SimpleoperaTenor – The lover… The birth of the high C. The color. The range. The roles. The types. Tenor In this article, I do not cover the highest male voice of them all… The countertenor. The Tenor is the highest of the male voices (OK, second to the Countertenor). In many popular operas from the … Read more
Mezzo-soprano – The wicked… The color The range The roles The types Mezzo-soprano The Mezzo-soprano is the middle voice in the female voice family. The word mezzo is Italian and means half. So, a half soprano which sits between the soprano and the contralto. Much like the middle male voice, Baritone, it is a late … Read more
I due Foscari – The Two Foscari The background Plot Things to look out for I due Foscari – A boring opera? 1843 was just one year after Verdi’s huge success with Nabucco. He was in an incredible flow. Not only because he was sought after from every corner of Italy… But also as he … Read more
Don Pasquale Plot Things to look out for Don Pasquale is the first Comic Opera without Secco recitatives. About the librettist Something about Don Pasquale It is claimed that this exquisite Bel Canto opera was written in only 11 days. That could be true but one should consider the use of old, already-written material, something … Read more
La Cenerentola vs Cinderella Plot Things to watch out for The voices How to write a two and a half hours opera in three weeks. La Cenerentola – Cinderella. Rossini’s opera is a candy bag of musical fireworks. We all know the story. Young girl being forced to serve as a maid in her own … Read more
Austrian composer. Born in Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 1756. Dead in Vienna, Austria, December 5, 1791 Cosi fan Tutte Don Giovanni Le Nozze di Figaro – The Marriage of Figaro Die Zauberflöte – The Magic Flute
Italian composer. Born in Busseto, Italy, October 10, 1813. Died in Milan, Italy, January 27, 1901. Aida Un Ballo in Maschera I due Foscari – The Two Foscari La Traviata Nabucco Rigoletto Il Trovatore – The Troubadour
Italian composer. Born in Lucca, Italy, Dicembre 22, 1858 Dead in Bruxelles, Belgium, Novembre 29, 1924 La Boheme Madama Butterfly Gianni Schicchi Tosca Turandot
Tchaikovsky vs Pushkin Plot What to look out for About the voices Tchaikovsky’s disastrous marriage How Pushkin was turned into opera. In the spring of 1877, Pyotr Tchaikovsky found himself at the home of Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya in Moscow. Yelizaveta was a mezzo-soprano much appreciated by the Russian public and a dear friend of Tchaikovsky. The … Read more
Il Trovatore – The Troubadour Why Il Trovatore needs a little more preparation on your part. Plot Things to look out for The voices La Trilogia Popolare – The Popular Trilogy. Together with Rigoletto, and La Traviata, Il Trovatore is part of what is called La Trilogia Popolare. Verdi never labeled them that, and he … Read more