1882 premiere of _Parsifal._


Interesting. 
Wikipedia says Lilli Lehmann is the one in the middle:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinemaidens


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## Rogerx

From the archives from the Netherlands opera.

1976:angel:


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## elgar's ghost

Woodduck said:


> ^^^Hogarth's works were essentially caricatures. The huge bodies and small heads might be a comment on the pompous posturing and small brains of star singers in a highly artificial art form. It works for me.


I should have guessed with Hogarth! Perhaps he had more respect for prima donnas, which may explain why Francesca Cuzzoni's dimensions aren't exaggerated.


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## elgar's ghost

I first saw this in the booklet of the Kirov/Gergiev recording of Borodin's _Prince Igor_. It's the title page from the first printed score. I especially like the old-style Cyrillic lettering but I think it's a great picture full stop.


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## Rogerx

And...Dame Joan as Donna Anna


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## adriesba

The beautiful Otto Schenk _Tannhäuser_ :angel:

View attachment 132183


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## adriesba

Birgit Nilsson as Minnie.
I don't think she ever sang the role on stage. The picture I think was made specially for the EMI audio recording.

View attachment 132184


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## adriesba

. . . . . . . Big hat.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Regina Resnik. I believe she is in costume for _Queen of Spades_.

View attachment 132185


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## adriesba

/\ You can buy a picture on Ebay :lol:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Press...Resnik-in-Queen-of-Spades-1960s-/202203609503


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## Rogerx

Sutherland dress sketch: Ophelia


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## adriesba

I didn't realize that any notable operas were made based on _Hamlet_. Even Sutherland sang it!


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## adriesba

I am speechless:

View attachment 132186


How did I not know about this?!


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## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> I am speechless:
> 
> View attachment 132186
> 
> 
> How did I not know about this?!


Do not loose ant sleep over it because, now you do, that's more important.


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## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> Do not loose ant sleep over it because, now you do, that's more important.


:lol: lol. I mean it's on Decca with Sutherland and Milnes! You discover something new everyday. Now I have another new thing to explore sometime.


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## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> :lol: lol. I mean it's on Decca with Sutherland and Milnes! You discover something new everyday. Now I have another new thing to explore sometime.


The only thing Sutherland recorded for another company is Don Giovanni under the baton of : Carlo Maria Giulini


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## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> The only thing Sutherland recorded for another company is Don Giovanni under the baton of : Carlo Maria Giulini


With just opera or with any work?


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## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> With just opera or with any work?


As in "commercial recordings" there are many pirate recordings on the market on other labels.


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## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> As in "commercial recordings" there are many pirate recordings on the market on other labels.


Because I have this CD:

View attachment 132191


View attachment 132192


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## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> Because I have this CD:
> 
> View attachment 132191
> 
> 
> View attachment 132192


You are clever, I forgot that one 
It dates from ( around about) the same time as Don Giovanni..


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## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> You are clever, I forgot that one
> It dates from ( around about) the same time as Don Giovanni..


I can see why you wouldn't remember it. Sutherland isn't someone I normally think of when I think of Bach.


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## Rogerx

Not many people know that here first recording of Norma was original released on RCA.
I have this one . :angel:


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## adriesba

Actually it still messes with my mind to think that she was on the Solti _Ring _recording. I guess if the role fits, Sutherland is the one to have.


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## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> Actually it still messes with my mind to think that she was on the Solti _Ring _recording. I guess if the role fits, Sutherland is the one to have.


Just a small part, she later recorded a recital disc with Wagner arias'.
( Not her best but a must have for die hards like me )


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## Rogerx

Dame Joan as Alcina.


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## adriesba

/\ What is she holding?


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## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> /\ What is she holding?


A magic stick, she is a sorcerer .


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## Rogerx

Sutherland as Queen of the night


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## MAS

Callas curtain call *Ifigenia In Tauride*, La Scala 1957


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## MAS

Callas with Corelli, *Norma* Paris 1964


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## MAS

Callas *Turandot*, Buenos Aires 1949


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## MAS

Franco Corelli, *Ercole*, La Scala 1958


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## MAS

Franco Corelli, Maria Callas *Tosca*, Metropolitan Opera 1965


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## MAS

Franco Corelli *Turandot*, Metropolitan Opera 1966


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## MAS

Callas *La Gioconda*, La Scala 1952


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## MAS

.








Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne *Semiramide*, Chicago


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## MAS

.








Maria Callas, Nicola Rescigno in the Franco Zeffirelli production of *Tosca* 1964


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## MAS

Backstage photo *Norma* Tebaldi, Corelli, Deutekom Parma 1971

I've never seen Corelli look so happy!


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## MAS

Curtain call after a performance of *i Vespri Siciliani*, La Scala 1951
Maria Callas and fellow cast members.

The other photo (which was inadvertently added) is from Chicago, 1955, after a performance of *Madama Butterfly*. Callas is yelling at the U.S. Marshall, who had served her with a summons immediately after Callas's exited the stage.


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## MAS

View attachment 132313


Maria Callas in the iconic dress for *Tosca*, Covent Garden 1964/65


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## MAS

View attachment 132314


Maria Callas curtain call after *La Sonnambula*, La Scala 1955


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## adriesba

/\ I can't open the attatchments. 

It says invalid.


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## MAS

Deleted post*****


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## MAS

I’m sorry, i don’t know why that happens. I have re-posted the photos.


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## MAS

adriesba said:


> /\ I can't open the attatchments.
> 
> It says invalid.


Sorry, adriesba. It's possible I've posted too many photos at once. I'll try to re-post them later (tomorrow).


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## Rogerx

La Sonnambula Joan


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## MAS

Maria Callas in the iconic dress from *Tosca* Covent Garden 1964
Thank you, Franco Zeffirelli!


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## MAS

Callas curtain call after *La Sonnambula*, La Scala 1955


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## MAS

Callas as *Turando*, Buenos Aires 1949


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## MAS

The iconic photo of one of two meetings of Maria Callas and Arturo Toscanini. This was during the rehearsal period of *La Vestale*. Shown (from left) Toscanini, Antonino Votto (with his back to the camera), Victor De Sabata, Callas. They were reportedly discussing a Callas/Toscanini *Macbeth*.


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## Rogerx

Dame Joan - From Faust


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## Rogerx

Dame Joan - From Faust


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## MAS

My two idols, Franco Corelli and Maria Callas (in order of appearance) between rehearsals for *Fedora*.


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## MAS

During rehearsals for *La Sonnambula*, La Scala 1955
Callas, Cesare Valletti, Luchino Visconti, Leonard Bernstein


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## MAS

Franco Zeffirelli, production design for *La Traviata* La Scala


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## MAS

Callas graciously ceding the stage to colleague Giulietta Simionato during curtain calls 
for *Medea*, La Scala 1961


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## adriesba

MAS said:


> View attachment 132407
> 
> 
> My two idols, Franco Corelli and Maria Callas (in order of appearance) between rehearsals for *Fedora*.


This reminded me of a picture of Birgit Nilsson on a swing:

View attachment 132414


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## Woodduck

MAS said:


> View attachment 132408
> 
> 
> During rehearsals for *La Sonnambula*, La Scala 1955
> Callas, Cesare Valletti, Luchino Visconti, Leonard Bernstein


I get chills looking at this photo of four extraordinary artists. The look of deep appreciation that seems to pass between Callas and Bernstein is beautiful. Of course it might actually just be in my imagination. Maybe she's thinking "Mio Dio! Why can't all my conductors look like that?"


----------



## MAS

Woodduck said:


> I get chills looking at this photo of four extraordinary artists. The look of deep appreciation that seems to pass between Callas and Bernstein is beautiful. Of course it might actually just be in my imagination. Maybe she's thinking "Mio Dio! Why can't all my conductors look like that?"


I seem to remember reading that there was indeed some mutual admiration going on between the two, *artistically*. But, didn't I also read that Callas bluntly asked Lenny whether or not he was homosexual? And, in my imagination, doesn't Visconti look jealously at Maria? The year before, *he* was the attraction. Oh, gossip!


----------



## MAS

Permission slip to enter Brazil, issued to Sophie Cecilia Kalos Meneghini in 1951, before she became Maria Callas.


