Hoffnung Festival
In celebration of the 239th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven (thanks, Camille!) La Cieca invites the cher public to share their favorite versions of the “Abscheulicher!” from Fidelio — or, for that matter, other personal Beethoven faves. La Cieca’s pick after the jump.
Well, I’ll take the easy one:
28 years old. Sigh.
Wow, this is just fabulous! Brava, Silja.
The new threaded comment format lends itself very well to this type of discussion. We can discuss each video individually.
Made even more wonderful by the fact that she was doing THIS at 19.
there used to be a video of her in costume doing this aria. anybody knows where it went? It no longer is on YT.
And some of my favourite singing by any dramatic tenor:
Not from “Fidelio”, but great singing, nevertheless!
Also not Fidelio, but just gorgeous:
Wunderlich = Wundervoll!
You beat me to it on this one. A stunningly beautiful piece of singing, with that unique Wunderlich tone that manages to be at once pure and slightly dirty at the same time…there’s something of sex in that sound.
I doubt anyone who has ready much of what I’ve posted before will be surprised by this choice of Leonore (can’t find her Komm Hoffnung on YouTube but I decided as a kid that it’s my funeral music). Anyway, have the Act I trio instead, with the added bonus of some Popp.
Ooops, embedding fail.
Here we go:
Thank you!
Beethoven may not have written many operas, but it is hard to beat this trio. Totally sublime
Who knew the young Bea Arthur sang Leonore?
Sorry, but all of Fidelio/Leonore mostly just makes me laugh!
Pre-Maude, post-Mame.
Have always enjoyed this concert aria! “Ah! Perfido.”
i’ll see your wunderlich and
Happy Birthday to my Immortal Beloved, the greatest of the greats.
Could someone do me the kindness of posting Frida Leider’s Abscheulicher? I am too retro to understand how to import the YouTube videos. Just a little 19th century lady coughing up her lungs.
Much obliged.
do you have the mp3? send to us at the Parterre and we can do it
Squirreley dear — I truly am retro. I don’t really even know what an mp3 is.
Frida is on YouTube. I’ve already heard her sing it, and it is peerless. It would be nice for everyone to hear her interpretation, from 1928 with Sir John Barbirolli.
I’ll take another stab at trying but I don’t understand modernity.
I understand. Sometimes I don’t even know what a parterre.com is.
When people emphasize their disconnect from modern technology, as Camille does, I always wonder if they’re independently wealthy or something and just have other people to wait on them hand and foot. I’m truly puzzled by it.
Alto, I think it’s just an alternative lifestyle. Or an alternative reality. I thought of going off the grid many times, but it would be much easier if I had never gone on in the first place.
Retro is cool.
Just see how many people are re-embracing vinyl ( as in records) after having abandoned it in favor of CDs.
But mp3 allows you to load up on a few operas for plane trip across the country – rather awkward with vinyl.
I too am embracing vinyl – for evening attire!
Squirrel, I see — and saw — the alternative-lifestyle aspect, but that’s why I ask if they don’t have to worry about making a living. It’s hard to think of occupations that don’t require or at least greatly profit from efficient electronic communication.
And, Pernille, who are all these people who are “re-embracing vinyl”? Seriously. I’ve been hearing this for at least fifteen years in casual remarks. Yes, I know a few people do it, just as some insist on using oil lamps instead of electric lights. But there must be more of the latter than the former.
My favorite section of Beethoven music EVER is this, the sublime and magisterial 2nd movement of the 5th piano concerto. With Uchida and Ozawa, no less. I love watching this woman play.
I love this movement. Although at 0:34, I find myself singing “There’s a place for us…”