I'll let you folks go first ..read more

Okay, here goes, long time lurker, rare poster. I'm looking to buy my FIRST complete Ring Cycle. I've watched the 1990 Met performance (James Morris, Siegfried Jerusalem, et al) and I liked it. I would like an audio recording (not of that particular show). I've been searching using Amazon and Spotify to find a Ring worth buying. My rules were thus: 1) Not the Solti recording. I don't like his thunderous style of conducting. 2) Good Sound quality (this nips some recordings like the... Help Choosing a First Ring Cycle (Not Solti ..read more

Pristine just issued both Callas' Giocondas. I don't like all Pristine's re-masterings, the selections I listened to were much more reverberant than the originals and this adds nothing to my ears. But it was a good excuse to replay chunks of the Giocondas, as well as Milanov's studio Gioconda. I also ordered Immortal Performances edition of the Milanov Met Gioconda with Tucker, and the Farrell Met Gioconda with Corelli. I know, that's a lot of Gioconda. So upon re-listening to the... Gioconda, Callas, Milanov ..read more

Two parts to this one. What's your favorite recording? And do you prefer the original or Pars revision? :tiphat ..read more

Can anyone offer advice on how to approach listening to Berlioz's Les Troyens for the first time without being overwhelmed by its length? Thank you all ..read more

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Okay I posted about the best sung Twilight. I proclaim my ignorance. At my level in Wagner, my sensitivity to nuanced distinctions is greatly decreased. So I am stuck in the Melchior-age recordings. I just listened to Marjorie Lawrence on a Preiser disc I downloaded but didn't listen to. I heard her in the famous Twilight recording from the Met and of course she was great. But she is GREAT! I don't want to **** anyone off but her great counterpart at the Paris Opera where she made her... Marjorie Lawrence ..read more

Ok, I don't deny that I have a "problem" listening to the lyric opera music sung by great singers like Callas. I haven't caught the Wagner bug yet. To be clear I love Wagner. I am just not like these coocoos who have TWENTY complete Rings! I just listened to the famous Gotterdammerung with Marjorie Lawrence and she blew me away, I didn't realize. I have the two Furty Rings from Pristine and they are ok but I am addicted to that Melchior and Flagstad sound from the old recordings. Which... the best sung Götterdämmerung ..read more

While browsing through threads in this forum, I came across the Renata Tebaldi box set thread, discussing that singers's box set Voce d'Angelo, which some felt did her a disservice with the paucity of luxurious qualities: paper sleeves, no original jackets, etc. Don't even think about notes, libretti, etc. I did a bit of research, and found the Luciano Pavarotti 101 CD box set The Complete Operas, a proportion of which also star Joan Sutherland. Full marks... Is Joan Sutherland going to get her due ..read more

I know we have discussed this subject in other threads but I felt that it was deserving of its own thread due to the re-issue of the famous studio Trovatore by the Bjorling Society. Ordering and receiving a "new version" of such an important recording was a lot of fun. I guess the recording makes the voices slightly more forward (which I always like). It supposedly comes from a tape. I don't know enough (or anything) about audio restoration but my sense is that the tape was overloaded many... Bjorling as Manrico ..read more