Opera recordings without the libretto

[Barbirollians]

Up to a few years ago, DG was allowing you to download libretti from their website (which I did for the two early operas in their Wagner bicentenary box set), while EMI were adding an extra disc with libretti and notes, so you weren't losing anything by not having a booklet. I'm not altogether surprised that this state of affairs has not endured.

I have the Perlea Lucrezia with a libretto, because it was purchased in the early 2000s. A s/h copy should not have been too difficult to find cheaply.

You'll have no problem finding the libretti for Tosca, et al, but if you want to find the libretti for more obscure stuff (Decca's Entartete Musik series, for example) you will have a problem. Decca was also supposed to supply downloadable libretti but when I attempted to access their site (for Ruslan & Lyudmila) I had no joy.

The English National Opera Guides are a good bet, but they are no comprehensive in terms of operas covered.

The French RCA copy was a fiver from amazon.fr! Without libretto it is wonderfully sung by Caballe, Verrett and Alfredo Kraus.

[Stanfordian]

With operas I have to have a libretto which is in the sung language with an English translation.

If I have a opera box set without the libretto I will usually buy a cheap second-hand set of that opera that I know has a full libretto with English translation. I did this a few weeks ago with Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Richard Strauss' Salome.

[Barbirollians]

With operas I have to have a libretto which is in the sung language with an English translation.

If I have a opera box set without the libretto I will usually buy a cheap second-hand set of that opera that I know has a full libretto with English translation. I did this a few weeks ago with Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Richard Struass' Salome.

Have you ever done that and preferred the account with the libretto ?

There are cheap copies of the 1989 release of the Sutherland/Bonynge knocking around - anyone know whether that includes the libretto ?

[Master Jacques]

There are cheap copies of the 1989 release of the Sutherland/Bonynge knocking around - anyone know whether that includes the libretto ?

If it does, that would be the only reason to buy it, in my opinion.

There's a large problem with Tales of Hoffmann libretti in any case, as no two LP/CD versions have ever been alike in contents; and since the 'official' Keck edition came out, you don't even get to hear "Scintille Diamant", which has been thrown out, much to the detriment of the Venice act. It's all rather a dog's breakfast, and a warning against the perils of scholarship when divorced from any sense of theatrical values.

[Stanfordian]

Have you ever done that and preferred the account with the libretto ?

There are cheap copies of the 1989 release of the Sutherland/Bonynge knocking around - anyone know whether that includes the libretto ?

Sometimes! When that happens it's a real bonus!

[Barbirollians]

If it does, that would be the only reason to buy it, in my opinion.

There's a large problem with Tales of Hoffmann libretti in any case, as no two LP/CD versions have ever been alike in contents; and since the 'official' Keck edition came out, you don't even get to hear "Scintille Diamant", which has been thrown out, much to the detriment of the Venice act. It's all rather a dog's breakfast, and a warning against the perils of scholarship when divorced from any sense of theatrical values.

Ouch ! It does include the libretto . I have not dared to listen to it yet.

[Barbirollians]

I have finally got round to listening to the Sutherland Lucrezia - some good singing , some rather over the top orchestral contributions and tempo changes .

Not a patch on the Caballe but at least I now have the libretto.