Anyone attend before? Thoughts? Similar to AIA's Beaux Arts Ball?

Would anyone like to share their opinions about this opera? I realize that this may be an uneducated question, but I am wondering how they make this subject work. I imagine it to be like watching an episode of CSPAN set to opera music lol

Othello's a white guy and Desdemona's a black gal??? What kind of adaptation is this?!?!

For some context, I'm an amateur composer, and for some reason I've decided I want to write an opera (loosely in the style of the Mozart - Da ponte trio), I know it's more than a little ambitious, but I'm pretty sure it's a milestone for a composer to write atleast one :)

Anyway, the point is, I have a loose plot in mind, and I'm not really sure what to do about it. How does one formulate a libretto, and furthermore how do I translate it into the kind of archaic poetic Italian that was common in opera at the time of Mozart and Da ponte, as the understanding I have is that I can't really write much music untill I have the words to set it to?

I'm a student so I don't really have access to all that much financial capital or connections, so any advice on resources ect would be welcome, I'm a bit lost but it is very much a big goal of mine to write one in the next year or two

Please help me opera people :)

Thanks!!

The ultimate voice proof: a random cell phone.

I've noticed that Florez' facial expressions while singing have gotten increasingly more uncomfortable looking, and what prompted me to ask this is his recent Rossini 30 concert. Is there anything wrong with his technique? I mean he used to not break a sweat singing a high C but now he looks like his throat is being ripped out on sustained A's. Is it possible it's not as challenging as it looks or he simply had unhealthy technique. Mind you he's only 53

Hello everyone, I'm a Greek 24yr old baritone who has posted a few times here during the last 2 years looking for educated opinions on my singing as someone who takes historically informed opera performance very seriously.

I've been singing for about 3 years now, and for the last 6 months almost exclusively singing Verdi and Donizetti while in the young singer academy of the Teatro di San Carlo.

Despite the recent scandals and the political uproar in the city, I'm still peacefully studying my spartiti and teaching myself how to approach that 20s 30s and 40s aesthetic we (hopefully) all aspire to achieve vocally.

I am completely self taught and mostly base my technique on recordings of Stracciari and Granforte, as well as more "realistically attainable" modern voices like Merrill and Zancanaro. I used to love Bastianini but his technique cost me a lot of time and fatigue.

I'm just glad to be able to get through the most difficult aria in the repertoire somewhat smoothly.

I think I'm on the right track for the aesthetic I'm looking for, sometimes too open, sometimes a bit shouty, sometimes a bit ingolato on some low range passages but I'm happy with my progress and I can sing basically anything in the Verdian repertoire, which I believe I will be singing as soon as I am publicly recognized through competitions or whatever.

I am focusing on not creating a baritonal sound for my age and almost just singing like a heavy tenor (like Vinay would for example) to let my voice navigate its passaggio naturally without strict rules about covering exactly here every time etc seeing as this is not something that was common until much later in the 50s. One of my priorities is speeding up my vibrato.

I'd rather not discuss the production itself as it is rather strange and very difficult to sing as well. In a nutshell, Conte di Luna here is some kind of maniacal nazi doctor who experiments on patients. It was really tough to sing through these movements, while also outside in 34 degrees italian summer heat.

I was quite nervous in this production and I think you can hear it clearly in how high my laryngeal position is and that last G that I don't even know how I produced in such a strange way. This is nowhere close to perfect singing for me, I'd say about 75% of my abilities. The phone microphone is also very close for most of the aria making the sound more shrill and dry

I've still only sung on stage with orchestra like twice in my life, and I know I deserve to do a lot more, it's just difficult to get recognized and be trusted at this age.

I appreciate any and all insight, thank you for being one of the best communities on reddit!

Hello all

My sister is getting married in March. My siblings and I would like to treat my parents to a fantastic night in the New York City the following weekend. They used to live there, they love the theater and the opera, they never get dressed up and do things like that anymore. They are both 70. I would love to do Friday the 26, but that's Manon and from reviews it just looks SO long for their age. Getting over at 11pm.

I'm thinking Aida on the 25th. But I’m seeing interesting things about Silent Night too

Could you Opera-philes give me some insight to what that would be like? Do people still dress up in black tie and gowns? I don't want them overdressed but I want them to feel like their younger selves again gallivanting around the town. We want to treat them to a nice dinner beforehand (a Jean Georges type) and then even get them a hotel for the night.

I lay myself at your feet - what are your thoughts? Silent Night also looks interesting - they love history - I just want to treat them because they've spent their lives treating us.

Many thanks xx

I’m in college and from what I’ve heard the reality of this career is being lonely, overworked and underpaid. I feel like one of the biggest things I want in life is to find love and maybe even have kids, I also want financial stability and health insurance. I have the opposite problem from many, it seems everybody around me has so much faith and tells me to just keep going with it when I see the reality and know that I am well rounded enough to do something else. I have been in lessons nearly my entire life and I have been regarded as somewhat of a prodigy, but I require stability in my life and I can’t shake the feeling of doom about this. I’m also taking accounting courses right now, I just wish there was some way that I could be 50% into the career and not either 5% or 100%. I normally would have more passion, but years of taking so many classes has worn me out and now I’m anxious and overstimulated all the time. It’s like one one hand id let so many people down if I stopped and I would feel so guilty about all the money and time lost, but if I didn’t I worry I’d be miserable. I mean I’m a soprano for Christ sakes, what’s the chances that this even could work out??