----------



## Andante Cantabile

https://imgbb.com/

Director Franco Zeffirelli rehearsing Maria Callas, Nicola Filacuridi, Judith Raskin and Paolo Montarsolo in Act 3 of _La Traviata_ at Dallas Civic Opera, late Oct 1958. This turned out to be Callas' final performance on stage as Violetta.


----------



## Andante Cantabile

https://imgbb.com/

Director Luchino Visconti in rehearsal with Maria Callas for _La Traviata_ at La Scala, Milan, May 1955.


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Maria Callas and Leonard Bernstein in their first collaboration, _Medea_ at La Scala, Milan, Dec 1953.

Rehearsal

https://imgbb.com/

After performance

https://imgbb.com/


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Wilhelm Furtwängler and Elisabeth Grümmer after performance of Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg at La Scala, Milan, 26 Feb 1952


----------



## adriesba

Look at what I stumbled across! 
These are simply hilarious and quaint. :lol:

Birgit Nilsson doll:

View attachment 132438


Joan Sutherland doll:

View attachment 132439


You can buy them! :lol:

https://www.etsy.com/no-en/listing/519633908/birgit-nilsson-doll-miniature-soprano

https://www.etsy.com/listing/502033...n?ref=landingpage_similar_listing_top-1&frs=1


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Maria Callas dolls, in costumes and make-up for 1964 Covent Garden _Tosca_, 1958 Lisbon _Traviata_ and 1964-5 Paris _Norma_. Due to limitations in manufacturing process, the dolls' face doesn't quite look like her.


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Joan Sutherland and Franco Zeffirelli during rehearsal for _I Puritani_ at Covent Garden, March 1964


----------



## Bellinilover

Here are two more original set designs from RIGOLETTO:

















The first is Act I, scene two; the second is the Ducal Palace of Act II.


----------



## Bellinilover

Bellini's IL PIRATA, original set design:









This looks like it should be I PURITANI; instead, it's LA TRAVIATA from Verdi's time, when the opera was set in the late 17th or early 18th century:


----------



## Bellinilover

Painting of the "old" Metropolitan Opera House done in 1958 by Chinese-American artist Chen Chi:









Rudolf Bing's 1972 farewell to the "new" Met:









I'm trying to identify some of the singers...That diminutive man in the front, left side, is Richard Tucker; behind him, in the red shirt, is Sherrill Milnes. Directly behind Milnes is Nicolai Gedda. I want to say the woman in the bright green dress is Anna Moffo, but I'm probably wrong. Birgit Nilsson is in the coral dress, far left; the black woman at the right, in the horizontally striped dress is Reri Grist, I think? Paul Plishka is the fair-haired guy next to or behind the white-haired woman on the right. Roberta Peters is the woman in the sparkly red dress, standing directly across from Milnes.


----------



## Rogerx

Sutherland as Cleopatra


----------



## Rogerx

Sutherland as Cleopatra


----------



## Andante Cantabile

_Otello_ at Rome Opera, Dec 1934, starring Francesco Merli, Claudia Muzio and Benvenuto Franci


----------



## Andante Cantabile

_Andrea Chenier_, Rome Opera, Feb 1929, starring Aureliano Pertile, Claudia Muzio and Benvenuto Franci


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Claudia Muzio as Leonora in _Il Trovatore_


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Lotte Lehmann as the Dyer's Wife in the world premiere of Richard Strauss' _Die Frau ohne Schatten_, 10 Oct 1919 at the Vienna State Opera


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Licinio Refice's _Cecilia_, Rome Opera, Feb 1934, starring Claudia Muzio


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Lotte Lehmann as Fidelio at the Vienna State Opera, 1927, on the occasion of the Beethoven centenary


----------



## Rogerx

Sutherland as Anna Bolena


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Teresa Stolz (1834-1902), Bohemian soprano, who sang Aida in the European premiere of the opera at La Scala Milan, 8 Feb 1872, as well as the soprano part in the world premiere of Verdi's Requiem, 22 May 1874, was a great favourite of Verdi. She was Verdi's lover during the later part of his life.



Stolz as Aida





Stolz at the world premiere of Verdi's _Requiem_ at La Scala, Milan, 22 May 1874, conducted by Verdi himself


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Verdi at Montecatini, Italy, with Teresa Stolz ('La Stolz') and friends, from _L'illustrazione Italiana_, Vol. XXVIII, No 5 ( February 3, 1901)


----------



## elgar's ghost

^
^

Is this possibly the last photograph of Verdi?


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Adelina Patti as Aida, 1876


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Adelina Patti as Leonora in _Il Trovatore_


----------



## Rogerx

Sutherland as Adriana


----------



## adriesba

elgars ghost said:


> ^
> ^
> 
> Is this possibly the last photograph of Verdi?


I don't know. The date given is actually about a week _after_ Verdi had died. Perhaps.


----------



## Rogerx

Joan Sutherland as Desdemona


----------



## Rogerx

Joan Sutherland as the 1st English-language Madame Lidoine



Madam Lidoine


----------



## MAS

.














.








Costumes from La Scala made for Maria Callas


----------



## MAS

Third Act costume for the Visconti *La Traviata* for Maria Callas
The costume shown is a reproduction replacing the original which was lost


----------



## Rogerx

Old stage desing


----------



## Rogerx

Dame Joan as Hanna
:angel:


----------



## adriesba

Wagner with family and friends:

View attachment 132791


This website lets you view those steps back then and in 2018:

https://www.future-history.eu/de/ansicht/villa-wahnfried-bayreuth-bayreuth-1881-romalu3


----------



## adriesba

Mezzo-soprano/contralto Hertha Töpper just died recently unfortunately.

Here she is as Octavian, Amneris, and Brangäne respectively:

View attachment 132865


View attachment 132866


View attachment 132867


----------



## adriesba

Jean Madeira as Erda (1950s Bayreuth, I believe):

View attachment 132919


----------



## adriesba

From left to right: Jean Madeira as Klytämnestra, Inge Borkh as Elektra, and Lisa della Casa as Chrysothemis. Dimitri Mitropoulos in front. From a 1957 performance of _Elektra _in Salzburg.

View attachment 132920


The Orfeo label has a CD release of this performance.


----------



## Zhdanov

*Rimsky-Korsakov* "Sadko"

_song of the Viking guest:_


----------



## adriesba

Zhdanov said:


> *Rimsky-Korsakov* "Sadko"
> 
> _song of the Viking guest:_


I've never heard anything from this opera. That was quite interesting! Thanks for posting.


----------



## adriesba

Leonie Rysanek as Elsa and Astrid Varnay as Ortrud in 1958 (unknown opera house):

View attachment 132996


----------



## Rogerx

Sutherland and Erich Witte


----------



## Rogerx

Sutherland as Eva


----------



## adriesba

I didn't realize Sutherland sang any Wagner other than the woodbird and excerpts. Interesting.


----------



## Rogerx

Leontyne Price as Leonora in front of the convent


----------



## Rogerx

Leontyne Price as Leonora 1984


----------



## Rogerx

Fiorenza Cossotto and Manuel Ausensi in La Favorita


----------



## adriesba

Wow, there are a bunch of opera characters named Leonora or Leonore!


----------



## Rogerx

Rusalka poster


----------



## Rogerx

Rusalka stage


----------



## Rogerx

Růžena Maturová First ever Rusalka


----------



## Rogerx

Renée Fleming as Rusalka


----------



## Rogerx

Ruslaka Renée Fleming


----------



## adriesba

/\ That's some nice staging in those four pictures. Very picturesque.


----------



## adriesba

Famous Brünnhildes:

Sophie Stehle, the first Brünnhilde (not as Brünnhilde in the picture):


View attachment 133433


Amalie Materna, the first Brünnhilde at Bayreuth:

View attachment 133434


Kirsten Flagstad:

View attachment 133435


Astrid Varnay:

View attachment 133436


Birgit Nilsson:

View attachment 133437


----------



## Rogerx

Massenet: Manon Poster


----------



## Rogerx

Manon stage


----------



## Rogerx

First ever Manon : Marie Heilbron


----------



## Rogerx

Beverly Sills as Manon


----------



## Rogerx

Fleming as Manon



Fleming as Manon


----------



## Rogerx

Orfeo ed Euridice Poster


----------



## Rogerx

Orfeo ed Euridice stage


----------



## Rogerx

Geatano Guadani ; First ever Orfeo


----------



## Rogerx

Kathleen Ferrier as Orfeo


----------



## Rogerx

Some famous Orfeo's : Shirlry Verret



Grace Bumbry



Marylin Horne


----------



## MAS

Rogerx said:


> Some famous Orfeo's : Shirlry Verret
> 
> 
> 
> Grace Bumbry
> 
> 
> 
> Marylin Horne


Interesting, it doesn't look like Horne at all!


----------



## Rogerx

MAS said:


> Interesting, it doesn't look like Horne at all!


Even she was young ones


----------



## adriesba

Birgit Nilsson in the kitchen at the Alden Hotel in New York City:

View attachment 133808


----------



## adriesba

I'm not familiar with _La Rondine_ at all. How does it compare to Puccini's other operas?


----------



## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> I'm not familiar with _La Rondine_ at all. How does it compare to Puccini's other operas?


It's a bright somewhat funny story, must have.


----------



## erki

Raimund Bauer stage deigns are very powerful.
Strauss Elektra:


----------



## Rogerx

Michele de Vasconcello, a Portuguese quisling ;Francesco Cresci Firt Guido

Enrico Arrigo, a young Sicilian tenor Antonio Giuglini firts Enrico

Elena soprano Caterina Goldberg Strossi first Elena

First ever singer , no pictures to be found.


----------



## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> Michele de Vasconcello, a Portuguese quisling ;Francesco Cresci Firt Guido
> 
> Enrico Arrigo, a young Sicilian tenor Antonio Giuglini firts Enrico
> 
> Elena soprano Caterina Goldberg Strossi first Elena
> 
> First ever singer , no pictures to be found.


Very curious. But there are pictures of Antonio Giuglini. Here's one:

View attachment 134883


----------



## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> Very curious. But there are pictures of Antonio Giuglini. Here's one:
> 
> View attachment 134883


I believe, ( nor sure) that I saw that one but was misguided by the text on the pic.


----------



## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> I believe, ( nor sure) that I saw that one but was misguided by the text on the pic.


Maybe that's the name of whoever took the photo.


----------



## adriesba

Here we go, another Wolf's Glen:

View attachment 134963


----------



## Rogerx

Recommend watching .


Recommend listening


----------



## ldiat

i found this one and one more next post


----------



## ldiat

and this one also


----------



## ldiat

Danielle De Niese


----------



## MAS

Don't mess with her today!


----------



## MAS

Curtain call for *Ifigenia in Tauride*, La Scala 1957


----------



## MAS

Three legends at the Metropolitan Opera
Renata Tebaldi, Franco Corelli, Maria Callas 
after a performance of *Adriana Lecouvreur*
Rudolf Bing in the background


----------



## MAS

I may have posted this one already, it's my favorite "opera" photo ever, love the expressions and the open mouths!


----------



## MAS

View attachment 136056


Costume sketch for Florestan, in *Fidelio*


----------



## ldiat

here is one i found


----------



## Rogerx

*Francesco Cilea; L'Arlesiana*



Cilea score


----------



## Rogerx

Stage sketch


----------



## Rogerx

Stage sketch


----------



## Rogerx

Modern staging


----------



## Rogerx

Modern staging


----------



## Rogerx

Elena Zilio (Rosa Mamai), Péter Kelen (Federico), Maria Spacagna (Vivetta),

Charles Rosekrans recording


----------



## Rogerx

*Madama Butterfly Opera by Giacomo Puccini*



Poster


----------



## Rogerx

Butterfly costume


----------



## Rogerx

Nowadays


----------



## Rogerx




----------



## Rogerx




----------



## Rogerx

Butterfly stage


----------



## Rogerx

Another classic one


----------



## Rogerx

Last Metropolitan production


----------



## Rogerx

Cio-Cio-san (Madama Butterfly) soprano Rosina Storchio

Suzuki, her maid mezzo-soprano Giuseppina Giaconia ( no pic)



B.F. Pinkerton Lieutenant in the United States Navy tenor Giovanni Zenatello 
Sharpless, United States consul at Nagasaki baritone Giuseppe De Luca


----------



## Rogerx

Absolute stellar cast.


----------



## Rogerx

*La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein*



Poster


----------



## Rogerx

Costume sketch


----------



## Rogerx

Costume man


----------



## Rogerx

Costume man


----------



## Rogerx

Stage sketch


----------



## Rogerx

Stage modern


----------



## Rogerx

Stage modern


----------



## Rogerx

Grand Duchess mezzo-soprano Hortense Schneider



Fritz tenor José Dupuis


General Boum baritone Henri Couderc

Some singers from the premiere cast


----------



## Rogerx

*Un ballo in maschera*



Un Ballo score


----------



## Rogerx

Stage nowadays


----------



## Rogerx

Stage nowadays


----------



## Rogerx

Dress sketches for Amalia


----------



## Rogerx

dress sketches


----------



## Rogerx

SW: Gustavo, King of Sweden tenor Gaetano Fraschini


SW: Amelia, wife of Anckarström, in love with Gustavo soprano Eugenia Julienne-Dejean

SW: Count Anckarström, husband of Amelia and Gustavo's secretary, best friend and confidant baritone Leone Giraldoni


SW: Madame Arvidson, a fortune-teller contralto Zelina Sbriscia

Alas no pic.


----------



## Rogerx

Leontyne Price (Amelia), Carlo Bergonzi (Riccardo), Robert Merrill (Renato), Shirley Verrett (Ulrica),








Recommended CD


----------



## Rogerx

Plácido Domingo (Gustavo III), Leo Nucci (Ankastrom), Josephine Barstow (Amelia), Florence Quivar (Ulrica)

From the lavish DVD recording by Solti who took over from Karajan


----------



## Rogerx

*Giacomo Meyerbeer - Il crociato in Egitto -*



Poster


----------



## Rogerx

Costume design


----------



## Rogerx

Costume


----------



## Rogerx

Costume


----------



## Rogerx

Stage sketches


----------



## Rogerx

Act 1


----------



## Rogerx

Act 2


----------



## Rogerx

Act 3


----------



## Rogerx

One from Venice


----------



## Rogerx

*Verdi : Aida*



Vocal score


----------



## Rogerx

Stage design


----------



## Rogerx

Set design


----------



## Rogerx

Set design


----------



## Rogerx

Classical Met setting.


----------



## Rogerx

From a recent performance in Liege.( Belgium)


----------



## ldiat

and this pic i viewed


----------



## Rogerx

Evelyn Lear (Marschallin), Jules Bastin (Baron Ochs), Frederica von Stade (Octavian), Ruth Welting (Sophie), Derek Hammond-Stroud (Faninal), James Atherton (Valzacchi), Sophia Van Sante (Annina), José Carreras (Italian Tenor),

This one is dear to my heart as I was at the recording sessions, Carreras took 9 times for one aria.


----------



## Rogerx

Renée Fleming (Marschallin), Elīna Garanča (Octavian), Günther Groissböck (Baron Ochs), Erin Morley (Sophie), Markus Brück (Herr von Faninal), Matthew Polenzani (An Italian singer)

The end of a era for Renée Fleming.


----------



## Rogerx

Best recordings according Poll 2015

Karajan EMI 4
Kleiber DG 3
Bernstein 3


----------



## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> Best recordings according Poll 2015
> 
> Karajan EMI 4
> Kleiber DG 3
> Bernstein 3


The Karajan being in the results does not surprise me. It's quite good, especially with Vickers, but I'm surprised the other two winners aren't Böhm and Furtwängler.


----------



## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> Evelyn Lear (Marschallin), Jules Bastin (Baron Ochs), Frederica von Stade (Octavian), Ruth Welting (Sophie), Derek Hammond-Stroud (Faninal), James Atherton (Valzacchi), Sophia Van Sante (Annina), José Carreras (Italian Tenor),
> 
> This one is dear to my heart as I was at the recording sessions, Carreras took 9 times for one aria.


