Opera Suggestions

[letterk]

So we've discovered that my 19 month old son loves opera. I have a little knowledge from a college class, but would like some suggestions for good CDs.

[rossination]

Oh man! What a lucky guy. I'm a music student in college (trombone performance/music education), so I love to hear stuff like this from parents.

As far as pure fun, singable stuff, I would check out anything written by Rossini. It's not going to be really heady, intellectual stuff (Rossini was sort of the pop music of his time), but operas like The Barber of Seville are really great to listen to. Songs like "La Donna Mobile" are ones that you've surely heard in commercials, Looney Tunes, etc.

I would also get some Mozart! The Marriage Of Figaro is one of his more famous works, and it's great fun as well. Definitely start out with those two, and go from there!

(As a trombonist, I'm tempted to suggest some Wagner or Mahler --- but it's mostly loud, obnoxious, brassy stuff... and that may or may not sit well with the little guy).

[Shane]

as a musician/music teacher myself (percussion and elementary music), i can definitely recommend Mozart's full operatic catalogue, Rossini, Offenbach, and Johann Strauss' two operas: Die Fledermaus,and The Gypsy Baron. This is all generally jovial, light fare. However, while the subject matter is a bit more grown-up, nothing is more beautiful than the melodies of Verdi and Puccini, especially Puccini.

Shane

[mrob]

I'd go along with rossination's recommendations--you can't go wrong with Rossini and Mozart, not just for kids either! Both of these composers write very tuneful, melodious operas that are accessible and--importantly--full of short arias and other set pieces.

Like most brass players, my own tastes run more towards Mahler and Wagner (they tend to include more for the trumpets and trombones to "do"--we sit around a lot in Mozart and Rossini!), but I'd hesitate to put a steady diet of that stuff in front of a baby's ears.

If you want to go beyond Mozart and Rossini, you could also get some Gilbert & Sullivan--it's in English, is ripe with jaunty, fun little ditties, and is as light as cotton candy. While its not technically "opera," its close enough and really fun to listen to. Also, most anything Italian will fit the bill.

Most of all, congratulations--my wife and I are both music teachers, and our own kids have not listened to much opera. We're still caught up on the Laurie Berkner Band--yikes!

[jfm]

You can't go wrong with Wagner. But my favorite has to be Berlioz's Les Troyens. There is a great recording of it with Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra which you can pick up from Amazon. - Justin

[Kyle]

We're still caught up on the Laurie Berkner Band--yikes!
Jeez-o-peez! Tell me about it! I think we have every video she's done TIVO'd.

[mrob]

TIVO. . .mmm, mmm. . .(drool):tongue_sm

[rtaylor61]

The best I can do on this subject, "Tommy" by The Who and "Night at the Opera" by Queen. Great classical music!

Randy

[letterk]

Thanks for all the great questions. We certainly have enough Wiggles and Doodlebops Tivo'd, so the change in pace is welcome. We were at an Italian restaurant the other night and my son was instantly hooked on the woman singing. She stopped by and sang a song and my son just stared at her with his mouth open. Didn't even blink. At one point a moved in front of him and he pushed me back so he could see her. I've never seen him that way. Now, he could have also been looking at her instead of listening. He does have a thing for the ladies. But we'd like to think it was the music at this age.

[mrob]

I wouldn't argue with either urge.:wink:

[Phog Allen]

"Night at the Opera" by Queen. Great classical music!

Randy

Hey Randy. Preach it brother! I catch more flack from my hard rock or cowboy friends for my like of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. It really was the first rock video. Even though it predated MTV by a few years.

Rossination, I attented my first opera a few months ago. The Marriage of Figaro. This was a English language version and though it frumped the singing in a few places, it was VERY good. The singers had good voices and played the parts well. I'm convinced that these comedies are the place to start for opera newbies. I'm afraid I wouldn't have "gotten" a tragedy. Maybe next time. Now that I've seen the Marriage of Figaro, I shall have to see the original. The Barber of Sevile.

Regards, Todd

[mrob]

Comedies are indeed the way to go--the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas are even more accessible.

[mark the shoeshine boy]

the gran ole opry is still the best....down in nashville tn


mark tssb

[rtaylor61]

Hey Randy. Preach it brother! I catch more flack from my hard rock or cowboy friends for my like of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. It really was the first rock video. Even though it predated MTV by a few years.

Rossination, I attented my first opera a few months ago. The Marriage of Figaro. This was a English language version and though it frumped the singing in a few places, it was VERY good. The singers had good voices and played the parts well. I'm convinced that these comedies are the place to start for opera newbies. I'm afraid I wouldn't have "gotten" a tragedy. Maybe next time. Now that I've seen the Marriage of Figaro, I shall have to see the original. The Barber of Sevile.

Regards, Todd

I remember rushing home from work to watch "Burt Sugarman Presents Wolfman Jack and the Midnight Special". Watched the performance and was totally floored. It's the only time I'll own up to being a fan of any Queen!

Randy

[TomH]

So we've discovered that my 19 month old son loves opera. I have a little knowledge from a college class, but would like some suggestions for good CDs.

Hi Barry,

what is with "Schuberts- Forellenquintett" or something like "Smetanas-Moldau", very delightful music...

Try it out...

Regards

Thomas

[crackstar]

Try listening to me sing hip-hop in the shower! :lol: :lol:

Jeff

[TomH]

Try listening to me sing hip-hop in the shower! :lol: :lol:

Jeff

Jeff, my friend,

...no Hip-Hop, under the shower I think, the best song is:"I'm singing in the rain..." or "Raindrops keep fallin' on my head"...:wink: :wink:

But I hear some other kind of music...:001_rolle :001_rolle

Thomas

[Scotto]

Best opera, bar none: Verdi's Otello. Heart wrenching.

[mantic]

...We were at an Italian restaurant the other night and my son was instantly hooked on the woman singing. She stopped by and sang a song and my son just stared at her with his mouth open. Didn't even blink. At one point a moved in front of him and he pushed me back so he could see her. I've never seen him that way....
LOL. Reminds me of a vacation my wife and I took to Las Vegas last year. We stay at the Venetian resort and they have these singers all dressed up in Renessance (sp) costumes, singing Italian opera, wandering through the resort shopping areas. A little kid in a stroller (2yo?) was wide-eyed, mouth-open at the female soprano. The whole troupe of singers noticed and they "played" to the kid. It was a really cute sight.

Back on-topic, Gilbert & Sullivan stuff, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, and possibly Vivaldi's "The Seasons" spring to my mind.

--Mark

[Doc4]

I have to resurrect this thread to puta plug in for Beethoven's Fidelio. Get the version conducted by Otto Klemperer!!

[uncletoad]

Gianni Schicchi is the 3rd of a three opera series that is also self contained.
Short, very good accessible music and a funny story.
Puccini is contemporary as far as Opera goes, and his music is superb.
In fact, there is quite a bit of "Puccini Without the Words" out there on CD.

[peacefrog]

I'd start with Mozart (Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni), Puccini (La Boheme, Madama Butterfly), and Verdi (Aida, La traviata).

[brescd01]

I have to disagree. One doesn't start with complete operas, but with arias, which is the great thing about operas, that they are great but can be enjoyed in extracts called arias.

I have to recommend discs of arias sung by Jussi Bjorling on Naxos Historical. Any are great. They will haunt your child forever and may be the inspiration he needs to become musical. His voice is not-quite human, perhaps angelic.

[TromboneGuy]

You might look for Humperdink's Hansel and Gretel. That's a very kid-friendly opera. Bizet's Carmen has some great music in it. The subject matter is a bit out there, but it's in French, so your kid probably won't pick up on the fairly scandalous nature of the story just from a CD.

Oh, some of Offenbach is a blast, too. Maybe Orpheus in the Underworld or La Belle Helene.

I'm looking for stuff that hasn't been mentioned yet. There's a lot of good opera out there. Can't go wrong with standards like The Magic Flute or La Boheme. My two personal favorites are J. Strauss, Jr.'s Die Fledermaus, which was already mentioned, and R. Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. Both of those are fantastic.

[amadkins]

So we've discovered that my 19 month old son loves opera. I have a little knowledge from a college class, but would like some suggestions for good CDs.

Buy "Black Sabbath", "Paranoid", "Master of Reality", and "Vol IV" by Black Sabbath and play them at LOUD volumes around him at all times. Perhaps you can nip this opera thing in the bud.

[TromboneGuy]

Why would you want to do that? nothing against Black Sabbath - I dig some Ozzy myself.

People that hate opera were either introduced to opera the wrong way, or weren't exposed to the right operas to start off with. I don't know how you can't like Der Rosenkavalier. A girl forced to marry a dirty old baron, two chicks in bed together, drunken servants carrying shouting wenches over their shoulders... that's just fun all the way around.

EDIT: For the record - CDs of operas aren't really worth the effort unless you're too young to grasp the story anyway or you already know the opera. Live performances rock.

