My most unforgettable experiences in the opera
You may know that I have been attending live opera performances for almost 70 years now.
The number of exceptional performances I have seen is huge.
People always ask me to name the most unforgettable extra-ordinary experiences I had over the many years.
Well here is a try at my personal list of my very subjective all-time bests:
Lisa della Casa and Anneliese Rothenberger in “Aber der Richtige” and 1.Act duet of Richard Strauss Arabella (Vienna 1970)
..the most beautiful female voices in a perfect duet
Edita Gruberova in “Grossmächtige Prinzessin” Richard Strauss Ariadne auf Naxos (Vienna 1984)
… I have heard many Zerbinettas but none came even near to this performance
Jose Carreras in “Recondita armonia” Tosca (Stockholm 1981)
… Carreras at his best voice – warm and very emotional (with Katia Ricciarelli as Tosca)
Luciano Pavarotti “Quando le sere al placido” Luisa Miller, Verdi (Vienna 1984)
… the second verse was at pianissimo – out of this world
Piero Cappuccilli “Nemico della patria” Andrea Chenier (Vienna 1983)
… after this fantastic performance he sang it once more da capo
Placido Domingo 2.Act of Les Contes d’Hoffmann (London 1981)
... the most beautiful tenor voice with an extraordinary legato cantilena
Cecilia Bartoli in the Final scene of La Cenerentola (Zurich 2014)
… and its not only the coloratura but the beautiful warmth of the voice
I have included links to the operas mentioned (some even with the right singer and location) – Enjoy !!
Flamand