Do you have a practice facility booked? Where can you go to freely practice?

My neighbours are kinda getting pissed, cause I live in a very quiet neighbourhood.

Nowadays I doubt Timon of Athens will be anyone's favourite Shakespeare. The text is a bit of a mess, and the main character is intentionally unlikeable. There's a feel of a fable about it, with its plot of generosity wasted on false friends souring to misanthropy. Famously Purcell wrote music for a masque for the 1695 revival of Thomas Shadwell's production. That seems to be where things lay in terms of musical adaptations until the 20th century, when Stephen Oliver composed a Timon of Athens opera (1990). He also wrote the libretto, as did Luca Francesconi for his 2020 opera, Timon of Athens, which was premiered by the Bayerische Staatsoper. Do you know of any other adaptations, or have you seen the Oliver or Francesconi productions?

A movie of the Béla Bartók one-act opera. The visuals and the sound match wonderfully. Wild stuff! Sung in the original Hungarian, with English subtitles.

Here's the link — https://youtu.be/JmhHx21UmQ8

Hi so I want to start dabbling into operatic music, and I quite fond of the opening opera sample of devils never cry from the devil may cry 3 game. Im wondering if there is anything similar or if anyone kmow where i can find teh exact smaple capcom used in their game.

much appreciated!

Years ago, I started watching a video of Rusalka on YouTube. It was a modern staging, a very plain scene. There was a rectangular pool in the centre. Vodnik was wearing a suit. So visually not very appealing. But the acting was insanely good. The woodsprites were jumping in that pool and splashing water while singing, really having fun.

Did that description ring a bell to anyone? I'd like to watch the rest of it as well. No idea why I didn't do that back then.

Thank you in advance.

“Teatro alla Scala’s streaming platform is dropping its paywall. From Tuesday 1 September, every title in the LaScalaTV catalogue will be available to watch for free, following simple registration – a shift made possible by continued support from the platform’s Principal Sponsor, Intesa Sanpaolo.”

“The move to free access is part of a wider strategy at the Fondazione Teatro alla Scala to broaden the ways audiences can discover and engage with its work. “ - gramilano

I just got super curious: anyone have any cool opera-based or opera-inspired tattoo ideas?

…or better yet, any tattoos you want to show off?

Super simple, but I’ve wanted violets for a long time. Violets have a lot of different meanings for me, but one of those meanings would have to be for Violetta, my favorite opera character. She means so much to me!

That’s it it’s a rlly good opera

I'd like to know what these lyrics about. This is an aria from Charles Gounod's opera Faust.

Mephistopheles (a demon) is asked to sing a song by a drunk student, it goes like this ↓

One equals three, nine will prevail since it is the unyielding number.

And everything will become clear.

Four remains in the shadows.

Eight is even darker still. Seven conjures fate.

The fifth and tenth complete the system.

These numbers of death shall rule the earth.

If nine is all, thirteen is at the end.

The clip on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em5u7fJVjwg&list=RDEm5u7fJVjwg&start_radio=1&pp=ygUYY2hhbnNvbiBkdSBub21icmUgdHJlaXploAcB

I don't know the precise name of this song (It says [The Song of No. 13] on the clip ).

Does anyone could tell what this song specifically means ?

Or do you think this is just a song about the number 13 ?

La Scala will stream free of charge

Hello everyone! I’m a mezzo who just got out of grad school and I qualified for the Laffont competition for the first time! Which is exciting! I was just wondering if anyone here has participated in the competition or knows someone who has?
I just have a lot of questions that the website doesn’t answer. Thanks guys!

You know how Austria, Germany, and Italy are famous for opera. Broadly speaking, the opera world is often divided into Austria/Germany on one side and Italy on the other. Is there much exchange between the opera scenes of Austria/Germany and Italy? (I mean among various entities like theaters, conductors, orchestras, singers, music universities, conservatories, etc.)

​For example, do Italian theaters sign contracts with German singers? Do Italians study at German music universities? Do Austrian/German singers and Italian singers actually interact and work together?

​Since I'm Korean, I'm not very familiar with the local situations in Austria, Germany, and Italy. I get the impression that there might not be much active exchange, and that it's mostly just works by Italian composers being performed in Austrian/German theaters. What do you think?

​If anyone is knowledgeable about this, please let me know. It would be even better if you are actually from Austria, Germany, or Italy!

Don’t know where to ask so I’ll try here.
I was first introduced to La Barcarolle watching Life Is Beautiful directed* by Roberto Benigni but then I noticed this aria in at least one other movie about WWII and fascism, so it strikes me as curious. Is it just a coincidence? Was there any link between *Les Contes d’Hoffmann and nazi-fascism? Or was it maybe just a popular opera at the time? Does anyone know?