2008 Edition

2008-01-09T18:53:00.000+08:00

Divas on YouTube
lists over ~~200~~ 300 sopranos and mezzos with videos on YouTube.

OperaTube Subscription Centre
keeps track of all the latest Youtube videos from ~~100~~ 200+ users with operatic interests; 10-15 new videos added every day!

TEST: Search the indexed sites for mp3s

Top picks

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The greatest performances, picked from among the indexed sites

Lucie de Lammermoor

Patrizia Ciofi: Mad scene - Lucie is Donizetti’s own adaptation of Lucia di Lammermoor for the French stage in 1839. In this production by Lyon Opera in 2002, Patrizia Ciofi’s spellbinding performance brought the house down.

Tancredi

Vesselina Kasarova: O patria...Di tanti palpiti - Tancredi returns from unjust banishment to his homeland and his beloved. Kasarova’s performance suggests a contemplative interior life, bravado, tenderness.

Norma

Montserrat Caballe: Casta Diva (video) - Video from the 1974 Norma at Orange, with the mistral blowing through the amphitheatre. Montserrat Caballe here in a performance that she has deemed her finest.

Index of download sites

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WEBSITES

Amadis Close to 70 mp3s, concentrated in the Baroque. Some gems: Patrizia Ciofi sings "Anche il mar par che sommerga", Sandrine Piau sings "Scoglio d'immota fronte", Edita Gruberova sings 'Ah se il crudel periglio".

Cantabile-Subito This site is dedicated to the "Great Singers of the Past", and, apart from the mp3s, contains biographical notes, pictures, discographies.

Classical MP3 Bo-young Lee Many classical mp3s, among which is a considerable number of operatic pieces. It's easiest to browse by composer, but also take note of the video section, and the list of new items.

Cylinder Preservation - 200 opera mp3s in this digital archive of cylinder recordings - the earliest commercially produced sound recordings.

Dementia Filth - Updated occasionally, this is a set of complementary pages showcasing two extremes of the operatic art, both equally hair-raising.

Der Hölle Rache - 12 Queens of the Night, and 1 pretender to the throne: Osvath, Berger, Lipp, Streich, Popp, Peters, Deutekom, Moser, Serra, Gruberova, Jo, Sieden -- and Florence Foster Jenkins.

GNUMP3d "Classical" database - Large database of mp3s. Operatic material includes recordings by Tebaldi, Te Kanawa, Vargas; works by Monteverdi, Mozart, Puccini, and more. [Aug 2006] Site appears to be down.

Lieder & Art Song - 150 mp3s; works by Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Brahms, Beethoven, Berlioz, Barber, Bernstein, Britten, and more.

Mike Richter's Opera Notes Something new every week! And Mike has also produced the Audio Encyclopedia CD-ROMs, with titles like “Italian Opera from Teatro Colón”, “Callas Masterclasses”, “Operas of Richard Wagner”, etc; 75 mp3s available.

Mozart-Archiv An exhaustive representation of Mozart's work on mp3! Operas and vocal music are in the second half of the page; the only pity is that the performers are not announced.

Musiikin mestareita - Mp3 selections by Finnish radio station YLE 1, featuring singers of the past such as Patti, Melba, Flagstad, Sack, Caruso, Pinza, Tibbett, Gigli.

O Holy Night - Close to 100 recordings of Adolphe Adam's "O Holy Night"! by Leontyne Price, Yvonne Kenny, Georges Thill, Jussi Björling... and more.

Opera Studio Good collection of mp3s, though not terribly well organised; the main collection is supplemented by a Verdi special and a page for videos.

OperaTube More than 100 opera video-clips, found on YouTube, the website for video-sharing. Browse the videos by singer, and watch any of them without having to leave the page. Among the videos: Natalie Dessay performs "Glitter and Be Gay"; Marilyn Horne sings "Canzonetta Spagnuola"; Joan Sutherland has a bash at "O beau pays"; and Robin Schlotz, boy soprano, sings "Der Hölle Rache".

Screamandkill.com - A monthly taped homemade "radio show", with host Stella Maria Krazelberg von und zu Brabant. 7 installments have been made so far; all are archived here and can be downloaded.

South African opera-singers - Sound files and biographical information. If unfamiliar with this territory, try Mimi Coertse for starters.

Stars of Bulgarian Opera A trove of mp3s featuring Bulgarian opera-singers: Anna Tomowa-Sintowa, Boris Christoff, Ghena Dimitrova, Ljuba Welitsch, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Vesselina Kasarova, etc. Also, you can hear how to pronounce all their names.

Tenors Listening Room - Monthly selections of 3 or 4 mp3s. May has Kraus, Sabbatini and Florez singing "A te, o cara". Part of the Voci di tenore website.

