seductive atmospheric Opera

I love my Gorecki Symphony n.o 3,fabulous late evening relaxing-while-reading music,any other suggestions?

 

Several possibilities although none of it opera - but then neither is the Gorecki.

Arvo Part has some definite similarities to Gorecki - can be quite seductive, but can also get a bit tedious if less than utterly inspired. My favourite disc is "Triodion" from a group called Polyphony on Hyperion. Completely inspired throughout, with the exception of an initially catchy but rather trite opening track. Also "Spiegel in Spiegel" is quite rivetting.

As mentioned by JackOTrades on this thread, try the Philip Glass Violin Concerto too - the middle (slow) movement is some of the most peaceful music I know, but the oute movements drip with nervous energy. Then there's my faourite, Beethoven Op 111.

For more choral stuff, but from a previous age, Allegri's Miserere, with that divine high treble solo, and Tallis's "Spem in Alium" is wonderful - but rises to quite a climax that may mean it's not really completely relaxing.

Other possibilities, but a bit more passionate (so build to quite a climax) are Barber's Adagio (as in "Saving Private Ryan") and Schoenberg's Verklaerte Nacht - the string orchestral version is an easier and more passionate listen than the original String Sextet.

In the non-classical field, there's also the more new-agey "Passing Measures" by David Lang (about 45 minutes of gently rocking "ahs", plus wind-chimy things, which very gradually drop in pitch), or Brian Eno's "Music for Airports" - the piece that started off the "ambient" genre and which is orders of magnitude better than it's title suggests. Both of these are available on the Canteloupe Music label - available from their website (New York), or some on-line stores, but probably not at your local HMV!

Then I'm sure there're several "The most relaxing classical album in the world - ever (until the next one in this series)" discs. Haven't tried those. They probably include some of the above, and Elgar's Nimrod, Mozart Piano Concerto No 23 slow movement....

If you do want to try Opera - there's probably several similar type of excerpts discs. The best operatinc bits tend to be more impassioned than relaxing anyway. I would expect to see things like:
"Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" from Verdi's Nabucco.
"O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi
"To the moon/An den Mond" from Dvorak's Rusalka
"Au Fond du Temple Saint" from Bizet's "Pearl Fishers"
"Che gelida manina" from Puccini's "La Boheme"
The Flower Duet (the British Ariways ad music) from Delibes' Lakme
"Dove Sono" from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro
Seems as if all these are on most of the major compilations, e.g. This one seems to go for the passionate/tender ones rather than the more "muscular" bits - although I know nothing about the performances on it.

 

Not really relaxing but if you're upto shedding a tear or three then IMO the most moving aria from any opera has to be "E lucevan le stelle" from Puccinni's "Tosca".

Just the music alone (the clarinet opening is a killer) is enough to send shivers up my spine but when you know what he's singing about (see * below) it's a guaranteed tear jerker :cry:

Pretty much all other Puccinni arias get you by the heartstrings too (how does he do it?) but this one is by far the best.

Michael.

* - extremely briefly, the hero, Cavaradossi, has for the first time in his life got everything to live for and the love of a beautiful woman (Tosca of the title) but just at the moment he has "never loved life so much" he knows he is to be executed for treason at dawn.

 

I'll second some Part.

Try Tabula Rasa/ Fratres.

Beautiful stuff.

 

cheers

 

You could try some of the Carl Jenkins stuff Adiemus and The Armed Man. Also the most similair in mood I can think of to the Gorecki is the Hilliard Ensemble, Jan Garbarek fusions that ECM sell. They really are mellow and gorgeous

 

If you want mellow and gorgeous orchestral music, you could try a CD of Delius's orchestral works - it doesn't matter which ones as they're pretty much all the same. Blissfully calm music for an English pastoral idyll ('Paris - A Song of a Great City' notwithstanding) that doesn't really go anywhere and doesn't really care - less morose than the Gorecki but similarly tranquil. And for heaven's sake, if you don't know it, lay your hands on Sibelius's Swan of Tuonela (one of his Four Legends but usually just played on its own) - amazingly haunting and atmospheric, not a million miles from the Gorecki in terms of "feel" but even more effective IMO.

