For the current WIP I'm working on, one of my characters have an appreciation for opera. Honestly, I'm not a fan of opera, or wasn't until I started doing the research and watching videos on You Tube.
While looking at various operas, I came across La Traviata that's based on Alexandre Dumas's Camille: The Lady of the Camellias. The Lady of the Camellias is the story of Marguerite Gautier, a young courtesan, or kept woman, in Paris in the mid 1800's, and how she falls in love with a young man, Armand Duval, and then tries to escape from her questionable past. Unfortunately, it comes back to haunt her and she ends up returning to that life and dies painfully and alone, but with the knowledge that she was a good woman at heart.
The duet- Un dì, felice, eterea from La Traviata is very well known and was one of the songs heard in the movie, Pretty Woman. The lyrics are so very beautiful:
Alfredo: That day I've never forgotten,
When I beheld your beauty.
Since that moment I loved you,
Loved and adored from afar.
Hoping for love, love that fills the universe,
Love that inspires radiant dreams of life eternal,
Strangely mysterious,
Shining in golden splendor,
Sorrow, sorrow and rapture,
Sorrow and rapture, rapturous joy!
Violetta: Love, I fear, can never be,
Friendship is all I can offer.
Since love is pain and torment,
I avoid that strange emotion.
Pleasure is all I ask of life,
Freedom and joy forever!
So you must soon forget me
And find another love.
I was able to find an airing of Un di felice, eterea when La Traviata was performed in 1983 with a young Placido Domingo and Teresa Stratas singing the duet of Alfredo/Violetta.
Even if you don't understand the words, the emotion as Placido and Teresa both sing their love to one another is very moving and romantic.
It looks like I may have a new appreciation for the arts. Perhaps I will now become an opera lover?
Any opera lovers out there who can recommend other operas or songs that you think I'd enjoy? What's it about opera that you love?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
My New Appreciation: Opera
Posted by KB/KT Grant at 7:15 AM
Labels: Opera appreciation
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12 comments:
Madame Butterfly is my all time favorite. The sheer emotion behind it all is almost over whelming. *sigh* I cry the entire time.
I got big into opera when I was researching the music for Song of Seduction. Tosca is brilliantly tragic. Fidelio by Beethoven is underrated because of his symphonic works--and has a bonus happy ending that you won't find in much opera! But my favorite is the French masterpiece Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy. If you haven't heard French opera, this is the one to try. It's amazing how the languages create such different overall feelings.
Carl Orff - Carmina Burana.
Maybe you're ready for the miracle that is Andreas Scholl.
He's a countertenor, and widely considered as the best voice around right now. Bar none.
The first time I saw him was at Glyndebourne, when he did Rodelinda. I watched jaw agape, as did most of the audience. (The staging was silent movies, so don't let the costumes put you off).
This is Dove Sei
http://youtu.be/WWRHdTCJyyA
This is the stunning love duet with Antonacci:
http://youtu.be/b_631iPcGo0
That is what angels sound like.
I'm with Carrie on Fidelio. The "Big Four" Mozart operas are all brilliant: The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute.
I'm a big fan of Verdi. La Traviata, along with Rigoletto and Il Trovatore were all written within about a year, right in the middle of his career, and contain enough great music and high drama to satisfy anyone.
Going to differ with Carrie re. French opera. I like the big tunes so I'd go for Gounod (Faust , Romeo et Juliette) or Bizet (Carmen!).
I could go on but that's probably enough. I have an unpublished MS about a Regency era opera singer, based on the careers of Catalani and Malibran, two great stars of the early 19th century.
Hum, I hate to be picky...but
The son of Alexandre Dumas that wrote the "The Lady of the Camellias", Alexandre Dumas senior that wrote "The Three Musketeers", Same name, different guys, (and I love both hehehe...)
Beijos!
Lili: Thanks for telling me because I swore I read that Dumas who wrote Camellias also wrote the Musketeers. Off to fix post...
Habanera from Carmen. So spirited and lively and perfect.
And then, there's the heartbreaker of Un bel di, vedremo from Madama Butterfly. I cry every time I hear it.
Carmen would be a good "beginner's opera". You're probably already familiar with most of the music. The story's fairly depressing, but the music is great. It was even remade as a made for TV "hip hopera" with Beyonce. (I haven't seen that, but I think I need to.
Personally, I love Puccini. Tosca has some of the most beautiful arias. Nessun Dorma and O Mio Babbino Caro are beautiful as well. I've been an opera geek since middle school and I used to dream of being a singer myself. I spent hours listening to and singing along with my opera recordings. I drove my family a little crazy. ;)
I'm not a big fan of Mozart's opera's (way too many sopranos), but I completely agree with Miranda that Verdi is brilliant. Rigoletto is one of favorites. I love the Flower Duet from Lakme, but I've never listened to the whole opera. Also, you MUST listen to Turandot and La Boheme!
For people starting out with opera, it's usually best to start with collections from opera singers and be introduced to various operas that way. Pavarotti has some great collections and Maria Callas is another biggie.
My advice?
Seriously - go and see an opera. The more spectacular, the better. There is nothing like it, nothing else comes close. The special effects are staggering, the singing stupendous, and these days you even get subtitles on a screen above the stage.
I'm a Mozart girl myself. My favorite opera is Don Giovanni, but it's a close call. Sheer perfection. The recent Glyndebourne version is pretty good, but you'd have to look a long way to improve on Thomas Allen's version.
And I love Britten's operas too.
You really do learn something new everyday. Wasn't aware till now of the significance of that opera in Pretty Woman.
I've never been to an opera - closest would be seeing Phantom of the Opera at the Fox Theater in Atlanta lol. Which I loved. Would definitely like to see an opera one day.
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