Repertoire: The IDEAL Verdi Operas

Wow! despite being an ardent fan of Mahler and Verdi alike, I never noticed how Verdi influenced him with the march sequence of the 3rd and the adagio of the 4th. Thanks for pointing that out!

So much fun! A grand tour through Verdi's greatest operas. I was pleased to make my first acquaintance with several recordings (and a few operas). Many thanks.

I stumbled across your channel last night and watched "inappropriate music" and now I'm back. I am starting to get a little bit more into classical music and sense I can learn a lot here. The presentation and information is excellent, and I think it is great that you always have a smile on your face.

Thanks for a fantastic channel, it makes a change from just rock and pop channels. 🎶🎵🎶🎵😎

Had a couple of bad days, and this video made me feel much better. Thanks.

A great list; I was especially pleased by your inclusion of Simon Boccanegra and Luisa Miller. I admit to having a soft spot also for I Due Foscari and I Vespri Siciliani (which was the first Verdi opera recording I purchased.) You are right about the need to listen with patience and not rush through his works.

Following some of these plots is like listening to my mother in law talk, especially when she changes the subject and you lose track of her "plot" so you don't know if she's going on about a friend, family or someone in one of her lifetime movies. Like opera, sometimes you just have to smile and nod, and hum along to some tunes. A great list of operas btw, and while there were no surprises, there was a lot of great info as always! While I could add my own favorites like everyone else, the only thing I'll mention here is that Ghiaurov and Talvela in Solti's Don Carlo are indispensable.

Great talk. Very informative. You couldn't have concluded the video with a better choice. Abbado's Simon Boccanegra is a knockout ! I also love Il Trovatore and Don Carlo and your recommendations are spot on although I have a soft spot for the Zubin Mehta Trovatore with Leontyne Price. As for La Forza del Destino, another great opera I also recommend Leontyne's Price first recording on RCA with Thomas Schippers. Great stuff indeed.

Thanks, Dave. I’m going to have my own overflow room.

Dear David, thanks for a great, informative video. I own some of them on vinyl, some on CD. I will rush to the next record fair in Barcelona for a good hunt of the ones I do not have. Happy musical summer!

Glad Simon Boccanegra got a mention at the end, always remember my dad telling me he thought it was Verdi's most melodic opera. Also glad st cecilia orchestra of Rome get a look in, the old recordings may be a little screechy, but what passion! As I'm no opera buff unlike my father I found your short synopsis very useful, thanks!

Great talk. I would have added one more - the Corsaro with Carreras. It has great childhood memories- and glorious singing by Carreras, Caballe and Norman.

David , another wonderful talk . I shall certainly look for those influences Mahler found in Verdi .Traviata must be the perfect opera . Believable plot intense emotions . Just when two people have found transcendent love , society destroys them . All expressed in the most glorious music . Talk about catharsis afterwards . So lucky to have seen the classic Richard Eyre's Covent Garden production . I hope that it isn't mothballed .

I've been fortunate to live in Chicago and enjoy the highs (and lows) of our own Lyric Opera. But my love of opera extends to my home where my collection of CDs includes all of the Verdi operas you mentioned with the exception of "Attila". While not always in the versions you discussed, I love listening to them again and again, especially "Simon Boccanegra" in the Abbado edition which I agree with you belongs on any list of great Verdi operas.

Thanks David of your brief suggestions of Verdi’s recording! I seldom attend the opera performance and skip the opera section in the recording stores last 20 years. I try to get the ideal Verdi operas suggested by you. Also I got several copies refer to your video of best picked Puccini & Wagner operas. Will keep on listening, expose different type of categories and enjoying the music. Nabucco/Lamberto Gardelli La Traviata/ Carlos Kleiber Simon Boccanegra/Abbado Un Ballo in Maschera/Muti Il Trovatore/Giulini Rigoletto/Giulini & Kubelik Macbeth/Abbado

David, I’m laughing my ass off with your plot line for Ernani. Everything you say is true as Anna Russell would say. Nothing is better for getting the blood going as early Verdi. Thenkyou for all your hard work. I’m watching all your videos this week. I’m so glad I found you!

dear Dave, you were right about the recording of Othello. I'd never heard of that recording before. Well, now I've heard of it and I've already bought it. Thank you.

So glad you chose the Kubelik. Wonderfully conducted and cast

Serafin's Otello has always struck me as the best conducted recording. I love how in the drinking song you can really hear the changes in texture every time the theme reappears. Also, the timpani in the opening are quite clear. They have a significant countermelody during the big thunderstroke that you rarely hear. Only in Maazel's recording is the part completely audible, but alas, that recording is rather dull overall.

I use to listen to Kleiber Traviata for the Last 20 years: It is vert gorgeous