Unnatural Acts of Opera 20 full operas: Ariadne auf Naxos with della Casa, Gueden; La fanciulla del West with Steber, del Monaco, Il trovatore with Price, Corelli; Don Giovanni with Siepi, Gencer, Jurinac, Freni; etc. And more goodies in-between.

Verdi's Disco A discography of Verdi’s 28 operas on LP and CD, where for each opera, every one of its musical numbers is represented by an mp3. In some cases, more than one mp3 is given: There are 35 renditions of “Addio del passato”, in which every major Violetta since 1928 can be heard!

Wagner - 20 mp3 files, including the Good Friday Spell, Kirsten Flagstad singing the Wesendonck Lieder, and Birgit Nilsson's Brunnhilde with Solti.

Wagnerians - All the great Wagner singers of the past are represented here, each by one or more mp3s. However, download speed is slow to very slow.

YAHOO GROUPS

Bel Canto Heaven - About 10 mp3s at the moment; last additions in Feb 2005. Currently features Julia Varady as Abigaille (Nabucco).

Casta diva - 9 sopranos sing Norma's prayer "Casta diva": Giannina Arangi-Lombardi, Celestina Boninsegna, Montserrat Caballe, Maria Callas, Anita Cerquetti, Lilli Lehmann, Zinka Milanov, Rosa Ponselle, Joan Sutherland.

Coloratura Usually 5 or 6 mp3s around at any one time, focusing on the coloratura soprano voice; additions are frequent; files stay up for only a week, then are taken off. There's also a group Gmail account. Further reading: Coloratura sopranos and The Legacy of the Diva.

Handel Forever - The mp3s come and go, but there’s usually 1 or 2 new ones every week.

Handel-L - A couple of mp3s. In the forum, very erudite discussions.

Nightingales of Opera - 6 mp3s available at the moment, including Mado Robin singing "Spargi d’amaro pianto" (Lucia di Lammermoor), in which she interpolates a B above high C. Last additions Jan 2005, and quiet since.

Opera Centerstage - Mp3s can be found in (1) the Files section, (2) the Messages, because sometimes they use rapidshare or yousendit to share files, and these expire! (3) the shared Gmail account.

Opera Discussion - Frequent mp3 uploads, usually covering an act or so of an opera.

Opera Francais - 10 mp3s, including the rare Fabliau of Manon, sung here by Yvonne Brothier.

Operanuts I II - 2 groups to which Charlie Handelman frequently posts new mp3s. Plenty to download, but gettting repetitive.

Opera Samples I II III - Occasional uploads of mp3s. Group II is the one with more files currently.

Opera seria - 4 mp3s at the moment. Includes Joan Sutherland singing "Non han calma le mie pene" from Carl Heinrich Graun's Montezuma.

Opera Share This group makes use of Rapidshare to share very large files, like videos or entire operas. But if you're not a premium member of Rapidshare, it's pretty hard to download.

Opera Showcase I II - Occasional uploads of entire operas in mp3.

Parlour of Opera-lovers - Active discussion forum and files section; usually about 10 mp3s available, with high turnover. Covers all aspects of opera.

Rossini Club Site - Some mp3s in the files section. Seems to have gone quiet of late.

Slavic Opera - 18 mp3s (latest uploaded in April 2004) in this group "dedicated exclusively to the art of Slavic opera and all of its melancholic glory."

Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore - 2 groups to which Charlie Handelman frequently posts new mp3s. Plenty to download, but gettting repetitive.

INTERNET RADIO

Operacast Schedule of opera broadcasts on the internet, surveying over 100 radio stations! The audio is streamed live, in various formats, and may be recorded.

Viva La Voce - 24-hour internet radio station, focusing on the vocal arts repertoire: Opera, operetta, choral music, and art song.

SINGERS (A-F)

Anna Moffo - Anna Moffo has left us. This tribute site presents her Amina, her Violetta, Butterfly, Marguerite, Manon, and others. See also the Anna Moffo Yahoo-group for 5 more mp3s, and (2) OperaTube for video clips.

Anita Cerquetti - [Yahoo-group] 10 mp3s in the files section, of arias and duets from Nabucco, Ballo, Trovatore, Don Carlo,, etc.

Beverly Sills 200 mp3s of Beverly Sills in live performances: From a 1955 Aida to a 1978 Fiorilla (Il Turco in Italia, sung in English), and along the way, all of her famous roles like Cleopatra, Lucia, Violetta, Baby Doe. Plus the hilarious pastiche "Sillsiana"! (Alternative download area at Webjay.)

Birgit Nilsson Remembering Birgit Nilsson (1918-2005) by her voice, her art, her humour. Also see OperaTube for video-clips of her Turandot and Isolde.

Carol Vaness - Carol Vaness sings Lady Macbeth, March 2003, at the Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam -- her three main scenes are here on mp3.

