Dare I mention Opera.....

[Zinfan]

Hi,

I picked up a record box set of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" - the Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus with Giulini on Angel.

Excellent recording!:music:

ps - It drives me nuts how they numbered sides on a multiple record box sets. Side 1 does not have side 2 on the flip side, instead side 6. But side 3 does have 4 on the flip side.

[Brian]

Sure, why not? I enjoy Saturday at the Met and Saturday at the Opera on CBC2 as often as possible. I have a number of older recordings. Does not seem to have any consistency except it seems that some are designed for single play and others for changers.

[electroking]

Hi,

I picked up a record box set of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" - the Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus with Giulini on Angel.

Excellent recording!:music:

ps - It drives me nuts how they numbered sides on a multiple record box sets. Side 1 does not have side 2 on the flip side, instead side 6. But side 3 does have 4 on the flip side.

Just a minor correction, it's the Philharmonia Orchestra. You will find
that this orchestra was the brainchild of Walter Legge, a flamboyant
producer for EMI that set out to make the best possible recordings
of core repertoire in the years immediately after WW2. This recording
(from 1959 IIRC) is very highly regarded, but I haven't heard it yet...

As far as I'm concerned, you can mention Opera anytime! My two favorite
operas are Mozart's Nozze (no kidding!) and Verdi's Rigoletto.

The funny sides numbering is optimized for use with a record changer:
you stack the discs to play the first 3 sides, then you just flip the
whole pile over for the second half of the work. Many multiple LP
sets were made that way.

[OvenMaster]

Nothin' wrong with opera, IMHO. My favorite composer is Wagner, especially Tannhauser and Lohengrin.:yes:
Tom

[onepixel]

I don't know a whole lot about opera... just enough to know I like Puccini!

[matel]

Yet another genre to start mining. Love those live Met broadcasts too...

[Zinfan]

electroking - Good catch. Thanks for correction and the info.

[Arkay]

Hi,

I picked up a record box set of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" - the Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus with Giulini on Angel.

Excellent recording!:music:

ps - It drives me nuts how they numbered sides on a multiple record box sets. Side 1 does not have side 2 on the flip side, instead side 6. But side 3 does have 4 on the flip side.

Those sides are numbered that way because they stem (pun intended) from the era of the record changer: stack them up, and when side one is finished, the changer drops the next record so side two can be played, and so on. When the whole stack is played through (in this case, three records), just turn the whole stack over and play sides 4,5, and 6. Of course, these days when we do not like to use changers :nono: and have to manually change the records, it is a little less convenient.


As for Opera, there is nothing wrong with liking it, IMO. I've loved opera since I was in Kindergarten (really!)... but I don't enjoy it much unless it is live, or over a very good sound system. I've attended dozens of live operas in several countries, and great arias, live, never fail to send chills down my spine and give me goosebumps. It is the human voice at it's absolute BEST, without question, and often combined with stories that reveal human nature and emotions. Some truly great music has been written for opera, too.

That said, Opera on television almost always has bored the pants off me. Somehow without the full grandeur of the operatic voice quality, and the depth of a real stage (or at least a theater-like projection of one), it just lacks something. Good vinyl recordings are great, though. Close your eyes and get swept away by the music and the voices... :music: :yes: :thmbsp: