Boito, arrigo mefistofele full opera score the score is introduced with a scholarly preface english and german and the preface is available online for inspection. Through most of the opera faust is wearing a business suit and white shirt which give him an air of respectability. Ave, signor, sung by mephistopheles in the prologue, and the prison scene for the soprano margherita gretchen remain familiar recital items. Arrigo boito, hungarian state orchestra, hungaroton opera chorus. This time the main character is the devil mefistofele and this is the only opera composed in italian, which opens the door for lots of singers in. Boito mefistofele ramey,cupido,dessi dir bartoletti orch maggio firenze 1999ita sub. Royal opera of wallonie on world of opera mefistofele. Source of recordings information of mefistofele on. This recording of boitos mefistofele, dating from 1973, is like an old lover one just cannot forget.
A forlorn, aged philosopher sets out on a perilous course when he makes a deal with the devil in this monumental treatment of the faust talean enticingly impressive production from the san francisco opera. Boito if at first you dont succeed, try, try again. Riccardo muti leads the chicago symphony orchestra and chorus, chicago childrens choir, and bass riccardo zanellato in the prologue to boitos mefistofele on june 22, 23, 24, and 25, 2017. Mefistofele is an opera in a prologue, four acts and an epilogue, the only completed opera with. Boitos mefistofele is another demoninspired work which is not exactly. P where many of the principal performers were based. Say a silent prayer that the tenor doesnt crack on that pivotal note.
With ildar abdrazakov, ramon vargas, patricia racette, erin johnson. Arrigo boito, julius rudel, london symphony orchestra. I watched the live performance of an opera composed and written by the famous verdi librettist arrigo boito, who reacted to both berlioz and gounods operas and tried to show his own point of view. Only the prologue and a couple of arias find their way onto concert programs. Mefistofele is devilishly fun humbled and overwhelmed. There are 40 recordings of mefistofele by arrigo boito on file order by conductor this discography was generated by clor for the compiler 1 1928se panizza ettore grande orchestra sinfonica. Boito mefistofele chaliapin as mefistofele the victrola book of the opera. Boito mefistofele mexico city, april 2015 duration.
This performance is being broadcast live on metropolitan. Chorus san francisco opera mefistofele samuel ramey. Sep 08, 20 mefistofele, arrigo boito s ambitious but maladroit operatic treatment of the faust story, needs two things to make it tolerable. Although it is supposedly a secondrate opera, boitos mefistofele has had a lot of successful recordings and holds its place in the hearts of operaphiles such. All this is made possible by a worldwide network of musicians, musicologists and musicloving amateurs who contribute to the series in many different ways. Mefistofele simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This 1989 production by the san francisco opera of boito s great opera mefistofele is an excellent one, and the opera is given absolutely complete. So it was tonight his opening act was a torrent of sound. Some consider it a semimasterpiece, but it is definitely the masterpiece among the few operas that boito composed. Devil takes all in the mets mefistofele by bachtrack for classical. Boito began consideration of an opera on the faustian theme after. Publication date 1989 topics vhs, opera, faust, san francisco opera publisher kultur international films digitizing sponsor internet archive contributor. Opera identifier imslpboitoarrigo identifierark ark.
I first encountered it at the new yorkcity opera r. And from the complete albums, placido domingos two sets recorded. For many years, the top dvd recommendation for boitos mefistofele has been the 1989 version from the san francisco opera starring samuel ramey. Smith recordings the golden age of opera, 195671 by william shaman, william j. Zynisch bekennt er sich zu seiner nihilistischen, destruktiven weltsicht. He is secure and commanding vocally and portrays an intriguing and multifaceted character. I do agree with those who think this opera is a less than ideal masterpiece. It is a resigned, often cynical devil who arrigo boito also known for being the librettist for verdis later masterpieces otello and falstaff distilled from goethes twopart faust tragedy and turned into the protagonist of his only finished opera.
Source of recordings information of mefistofele on operadisopera. But at the same time it is so perfectly an echtitalian opera of its era that its melodies, situations, and choruses stir the blood in a manner not unlike verdi and ponchielli, and a good performance can leave the audience breathless. And from the complete albums, placido domingos two sets recorded in 1974. That seems to be the moral of the story behind the creation of mefistofele, arrigo boitos herculean effort to set goethes faust to music. In the volume opera on record 3 edited by alan blyth, music critic and. The production is from belgiums royal opera of wallonie. Mefistofele full recordingorchestra dellaccademia nazionale di santa ceciliacoro del teatro dell opera di romatullio serafin, conductorcesare siepi, bassmario. Operavoorstelling, opgenomen op 611 november 2015 in het. Arrigo boitos mefistofele is an opera that is not as good as it sounds.
Ei mordera nel dolce pomo devizi e sovra il re del ciel avro vittoria. Norman treigel, placido domingo, montserrat caballe, josella ligi cond. His faust opera, mefistofele, was performed often in italy before world war ii. Although boitos mefistofele, a cosmic interpretation of goethes epic work and originally. This new version is the same production, superficially refreshed, and with a different cast. Boitos mefistofele is an uneven work, dramatically fragmented, episodic almost to a fault. The lord of creation has plummeted into the darkest depths and is now so weak that i lack the desire to incite him to do evil. Roland schwabs bayerische staatsoper productionhis debut at that theater, recorded in 2015sets the entire opera in a dark netherworld, neither here nor there, with heaven and earth occupying the same bare, stygian space. If the item details above arent accurate or complete, we want to know about it. Boitos librettos for verdis otello and falstaff are his major legacy, but his music is largely forgotten. Mefistofele is an italian opera in a prologue, four acts and an epilogue. Coro del teatro dellopera di roma orchestra del teatro dellopera di roma. He and his designer, michael levine in the first of their many happy collaborations set mefistofele in an eighteenthcentury opera house with centuryspanning carryingson. Samuel ramey is ideal in the role of mephistopheles.
Feb 29, 2008 arrigo boito retells the story of the original, faustian bargain from the devils point of view in the colorful drama mefistofele. Recordings of mefistofele by arrigo boito are surveyed in the following publications. San francisco operas production of boitos adaptation of goethes classic conflict of good versus evil, under the baton of maurizio arena. Beschrijving en overzicht van uitvoeringen van het muziekstuk mefistofelevanarrigo boito 18421918. Mefistofele is one of a clutch of operas still routinely disdained by critics and cognoscenti. This discography was generated by clor for the compiler. Mefistofele is one of many pieces of classical music based on the faust legend, and like many other composers, boito used goethes version as his starting point. Arrigo boito, norman treigle, placido domingo, montserrat caballe, the ambrosian opera chorus, the london symphony orchestra, julius rudel mefistofele album 10 versions his masters voice germany. Mefistofele opera play streams in full or download mp3 from classical archives, the largest and best organized classical music site on the web. This is one a handful of operas along with boris godunov and attila where the bass is the king. Boito mefistofele arena, ramey, benackova, san francisco.
Arrigo boito bio, albums, pictures naxos classical music. There are 40 recordings of mefistofele by arrigo boito on file. Jun 16, 2017 for more details on the metropolitan operas chicago residencies, check out the companys performance history database. Complete your arrigo boito, nicolai ghiaurov, carlo bergonzi, renata tebaldi, lamberto gardelli collection. He was an admirer of richard wagner, and like him chose to write his own libretto, something which was virtually unheard of in italian opera up to that time. Arrigo boito mefistofele selections album art ghiaurov, boito ghiaurov. Boitos only completed opera, for which he wrote both words and music, was mefistofele, based on goethes faust, a work to which he made considerable alterations. Mefistofele frankfurter museumsorchester arrigo boito.
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