Classical music Favourite Opera or Operetta

Mycernius

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How many people here like and listen to opera. I am a fan myself, with several favourite composers, but my favourite opera has to be Mozarts Don Giovanni. A wonderful black comedy I first saw with a cut down orchestra in the Swan Theatre in Stratford. Coming a close second is La Boheme by Pucinni. Not your light happy opera that one.
But what do you like? Are you into heavy Wagnerian epics or light comedy operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan?
 
I am a fan of classical music, but not as much of opera per se. I restrict myself to non sung passages. My feeling is that the human voice will never be as beautiful as classical instruments, so the singing somewhat spoils the music. On the other hand, the story and decor can make it more interesting.

My favourite overtures or preludes are about all of Wagner (especially Tannhäuser, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Lohengrin) and to a lesser extent also Mozart (Die Zauberflöte, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Entführung aus dem Serail...).

I actually planned to watch Tristan & Isolde at the Brussels Opera in November, but everything was full over a month before...

The RTBF (Francophone national Belgian TV) is now broadcasting Der Ring des Nibelungen in 18 episodes every Monday evening. I like the explanations of the story at the beginning and the end more than the opera itself, again because I do not like opera singing very much, even when I am interested in the story.
 
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I've sene quite a few operas but if I have to pick one, I'd pick Carmen. It's the perfect lesson of how you ruin things when you just don't believe when someone clearly tells you what's not good for you. I can think of many ways it's adaptable to real life, but with less killing :p
 
Greetings from New York! I would definite pick Carmen as a favorite along with Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors (even though its a one act).

I'm also a champion of Victor Herbert when it comes to operetta - the music far more than the librettos which are often unuseable, but we're working on that.
 
Oh, forgot my favorite operetta which would have to be Victor Herbert's Eileen - I am such a ****** for great Irish music and this score is great from beginning to end.
 
Wagner's 'Ring Cycle'- all 4 operas.
 
I love Falstaff by Verdi (though I think it rather sad that I do not know one single person that appreciates this opera as much as I do!) and I do definitely love Turandot by Giacomo Puccini. :)
 
Favorite opera?? There are so many... Among my favorites are Puccini's Tosca, Saint Saens' Samson et Dalila, Bellini's Norma, Wagner's Lohengrin, Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe, Floyd's Of Mice And Men, Verdi's Il Trovatore, Mascagni's Cavaleria Rusticana and many more. Incidentally, I spent 13 years singing coro parts in a couple different midwestern USA opera companies with many principal singers of international birth and experience. I feel, as a result, very close to opera and I probably cannot judge it objectively.
 
Oh, I forgot to mention that my favorite G & S piece is Iolanthe. I adore Gilbert and Sullivan.
 

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