TOBY AT THE OPERA.
I love the opera, don't you? No, oh well you had better not read this article then, you philistine.
Never been to the opera before, Toby's top tips for newbies.
- Don't go to a preformance in english, it just doesn't work, sounds wrong, awkward.
- Don't go to a performance that uses surtitles, they are really off putting and annoying.
- Just go to an opera sung in its native language and throw yourself into it.
- Do read up on the story line beforehand, so that you know roughly what is going to happen, then understanding the language isn't such an issue, just soak it up and enjoy.
- Try something by Puccini, in Italian, lots of deaths, love interest, suicide, deception, tears, disease, joy, you get the idea.
Tobys favourites.
The Love for Three Oranges, Op.33 by Pokofiev.
Written in 1919 by Sergei Prokofiev, this opera is based on the fairy tale comedy by the 18th century Venetian writer Carlo Gozzi, titled The
Love for Three Oranges.
The plot is about a king, the King of Clubs, whose dreary son will die, unless he can be made to laugh.
It involves, of course, a witch, a magician, a niece plotting to steal the kings throne, a clown, some henchmen and three oranges that contain three princesses.
What more could you ask for.
The opera was first performed on December 30, 1921 at the Chicago OperaLyric Opera of Chicago and has become Prokofiev's most widely performed opera.
The Barber of Seville, Op. 63 by Gioacchino Antonio Rossini
Based on the play written by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, this play was also used by Mozart who wrote the marriage of Figaro.
At this point in history barbers were the forerunner of what later became surgeons and as such were well respected and thought of by society.
Count Almaviva is in love with Rosina, who is kept locked up by her guardian, Dr Bartolo, who also plans to marry her.
Figaro (the barber) helps the Count trick the doctor, the Count disguises himself througout as a student, a soldier and Rosina’s music teacher.
Finally the Count and Rosina are married and Figaro has a grateful new customer.
Take note, The Barber of Seville is known as a opera buffa or a comic or light opera, the other more serious operas are known as opera seria (serious),
remember to try and slip that into the conversation and impress any opera buffs you might bump into.
Other favourites include;
- Cosi fan frutti - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Melon Lescaut - Giacomo Puccini
- The Marriage of Figaro - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- La Figlia del Reggimento - Donizetti
- Giobanana d’Arco - Giuseppe Verdi