While not to everyone's liking, opera is nonetheless a huge audio spectacle when done right. From the early Living Stereo recordings, many of them excellent, to modern digital multi-channel productions and Blu-Ray issues, opera offers an immersive listening experience that should be sampled.
I thought it'd be a good idea for us to compile some favorites and suggestions in this thread.
Starting with something from the golden era of Decca operas, here's Luciano Pavarotti at the height of his vocal powers singing some familiar tunes in a very well-recorded performance:
http://www.amazon.com/Puccini-Turan...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1290902720&sr=1-1
Moving to a modern series, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Chorus on Melba recordings has set down an incredible multi-channel SACD version of Wagner's Ring Cycle. While Solti's set on London/Decca probably stands as the ultimate "reference" version of these four operas-in-one (and is available for ~$900 on an Esoteric CD reissue), the spaciousness allowed by multi-channel presentation really contributes to clarifying textures and separating vocal and orchestral lines in complex passages. These are stunning recordings.
Here's Die Walkure, which contains the most well-known tune in the entire cycle, The Ride of the Valkyries (made famous in Apocalypse Now):
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Die-Wa...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1290903069&sr=1-1
The other installments, Das Rheingold, Siegfried, Gotterdammerung, are also currently in print.
Even if your musical tastes don't lean toward opera, or classical music in general, I'd recommend that you sample just a few iconic recordings to hear what can be done with massive musical forces.
Lee
I thought it'd be a good idea for us to compile some favorites and suggestions in this thread.
Starting with something from the golden era of Decca operas, here's Luciano Pavarotti at the height of his vocal powers singing some familiar tunes in a very well-recorded performance:
http://www.amazon.com/Puccini-Turan...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1290902720&sr=1-1
Moving to a modern series, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Chorus on Melba recordings has set down an incredible multi-channel SACD version of Wagner's Ring Cycle. While Solti's set on London/Decca probably stands as the ultimate "reference" version of these four operas-in-one (and is available for ~$900 on an Esoteric CD reissue), the spaciousness allowed by multi-channel presentation really contributes to clarifying textures and separating vocal and orchestral lines in complex passages. These are stunning recordings.
Here's Die Walkure, which contains the most well-known tune in the entire cycle, The Ride of the Valkyries (made famous in Apocalypse Now):
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Die-Wa...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1290903069&sr=1-1
The other installments, Das Rheingold, Siegfried, Gotterdammerung, are also currently in print.
Even if your musical tastes don't lean toward opera, or classical music in general, I'd recommend that you sample just a few iconic recordings to hear what can be done with massive musical forces.
Lee
. Here we go:
