# A good advice



## Boomtralala (Sep 10, 2014)

Hello there folks, I hope it's OK to ask your advice on such matters, I know forum communities tend to be annoyed by noobish folks like myself.
For many years I've been listening to classical music, mostly chamber music though I love symphonies and concertos very much. Now I'd like to move further and try listening to opera for a while, see how I process it - hopefully I'll become a great opera enthusiast.

Could anyone please kindly recommend me where to start? I prefer not listening to all the top 10 greatest opera's and all that because I want to start fresh, listen to works I don't know at all. Here are some of my favorite classical composers:

César Franck, Brahms, Mahler, Alkan, Chopin, Zelenka, Beethoven, Zemlinsky, Glinka, Prokofiev, Schuman.

I like deep music, that you can listen to for long time and still discover things you haven't thought about before. I love dark atmosphere with touch of sadness (but not an endless cry) apocalyptic? I love a lot of emotional contrast in music also - sorry my musical vocabulary is a little lame.

Hope you guys can find a moment to help me out,
Thank you! :tiphat:


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

You will probably get lots of help! If you like Zemlinsky, you might try Die Tote Stadt by Erich Korngold, a rich and dark opera with soaring and triumphant music too. From the mainstream, Puccini's Tosca is very exciting. I'll also recommend Samson et Delila by Saint Saens with lots of contrasts and a great deal of beautiful and exciting music


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

And if you like Beethoven, then you should maybe give his one and only opera *Fidelio* a try.


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## Boomtralala (Sep 10, 2014)

Thank you, yes I've been listening to Korngold's piano trio (I got it on a BA trio recording where they also do Zemlinsky's) Listening to his Die Tote Stadt now - which I found on YouTube @ 



 - hope that's a good enough pick.


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## Boomtralala (Sep 10, 2014)

Next in line >>> Fidelio 

:angel:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

If you like so much those composers, why don't start with operas written by (some of) them?.

For instance, "Die Tote Stadt" is a wonderful opera, really fantastic stuff. But maybe you will prefer to check something by Zemlinsky himself, like "Eine florentinische tragödie" or "Der zwerg", that are relatively short pieces, and quite entertaining. Of course you can also watch Beethoven's "Fidelio" and Prokofiev's or Glinka's operas.


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## Boomtralala (Sep 10, 2014)

Thank you, that's a good lead - I wasn't aware those composers wrote good opera, I'll listen to your recommendations, thank you!


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

if you like emotional contrast you might enjoy Strauss (*Ariadne auf Naxos*, for instance).


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Janacek - Jenufa
Debussy - Pelleas et Mellisande
Giordano - Andrea Chenier
Verdi - Simon Boccanegra
Puccini - La Fanciulla del West
Verdi - Don Carlo


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## jdcbr (Jul 21, 2014)

I have never considered opera to be a different entity from "classical" music. I wonder why so many do?


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Fidelio is a great place to start in opera. I recommend the 1978 Bernstein Fidelio DVD for a traditional staging and a very well produced opera with great singers.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Puccini (Tosca), Wagner (Lohengrin) and Strauss (Salome).


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Prokoviev's _L'amour des trois oranges_ is great fun if you want some light relief

This is the march


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## Boomtralala (Sep 10, 2014)

Guys I just want to say thank you everyone for helping me gather a bunch of works to start with - this forum is great and you guys are awesome.

Thanks again! 
:cheers:


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Boomtralala said:


> Guys I just want to say thank you everyone for helping me gather a bunch of works to start with - this forum is great and you guys are awesome.
> 
> Thanks again!
> :cheers:


Please tell us how you get on and about your opera journey and which is the first opera which really gets its claws into you. You will know when that happens!


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## Boomtralala (Sep 10, 2014)

Thank you, "I'll be back"!


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