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Opera has tremendous power to move the spirit through the combination of drama, lyrics, costume, scenery and music. In a concert of operatic highlights, only the lyrics and music can be experienced, so in the limited space available, I'll try to give some sense of the drama. Furthermore, these arias and orchestral excerpts include some of the most popular music from opera so you will find lots to enjoy.
These selections from some of the most popular operas recall, in many cases, recent collaborations of Symphony Pro Musica and the Salisbury Lyric Opera, in particular, Madama Butterfly ('90), Rigoletto ('91), La Bohème ('92), La Traviata ('93), Carmen ('94) and Die Fledermaus ('95). Except in comic opera, the essential ingredient of the most popular works is that at least the heroine, and if possible the hero, too, must die at the end. Whatever the reasoning, it cannot be denied that it makes a powerful story. Among tonight's operas, all, except Eugene Onegin, the Marriage of Figaro, Turandot and Die Fledermaus, end in tragedy for the hero and/or heroine.
Bizet also wrote two other lovely operas but without the riveting drama of Carmen, they just do not enjoy the same popularity. It is a tragic irony that the first performance was a failure and indeed contributed to the composer's death just three months later - with no idea of the huge success the opera would attain.
The prelude opens with the bullfight theme from Act IV and is followed here with Carmen's entrance and her L'amour et un oiseau rebel (Habanera). The refrain is intended as a warning (which Don Jose would do well to heed, though then there would be no opera!) and ends with: if you don't love me, I love you; if I love you, beware!
No program of operatic favorites could really be complete without Verdi - the giant among opera composers, at least in terms of popularity at the N.Y. Met. During the period 1950-72, the Met presented 15 of Verdi's works a for a total of 1056 performances (corresponding totals for other composers are: Puccini 7/675; Wagner 10/392; Mozart 4/325).
Rigoletto (sub-titled The Curse), the story of the hunchback jester to the Duke of Mantua, is one of Verdi's best-loved operas for it has a compelling, if not entirely believable, plot and music which is just one wonderful melody after another. In this aria (This one or that one), the Duke illustrates how his rank allows him to have any one of the ladies present, married or not, and frankly he doesn't mind which. This attitude doesn't endear him to his jester, who has a precious daughter of the appropriate age. The action turns tragic later as Rigoletto tries to exact revenge from the Duke for his treatment of his daughter, but ends up holding her dead body in a sack! The curse has taken its toll.
The mantle of Maestro of opera passed directly and unwaveringly from Verdi to Puccini around 1896 with La Bohème (Falstaff, Verdi's swan song, having been completed in 1893). His next great success, Tosca, whose title role is herself an opera diva, followed triumphantly in 1900. It is set during the political turmoil of Napoleon's failed march on Rome. Scarpia, the chief of police is using Tosca to lead him to her boyfriend and meanwhile trying to have her himself by trickery. Her impassioned plea of innocence and purity Vissi D'Arte, Vissi D'Amore (I lived for art, I lived for love) falls on deaf ears and shortly after, she finds that the only way to escape his clutches is to stab him to death.
This story of four "bohemians" and their two lovers, provides the setting for some of opera's most beautiful music, especially in this scene, where Mimi and Rodolfo have just met. Of course, as usual, there wouldn't be much story if their lives were jolly and comfortable. These characters are not only poor (they are struggling artists) but Mimi is another of those operatic heroines afflicted with consumption and, naturally, she must die in the arms of her lover at the close.
For sheer exuberance, it is hard to match this very familiar overture to what many consider the greatest opera in the entire repertoire (Salisbury performed this in 1990) and which was supposedly written in six weeks! The Marriage of Figaro is the opera so prominently featured in Amadeus with all its problems of censorship. The music of the overture is brilliant and unrelated to that of the opera (how could he write so quickly!) and itself moves at a considerable clip - a normal performance takes just over four minutes (just enough time to boil an egg!) while a really fast rendition can rival the world record for the mile - currently 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Notice, though, how although there is quite a lot of repeated material, it is never quite the same each time (different key, different instruments, etc.). This is typical of the genius that is Mozart.
Trovatore, produced the same year as Traviata is the source of this well-known and much-loved chorus. It is a story of the (literally) fiery passions which arise at the intersection of the lives of the Spanish nobility (Count di Luna) and a band of gypsies. The troubador himself (Manrico), is a scion of the former, brought up by the latter. The Anvil Chorus is sung by the zingari (gypsies) while they work on their forges.
Pagliacci (clowns) is another passionate tale of infidelity among friends which turns tragic. Cav and Pag are of the verismo school of Italian opera where the protagonists are ordinary people going about the ordinary, possible sordid, business but with passions that rival, even exceed, those of the more exalted characters typical of earlier operas. When Canio discovers that his wife has cheated on him he plans to kill the man, but first he must do another performance, and hope to catch her eye betraying her lover. In this very famous aria, On with the motley, he reflects on how hard it is to laugh and be funny when his emotions are burning so fiercely inside.
This wonderfully light and festive opera with its party scene and farcical intrigues is a constant delight to opera-goers. The excerpts we hear tonight are the opening of Act II (the ball) and the beginning of the Act's finale where the guests drink a toast to the King of wines: Champagne.
La Traviata (the Fallen Woman) from Dumas' semi-autobiographical play The Lady of the Camellias is a tale of unrequited love between a courtesan (Violetta) and a rich playboy (Alfredo) and ending with her death from consumption (T.B.) within minutes of her lover's return after many months away. The very poignant prelude to Act III is the music associated with her rapidly worsening illness in the next scene and ends in morbid finality. Violetta's defiant statement of values (Forever Free) recalls happier (and healthier) times from earlier in the opera.
Another Puccini heroine destined for an untimely suicide. But this one has youth and innocence and purity that captivate the audience for the entire opera (she is hardly ever off stage). In this beautiful scene from the first act, we see Butterfly on her way to her wedding, at her most radiant and totally happy, as she steadfastly refuses to believe that Pinkerton will eventually desert her and go home to marry a "proper" wife.
It is pure coincidence that Verdi's name is also an acronym for Vittorio Emmanuele Re D'Italia (a rallying cry for the King during the unification of Italy) but this, combined this immediately popular chorus (to this day, it still rivals the official National Anthem of Italy), propelled Verdi, reluctantly, onto the political stage and sealed his popularity for good. Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate (go, thought, on golden wings) comforts the Jewish slaves held captive in Babylon and shortly thereafter, Nabucco (the Babylonian king) frees them.
Bellini, a Sicilian by birth, had just begun to achieve the fame he deserved when his life was cut short in France, just after a great success with I Puritani and only days before his 34th birthday. Norma is a druid high priestess in Gaul during the Roman Occupation who has secretly broken her vows of chastity with … a Roman! This aria is the major aria of the opera and indeed one of the hardest arias in the entire repertoire. It is an entreaty to the Queen of Heaven in two parts: one in keeping with her position - a plea for peaceful intentions among her people; the second more personal - a reflection on the fact that the target of her own people's hatred is her own fickle lover.
Tchaikovsky was a more prolific composer of opera than is often realized, and Eugene Onegin deserves to be performed more often, for the drama and music are wonderful and there is a refreshing beauty in the Russian language. It is based on a social tragedy by Pushkin in which he effectively predicted his own death by duel. However, as both the main characters are alive at the final curtain, it lacks that essential ingredient for true popularity in opera - the death of the heroine in the final scene! This waltz, no less a favorite on the concert stage, opens the ball scene of the second act.
Based on Sir Walter Scott's novel The Bride of Lammermoor, this is Donizetti's most popular opera and the most frequently performed of all the "bel canto" operas, in which the highly ornamented vocal line was more important than the dramatic aspects of the plot. With Rossini, followed by Donizetti and Bellini, the long-established Italian tradition of bel canto effectively came to a climax with exotic and romantic stories like Lucia, and so too, passed away with their passing.
In this sextet Chi mi frena in tal momento, (What from vengeance yet restrains me) we see the six principal characters, especially the heroine Lucy, and the two mortal enemies Enrico, her brother, and Edgardo, her (secret) husband.
"Cav" as it is affectionately known is a one-act opera often coupled with "Pag" (Pagliacci). The title means Rustic Chivalry, though that doesn't give much away about the plot, as it is a tale of violent passions in Sicily. This scene takes place outside the church (it is Easter) and includes the famous Easter Hymn and the prayer: Alleluia, the Lord is risen.
For fans of Luciano Pavarotti (or Jussi Björling for the older ones amongst us), aria scarcely needs any introduction as it has enjoyed enormous popularity (justifiably) in recent years. Puccini never completely finished this opera and it was completed and premiered a little over a year after his death.
Turandot is a princess in ancient China who for historical reasons has developed a passionate hatred for men. Most of her potential mates end up with their heads on spikes for their inability to answer the three riddles. Calaf, our hero, answers the riddles but in a gesture of magnanimity, gives the princess one more chance to reject (and decapitate) him if she can discover his name by dawn. She issues the decree of the title, None may sleep, in her determination to find his identity, but he confidently exclaims A l'alba vinceró (At dawn, I shall be the winner). And, indeed, he does win her over and we may assume that they live happily ever after.
La TraviataAlfredo's "Brindisi" (Libiamo...…) or drinking song from Act I is one of Verdi's best-loved arias. Its gaiety, however, belies and contrasts the despair which is the central theme of the opera. But as a way to end a series of opera highlights, it is just right!
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