Happy Birthday, Enrico Caruso

[filkertom]

On this date in 1873.

What are some of your favorite operas or operettas? I'm damn fond of Rigoletto, Don Giovanni, the entire Ring cycle, Carmen, G&S's Mikado and Pirates of Penzance, and Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.

Comments

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm crazy over "Les pêcheurs de perles" by Bizet. And "Pagliacci" by Leoncavallo.

I keep wanting to like "The Ring Cycle" but can't quite manage it... there are bits I love, bits I hate, and it hasn't gelled yet. (I don't think I've ever heard it all.)

I love Gilbert & Sullivan but it's more for their lyrics than their music.

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

I echo your list Tom. Have to add "The Magic Flute" and "HMS Pinafore"

[fair-witness.livejournal.com]

I'm fond of The Barber of Seville. First opera I ever saw.

[mdlbear]

It's hard to decide for second place among all the G&S -- I love them all, but Yeomen of the Guard (which is as close as they got to grand opera) is the clear favorite, with Iolanthe, Princess Ida, and Pirates of Penzance close behind. Also in operetta, I'm very fond of The Merry Widow.

I'm a lot less familiar with opera than I should be -- more a matter of time than of preference. The Ring Cycle, Carmen, and Aida are right up there.

[nuveena.livejournal.com]

I'm right there with the G&S love. "Yeoman" is not my favorite G&S, but "I Have a Song to Sing-O" is pure brilliance.

I adore Sondheim, too,... In terms of Serious Opera, "The Marriage of Figaro" is my all-time favorite.

[roisnoir.livejournal.com]

The Marriage of Figaro and La Cenerentola are my two favorite operas. Although La Traviata and La Boheme are close seconds.

Every time I see Traviata or Boheme, even if it's the same production, I always hope she makes it this time, and wind up crying myself silly.

I think I've seen more productions of La Boheme than of any other opera.

[blueeyedtigress.livejournal.com]

My favourite is G&S's 'Ruddigore'. Followed, I think, by 'Pirates of Penzance'.

[shadowcat48li.livejournal.com]

how many of us first learned Opera from Bugs Bunny?

always wanted to see a bugs bunny version of Sweeney Todd

[daundelyon.livejournal.com]

*raises hand* Sad but true. The Rabbit of Seville cracks me up every time.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Okay, let's cast that.

? surely not Granny as Mrs. Lovett? Maybe Yosemite Sam as Todd?
Bugs as Anthony
Lola Bunny as Johanna
Elmer as Judge Turpin ("Pwetty Women... at da miwwow....")
Daffy as Pirelli
Porky as Toby
Any of several possibilities as Beadle Bamford -- Yosemite Sam, Gossamer, Wile E. Coyote....

Any alternate thoughts?

[catlin.livejournal.com]

Cats of course. And yes, I too learned opera first from bugs.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Les Miserables. Saw a local performance by a touring company that got the blue-haired ladies in the swags of diamonds right down there in the mud with plebes and students and rowdy innkeepers, fighting for the revolution, and it's only when the lights come up that they blinked and get that puzzled look, "Hey wait a miiiinnnit, I *be* The Man, I'm not some poor starving prostitute, I'm not unustly convicted and on the run from the gendarmes, what *was* I thinking?!?"
It worked. It made those diamonds go away, for quite awhile.
That has got my vote for effective theater.

[shadowcat48li.livejournal.com]

this has interesting possibilities, years ago the maniacs on #callahans cast an all cartoon character version of Lord of the rings

called
"Pinky and the Ring"
http://briathian.livejournal.com/2002/07/18/

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Huh. I wrote a sketch, "Warner Bros.' Lord of the Rings", years ago. Intended as a radio commercial for the movie. Way different cast, except for Forhorn as Gandalf and Wile E. as Saruman. I've been meaning to record that for quiet awhile now -- better get on me horse....

[shadowcat48li.livejournal.com]

i really didnt mean to step on any toes Tom, this was a very spur of the moment bit of musing at a Callahanicon nashville annex... I think most everybody was at least partially sober at the time

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

No, no, no. Not a problem. I was just pointing out that I've had something written in the same vein for a number of years -- since at least '99, that's been pretty finalized. Just goes to show Great Minds Think Alike... and so do ours. ;)

An example of the differences:

"OHHH, the Road goes ever, ever on, doo-dah! doo-dah!..."
"Yoooou're dethpicable, my prethiouth!"
"Gweetings! Wehwcome to Wivendehw. I am Elwond Fudd. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."

Opera

[markiv1111.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard anywhere near as much opera as perhaps I'd like. As a kid, my two musical areas of interest were Argentina's folk music (with an extra interest in a dance/song form called the zamba, which is pronounced like samba but isn't even remotely similar) and the handful of operas the Bucklins had around the house. "Rigoletto" was a favorite; we also had *The Student Prince* and an instrumental LP of arias from *La Traviata.* My parents got me a Wagner opera on vinyl for my 13th birthday (I think) and I wasn't interested. Part of the deal was that at this time in my life I wanted to grow up to be an opera singer (the major reason I never started smoking) and I did know that I preferred Italian opera to German by head, shoulders and feet. When it became obvious that I would never have that kind of voice, I stopped listening to new operas, and now there's this huge, huge void in my experience, Italian operas I am sure I'd like (for the songwriting, not the overly stylized singing) but have never heard. I do, however, have a big, warm spot in my heart for *Carmina Burana* by Carl Orff -- a scenic cantata rather than an opera, but also one of the few classical works I have ever heard that can stand up to the average rock album on the rock album's terms.

Nate B.

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

G&S's Ruddigore is still a favorite, as is Sweeney Todd ever since I played in the pit for it. (But I do not recommend trying to play all three trombone parts at the same time.)

As for the Ring cycle, I still get hung up on Anna Russell's condensed version...

[fuuberry.livejournal.com]

I've adored Les Miserables since I was about 8 years old... It was the first "adult" book I read, and I'm still livid about the movie with Neeson and Rush, simply because they cut out the entirity of Eponine. I've only managed to see the stage performance once, sadly.

Also, it's odd, but I adore Jesus Christ Superstar... I was exposed to the "classic" Broadway plays as a kid, haven't branched out much. >.> I can't wait to see Sweeney Todd, though.