Phil's Opera World

Opera in tre atti. Running Time: 1 hour 37 minutes. I wrote this review two years ago. It is probably one of my shortest. SETTING: Ancient Rome, during the Gallic Wars. Essentially the same as the Spontini opera except with a tragic ending for our lovers Emilia (soprano) and Decio (tenor). Both are outfitted with […]

Komische Opera in drei Akten. Running Time: 1 hour 58 minutes. Did anyone notice that I switched the Strauss here? I am planning out more Richard, but I have never tackled a Johann before, and there is a reason for that, although Johann Strauss worse 15 operettas, he always wanted to write an opera, and […]

Opera in one act. Running Time: 1 hour 39 minutes. The shorter, if more melodic, older sister of Elektra is based on a German translations of an originally French play written by Oscar Wilde, and is for the most part just as much a soprano marathon as the later opera. I have heard this opera […]

Opera in one act. Running Time: 1 hour 48 minutes. Hugh von Hofmannsthal wrote his play Elektra in three weeks in 1903 at the age of 28. Following the first production of Salome, he tempted Strauss with this scenario, which the composer thought was too similar to his most recent opera. Strauss was eventually persuaded […]

Opera in one act. Running Time 1 hour 18 minutes. And now a little bit of opera in history from Historian Phil! Thank you to Itaprikanmaa2 for restoring the sound on this recording! It is not actually the 1938 premiere recording, but rather a recording of the 1939 Vienna production of the opera. Nevertheless, the […]