[Jim]

Thanks for all the great questions. We certainly have enough Wiggles and Doodlebops Tivo'd, so the change in pace is welcome. We were at an Italian restaurant the other night and my son was instantly hooked on the woman singing. She stopped by and sang a song and my son just stared at her with his mouth open. Didn't even blink. At one point a moved in front of him and he pushed me back so he could see her. I've never seen him that way. Now, he could have also been looking at her instead of listening. He does have a thing for the ladies. But we'd like to think it was the music at this age.

A chip off the old block!

The thing for the ladies not the staring with the mouth open not blinking part!:biggrin:

[Holton181]

Even being a musican, I can't say that I'm the best at operas, but here are my picks. You can't go wrong with Verdi. Otello is my fav. Wanger is great too for me becasue he uses that instrament in my avatar.

[TromboneGuy]

Heh. I like Wagner, I just didn't think it was something a young kid would go crazy for. Wagner has his moments (Ride of the Valkyries, etc.) but he has a lot of really weird, sort of amorphous stuff in his operas too.

EDIT: I really only got into operas once I started studying conducting. Like I said, live performances are WAY more fun than audio recordings.

[Holton181]

Heh. I like Wagner, I just didn't think it was something a young kid would go crazy for. Wagner has his moments (Ride of the Valkyries, etc.) but he has a lot of really weird, sort of amorphous stuff in his operas too.

EDIT: I really only got into operas once I started studying conducting. Like I said, live performances are WAY more fun than audio recordings.

I think operas like Die Valkerie are better suited for kids, IMHO, because they sound more like the stuff they hear in movies and such. Wagner's Trilogy in particular have themes that work more like a crazy anime which I think a younger boy would enjoy rather than a solid love story (They made a video game character off of Sigfried in a game that I obssed about in college, Soulcalibur). A kid probably wouln't sit still for four hours on the other hand unless this fantasy opera came with flashing lights and explosions in the background.

This opnion might be fresh off the fact that I caught the Washington Opera's performance last month. It was, to say the least, fantastic. I love that Placido Damingo runs the opera company here

[TromboneGuy]

They had a second trombone opening there a couple of years ago. I got a very polite letter declining to invite me to audition, since my resume's still a little light.

[ratcheer]

Another tip is that you can pick up decent recordings of many of the best arias from iTunes for 99-cents each.

My favorite aria is the Habanera from Bizet's Carmen. Sometimes it gets stuck in my head for days.

Tim

[michaelskar]

I would think a collection of Puccini arias would be nice...I doubt a 19 month old would get really into the recitative...I would stick with the arias...the 'greatest hits" sort of thing...for a 19 month old. but of course I would try out full operas just to see...you never know what will grab their fancy.

[JBHoren]

I'll vote for anything sung by the late Elisabeth Schwarzkopf -- right now, I'm listening to her singing Airs_D'Operas_Romatiques, with material from Wagner, Weber, and Smetana, to be followed by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Operetta (all German).

My favorites are "The Nuns' Chorus" and "Lauras Song", from Casanova.

She had a wonderful voice, with a lovely Viennese style in some (appropriate) pieces with the "whooping" vowels. A brilliant career... and the orchestras playing behind her were all top-notch, as well.

[Dennis]

I want to know if John's almost 3 year old (now) still like opera. :biggrin:

Dennis

[TromboneGuy]

No telling. My sister's cockatoo loves Stravinsky, so who knows?

[Nick]

I have to resurrect this thread to puta plug in for Beethoven's Fidelio. Get the version conducted by Otto Klemperer!!
Thank god you did. I totally missed it the first time around, and if I had, I totally would've lost out on this tidbit:

...I have a little knowledge from a college class...
You took a college class... on opera? :blink:

But seriously, it's just a phase. Play the kid some Skynyrd, Stones, ZZ Top and Eagles, and he'll snap out of it.

-Nick

[DirtyDave]

How about Porgy and Bess? The story may be a bit hokey by today's standards, but so much of the music has become, well, the standards.

[peacefrog]

You took a college class... on opera? :blink:

Why is this surprising?

[sphughes]

Channel 85 on Sirius is the Metropolitan Opera Radio channel. A vey nice channel IMO.

-Scott

[Nick]

Why is this surprising?
It isn't surprising, it was my attempt to goad Mr. K with a little light-hearted ribbing. I tried to convey that with my 'serious' suggestion that he play some ZZ Top to snap the kid out of it.

-Nick

[Doc4]

I have to disagree. One doesn't start with complete operas, but with arias, which is the great thing about operas, that they are great but can be enjoyed in extracts called arias.

I have to recommend discs of arias sung by Jussi Bjorling on Naxos Historical. Any are great. They will haunt your child forever and may be the inspiration he needs to become musical. His voice is not-quite human, perhaps angelic.

