STUMP » Articles » Opera Fun Friday: a Quartet of Quartets » 12 June 2015, 13:11

Before I kick off four of my favorite opera quartets, let’s check out my referrals:

• Wirepoints
• Pension Tsunami

I also got a bunch of hits via facebook, but I can’t tell from whom. That’s odd. This is the first time I’m seeing facebook referrals.

Thanks to the tweeters and retweeters as well!

For the following, I’m not going to explain the context, plot, character, or anything.

While these quartets also work on that level, it’s the sheer musicality that gets one. These are so beautiful… I just listen to them over and over.

ENSEMBLE MASTER: MOZART

I’m going to be hoggy and pick two from Mozart, because he’s the best ensemble writer ever (note: this is different from operatic choral writer — I thought Verdi’s operatic choruses were better than Mozart’s.)

from Idomeneo: Andro ramingo

from Don Giovanni

MOZART’S PUPIL: VERDI

I don’t mean this literally, of course. Mozart was dead for decades when Verdi was born. But Verdi obviously learned a lot of his ensemble writing from Mozart.

Hell, every great opera composer after Mozart learned from Mozart, ensembles or otherwise.

Quartet from Rigoletto

(both Gilda and the Duke are waaaaaay too old, but it’s Sutherland and Pavarotti for crying out loud… beautiful singing)

SOMETHING IN ENGLISH

Okay, okay. I was actually going to put in another Verdi, but let’s get someone working in English in. We so rarely get something in English:

Benjamin Britten: Peter Grimes