Interesting! I'd love to watch a recording session in person, though maybe not one with so many takes! :lol:

That reminds me of how bad I feel for Carreras in this clip. \/ They certainly had a lot of takes!


----------



## Rogerx

Rossini: La donna del lago

Joyce DiDonato (Elena), Juan Diego Florez (Giacomo V), John Osborn (Roderigo), Daniela Barcellona (Malcolm), Oren Gradus (Douglas)
Recommend watching


----------



## Rogerx

Recommend watching


----------



## VitellioScarpia

I want to share the initial tableau of the John Dexter sensational production of The Dialogues of the Carmelites at the Met Opera. This production unveiled in 1977 is for me one of the greatest I have ever seen. The theater goes completely dark and before the music starts, this is the image suddenly revealed to the audience. At the end of the opera, the empty white cross on the floor is all that it is left.


----------



## Rogerx

Recommend watching, in no particular order .


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended Listening



Recommended watching.


----------



## Rogerx

Rossini: Guglielmo Tell

Sherrill Milnes, Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni, Nicolai Ghiaurov, John Tomlinson, Della Jones, Elizabeth Connell, Richard Van Allan, Piero de Palma

National Philharmonic Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly

CD recommendation in Italian


----------



## Rogerx

Rossini: Guglielmo Tell

Giorgio Zancanaro (Guglielmo Tell), Cheryl Studer (Matilde), Chris Merritt (Arnoldo), Giorgio Surjan (Gualtiero Farst), Franco de Grandis (Melchthal), Vittorio Terranova (Ruodi), Alberto Noli (Leutoldo), Luigi Roni (Gessler), Ernesto Gavazzi (Rodolfo), Amelia Felle (Jemmy), Ludicana d'Intino (Edwige)

DVD


----------



## ldiat

final act, Artaserse Vinci


----------



## Rogerx

Wagner: Parsifal

Hans Hotter (bass), Zoltan Kelemen (bass), Gottlob Frick (bass), Lucia Popp (soprano), Marga Schiml (contralto), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Herbert Lackner (bass), Margarita Lilowa (mezzo-soprano), Christa Ludwig (mezzo-soprano), Robert Tear (tenor), Ewald Aichberger (baritone), Gillian Knight (mezzo-soprano), Heinz Zednik (tenor), René Kollo (tenor), Anne Howells (soprano), Rotraud Hansmann (soprano), Alison Hargan (soprano), Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Sängerknaben,



Wagner: Parsifal

Jonas Kaufmann (Parsifal), Katarina Dalayman (Kundry), Peter Mattei (Amfortas), René Pape (Gurnemanz), Evgeny Nikitin (Klingsor), Rúni Brattaberg (Titurel), Maria Zifchak (Stimme)

Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet of the Metropolitan Opera, Daniele Gatti, Francois Girard (dir.)

Listening and watching recommendations


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended recording



Recommend recording, if only Romeo was sung by Verret. This woman don't understand Bel Canto.



Bellini: I Capuleti e I Montecchi

Joyce DiDonato (Romeo), Nicole Cabell (Giulietta), Saimir Pirgu (Tebaldo), Eric Owens (Capellio) & Ao Li (Lorenzo)

San Francisco Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Riccardo Frizza (conductor) & Vincent Boussard (stage director)


----------



## adriesba

ldiat said:


> final act, Artaserse Vinci


I looked this up. Apparently the composer's name is Leonardo Vinci! Interesting similarity, lol.


----------



## Snazzy

Götterdämmerung


----------



## Rogerx

Highly recommended CD



Highly recommended DVD


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended listening


----------



## Rogerx

Recommend listening



Recommend watching


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended recording


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended recording



Recommended recording


----------



## Andante Cantabile

Sena Jurinac as Elisabeth in _Tannhäuser_, La Scala, Milan, 1967


----------



## alexcole

Well, there are some operas which would be pretty hard to produce without horses. Many years ago at Washington Opera, in the wings, during a performance of Fanciulla del West, the stage hands created a game centered on the horse about to enter. Show horses are trained to "make a deposit" BEFORE entering the stage. The Kennedy Center stage hands drew circles in chalk on the floor and numbered them, then wagered on which circle would receive the "deposit".