A big +1 for Bjoerling. And also for Fritz Wunderlich, who would have been a superstar had he not died tragically young.

[scruffyv]

Recently took my 8 and 15 yr old boys with SWMBO to the NYC Opera - Performance of Pirates of Penzance. Reasoning was that it is in English, is funny and goofy sort of like Monty Python comes to Opera, and it is very very short. They had a good time, and I would recommend it for the knee high crowd.

[Doc4]

Recently took my 8 and 15 yr old boys with SWMBO to the NYC Opera - Performance of Pirates of Penzance. Reasoning was that it is in English, is funny and goofy sort of like Monty Python comes to Opera, and it is very very short. They had a good time, and I would recommend it for the knee high crowd.

There's a televised version of POP floating around out there, with Lynda Rhonstadt (sp??) in one of the lead roles, which is a treat.

[Juaquin]

Well, it isn't Opera by far, but no musical education can be complete without Tchaikovsky. It's my favorite classical music - both to listen to and play. Symphony No 4 is one of my favorites of the favorites - awesome opening for the horn section. It's definitely more interesting than most classical stuff, so it enjoys quite a bit of exposure to the average public.

[Scotto]

There is nothing on the planet like Verdi's Otello. It was a seminal moment in my life when I first saw it. There are lots of good recordings, but I have a special place in my heart for the Domingo/Milnes/Scotto rendition. Soul wrenching....

[sphughes]

Wow......As I read your post Scotto, I had the exact recording playing on my computer. Based on your earlier recommendation, I picked Otello up (same performers) and I have to say......Your opinion of it is spot on.

IMO, listening to this just takes me away to another place.......

-Scott

[Mr. Clean]

I am not well versed in the individual opera recordings, but I can offer what is IMO and outstanding introduction for the novice. The Movies Go To The Opera recorded on the EMI label. 16 cuts playing just over 71 minutes of very entertaining and familiar musical glimpses into the world of opera. I have use the Wagner: Die Walkure - Rise of the Valkyries selection as one of my standard musical pieces for auditioning various audio equipment.

Thanks to all the respondees, I will be searching for some of these recordings as possible additions to my music library.

[Larry C in Texas]

My favorite opera is the one with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. I don't know the title (The Hare of Seville?), but one of the memorable parts goes "Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit".

Of course, I have viewed "A Night at the Opera" with the immortal Marx Brothers many times.

[Mottern Man]

Since this thread was dug up almost a year after it started I have to ask

John, Dose your kid still like Opera?

[letterk]

I was just going to post an update. The answer is very much yes. I received a CD of favorite arias by a very nice gentleman of this forum. We listened to it in the car on our way to dinner last night. My son was clapping at the end of every aria and calls it his "special music". I can't tell you how nice it was to listen to that instead of Veggie Tales or Seasame Street for the 43,639th time.

I haven't seen him completely fixated on it like that one night in the restaurant, but I believe that had something to do with the lady singing to him only a few feet away. It's always better live.

[Doc4]

There is nothing on the planet like Verdi's Otello. It was a seminal moment in my life when I first saw it. There are lots of good recordings, but I have a special place in my heart for the Domingo/Milnes/Scotto rendition. Soul wrenching....

Maybe I know why it's your favourite?? (But seriously, Otello is one of Domingo's 'signature roles', maybe the top one of his career, so this should be a decent recording!!)


My favorite opera is the one with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. I don't know the title (The Hare of Seville?), but one of the memorable parts goes "Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit".

Of course, I have viewed "A Night at the Opera" with the immortal Marx Brothers many times.

I am aware of two Bugs Bunny opera cartoons ... one is based on Wagner, with Elmer Fudd, and that's the one with the 'kill the wabbit'. He also did one based on the Barber of Seville ... I suspect you have the title right ... which doubtless featured that favourite of cartoon arias, the figaro-figaro-figaro thing. And I also remember a rendition of The Blue Danube, which put the Ugly Duckling story to the Strauss waltz.

[Mottern Man]

I was just going to post an update. The answer is very much yes. I received a CD of favorite arias by a very nice gentleman of this forum. We listened to it in the car on our way to dinner last night. My son was clapping at the end of every aria and calls it his "special music". I can't tell you how nice it was to listen to that instead of Veggie Tales or Seasame Street for the 43,639th time.

I haven't seen him completely fixated on it like that one night in the restaurant, but I believe that had something to do with the lady singing to him only a few feet away. It's always better live.

That is Awesome!

We put on the music stations from Comcast to figure you what my son likes, so far Mexicana is the hands down winner. :smile: