Getting into Opera... need advice


I have never listened to much opera, but have lately been accidentally encountering it, and decided its time to dip my toe into the water.

I am interested in starting with something that has a very melancholy, introspective feel to it. Something slower... not too sprightly.

I guess that desire leads me to believe that I should look for a tenor, but if someone has a recording that features a female vocalist that they think would fit the bill, I will be receptive to such a suggestion.

Oh, and I have a CD-only rig. No vinyl or high resolution capabilities.

Thanks very much for the help.
niravp

Showing 1 response by sugarbrie

FYI...Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote songs for Sarah Brighman, because at the time she was Mrs. Andrew Lloyd Webber (no longer). That is also how she got the lead in Phantom...

While very pleasant, I don't consider her an opera singer, or Andrea Bocelli. Their voices are kind of light. Note that they both always sing into a microphone. Can you say Karaoke ??

There are recordings that have opera "highlights". They have all the favorite parts on a single CD; which saves you from spending a lot of money on a big 2 to 4 CD set. This might be a good place to start without breaking the bank. Your local library may also have some CD's you could check out...

You could also sample various soloists who put out CD's singing their favorite arias from a bunch of different operas. If you like what you hear, you can then try out the whole opera...