I'm going to Boheme in a week, and find I don't have a recording of it. Who will recommend a good, cheap one?
Also, why don't they have an application that gives you the supertitles while the opera plays? That would be very, very useful.
« Big fish, but not too big | Main | Substantive arguments against tax increases » Music Friday07 Sep 2007 01:30 pm Comments (18)
I agree, the Beecham version with Bjoerling and de los Angeles is beautifully sung. 
Come to the Houston Grand Opera. We have surtitles for all non-English productions....
Save your money. I bet the library near you has a few versions. Buy the one you like later.
Megan, The 1972 recording of the Berlin Philharmonic, starring a young Pavarotti, is the one to have. It's 30 bucks, maybe too much for some, but for me, it's well worth it.
I was in Orvietto recently and found an old 78 rpm recording of Boheme that was recorded in 1961 in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Luciano Pavarotti appeared in the role of Rodolpfo. I would suggest that if you purchase that recording it may meet your needs.
PS: There is an application that will help you understand the opera. It is called "Italian" and is put out by Rosetta Stone.
There are many good DVDs of La Boheme. They are in general cheaper than CDs, the sound quality is as good, and they have subtitles in English.
You can borrow my copy of the Beecham Boheme if you're inclined.
What are "supertitles"? Sigh.
You said: "recording" ie audio possibly with video. You said "application", see above. That would be either subtitles (with a video of the performance) or just "text", if it were, say, karoke style. Since few opera-goers lug a laptop to the opera, it's hard to know what else you mean by "application". Did you mean a device? Or a scheme, for example "supertitles"? (Projected in the theatre). Confusing as ever.
Also you said "Opera plays", ie recording. Otherwise, performs, you know, stage. Some of us are writers who only get paid some of the time. When I see a writer being paid all the time who can't be bothered to proof, spellcheck or correctly construct an intelligible sentence... Heck of a job, Atlantic!
Steve, You live a tough, tough life. Sigh.
Steve, it's pretty clear what she's saying if you just apply the use of a brain. She's going to see the Opera, "La Boheme," or as it is known in America, "Rent." She wants to listen at home, as well, and she wants something that'll manage the supertitles on her computer while she's listening at home. See how easy that was? I don't see anything, but the karaoke angle's not a bad one-- Get some karaoke software that includes a CD-G editor, get a copy of the libretto, and you'll have to do the supertitles manually just once-- but hey, it's a good way to learn the lines, or even the Italian for that matter, as you do all the timing crap. At some point you'll've ripped the CDs to MP3s. Marry the CD-G files to the MP3s, throw them in a karaoke player, and you can impress your friends with your rendition of "Sì, mi chiamano Mimì" at will, or maybe some "O buon Marcello, aiuto!" when you're feeling consumptive. Your neighbors will be really impressed. Or just listen and read.
You don't see anything because "supertitles" are projected in the theatre and have nothing to do with pre-recorded materials. Google, however, has clues re supertitles: Personalized Results 1 - 10 of about 12,900 for +la +boheme +subtitled. (0.12 seconds)
Steve: I like Matt Yglesias's work (despite frequently disagreeing with him), and he makes typographical errors all the time, often making the resulting sentence nearly incomprehensible. I don't go nuts over it. I disagree with Megan McArdle on many things also, but I can't figure out why she attracts such white-hot hate.
The Beecham, Bjoerling, De los Angelos
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Beecham is the classic recording and it is very good and on a budget label.
Posted by Tyler Cowen | September 7, 2007 1:40 PM