This is one of Mozart’s biggies, one of the operas I’ve been waiting to hear. It’s called Die Zauberflote, K620, also known (especially to those who don’t speak German) as The Magic Flute. This flute definitely is magical. I like it a lot. Even the Overture is memorable. I know enough about operas now to […]
Entries Tagged as 'Sir Colin Davis'
Of Night Queens and Magic Flutes (German Operas, Box 16)
June 1st, 2010 · No Comments · Ann Murray, Armin Ude, Box 16: German Operas, Die Zauberflote, Dritte Dame, Dritter Knabe, Ein altes Weit, Erste Dame, Erster geharnischter Mann, Erster Knabe, Frank Hoher, Friedemann Klos, Hanna Schwarz, Heinz Reeh, K620, K620 (Part I), Konigin der Nacht, Kurt Moll, Luciana Serra, Magic Flute, Magic Flute (Part I), Margaret Price, Maria Venuti, Marie McLaughlin, Maynard Solomon, Michael Diedrich, Mikael Melbye, Monostatos, Mozart at 35, Mozart: A Life, Pamina, Papageno, Peter Schreier, Queen of the Night, Reiner Goldberg, Robert Tear, Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Sarastro, Singspiel, Sir Colin Davis, Sprecher, Staatskapelle Dresden, Tamino, Theo Adam, Vienna (September 29 1791), Zweite Dame, Zweiter geharnischter Mann, Zweiter Knabe, Zweiter Sprecher
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Of Anticipated Saturdays and Underappreciated Operas (Box 15, Late Italian Operas)
May 22nd, 2010 · No Comments · Annio, Box 15: Late Italian Operas, Charles Taylor, Frederica von Stade, Frederick Lowe, Ian Herbert, Janet Baker, John Constable, K621, K621 (Part I), La clemenza di Tito, Lucia Popp, Mozart at 35, Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Prague (September 4 1791), Publio, Robert Lloyd, Robin Stapleton, Servilia, Sesto, Sir Colin Davis, Stuart Burrows, Tito Vespaisano, Vitellia, Yvonne Minton
Today’s opera is La clemenza di Tio, K621, written by Mozart when he was 35, just a couple of months before his death. The Overture is compelling. It sets the stage nicely. But what follows doesn’t match the standard set in the Overture. This is a typical opera. Nothing fancy. Nothing different from nearly every […]
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Of Fun Screenwiting and Fiancee Swapping (Box 15, Late Italian Operas)
May 19th, 2010 · No Comments · Charles Taylor, Cosi fan tutte, Cosi fan tutte (Part I), Despina, Don Alfonso, Dorabella, Douglas Robinson, Ferrando, Fiancee Swapping, Fiordiligi, Guglielmo, Ileana Cotrubas, Janet Baker, John Constable, K588, K588 (Part I), Montserrat Caballe, Mozart at 33, Mozart at 34, Nicolai Gedda, Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Richard van Allan, Sir Colin Davis, Vienna (January 1790), Wladimiro Ganzarolli
I’m still working on my next screenplay. It’s supposed to be a lot of fun (it’s an adaptation of a favorite childhood book series). But I can’t seem to focus on it because of my Mozart blog (which takes 2-4 hours each day) and because of all the blogging I do on the side. I […]
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Of Ronnies Dio and Dons Giovanni (Box 15, Late Italian Operas)
May 16th, 2010 · No Comments · Black Sabbath, Box 15: Late Italian Operas, Charles Taylor, Contadina, Don Giovanni, Don Ottavio, Donna Anna, Donnna Elvira, Douglas Robinson, Heaven and Hell, Hugo d'Alton, IL Commendator, Ingvar Wixell, John Constable, K527, K527 (Act I), Kiri Te Kanawa, Leporello, Luigi Roni, Martina Arroyo, Masetto, Mirelli Freni, Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Richard van Allan, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Ronnie James Dio (RIP), Sir Colin Davis, Stuart Burrows, Wladimiro Ganzarolli, Zerlina
One of my all-time favorite metal singers died today. Ronnie James Dio, vocalist for Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Black Sabbath, his own solo career, and the Sabbath-without-Ozzy band Heaven and Hell, lost his battle with stomach cancer. Condolences can be left on Dio’s official Facebook page. Dio had one of the most powerful voices in metal, […]