----------



## alexcole

How would you produce Fanciulla without horses?


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended listening



Recommended watching


----------



## Rogerx

Take your pick


----------



## Eramire156

Some of my favorite opera composers


----------



## Rogerx

Must hear .



Must see DVD


----------



## Rogerx

Recommend Listening.



Recommended watching.


----------



## ldiat

bottle of wine bottle of wine


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended listening



Recommended watching


----------



## adriesba

alexcole said:


> Well, there are some operas which would be pretty hard to produce without horses. Many years ago at Washington Opera, in the wings, during a performance of Fanciulla del West, the stage hands created a game centered on the horse about to enter. Show horses are trained to "make a deposit" BEFORE entering the stage. The Kennedy Center stage hands drew circles in chalk on the floor and numbered them, then wagered on which circle would receive the "deposit".





alexcole said:


> How would you produce Fanciulla without horses?


You'd need some elaborate fake horses to get the full effect. Of course some people stage Wagner's "Immolation Scene" with no Grane as ridiculous as that sounds. So maybe they'd do with no horses fake or otherwise with _La Fanciulla_.


----------



## annaw

adriesba said:


> You'd need some elaborate fake horses to get the full effect. Of course some people stage Wagner's "Immolation Scene" with no Grane as ridiculous as that sounds. So maybe they'd do with no horses fake or otherwise with _La Fanciulla_.


I remember that DVD production of _Il Trovatore_ with Del Monaco, Bastianini and Gencer has actual horses who remained very calm. Bastianini was riding one which is quite appropriate considering he seemed to love horses and horse racing.

Nilsson wrote about some fun stories when they used an actual horse in _Götterdämmerung_ but the best one is still when, while recording the Immolation scene for Solti's _Ring_, the "Decca boys" brought a real horse into the studio to prank Nilsson. "It was apparently totally undisturbed by my _fortissimo_ singing and the orchestral flares depicting the downfall of Valhalla. The horse seemed to find this all quite normal. No doubt a Wagner fan." :lol:


----------



## adriesba

annaw said:


> I remember that DVD production of _Il Trovatore_ with Del Monaco, Bastianini and Gencer has actual horses who remained very calm. Bastianini was riding one which is quite appropriate considering he seemed to love horses and horse racing.
> 
> Nilsson wrote about some fun stories when they used an actual horse in _Götterdämmerung_ but the best one is still when, while recording the Immolation scene for Solti's _Ring_, the "Decca boys" brought a real horse into the studio to prank Nilsson. "It was apparently totally undisturbed by my _fortissimo_ singing and the orchestral flares depicting the downfall of Valhalla. The horse seemed to find this all quite normal. No doubt a Wagner fan." :lol:


Ah yes. A moment I'm glad is on video:


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended listening


----------



## Rogerx

Recommend Listening



Recommend watching


----------



## Rogerx

CD Now available a much cheaper re-issue



DVD


----------



## Rogerx

Recommend listening .


----------



## Rogerx

Recommend listening



Recommend watching.


----------



## Rogerx




----------



## Rogerx

Recommended listening



Recommend watching


----------



## Rogerx

Top CD










Top DVD


----------



## Rogerx

My recommendation CD



DVD recommendation


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended listening



Recommended watching


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended listening



Recommended watching


----------



## Rogerx

Recommended CD'S



DVD


----------



## Rogerx

Recommend listening .


----------



## Rogerx

Also Price / Karajan CD'S


----------



## Rogerx

DVD'S


----------



## Rogerx

Highly recommend


----------



## Rogerx

CD Recommendation.



DVD recommendation .


----------



## Rogerx

CD recommendation 


DVD recommendation


----------



## adrian1982

I made this collage of famous opera houses. If you would like to participate in an anonymous survey on images of opera in destinations, please click the link! https://lnkd.in/dRb66DM


----------



## Rogerx

A recital Dame Joan and Huguette Tourangeau gave in the early 1970 ties, Richard on the piano, the pink paper is the program.


----------