Deborah Voigt - [Yahoo-group] About 20 mp3s at the moment; last addition in Mar 2005. Not all of them are of Deborah Voigt; also got Renee Fleming, Bidú Sayão...

Denia Mazzola Gavazzeni - 4 mp3s and 5 wma: Arias from Esclarmonde, Poliuto, La rondine, Il piccolo Marat (Mascagni), among others.

Diana Damrau - The site offers some audio in downloadable realmedia format and some streaming video (with two tucked away in the Concert page).

Edda Moser - [Yahoo-group] 4 mp3s, with the last added in November 2004. Includes one Strauss's "Amor", and another Strauss's "Frühlingsstimmenwalzer".

Edita Gruberova Edita Gruberova is supreme in the Mozart concert arias: KV 74b, 88/73c, 368, 416, 418, 419, 538, and 316/300b "Popoli di Tessaglia", with 2 Gs in altissimo, the highest notes written in the classical repertoire! Also see Opera Studio for Gruberova's Elvira (I puritani), and OperaTube for her Elisabetta (Roberto Devereux).

Elizabeth Parcells Large collection of mp3s from Elizabeth Parcells's recitals and opera performances, all of it quite marvellous.

Enrico Caruso - 75 mp3 files are offered here in the "Collected Works of Caruso part 1".

Eteri Lamoris - 9 tracks from her CDs -- and not the usual suspects: Princess Rezia's aria from Haydn's L'Incontro improvviso, "Otoño porteño" by Astor Piazzolla...

Ewa Podles Mp3s of her Azucena, Eboli, and Erda; and videos from her concert, singing the great Rossini roles.

SINGERS (G-N)

Giulietta Simionato - [Yahoo-group] 10 mp3 files: Arias and duets from Cavalleria Rusticana, Aida, Adriana Lecouvreur, La favorita, Anna Bolena, Mignon. In addition: Videos of Simionato as Carmen, Cherubino, etc.

Jose Carreras - Live performances from throughout Carreras’s career. Downloadable realaudio format (low sampling-rate).

Juan Diego Flórez - [Yahoo-group] 5 mp3s (all uploaded in September 2004). More on JDF. Also video-clips from La fille du regiment and L'Italiana in Algeri.

June Anderson - Several short audio selections in mp3 format: "Ah non credea mirarti", "Ardon gl'incensi", "Casta diva", "Sempre libera", "Dulcissime", etc.

Jussi Björling - 6 mp3s of Jussi from early in his career ('36-'38).

Kathleen Battle - [Yahoo-group] Currently 4 mp3s in the files section, with the occasional addition.

Laura Claycomb - A lot of mp3 files and sound samples.

Leontyne Price & Placido Domingo - Verdi and Puccini duets (from Otello, Ballo, Aida, Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Tosca). More Leontyne on video at OperaTube.

Leyla Gencer 7 Verdi arias (in downloadable .rm format), including "Tacea la notte placida...Di tale amor", "Gualtier Malde...Caro nome", and "Vieni, t'affretta...Or tutti sorgete". Take note of the pronunciation of her name. Also: Unnatural Acts of Opera has her complete 1971 Gioconda.

Lotte Lehmann - 20 mp3s to download, and many more that can be played within the page: Arias, songs/lieder, and interviews.

Luciano Pavarotti - 15 mp3s, including such hits as "Nessun dorma", "E lucevan le stelle", "Celeste Aida". Also see Ibiza's music for Rapidshare links to more recordings, e.g. rare Verdi arias.

L’ubica Vargicová [Yahoo-group] Close to 20 mp3s, all uploaded in 2003, and no additions since. But still, an excellent collection. Arias from Lucia, Sonnambula, Lakme; and a bizarre two-soprano rendition of the ‘Doll Song’ from Les contes d’Hoffman.

Maria Callas 6 mp3s of Callas's "greatest moments at the Teatro alla Scala": as Leonora (Il trovatore), Anna Bolena, Norma, and Violetta. And more Maria on video at OperaTube. Also see Ibiza's music for Rapidshare links to download complete sets of her Norma, Sonnambula, Trovatore, Ballo, Barbiere, and Il Turco in Italia.

Mariella Devia A dozen mp3s of live performances by Mariella Devia, including "Son vergin vezzosa", "Caro nome", and several selections from Donizetti's Parisina and Rossini's Otello. Also try Opera Studio for her Lucia and Lucrezia Borgia, and OperaTube for a video-clip of "Ah non giunge".

Maureen O'Flynn [Yahoo-group] 6 mp3s (and a handful more featuring other singers); arias from Sonnambula, Puritani, Linda di Chamounix, and -- my favourite -- the duet "L'aura che intorno spiri" from Tancredi, with Vesselina Kasarova.