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Of Cinnamon-Chip Scones and Well-Balanced Music (Arias, Vocal Ensembles, Canons, Box 12)
April 16th, 2010 · No Comments · Box 12: Arias Vocal Ensembles Canons Lieder Notturni, Dresdner Philharmonie, Edith Wiens, Elzbieta Szmytka, Gunnar Gudbjornson, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Iris Vermillion, Jörg-Peter Weigle, K135 (ornamentation from K293e), K366 (with alternate duet K489), K389, K490, K51, K87, Mozart at 12, Mozart at 14, Mozart at 16, Mozart at 25, Mozart at 26, Mozart at 30, Muncher RFO, Panera Bread, Peter Schreier, Robert Tear, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Neville Marriner, Staatskapelle Dresden/Karl Bohm, Stuart Burrows
This CD was a pleasant surprise. With a title like Arias & Duets I wasn’t expecting much. Well, I take that back. I was expecting another nightmare. What I discovered (as I munched my cinnamon-chip scone from Panera Bread) is that these are very nice performances. Although this isn’t a CD I could listen to […]
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Of Plants and Linds (Arias, Vocal Ensembles, Canons, Box 12)
April 15th, 2010 · No Comments · 1783, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Box 12: Arias Vocal Ensembles Canons Lieder Notturni, Christiane Eda-Pierre, Dresdner Philharmonie, Eva Lind, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Jörg-Peter Weigle, Julie Kaufmann, K119, K178, K293e, K294, K295, K433, K435, K440, K580, K83, Mannheim (February 12 1778), Mannheim (February 24 1778), Mannheim (February 27 1778), Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Mozart at 14, Mozart at 22, Mozart at 26, Mozart at 27, Mozart at 29, Mozart at 30, Mozart at 33, Robert Lloyd, Robert Plant, Rome (April-May 1770), Sir Colin Davis, Stuart Burrows, Vienna (1782), Vienna (early 1782), Vienna (Early 1785-6), Vienna (June 1783), Vienna (September 17 1789)
I wish I could like this music. I know soprano Julie Kaufmann is considered one of the world’s finest. But her singing leaves me cold. There’s something about her timbre that doesn’t sooth me. She has the power I respect. She has the range I like. But her singing just doesn’t do it for me. […]
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Of Gold and Flutters (Litanies; Vespers; Oratorios, Box 11)
March 31st, 2010 · No Comments · Baden (June 17 1791), Box 11: Mozart: Litanies; Vespers; Oratorios; Cantatas; Masonic Music, Elizabeth Bainbridge, Gwynne Howell, K165, K339, K341, K618, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kyrie, London Symphony Orchestra, Milan (January 1773), Mozart at 17, Mozart at 24, Mozart at 25, Mozart at 31, Mozart at 35, Munich (1780-1 or 1787), Ryland Davies, Salzburg (1780(, Sir Colin Davis, Vesperae solennes de confessore
Yesterday’s music was out of balance. The terrific music came in first and then the vocals, which distracted me. Today’s music is equal parts vocal and instrumental. The music isn’t so good that my mind goes off on a walkabout, only to be yanked back by the vocals. This time – and I don’t mean […]
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Of Likes and Dislikes (Missae, Requiem, Organ Sonatas, Box 10)
March 22nd, 2010 · No Comments · Annelies Burmeister, Box 10: Missae Requiem Organ Sonatas & Solos, Celestina Casapietra, Clifford Grant, Gillian Knight, Helen Donath, Herbert Kegel, Hermann Christian Polster, John Alldis Choir, K192, K257, London Symphony Orchestra, Mozart at 18, Mozart at 20, Peter Schreier, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Rundfunkchor Lepizig, Ryland Davies, Salzburg (June 24 1774), Salzburg (November 1776), Sir Colin Davis
I think I know what the problem is. Choir-based compositions sound more alike than instrumental compositions. In other words, when the music is no longer the primary focus, my mind has less to grab onto when I listen to vocal music. Every composition sounds the same to me. Oh, there’s a different soprano here, a […]
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You can call me Amadeus. But don't expect me to answer to that.