we need to start a Rigoletto conversation.
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It would be nice especially if it also had the translation. I think that librettos are classified differently than lyrics so who knows the licensing involved.
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The last one with Alagna etc is very good.
Why?
I find ‘Rigoletto’ relentlessly cruel, and a tough listen, especially in the theatre, but have a soft spot for Sutherland’s ‘Caro Nome’ on ‘The Art of the Prima Donna’ (complete with tube train), and the Liszt Paraphrase of the Act IV Quartet.
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True, but even Mozart uses malice and cruelty to create drama, defused by a little humour. The entire plot of Cosi fan tutte is based on a bet on female fidelity, resulting in a plot for the men to test and humiliate the two affianced women. We all know it and love it nonetheless.
I tend to defend the authors of these librettos as they are perhaps closer to the cruel reality of humanity than we like to think. Isn’t that the nature of a good opera - “making nice” is rather boring!
I know you are right. And when one does see a production that lays bare the inhumanity it can be overwhelming. I recently caught Asmik Grigorian as ‘Butterfly’ in London, and her portrayal of her as a dignified person who could not go back to the life she had before Pinkerton - poverty and exploitation - was really powerful. Had she been in better circumstances, would she have married him?
But you do need light and shade, and for now, I turn to Offenbach! (I was trying to think of a happy opera, but so many comedies, like ‘Cosi’, are cruel, too. Is there a ‘happy’ opera?)
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I find his voice hollow and wooden sounding; I’ve never understood his career.
I will propose Rossini’s Cenerentola as a “happy opera”. The opening scene starts in misery, progresses through comedy and magic, and ends with true love for the heroine, and forgiveness for the Ugly Sisters. Comedy without too much cruelty.
Greetings, friends!
Just dropping in to say that an updated Classical Community playlist is ready for your ears and hearts on the Roon home page. You’ll find 13+ hours of pleasing selections courtesy of our resident Classical music experts gathered here. 
My sincerest appreciation and deep gratitude go out to our playlist contributors for the new edition. In order of appearance: @Thomas_Becker, @woodford, @eclectic, @Andreas_Philipp1, @jacobacci, @bill_perkins, @PFBTG, @Nathan_Wilkes, @claus_andersen, @Bolivar_Pou, @Arindal, @Richard_Graham, @SandboxGeneral, @Rugby, @Marco_Gymnopoulos, and @Saturn94.
Thank you, as always, for your passionate, knowledgeable, and generous recommendations and kind conversation. Each time, I come away delighted, educated, and with new albums in my library.
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I have a long weekend coming up and am looking forward to giving it a listen!
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Perhaps it is his acting that added value for me. He was a terrific Don Basilio in ‘Barbiere’, (though Baltsa was Rosina), and in ‘Hoffman’. Indeed, the way he became quite chilling in the Antonio act was quite something.
In the album United, the Pacific Quintet perform an eclectic program of 20th and 21st century works for wind quintet from around the world. The Pacific Quintet are a multicultural group, and the program includes music representing each of the musicians’ countries of origin (Turkey, Honduras, Japan, Germany, and South Korea).
Oddly, the program book provides very little information about the group besides the names of the musicians. There is information at the Pacific Quintet website. The group is based in Berlin and began in 2017.
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A new release by Rachel Podger is always welcome. Features works by English composers but opens with some Handel. He was an honorary Englishman perhaps, given the time he spent in London.
I think it’s excellent, though it doesn’t look like she will play works from it live at the Brecon Baroque Festival this year. It’s Held in October. Well worth supporting if you can.
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I love the sound of this recording. Not on Qobuz, not sure of Tidal. I purchased it from NativeDSD at the original record resolution of DSD128, it is a one microphone recording.
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Today felt like a 20th century composer day.
The oboe concerto is challenging for me to digest but I find the symphonies exciting and mind-opening every listen.
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I fully agree to the ´tough listen´, it is the only Verdi opera I feel myself unable to recommend a recording of despite some dramatically wonderful scenes. Might have to remark that the list of Verdi operas being cruel is in general pretty long and it does not say much about their quality (with Ballo in Maschera´ and Forza del destino´ being most obviously bloody, others more subtly like my favorite, ´Don Carlos´), but this one is kind of illogically cruel, just artificially playing with very deep fears and weaknesses humans have. (Doing it on stage did not help to overcome my disdain nor did vacations to Mantova visiting Rigoletto´s house and the court which was a wonderful experience).
Fully agree but I do not see any of such dramaturgic qualities in the whole conception of Rigoletto although it is obviously based on some fragments of great ideas, particularly by Victor Hugo.
Yes, there are some (real operas, not operettas, operás comiques, opere buffae or any derivate of dramme giocose), even Verdi contributed to that genre, but his ´Un giorno di regno´ is rather unpopular. For those who want to try, there is a very good recording by Marcus Bosch giving an excellent impression of how very early Verdi sounds like:
Happy end definitely, but as it is loosely based on a classic fairytale and containing some typical conflicts with misery and suffering, I think the original form ´dramma giocoso´ is adequate.
Some operas of this genres are ´happy´ and light superficially, but pretty cruel and devaluating if you dig deeper, Wagner´s `Meistersinger´ maybe being the masterpiece of this ambiguity.
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where did you perform Rigoletto?
I was fortunate to sing Sparafucile many times, in Philly, DC, NYC, Paris, Bonn, Cologne…maybe a few others I’ve forgotten about. The Philadelphia performances were with Muti, in concert, and were professionally recorded for archival purposes; I have a CD. Renato Bruson was the Rigoletto, and I like this performance better than either of his commercially available recordings.
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I’ve listened to quite a few Rigoletto’s, but am surprised to find a couple I don’t remember listening to in my library. For what it is worth here is what I have:
(A few miscast here!)
This may be a different remaster but same performance:
Has anyone else in here noticed that Roon’s white background changes to off-white when displaying a classical album? In Dark mode, Classical is a bit lighter.
Yep: