Opera-tune-ists: Giacomo Puccini

First published at South Florida Opera Scene on January 19, 2012

Hello again, everybody.  Today, since this is long overdue, I will be writing about one of my favorite composers: Giacomo Puccini. 

Now, anybody who knows anything about opera will tell you that Puccini was a genius.  His operas are among the most frequently performed today.  In fact, you may be hard-pressed to find a single opera company, anywhere in the world, that does not include at least one Puccini opera every season.  But what is it that makes Puccini so popular?  Is it his beautiful, soaring melodies?  His incredibly romantic libretti?  The intense, often heart-rending drama?  Or is it the immediacy of his style, a style that often leads the viewer to forget that he or she is watching an opera rather than an action movie?  Well, the simple answer is, "yes!"  It is a bit of all of these, and every opera lover is drawn to a different element of his work.  My husband, for example, was particularly impressed with Rodolfo's suave, poetic pickup lines.  My brother blares Liu's delicate arias as he drives down the street with his windows open.  And I hang on the edge of my seat for the entire second act of Tosca, even though I already know exactly what's going to happen.  And when you put all of these elements together, the results are often magical!
When I decided to write about Puccini, I thought about what I might include here.  Do I talk about his personal history?  His influences?  His wonderful music?  After giving it some careful consideration, I decided to just start writing and see where it carries me.  After all, that is precisely what his music does: it carries the listener off into the world of the opera.  So I think that the best place to start, as an introduction to FGO's new production, is with the most well-known aria from La Rondine.

Okay, so here we have a beautiful aria.  It demonstrates Puccini's status as a master of gorgeous melody.  But what about the drama?  What about the gut-wrenching, nail-biting action I spoke of?  Well, here is the very scene I mentioned above, as sung by Bryn Terfel and Angela Gheorghiu.

And what of the poetry?  The romantic lyrics?  The beautiful words, and the music that reflects them?  Puccini's operas are full of these gorgeously amorous moments, and who is better suited to demonstrate them than his very own poet?

So here we have some of the most essential elements of Puccini's work: beauty, passion, and drama.  I know I really didn't get into those other things I mentioned, such as history and influence.  But for me, Puccini has always been purely about the art.  Any other discussion, to me, would be a distraction.  When I watch Puccini, I want to close my eyes and enjoy every note.  But I don't dare, because I don't want to miss a moment of what is happening on stage.  I don't want to think; I want to be swept away!  I want to be carried to 19th century Rome, or to Nagasaki, or to Peking!  And therein lies the pure genius of Puccini: with a note, he can carry you to any one of those far-off places and times.
And on that note, (no pun intended,) I will leave you with one final aria to sweep you away.

Opera-tune-ists: A look at Giuseppe Verdi

First published at South Florida Opera Scene on December 7, 2011, updated on September 7, 2012

Okay, so I mentioned in my first post that I wrote a blog focused on opera in South Florida.  Since I don't plan on using that one anymore, once a week I will be importing (and adapting) an article from it.  I will start with one from the Opera-tune-ist series, (yes, I know, it's a horrible pun!) in which we will explore the lives and works of the great composers.  I will be starting with my favorites, and I will slowly work my way on to some that I may be less familiar with.  With each composer, I'll start with a brief history, discuss some of his (or her) famous works, and touch on some more obscure compositions.  And who knows?  We might all discover something new from this!

Our first opera-tune-ist is Giuseppe Verdi, my absolute favorite composer.  Verdi was born in 1813 in Le Roncole, a village located in the Duchy of Parma.  He began his musical education in Busetto, but moved to Milan as a young man to complete his studies.  His first opera, Oberto, was moderately successful when it premiered at La Scala in 1839.  Un Giorno di Regno, his second opera, was his first attempt at a comedy.  The opera, however, was a failure, due in part to the untimely deaths of his wife and two young children while he was writing it.  After its premiere and subsequent cancellation, Verdi almost gave up composition, but fortunately for us, he agreed to write Nabucco, which skyrocketed him to fame.  In the years after this success, Verdi composed many brilliant works, including his three most popular operas, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, and Rigoletto.  After Aida, which premiered in 1871, Verdi took a sixteen year hiatus from composition, and did not produce another opera until 1887, when he unveiled Otello.  His final opera, Falstaff, was a huge success when it premiered in 1893.  In the intervening years before his death, he completed a handful of compositions that included the sacred work Stabat Mater.  Verdi suffered a stroke on January 21, 1901, and died six days later. 
During his lifetime, Verdi met many challenges to his work from the censors.  Many of his libretti were considered too politically provocative, and names, ranks, and locations had to be changed before the operas were deemed acceptable.  Verdi has been variably associated with the Risorgimento, and his name was adopted as an acronym for Vittorio Emanuele Re D'Italia.  Following the unification of Italy, he served briefly as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, and was named a Senator of the Kingdom.
Verdi's music was greatly influenced by Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, and Meyerbeer, but he succeeded in creating a sound that was entirely his own.  Unlike many of his contemporaries, Verdi avoided any Wagnerian influence in all of his works except Otello.
Here are three examples of Verdi's brilliance, taken from his early, middle, and late career.
We will start with Ildar Abdrazakov as Oberto, from Verdi's first forray into the world of opera.

No discussion of Verdi would be complete without the Brindisi from La Traviata, so here it is with that Titan among tenors, Placido Domingo.

Okay, I lied.  I will actually be sharing two examples from Verdi's middle career.  I just couldn't bring myself to write about Verdi without including one of the greatest Verdi baritones, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, singing one of Verdi's greatest baritone roles.  Now I agonized over whether to use Il Trovatore or Rigoletto, and Rigoletto almost won, but (I'm sure I've said this before) Il Trovatore is my very favorite, so how could I not choose it?  Anyway, here is Dmitri Hvorostovsky singing the duet from Act IV with Sondra Radvanovsky.

And here is Verdi's late triumph, Otello, sung by the brilliant duo, Placido Domingo and Sherrill Milnes.  Oh, and nice pants, Sherrill.

Okay, okay, I know I said only three videos, and I know I already added a fourth, but after all, I did say that I would include some works that were not so well-known.  So here is Dmitri Hvorostovsky (again) in I Masnadieri.

And on that note, I bid you all good night.  Until next time!