Those who have achieved all their aims probably set them too low.
My Favorite Operatic Albums
My personal music collection contains many full operatic albums. The best recordings of these world famous operas below
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Lucia di Lammermoor is a tragic opera in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The bride of Lammermoor
The story concerns the emotionally fragile Lucy Ashton (Lucia) who is caught in a feud between her own family and that of the Ravenswoods. The setting is the Lammermuir Hills of Scotland (Lammermoor) in the 17th century
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La somnambula (The sleepwalker) is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the bel canto tradition by Vincenzo Bellini.
A soon-to-be-wed Swiss woman is afflicted with somnambulism and winds up in the bed of a stranger, causing her fiancé to lose confidence in her. When she sleepwalks again, all are assured of her innocence
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La Bohème is an opera in four acts composed by Giacomo Puccini based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henry Murger
A sweetly tragic romance between Rodolfo, a writer and one of the four Bohemians and Mimi, a seamstress.
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Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi and based on the play Le rod s'amuse by Victor Hugo.
Its tragic story resolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto and the latter's beautiful daughter Gilda.
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Ernani is an operatic drama lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi and based on the play Hernani by Victor Hugo.
The story about the bandit Ernani and his love for Elvira, niece and fiancée of Don Ruy Gomez de Silva in 14th century Spain.
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Norma is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini after Norma, ou L'infanticide by Alexandre Soumet.
The tragic love story of Pollione, the Roman proconsul, the heroine Norma, a druid priestess and Adalgisa, one of the virgin temple priestesses
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Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini completed by Franco Alfano
Calaf, son of Timur, vanquished king of Tartary, tries to find the answers to the three riddles needed to marry the princess Turandot
Opera is for a lifetime, not just a minute
My Operatic Heroes
Taste is personal, that's obvious, but I consider the artists below as true legends in the operatic arena
Luciano Pavarotti
Italian operatic lyric tenor (born Oct 12, 1935, Modena, Italy - died Sep 6, 2007, Modena, Italy), who was considered one of the finest bel canto opera singers of the 20th century. Even in the highest register, his voice was noted for its purity of tone, and his concerts, recordings and television appearances - which provided him ample opportunity to display his ebullient personality - gained him a wide popular following.
Consider myself very fortunate being able to attend three of his concerts back in the 90s. September, 22 1990 in Antwerps Sports Arena and in 1991 in Budapest
Dedicated a special page to the Maestro (Big P)
Nicolai Ghiaurov
Bulgarian opera singer (born Sept. 13, 1929, Velingrad, Bulg.—died June 2, 2004, Modena, Italy), enraptured audiences worldwide with his commanding onstage presence and his tremendous bass voice. Considered one of the 20th century’s greatest bass vocalists, Ghiaurov was perhaps best known for his portrayal of Mephistopheles in Gounod’s Faust, singing the role in several languages before audiences in Italy, Russia, the U.S., France, and Spain. Other notable roles included the title characters in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, Philip II in Verdi’s Don Carlos, Don Basilio in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, and Cervantes’s antihero in Massenet’s Don Quichotte
Marilyn Horne
American mezzo-soprano (born Jan. 16, 1934, Bradford, PA., U.S.), noted for the seamless quality and exceptional range and flexibility of her voice, especially in coloratura roles by Gioacchino Rossini and George Frideric Handel. She was also instrumental in reviving interest in their lesser-known operas.
Samuel Ramey
American operatic bass-baritone and bass (born March 28, 1942, Colby, Kansas). At the height of his career, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique to enable him to sing the music of Handel, Mozart, Rossini, yet power enough to handle the more overtly dramatic roles written by Verdi and Puccini.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Russian operatic baritone (6 October 1962 – 22 November 2017) who won the Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 1988 competing against Bryn Terfel. He was essentially a lyric baritone with a lighter voice. But his distinctive sound — with its russet colorings and slightly hooded quality, combining Russian-style melancholy with velvety Italianate lyricism — was so penetrating, he could send big top notes soaring. He could command the stage, and at his best he was a nuanced actor.
A favorite of audiences thanks to his alluring voice and heartthrob presence, Mr. Hvorostovsky cut a striking figure, his trim 6-foot-1 frame topped by a mane of prematurely white hair
Attended many of his performances in the MET including Il Trovatore, Un Ballo in Maschera and Don Carlos.
Joan Sutherland
In full Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (born November 7, 1926, Sydney, Australia—died October 10, 2010, Les Avants, Switzerland), Australian operatic soprano internationally acclaimed for her coloratura roles.
In 1954 she married Bonynge, and with his help and encouragement she began to develop her higher range. In 1959 Covent Garden revived Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor for her, and in 1961 she made her New York City debut in the same role at the Metropolitan Opera. Her performance in this difficult title role won international recognition and established her as the leading coloratura of the 20th century.
© 2019 - Frank Bouw