Miah Persson - [Yahoo-group] A dozen mp3 files, with Miah Persson as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier and Sifare in the Salzburg '05 Mitridate; and more as well.

Milagros Poblador - A couple of short soundclips (Queen of the Night, Amina, Olympia), but even better are the videoclips in .mov format (QotN, Gilda, Violetta, Oscar).

SINGERS (P-Z)

Patrizia Ciofi 8 mp3s, currently featuring the Mad Scene from Lucie de Lammermoor, and arias from Rigoletto, Le nozze di Figaro, Tancredi, Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo, Otello, and L'Olimpiade. Also: Ciofi yahoo-group.

Raina Kabaivanska - 30 mp3s, a good survey of her repertoire.

Regine Crespin - 25 mp3 files in this tribute to Regine Crespin by the NYC Opera Fanatic. Also available: Discography and Met broadcasts.

Rosa Ponselle - About 10 mp3s: Pieces from La forza del destino, La Vestale, Norma, etc.

Sumi Jo - No mp3s here, but quite a few videos of Sumi Jo in recital. The site is way over-designed; to find the videos, go to On Stage > Performances.

Vesselina Kasarova Just 3 mp3s: "O patria...Di tanti palpiti", "Una voce poco fa", "Or la tromba". How to pronounce her name.

Victoria Litherland - 6 mp3s: Pieces from Manon Lescaut, I pagliacci, La forza del destino, Tosca, and Verdi's Requiem.

BLOGS

Bruckovsky Opus Cero - Classical-music uploads using Yousendit or Megaupload, occasionally operatic.

Escuchando ópera - Rapidshare download links. [Jan 2006] L'Italiana in Algeri (2003) with Vesselina Kasarova and Juan Diego Flórez; Turandot (1964) with Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli.

Handelmania podcast - Daily (almost) mp3 compilations. Themes range from "Viva la cabaletta" to "Singers starting with Z".

Ibiza's Music - Rapidshare download links. Cotrubas in Traviata, Dimitrova in Nabucco, Schwarzkopf sings Mozart, and plenty of Callas.

NYC Opera Fanatic - Occasionally, mp3s to be found in the blog entries.

Premiereopera podcast - Tenor-centric mp3 selections, but with occasional female guests, e.g. Caballe joins Corelli in concert, 1968.

Vilaine fille - Audio offerings in mp3 every now and then. [Jan 2006] Juan Diego Flórez and Mary Dunleavy "Son geloso del zefiro errante" (La sonnambula).

Wagner Operas podcast - Excerpts of performances from Bayreuth.

Technical guide

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How to download, play, and edit music files?

Net Transport - DOWNLOAD files of all types - including streaming audio/video! (If the URLs of the streaming files are hidden, you may need to use URLSnooper to ferret them out.)

Winamp - PLAY .mp3, wma, ogg, mpeg, wmv, avi, CDs, etc.

Wimpy - PLAY .flv videos on your desktop. (Youtube videos are in this format; to download them, use JaviMoya.)

CDex - RIP audio tracks from CDs and save to your computer as mp3 files.

Audacity - EDIT .wav files (eg. cut, splice, mix, increase volume); also can be used to RECORD live audio and convert tapes and records into digital format.

Mp3 Direct Cut - EDIT .mp3 files without having to decompress and re-encode.

Buying guide

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Where to shop online for opera recordings?

Amazon Try the other countries’ Amazon sites if you can’t find what you’re looking for: UK | DE | FR | JP | CA

Berkshire Record Outlet [USA] Not all that many opera discs, but if they’ve got it, it will be very cheap. A lot of “limited-pressing” DVDs from USD8.99. I would suggest downloading the catalogue (.xls) and browsing from there.

Crotchet [UK] Extensive opera and classical catalogue; prices generally on the high side.

HMV Japan [JP] About the only Japanese music store site that provides an English-language interface. Which makes it much easier to get at the Japan-only releases, and imports, especially for the recordings of Gruberova, Devia.

JPC [DE] Half-minute sample clips (in .wma format), often where Amazon provides none.

Mainly Opera [AU] Recordings on the smaller classical labels such as Bongiovanni, Dynamic, Orfeo, Myto, Preiser, Hardy Classics. Free air-mail delivery anywhere in the world.

Ebay - Online auction site, as well as links to online stores. Great rarities occasionally surface here.

House of Opera - CDs, DVDs, video-tapes and audio-cassettes of noncommercially available recordings.

Opera Exchange - Not a commercial site, but a consolidated listing of private collections of live opera/orchestral performances. The site aims to bring collectors together “for the purpose of exchanging and sharing their treasured performances.” If you are not a collector, but are interested in any of the listed recordings, the site owners can help you obtain them “for a modest handling charge”.

Premiere Opera - CDs and DVDs of “vintage, rare and unique opera performances”, mostly live recordings.

Opera mp3