Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Opera/Archive 45

message: The following statement in the article, "Now that opera companies (with a fixed cast) are a thing of the past," is untrue. 
Most European opera companies still have a fixed staff of singers (sometimes on a salary), which are sometimes, but not always, joined by better-known guest artists. The terms "Prima Donna" and "Primo uomo" are still frequently used (either in the native language or in Italian), without negative connotation, to denote the most able or successful singers on staff.
Miklósfai 12:25, 12 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Welcome Miklósfai to the Opera Project and Wikipedia! You are absolutely right about Prima donna. I have just made a quick correction to that page. (The article wasn't written by anyone here and it does rather overemphasize the pop side.) Are you Hungarian, I wonder? Actually we need some help with our Hungarian articles. -- Kleinzach 12:52, 12 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  [[Prima Donna]] article 

message: Since we sort of agreed to alternate male and female singers wherever possible, December would be the ladies' turn. Just to remind you of the suggestions so far...
Sparafucil suggested filling a gap he noticed in coverage of the New Music Divas "Dawn Upshaw and Meredith Monk have articles well underway, but Bethany Beardslee, Joan LaBarbara, Cathy Berberian, Judith Bettina, Jane Manning and others who have shaped the music of our own age all have rather skimpy stubs (if that)."
:Two other suggestions in this category are certainly Jill Gomez and possibly Cyndia Sieden (created the role of Ariel in The Tempest (Adès).Voceditenore 08:34, 7 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Christine Whittlesey and Susan Narucki could also be added. Sparafucil 05:00, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

text: The extended list for New Music Divas  is looking good. I'm happy to back that for December. -- Kleinzach 05:24, 8 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Since there were three votes for the New Music Divas, and no proposals for anything else, I've made them the December SoM. We'll hold the great contraltos over until February when it will be the ladies' turn again. Have just got back from the USA. When I've collected my thoughts and gathered my wits, I'll kick off the proposals for January.  We did pretty well with the "Great Verdi Baritones", with several new articles. In the next couple of days, I'll create one for the only remaining 'orphan', Achille De Bassini. Best, Voceditenore (talk) 14:10, 27 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Singers of the month for December

message: We now have 3,892 articles about opera. (These are articles displaying the Opera Project banner.) 
Here are some more figures to illustrate the development of the Opera Project to date: 
From The opera corpus:
*Composers = 503 (of which 7 are still red-linked)
*Opera titles  = 1,877 articles (about one-third still red linked)
Category: Operas:
*Opera title articles  = 1,191
Articles about people:
*Category: Opera composers  = 197 (little used category)
*Category: Opera singers  = 144 (little used category)
*Category: Opera librettists  = 129
*Category: Opera directors  = 90
*Category: Opera managers  = 81
Articles on voice types (almost all opera singers):
*Category: Sopranos = 394
*Category: Mezzo-sopranos = 117
*Category: Contraltos = 27
*Category: Castrati = 22
*Category: Counter-tenors = 34
*Category: Tenors = 168
*Category: Baritones = 61
*Category: Bass-baritones = 41
*Category: Basses = 73
Total in voice categories above = 937
Articles about institutions etc.:
*Category: Opera companies  = 157
*Category: Opera festivals  = 48
*Category: Opera publishers  = 9
*Category: Opera competitions  = 6
*Category: Opera organizations  = 4
Technical articles about opera:
*Category: Opera terminology  = 112
*Category: Opera genres  = 33
Descendant projects:
*Gilbert and Sullivan = 287 articles
*Wagner = 46 articles
--Kleinzach 06:31, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Did you exclude :Category:Opera houses? Rmhermen 05:44, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Not particularly. Many categories are not included above. I was just providing an overview. In the case of :Category: Opera houses, there are 45 sub-categories by country so it's hard work counting them. BTW all the articles should have a banner and be in :Category: WikiProject Opera articles. -- Kleinzach 07:54, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

text: I should probably point out, in all fairness, that many of the G&S project articles are on plays, not operas. Gilbert was a prolific playwright, as well as a librettist. 129.215.149.98 (talk) 18:41, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Statistical review (14 November 07)

message: Is this really an opera as the article claims? Rmhermen 05:29, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks for bringing up the issue. About the article, i vote for ABSOLUTELY NO! How can a recording of a "band" members with punk heads + pirate style etc .. i dont know how to describe, (See Corvus Corax band photo at their official website) can claimed themselves as “Recording a full length of opera”. Hit this link in Wiki Article, it says "German band Corvus Corax recorded "Cantus Buranus", a full-length opera set to the original Carmina Burana manuscript in 2005.". Sorry to say but it is like a big insult to me! - Jay 06:15, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I have changed "opera" to "recording album". - Jay (talk) 15:42, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: [[Cantus Buranus]]

message: Someone has posted a bio of this soprano in Greek. She is definitely notable (she played the part of Juno in René Jacobs' recording of La Calisto).  My modern Greek is not too hot, but I will try to translate some of it. If anyone has any info in English, maybe we could add that and create at least a stub on her. Cheers. --Folantin (talk) 13:46, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: The article has been Speedily Deleted for blatant copyright infringement. --GuillaumeTell (talk) 15:21, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: [[Sonia theodoridou]]

message: I put opera banner in all the talkpages - It is because, before we added “v.d.e”, some people may not know how to access or amend the template, but now they easily change it by hitting “e”. For protection, I believe the banner is important, so then people know that they should discuss with peopl in Opera Project before make any changes. - Jay 01:45, 2 December 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I've now suggested we use a 'codeless' version of the banner for this because the normal version places pages in :Category:WikiProject Opera articles for bot processes. -- Kleinzach 04:00, 2 December 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Good idea, I agree - Jay 05:58, 2 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Opera banner for template talk pages

message: Thought ye might like this - Adam Cuerden 18:39, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Also, if anyone knows, can someone give me the years of the London premières of Rossini's operas? I know this is somewhat obscure information, but with it, I have a very good chance of illustrating all the later operas (Illustrated weeklies only really took off in the 1840s.) Adam Cuerden 18:44, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Picture research is important - and can only become more so. However to be absolutely candid about this, contemporary Italian and German sources would be a lot more valuable than English ones for these works. -- Kleinzach (talk) 00:06, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Noone denies that. However, I have easy access to English sources, and don't have access to Italian and German sources. The images, even if not from the original productions, are still illustrative, so we may as well get them and use them, since the pragmatic choice for the near future is between contemporary English images... and no illustration at all. =) Adam Cuerden talk 07:54, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Quite nice!   Have you come across anything for I masnadieri (premiered in London, July 22, 1847.)? Sparafucil (talk) 11:17, 27 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I've just done 1843, and am working forwards from there. Adam Cuerden talk 14:27, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

text: The Naples Theatre Archives (Archivi di Teatro Napoli) are a valuable resource for portraits of singers, original set and costume designs, etc., especially for Rossini. Go here:  and scroll down to "collezione Ragni: Scenografie, figurini, prospetti e piante". You can do a search on other composers here . Enter the search term in the box for "Ricerca in tutti i cataloghi" and then click "Cerca". Best, Voceditenore (talk) 15:31, 27 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lohengrin