Favourite Opera moments
Jun. 1st, 2006 10:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lesbiassparrowI'm about to do the yearly shelling out of money to Los Angeles Opera (though not for season tickets this year, as last season had too many dodgy productions to lure me back to that extent) and as a way to steel myself up to handing over the credit cards I decided to post some of my favourite opera moments. These are the ones where I am reminded of everything that I love about opera and that it's worth the money and the occasional five hour performance or ill-advised use of plastic which crunches so loudly it interferes with the singers (I am still not over that occuring in Parsifal this season).
1. Un Ballo in Maschere (Verdi). The opening of Act 3, where Amelia is about to be killed by her husband for betraying him with his best friend and they have this frenzied duet which ends with her aria 'Morro, ma prima in grazia' where she asks to be allowed to see her son one last time and he lets her and then he realises he can't kill her. And it's all so horribly screwed up, both both arias are masterpieces of despair and beauty
2. Tosca. (Puccini) The scene where Tosca kills Scarpio, then arranges candles around his body and then announces that now she forgives him. It's done in this deep, bitter tone and if it's staged right and with the right actress it's chilling.
3. Ariadne auf Naxos. (Richard Strauss) When Bacchus arrives on Ariadne's island and she thinks he's death at last come to end her suffering and instead he falls in love with her and they sing this duet at cross purposes and it is some of the loveliest music ever. Ariadne's so tired of life and Bacchus has just arrived in this world and gradually he convinces her to come back from her desire for death.
4. Giulio Cesare (Handel). When Julius Caesar has finally got his way into Cleopatra's bedroom and he's singing undying love to her (he thinks) sleeping form and then she wakes up and she's tells him she'll love him forever and he's a little taken aback by that. It's very funny. No, really it is.
5. Parisfal. (Wagner) The first grail scene, and the contrast between Amfortas' agony and the beauty of the grail and Parsifal's cluelessness about what is being revealed. And the music just rolls over you until you're uncomfortably caught between the beauty of the chorus and agony of Amfortas' words.
6. La Traviata (Verdi) when Violetta's had her meeting with her lover's, Alfredo, father and agreed to leave him. And she has to say goodbye to Alfredo and not tell him and she tells him she'll love him forever. It's so desperate and Alfredo is so clueless and happy and their tones do not match up at all.
7. Elektra (Richard Strauss). Where Clytemnestra tells Elektra about her terrible dreams and not only are the words terrible but Elektra slowly draws her mother towards her death and it's quite horrible but you just get lured in like Clytemnestra.
8. Don Giovanni. The ending where Don Giovanni gets hauled down to the underworld and he just won't give in. He sticks to who he is (alright who he is is a total bastard). And there's satisfaction at seeing him punished but also admiration. And as with all of Mozart the music just pulls you along for the ride.
I have others but I have now reconciled myself to the spending of money on opera tickets so that's the job of this post done. :-)
2. Tosca. (Puccini) The scene where Tosca kills Scarpio, then arranges candles around his body and then announces that now she forgives him. It's done in this deep, bitter tone and if it's staged right and with the right actress it's chilling.
3. Ariadne auf Naxos. (Richard Strauss) When Bacchus arrives on Ariadne's island and she thinks he's death at last come to end her suffering and instead he falls in love with her and they sing this duet at cross purposes and it is some of the loveliest music ever. Ariadne's so tired of life and Bacchus has just arrived in this world and gradually he convinces her to come back from her desire for death.
4. Giulio Cesare (Handel). When Julius Caesar has finally got his way into Cleopatra's bedroom and he's singing undying love to her (he thinks) sleeping form and then she wakes up and she's tells him she'll love him forever and he's a little taken aback by that. It's very funny. No, really it is.
5. Parisfal. (Wagner) The first grail scene, and the contrast between Amfortas' agony and the beauty of the grail and Parsifal's cluelessness about what is being revealed. And the music just rolls over you until you're uncomfortably caught between the beauty of the chorus and agony of Amfortas' words.
6. La Traviata (Verdi) when Violetta's had her meeting with her lover's, Alfredo, father and agreed to leave him. And she has to say goodbye to Alfredo and not tell him and she tells him she'll love him forever. It's so desperate and Alfredo is so clueless and happy and their tones do not match up at all.
7. Elektra (Richard Strauss). Where Clytemnestra tells Elektra about her terrible dreams and not only are the words terrible but Elektra slowly draws her mother towards her death and it's quite horrible but you just get lured in like Clytemnestra.
8. Don Giovanni. The ending where Don Giovanni gets hauled down to the underworld and he just won't give in. He sticks to who he is (alright who he is is a total bastard). And there's satisfaction at seeing him punished but also admiration. And as with all of Mozart the music just pulls you along for the ride.
I have others but I have now reconciled myself to the spending of money on opera tickets so that's the job of this post done. :-)
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Date: 2006-06-02 11:00 am (UTC)Here I don't think we get too many chanced to go to the opera and as you mention it's really expensive. Besides here most of the seats are taken by the people who usually loves it too much... so it's kind of hard to find nice/not to expensive seats.
I hope that someday I can watch some that I really loved to see like The barber of Seville or Figaro's Wedding, or Tosca... or Carmen.
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Date: 2006-06-02 08:13 pm (UTC)Lulu is an interesting opera to have seen, though. I saw it once years ago and really like it.
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Date: 2006-06-02 01:43 pm (UTC)Enjoy the tickets!
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Date: 2006-06-02 08:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-02 02:06 pm (UTC)Speaking of Mozart, the transcendental "Piú sono clemente and dico di sí" in Act III of Le Nozze. The whole plot comes into a crashing halt, and the Countess picks up the momentum and redirects it by forgiving the Count. THen you get the radiant chorale, followed by somewhat manic cheer.
Such a great isolated moment.
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Date: 2006-06-02 02:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-02 08:17 pm (UTC)I love that part of Le Nozze. I got the chance to see a lovely production in LA this year and it was wonderful (though the Susanna was a bit weak in the first act, but you can't have everything) and almost wiped out the memory of their absolutely awful Parsifal and Madam Butterfly (both productions of the same guy, so now at least I know who to avoid in future).
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Date: 2006-06-02 08:36 pm (UTC)