My friend Phil recently posted on a rarity: Loengrino, by the obscure Italian composer Ricciardo Vagniero. It is one of the most beautiful Italian operas I know, a testament to the glories of bel canto, a worthy successor to the heritage of Rossini and Donizetti. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfMdpfcBaxs Vagniero was a true son of Italy, a fertile vine … Continue reading Ricciardo Vagniero
67. Der Schauspieldirektor (W.A. Mozart)
After-dinner entertainment for Joseph II.
66. Turandot (Giacomo Puccini)
Puccini's last opera: a dream-like work set in Ancient China about a frigid princess who beheads her suitors, a nameless prince, a masochistic slave-girl, and a deadly game of riddles.

