Otello The Plot What to look out for Something about Otello’s entrance. Verdi and Wagner Verdi didn’t want to compose anymore… If you’ve read our article about Aida, you should know how reluctant Verdi was to write anything anymore. By that time, he thought he had done his share of composing. His almost 30 titles, … Read more
Gianni Schicchi Facts in short Plot Things to look out for The real Gianni Schicchi Gianni Schicchi – Finally, Puccini wrote a comic opera. Gianni Schicchi is actually the last opera the maestro completed. It was ready in 1918 and after that, he worked on, but never finished, Turandot until he died in 1924. That … Read more
Faust Plot What to look out for Gounod’s opera Gounod’s religious convictions The Faust legend. If you don’t have cash, buying on credit is a valuable option. You get what you want but you pay later. So, why not buy the ultimate merchandise on the ultimate credit? To get whatever you want by selling your … Read more
Un Ballo in Maschera Facts in short Plot What to look out for How the opera is usually performed The voice of Riccardo Something about Oscar A Masked Ball Un Ballo in Maschera is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi. It was composed 1857-1859, as Gustavo III, the Swedish King, assassinated at a Ball at the … Read more
Les contes d’Hoffmann – The tales of Hoffmann Plot Things to look out for The many versions of the opera. Something about Les contes d’Hoffmann Jaques Offenbach died on October 5, 1880. If you look at the premier date below, you can conclude that he never witnessed Les contes d’Hoffman played. In the tragic company … Read more
Lucia di Lammermoor Sir Walter Scott Plot What to look out for Lucia’s mad-scene The importance of Lucia… Lucia’s and Edgardo’s voices Lucia di Lammermoor and Vincenzo Bellini. Lucia di Lammermoor premiered in Naples on the 26th of September 1835. The theatre was San Carlo, the main Naples Opera House and it was a huge … 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
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