Where is a good place to listen to good opera on the internet?
I’m on an opera kick at the moment, but I don’t have any of my cds of recordings around; where can I listen to it on the internet? I mostly like Italian and French opera; some of my favorites are Carmen, Turandot, Tosca, Gianni Schicchi, Nozze di Figaro, I Puritani, Magic Flute… ones along those lines. Youtube hasn’t been really helpful, and I’m wary of most of the online radio stations because they’re generally geared toward more popular music. Has anyone found one that has a good selection of classical opera (I really don’t like anything too new; I especially hate opera in English!)?
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I don’t have any idea of websites, but I have an extensive opera CD collection and could help you find the best (well, in my opinion) recordings of many operas. My two favorites are Turendot and Les Contes d’Hoffmann.
Judging from some of the music you’ve posted on the song title game, I’m assuming that you like pretty good music (an assumption that was furthered by your taste in opera). Have you heard the East Village Opera Company? It’s a mesh of rock and opera, and it’s amazing. I particularly like their versions of O Mio Babbino Caro and Nessun Dorma. Check it out if you haven’t already!
I usually have my ipod to listen to operas if im in the mood for it. I got a few complete operas loaded and some compilations.
I recently got an account at Pandora Radio and thats what I sometimes use just to listen to random songs. I have an Opera, Romantic Period (Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi Puccini to Wagner and Strauss) and Opera, Classical Period (Gluck, Montiverdi through Mozart) playlist and I can access it on both my computer and iphone.
If you are looking to listen to complete works online, that I don’t know. I love searching youtube because I sometimes find some amazing performances that I can’t watch anywhere else. If I want to listen to complete operas, I would just pop in the CDs and let it play.
You can find streaming broadcasts from some of the classical music stations in major cities. Check their websites.
True; but Tits is talking about now. For off-season, use CDs. And add Don Giovanni, Barber of Seville, Aida, and La Boheme, which are all rich in melody and very accessible.
@TitsMcGhee if you’re in the US, you might try Pandora. They’re also good for investigating other genres of music.
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