 

Meant to ask - did you get a ticket for the Gorecki concert at the RFH a week on Sunday? If so we could meet up in the bar sometime. Oh - and it's Yvonne Murray singing the solo - a pretty good ENO stalwart up until a few years ago. She makes a lovely noise on my Rosenkavalier highlights disc.

 

Not an opera fan myself but do like some of the famous bits and more restrained "beautiful" sounds from mainly boroque and classical era as opposed to screeching, droning, whaling or bellowing of the romantics in general.

The first famous bit to pop into my mind when I read the first post on this thread was "The Shepherd's Song" from Canteloube's "Songs of the Auvergne". Although I've never actually heard the complete Songs of the Auvergne cycle so don't know what the rest is like.

Another song cycle which I like which seems to fit the bill for late night listening would be Elgar's Sea Pictures. Georgeous, although the last song might be pushing it for calm late night listening, it's still a very soothing listen all in all IMO.

 

my thoughts exactly although I do like that Placebo bloke

 

My brother asked me the same question and I just suggested Mahler's 5th Symphony - you will be hooked by the third listen, I promise you.

 

I've just got back from an absolutely wonderful production of La Boheme, from Glyndebourne Tourin Opera at Woking. If you have any interest in opera at all - or even think you might - then you HAVE to see this. It has always been one of my favourites, even if the plot's a bit/lot melodramatic. It has humour, tragedy, male bonding, women both seductive and predatory....and fantastic tunes throughout. More intellectual opera-buffs do sneer at this a bit, but Puccini sure knows how to tug a heart-string. So no screeching or droning anywhere...except when "essential to the plot" - in the middle of a lovers tiff (although there is a bit of entirely justified wailing right at the end).

The production is modern dress, with plenty of contemporary references (kids scrap over mobile phones, fags and alco-pops....bag-searches at something that looks like a tube-station). Above all every character is exceptionally believable...the singers are mostly young and while maybe not quite in their 20s, they have the great advantage of not looking like prosperous mid 40s opera singers. Oh and they all sing fantastically.

Remaining dates of the tour are:
Woking: Oct 30
Milton Keynes: Nov 3, 6
Norwich: Nov 10, 13
Plymouth: Nov 17, 20
Stoke-On-Trent: Nov 24, 27
Oxford: Dec 1, 4
Tickets are not cheap (stalls at Woking were £49), but you'll get far more out of one evening here than wasting it on another interconnect upgrade!

If you do go, make sure the good lady takes a LARGE box of hankies, as this is a real tear-jerker. And do make sure you have a couple yourself...if the tears don't roll down your cheeks then you have absolutely no heart.

In case anyone's interested, here's the essence of the plot's (it's a bit basic, but simplicity wins here). (Act 1) four arty types on Xmas eve broke and freezing in a garrett, poet theatrically burns his latest play to warm them up, musician comes back with some easy money and three go of to blow it at the cafe, leaving poet to try and finish a few lines...and meet the neighbour (Mimi) who calls round to "borrow" some coffee (actually to get a light for her candle)...and it's love at first sight. So after a brief thought of "staying in" they head off to the cafe (and she clearly doesn't intend going home that night).

(Act 2) Cafe/crowd/party scene. One of the mates (a painter) is taunted by an old flame who dumped him, but now wants him back instead of the rich sugar-daddy she's now sponging off. She wins (of course) and she and painter basically get it on outside the cafe, leaving sugar-daddy with the bill for both tables

(Act 3) April...Mimi is now dying of TB and she and poet agree to split, to avoid him pain...and so she can get pampered by someone richer. Meanwhile painter and flirt have another spat and go their separate ways.

(Act 4) Back in the garrett, poet and painter bemoaning their loss...and broke again. Other mates come back and a bit more "friends"-like fun/fantasy ensues. In comes flirt with the now terminally ill Mimi. Firends head off pawning whatever they can for some final comforts...big parting song...she dies.

 

Graham, you've runied the plot now haven't you?

Will see if any of the dates coincide with when I'm in the UK as it sounds worth going to. La Boheme was my first Puccini opera and still one of my faves (allthough nothing will ever beat Tosca).

Michael.

 

One of the most beautiful (and beautifully recorded) pieces of music I've ever heard is this:

Available online (with clip) here
Glorious woodwinds and brass and serene voices...