I love Cathy Berberian too. I was introduced to her singing at a party given by my high school Russian teacher. She played the Berio "Folk Songs" album and I was hooked. Obsessed. So glad to know of other Berberian fans!
I just started watching your videos in the last couple of weeks, and I'm enjoying them very much. I am not a knowledgeable listener, but I've had lots of good intentions over the years! I have about thirty-five opera recordings that I mostly bought in the 1980s, and, shamefully, I've hardly listened to any of them. Because, you know, it takes a bit of an effort to read the material about the opera, then try to follow along with the lyrics as it's being played, which is always a less-than-optimal experience, as one can miss too much of the music while trying to read and listen at the same time. I suppose that's why a "serious" person will read the lyrics in advance, listen and read along on a first listen, then go back (preferably not too many days later) and listen again. However, I did listen to the John Eliot Gardiner recording "L'Orfeo," on Arckiv Produktion, with The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists, and His Majesties Sagbutts & Cornetts, that I bought in 1987, the year it was released. I enjoyed it very much, but really didn't have much context for it, other than having become interested in "early music" in the late 1980s and early 1990s; and of course I am familiar with the story. I've listened to it several times. Among the operas I bought way back then was a used copy of the five-LP Nikolaus Harnoncourt version of "L'Incoronoazione Di Poppea" of 1974. I recall that, some thirty years or so ago, I started listening to it, but I thought that it sounded almost the same as "L'Orfeo," so in my ignorance and impatience to listen through and see if I could learn something or enjoy something previously unknown, I only listened to side one and never returned to it. But I have that Harnoncourt recording right here next to me, and it's my intention to listen to the Gardiner "L'Orfeo" and the Harnoncourt 'L'Incoronoazione" in the next few days. After that, depending on how I feel, I might get a used copy of the Harnoncourt "L'Orfeo." So, thanks for this video! I'm looking forward to plenty of enjoyable listening!
Yes, the 70s Zurich collaborations with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle! Those were also my first encounter with Harnoncourt and the Monteverdi operas. If there were ever a list for inspired collaborations in music history (Mozart--Da Ponte, Strauss--Hofmannsthal, etc), these two should certainly be on it. Less than a decade later, Ponnelle would do his beautiful Tristan at Bayreuth. The attention to detail in his productions (just look at the surfaces and textures--you could pause the Monteverdi videos at any moment and be entranced) is the perfect match for Harnoncourt, who in contrast draws attention to the horizontal aspect and motion of the music that had so long been somewhat frozen on recording.
Dave, thanks for the video! This most important project ever got me thinking whether you would also count the sutherland's recordings of operas like Esclarmonde as such an important project??
Thanks, as always. You could almost say that Harnoncourt himself qualifies as a "Most Important Recording Project Ever." In any case I have a new suggestion for this spot: I Musici's Vivaldi recordings. Obviously they didn't record the complete Vivaldi concerti, but they did record, I believe for the first time, all of Vivaldi's concerti and sonatas with opus numbers, plus dozens of other discs of concertos featuring wind, brass, strings, molti stromenti, you name it. Of course you could widen the focus by covering Phillips' Vivaldi Edition, which included not only all of those I Musici recordings, but also Vittorio Negri's Vivaldi sacred music recordings, which were just as revelatory as I Musici's instrumental efforts. These laudable series may be dated when it comes to performance practice, but they've not been surpassed when it comes to purely musical values.
I more than fully agree regarding I Musici and Vittorio Negri recordings of Vivaldi !! In fact, I already made these suggestions ! But it seems that our dear Dave, whose musical taste is usually so remarkable, does not appreciate Vivaldi as much as he would deserve ?!
Well I suppose his taste isn’t necessarily yours! That’s normal. He will have seen your earlier comments and if he’s motivated maybe he will. We mustn’t impugn people’s taste if it is not our own. Most people, including me, like Vivaldi, but also can’t deal with 20-30 discs of it! @@philippecassagne3192
@@philippecassagne3192 Maybe so. From previous videos I do know that Dave came to appreciate Baroque music later, and more gradually, than music of the Classical and Romantic periods. He seems ambivalent about Bach sometimes. To some ears, VIvaldi can seem repetitive and formulaic, though he was in fact a highly original and often surprising innovator. I do think Dave strongly appreciates I musici and gave a very positive review of the recently released I Musici "megabox." EVeryone has their preferences.
Outstanding performances--get the videos!
On the CD "Cathy Berberian sings Monteverdi" can also be found the reference version (or one of) of the Lamento d'Arianna.
I love Cathy Berberian too. I was introduced to her singing at a party given by my high school Russian teacher. She played the Berio "Folk Songs" album and I was hooked. Obsessed. So glad to know of other Berberian fans!
