Opera Top Ten
Again via UD--a list of the top ten arias as voted by radio 3 listeners.
The surprise winner (not to UD, but certainly to much of the rest of the opera-listening world), to my great surprise and joy, is Henry Purcell's "When I am Laid in Earth," the final aria of Queen Dido from Dido and Aeneas. But the remainder of the list contains a number of surprises as well--Russalka, an opera by Korngold and Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. I know I'm mundane, but I do like both "Nessun Dorma" and "Der Holle Rache" (which did make the list) as well as the entire Alban Berg canon.
And below you can choose your "When I am Laid in Earth," clip one featuring the incomparable Janet Baker, clip two Jessye Norman,
Janet Baker
Jessye Norman
And now for something completely different--The Swingle Singers
And with that, it is not difficult to see why those in the know might have chosen such a magnificent aria.
Somewhat more difficult to explain--thought still within reason is the presence of Wagner on the list--although the "Leibestod" from Tristan and Isolde, show in two samples below:
Waltraud Meier
Birgit Nilsson in Concert (Arguably one of the greatest of the Wagnerian performers).
Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Wagner, have been for a very long time. But I'm not certain I would place any of his great music among (even this) among the great arias in all of Opera. But then, I must also qualify my remarks by saying that I am not very well-versed in Opera. I just know what I like when I hear it.
And as an aside--isn't You Tube a wonder? You'll be able to hear nearly all, if not all of these top ten by several different performers all in a matter of moments. There are many who suggest that the internet is making us stupider. While I might say that immediate access to all of the information you can find there may have a profound effect on memory (witness the transition from a preliterate society to post Gutenberg), I can't help but think that access to much of the world's artistic beauty is a detriment to our intellects or taste. (Yes, I know, in addition to Purcell, you can also find an nearly infinite supply of Lady Gaga, but in the overall balance. . . )
The surprise winner (not to UD, but certainly to much of the rest of the opera-listening world), to my great surprise and joy, is Henry Purcell's "When I am Laid in Earth," the final aria of Queen Dido from Dido and Aeneas. But the remainder of the list contains a number of surprises as well--Russalka, an opera by Korngold and Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. I know I'm mundane, but I do like both "Nessun Dorma" and "Der Holle Rache" (which did make the list) as well as the entire Alban Berg canon.
And below you can choose your "When I am Laid in Earth," clip one featuring the incomparable Janet Baker, clip two Jessye Norman,
Janet Baker
Jessye Norman
And now for something completely different--The Swingle Singers
And with that, it is not difficult to see why those in the know might have chosen such a magnificent aria.
Somewhat more difficult to explain--thought still within reason is the presence of Wagner on the list--although the "Leibestod" from Tristan and Isolde, show in two samples below:
Waltraud Meier
Birgit Nilsson in Concert (Arguably one of the greatest of the Wagnerian performers).
Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Wagner, have been for a very long time. But I'm not certain I would place any of his great music among (even this) among the great arias in all of Opera. But then, I must also qualify my remarks by saying that I am not very well-versed in Opera. I just know what I like when I hear it.
And as an aside--isn't You Tube a wonder? You'll be able to hear nearly all, if not all of these top ten by several different performers all in a matter of moments. There are many who suggest that the internet is making us stupider. While I might say that immediate access to all of the information you can find there may have a profound effect on memory (witness the transition from a preliterate society to post Gutenberg), I can't help but think that access to much of the world's artistic beauty is a detriment to our intellects or taste. (Yes, I know, in addition to Purcell, you can also find an nearly infinite supply of Lady Gaga, but in the overall balance. . . )
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