Opera

Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” Finale: “Entry of the Gods into Valhalla”

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Listen to the cosmic, elemental opening of Wagner’s Das Rheingold, and you may be reminded of contemporary music, from the atmospheric soundscapes of John Luther Adams, to the minimalist arpeggios of Philip Glass. Beginning as a low rumble in the depths of the orchestra, the Prelude to Das Rheingold features a pure E-flat major chord which continues for over four minutes. It is an epic celebration of the eternal flow of the Rhine …

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Handel’s “Berenice” Overture: “Happy and Pleasing to an Uncommon Degree”

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Set in Egypt around 80 BC, Handel’s Berenice tells the story of the Egyptian Queen’s involvement in a convoluted romantic web which is happily resolved in the end. The three-act opera premiered at London’s Covent Garden Theater on May 18, 1737, but proved to be unsuccessful, and closed after only four performances. In the Baroque period, the French overture provided a familiar formal template. It begins with a stately slow introduction propelled and enlivened …

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Prokofiev’s “The Love for Three Oranges” Suite: Music from a Surrealist Opera

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Sergei Prokofiev’s satirical 1921 opera tells the fairytale story of a young prince who is cursed by a witch to fall in love with three oranges. The prince travels to far off lands in search of the citrus fruits, each of which, when peeled, contains a princess. The first two princesses die instantly when exposed to the elements. The third survives and marries the prince. The libretto, written by the composer, is …

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Bizet’s “Carmen”: Three Celebrated Excerpts

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Filled with infectious melodies and sultry exoticism, Georges Bizet’s 1875 Carmen is one of the most popular and performed operas. Set in Seville, Spain, it tells the tragic story of a free-spirited Romani woman (Carmen) who seduces the soldier, Don José. He leaves his fiancée and deserts the army to be with her, but Carmen soon grows tired of his obsessive love. Carmen leaves Don José for the bullfighter, Escamillo. In the final …

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Verdi’s “Luisa Miller”: Five Excerpts from an Opera Involving Love, Intrigue, and Poison

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Giuseppe Verdi’s 1849 opera, Luisa Miller, broke new ground. With a tragic, convoluted story centering around love, betrayal, class struggle, jealous rivalry, and violence, it displayed an increased psychological depth. The orchestra played a greater dramatic role. The last of Verdi’s “middle period” operas, Luisa Miller set the stage for the composer’s celebrated later works, such as La traviata, Rigoletto, and Aida. The Lyric Opera of Chicago provides the following brief summery: Verdi’s sumptuously …

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Vivaldi’s “Sonno, se pur sei sonno” from “Tito Manlio”: Lucio’s Lament

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Antonio Vivaldi’s opera, Tito Manlio, composed over the course of five days in December of 1718, centers around a turbulent moral dilemma. Love and loyalty to family come into conflict with duty and rigid adherence to the law. Here is a brief synopsis, provided by Naxos.com: Titus Manlius is engaged in war with the people of Latium. Conflicts of love and duty arise with his daughter Vitellia, in love with the Latin …

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Remembering Roger Norrington

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Sir Roger Norrington, the English conductor known for historically informed performances, passed away last Friday, July 18. He was 91. Born in Oxford, Norrington rose to prominence in the 1960s when he revived and championed the choral music of the 17th century German composer, Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672). In 1962, Norrington founded the Schütz Choir. He went on to found the London Classical Players, an ensemble he led until 1997. In later years, he …

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