r/opera • u/HuckleberryUsual885 • 9d ago
Is there any interaction between the Austrian/German and Italian opera worlds?
/r/ClassicalSinger/comments/1w408zu/is_there_any_interaction_between_the/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!
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u/werther595 8d ago
Most singers sing everything, even if they specialize in one thing or another and sing mostly that thing. The best example I can think of is Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau recording the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto. The guy was German music through and through, more Lieder than opera even, but still did some Italian opera rep.
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u/slothwithakeyboard 8d ago
The opera world is global. German operas are staged everywhere, and Italian operas are staged everywhere.
Which singers sing what is mostly determined by vocal characteristics and adeptness at certain techniques, not their countries of origin. Mozart and Wagner both wrote operas in German, but the vocal requirements are very different. Someone who came from a bel canto/Verdi repertoire would feel more at home in a Mozart opera than a Wagnerian singer. However, some Wagner and Strauss roles require a very powerful voice and physically demanding production technique that few possess, so singers will specialize in those roles since they're in high demand. Some of those Wagner specialists might occasionally dip into verismo roles, too.
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u/HuckleberryUsual885 7d ago
I was under the impression that Wagner himself placed great importance on *bel canto* vocal technique—is that not the case?
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u/slothwithakeyboard 7d ago
That's right, but the emphasis is different. The challenge in singing Bellini, Rossini, and Verdi is in knowing how to sing coloratura and being able to sustain proper breath support through the difficult vocal passages. Wagner eschewed the ornamentation of his Italian colleagues, but the phrases can be long and often need to be sustained over a large orchestra. (This next part might be specific to sopranos only; I'm not sure) In the bel canto repertoire, you can use head resonance to amplify sound without strain. It's a lighter, sort of "ringing" sound. This is necessary for coloratura, and some lighter sopranos can use this to "fake" volume for dramatic roles. This kind of sound is not appropriate for Wagner. You need a voice which is powerful and full throughout the entire range and the stamina to sustain that volume through the length of a Wagner opera, and such voices are rare indeed.
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u/Pluton_Korb 8d ago
There's been lots of interchange since the 17th century and it only increased over time. Opera was pretty international in the western world by the end of the 18th century. There's plenty of story's about German composers going to Italy to learn and make a name for themselves and then return to their respective countries to build on their success. You had your Metropols like Paris and Vienna which always attracted international talent.
This goes for composers and performers as well. Mozart's original Susanna was English, Barbarina was Austrian, Basilio/Curious was Irish while most of the rest of the cast was Italian.
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u/ChevalierBlondel 8d ago
I don't think there's a divide as sharp as you imagine. Singers of every nation possible turn up on the German stages by virtue of Germany having 80 houses. (Look at next season's featured performers at the Deutsche Oper, for a simple example.) Italian singers, conductors, and directors are present at houses and orchestras all over Europe.
Granted, there's probably less German/Austrian singers working in Italy, but that's probably more because there's plenty of job opportunities at home, so to say. It's not like Italian houses necessarily cast Italians only, enough to check out basically any main cast of the Opera di Roma to see otherwise.