I just started watching your videos in the last couple of weeks, and I'm enjoying them very much. I am not a knowledgeable listener, but I've had lots of good intentions over the years! I have about thirty-five opera recordings that I mostly bought in the 1980s, and, shamefully, I've hardly listened to any of them. Because, you know, it takes a bit of an effort to read the material about the opera, then try to follow along with the lyrics as it's being played, which is always a less-than-optimal experience, as one can miss too much of the music while trying to read and listen at the same time. I suppose that's why a "serious" person will read the lyrics in advance, listen and read along on a first listen, then go back (preferably not too many days later) and listen again.
However, I did listen to the John Eliot Gardiner recording "L'Orfeo," on Arckiv Produktion, with The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists, and His Majesties Sagbutts & Cornetts, that I bought in 1987, the year it was released. I enjoyed it very much, but really didn't have much context for it, other than having become interested in "early music" in the late 1980s and early 1990s; and of course I am familiar with the story. I've listened to it several times. Among the operas I bought way back then was a used copy of the five-LP Nikolaus Harnoncourt version of "L'Incoronoazione Di Poppea" of 1974. I recall that, some thirty years or so ago, I started listening to it, but I thought that it sounded almost the same as "L'Orfeo," so in my ignorance and impatience to listen through and see if I could learn something or enjoy something previously unknown, I only listened to side one and never returned to it. But I have that Harnoncourt recording right here next to me, and it's my intention to listen to the Gardiner "L'Orfeo" and the Harnoncourt 'L'Incoronoazione" in the next few days. After that, depending on how I feel, I might get a used copy of the Harnoncourt "L'Orfeo."
So, thanks for this video! I'm looking forward to plenty of enjoyable listening!
Yes, the 70s Zurich collaborations with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle! Those were also my first encounter with Harnoncourt and the Monteverdi operas. If there were ever a list for inspired collaborations in music history (Mozart--Da Ponte, Strauss--Hofmannsthal, etc), these two should certainly be on it. Less than a decade later, Ponnelle would do his beautiful Tristan at Bayreuth. The attention to detail in his productions (just look at the surfaces and textures--you could pause the Monteverdi videos at any moment and be entranced) is the perfect match for Harnoncourt, who in contrast draws attention to the horizontal aspect and motion of the music that had so long been somewhat frozen on recording.
I bought long time ago the earlier complete Zürich Cd verson. Beautifull playing and singing.
Dave, thanks for the video! This most important project ever got me thinking whether you would also count the sutherland's recordings of operas like Esclarmonde as such an important project??
Have these Berberians on lp’s. Great stuff
Not to forget the Edinburgh recital lp which is hilariously funny and witty.
Me, too!
I wonder if there ever will come out a cd collection called: From Monteverdi To Verdi. Seems like a natural.
From Green Mountain to Green? Doesn't sound so natural in English.
Thanks, as always. You could almost say that Harnoncourt himself qualifies as a "Most Important Recording Project Ever." In any case I have a new suggestion for this spot: I Musici's Vivaldi recordings. Obviously they didn't record the complete Vivaldi concerti, but they did record, I believe for the first time, all of Vivaldi's concerti and sonatas with opus numbers, plus dozens of other discs of concertos featuring wind, brass, strings, molti stromenti, you name it. Of course you could widen the focus by covering Phillips' Vivaldi Edition, which included not only all of those I Musici recordings, but also Vittorio Negri's Vivaldi sacred music recordings, which were just as revelatory as I Musici's instrumental efforts. These laudable series may be dated when it comes to performance practice, but they've not been surpassed when it comes to purely musical values.
I more than fully agree regarding I Musici and Vittorio Negri recordings of Vivaldi !! In fact, I already made these suggestions ! But it seems that our dear Dave, whose musical taste is usually so remarkable, does not appreciate Vivaldi as much as he would deserve ?!
Well I suppose his taste isn’t necessarily yours! That’s normal. He will have seen your earlier comments and if he’s motivated maybe he will. We mustn’t impugn people’s taste if it is not our own. Most people, including me, like Vivaldi, but also can’t deal with 20-30 discs of it! @@philippecassagne3192
@@philippecassagne3192 Maybe so. From previous videos I do know that Dave came to appreciate Baroque music later, and more gradually, than music of the Classical and Romantic periods. He seems ambivalent about Bach sometimes. To some ears, VIvaldi can seem repetitive and formulaic, though he was in fact a highly original and often surprising innovator. I do think Dave strongly appreciates I musici and gave a very positive review of the recently released I Musici "megabox." EVeryone has their preferences.
Dont know where to buy, looks like its unavailable