I have a list of approximately 20 opera scenes & arias that are amongst my favourites in the operatic repertoire. For my audience purpose, I have taken this list from YouTube, so not all my favourite recordings are in the list, but it is an extraordinary list with extraordinary singers and musicians and I hope you can take as much enjoyment from this group as I have in compiling them. I am dividing my list into groups of approximately six over the next few weeks to give you between 30 and 45 minutes of musical relaxation. Enjoy!
Don Carlo – Act 3 Grand Inquisitor Duet Scene
I have chosen amongst their peers the Grand Inquisitor scene sung by the bass baritone voice of Samuel Ramey and the incredible bass, Ferruccio Furlanetto. It was very tough to choose as they were being compared with a number of great pairings - particularly the pairing of Boris Christoff and Gulio Neri. My choice lies not with the Christoff/Furlanetto bass singing, which are both of the very highest quality, but with a preference for Ramey in the King’s role. In the recording with Christoff, Neri’s voice shows a very occasional unevenness.
So many great artists have sung the various Turandot roles. Both Domingo and Pavarotti were outstanding as Callaf, but I have chosen a slightly older version with the tenor Franco Corelli accompanied by the Liu of Renata Scotto. Scotto’s voice is an absolute joy to listen to, with her complete control and flexibility of vocal tone, but it is Corelli that provides the real excitement as Callaf. You can almost feel him striding the stage as he hits the gong singing his final top A.
Die Walküre – Act 1 Finale Duet
This is a very personal preference as some performances, particularly Domingo/Polaski were not available to me. As a result, I have chosen the Siegmund of Jonas Kaufmann and the Sieglinde of Eva-Maria Westbroek. Kaufmann’s voice is certainly no Heldentenor. His vocal tone is perhaps too lyric for some, but the quality of his performance with Westbroek under the baton of James Levine at the Metropolitan Opera was extraordinary and thrilling. Westbroek’s voice is also beautiful in quality even if there is an occasional lapse in focus, but it is a truly thrilling performance by both principals.
Otello – Act 4 Desdemona’s Ave Maria
So many great sopranos have sung Verdi’s Ave Maria from Act 4 of his opera Otello. It was difficult to choose between Mirella Freni, Renata Tebaldi and more recently Sonya Yoncheva, but I have decided that the version by Maria Callas is my choice, as the incomparable diva produces a version of incredible warmth and emotion and somehow has the ability to caress every single note as if her life depended on it. What more can I say.
Il Trovatore – Act 2 Azucena’s Aria Stride la vampa
There have been some truly great Azucena’s singing the great Gypsy aria in Act 2 Stride la vampa, from Marilyn Horne to Elena Obraztsova and more recently Rachvelishvili, Petrova and Semenchuk, but the queen of this role, singing in the 1960’s to 1990’s, was Fiorenza Cossotto. Her performance in the Arena di Verona in 1985 was outstanding. Watch for a seething Manrico of Franco Bonisolli in the background.
Andrea Chenier – Act 3 Final Duet
Another extraordinary performance by Jonas Kaufmann, this time accompanied by Anja Harteros. Whilst there are other pairings, most notably Netrebko and Giordano and del Monaco with Tebaldi and others, it is perhaps not only the vocal brilliance of Kaufmann and Harteros that shines through, but their emotional resonance together that really works for me. This is no stand and deliver performance!
This playlist can also be found on the new Friends of Israel Opera YouTube channel for everyone to enjoy. I would like to invite you all to submit your own favourites to me at david@operaspy.com. We will compile these into playlists as well, allowing us to continue sharing our love of opera with one another.
David Buchler
