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Miscellaneous Opera-related Chat

689K views 2K replies 175 participants last post by  Birmanbass 
#1 ·
Since I am guilty of getting several threads off-topic, I wonder if the powers that be have ever thought of having an off-topic "discussion area". By that I mean, not about our personal lives, but about opera-related items.

For instance here are a couple of things I'd like to discuss:

Is anyone in the US using Spotify?

The new Fidelio CD is available on Spotify if anyone is interested (although maybe this qualifies as opera news? or streaming, if you have Spotify)

Advice on ordering tickets for the Met (seating etc. too late for me now, but maybe for others)

Do you know any cheap places to stay in NYC (or on the train line in NJ or CT)--this follows of course on the previous question! :lol:

In January our local opera company is doing a Glass opera called Les Enfants Terribles; does anyone know this opera?

Now I'm betting that you have tried this in the past and it didn't work, but I thought I would ask.
 
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#205 · (Edited)
Georg Kreisler: Opernboogie



''Haben sie Opern gern?
Ich hab Opern schrecklich gern
Aber das ist so a G'schicht
Denn was die manchmal hineinschreiben, die Herrn
Das versteht unsereiner ja nicht
Warum, in der Zauberflöte, liebt Pamina den Tamino?
Und warum nahm Margarete nicht den Faust einmal ins Kino?
Warum sperrte Desdemona ihre Tür nicht besser zu?
Und warum ließ in Verona, Romeo Julia nicht in Ruh'?
Warum singt die Carmen Lieder für José, den dummen Kerl?
Und warum bleibt die Aida bis zum End' ein Sklavengirl?
Ja, noch viele Fragen blieben, antworten hätt' keinen Sinn -
Ich hab eine Oper g'schrieben, da ist alles logisch drin
Würde Sie das interessieren?
Leihen Sie mir Ihr Gehör!
Ich werd' Sie nicht irreführen -
Heute abend ist Premier'!

Seht das schöne Opernhaus
Sieht es nicht fantastisch aus?
Also, gehen wir hinein!
Ist es nicht wunderbar hier?
Damen in großer Abendtoilette, Herren im Frack
Hunde werden an der Leine geführt
Der Zuschauerraum ist mit Blumen geschmückt
Werfen wir rasch einen Blick ins Programm, bevor es anfängt!
Aha, da steht es ja schon: "Große Oper in drei Akten
Der Ritter und die Ritterin haben einen Schwips - oder: Kiss me, Kater"
Besetzung:
-Der Ritter Kuno, von seinen Freunden Kunigl genannt - Tenor
-Die Ritterin Kunigunde, von ihren Freundinnen Kuniglgunde genannt - Bass
-Emma, ihre Mutter - Alt
-Ella, ihre Großmutter - sehr alt
-Eberhard, ihr minderwertiger Bruder - Sopran
-Evergreen, das Pferd des Ritters - ein Rappe, (das ist sicherlich eine Sprechrolle)

Da gehen die Lichter aus
Der Dirigent kommt herein
Hebt den Taktstock - Vorhang auf!
Wir befinden uns in einem düsteren Wald
Nahe der Stadtgrenze von Neu Lenkbach
Der Ritter tritt auf zum Motiv von - Boogie-Woogie''

Also, der Ritter, es ist ganz unerlässlich
Dass er schön und schlank und wunderbar
Aber heute ist er hässlich
Sogar die Perücke verliert schon's Haar
Er war mal Tenor, aber jetzt ist er heiser
Dann die Ritterin, schauen wir der ins Gesicht
Hat sie blaue Augen, einen Rosenmund
Aber jung ist sie nicht
Und ausserdem wiegt sie dreihundert Pfund
Ihre Stimme war einmal stark, aber jetzt ist sie leiser

Was geschieht jetzt?

Der Ritter trifft die Ritterin unter einer Linde
Da schnitzen sie zusammen ihre Namen in die Rinde
Da kommt der Ritterin Mutter daher, die ist auch in den Ritter verknallt
Und fragt, wie er sich das vorstellt und wer jetzt die Linde bezahlt
Darauf durchbohrt er sie mit seinem Schwert und macht ihr den Garaus
Und die Ritterin schreit, der Vorhang fällt, und der erste Akt ist aus

Jetzt kommt eine Pause
Manche geh'n nach Hause
Manche trinken Brause
Das ist der Zweck der Pause
Wie schön ist es, eine Wurst zu verzehren
Und gleichzeitig Opern anzuhören!
- Was sagen Sie nur zu dem Tenor?
Der kommt mir wirklich schrecklich vor
- Was reden Sie da? Der ist wunderbar!
- Aber nicht so gut, wie er einmal war!
- Was halten Sie von seinem hohen C?
- Das war doch kein C, das war ein B!
Von Musik versteh' ich jeden Ton
Meine Schwester spielt sehr gut Gramophon!
Da läutet die Glocke, das ist ein Glück!
Die Pause ist aus, gehen wir zurück!
Das Publikum wartet
Die Lichter gehen aus
Der Dirigent kommt herein
Hebt den Taktstock - Vorhang!

Im zweiten Akt, da sitzt der Ritter zu Haus' auf seiner Matratzen
Er hat eine eiserne Rüstung an und möcht sich so gern kratzen
Da singt er eine Arie, und das ist ein Malheur
Er singt „Figaro, Figaro, Figaro...", aber der Figaro ist grad' beim Friseur
Da schreit er wie ein gehetztes Tier, und noch immer ist kein Applaus
Da hängt er sich auf, der Vorhang fällt, und der zweite Akt ist aus

Wieder eine Pause
Manche geh'n nach Hause
Manche trinken Brause
Das ist der Zweck der Pause
Wie schön ist es, in einen Käse zu beißen
Und gleichzeitig Opern zu verreißen!
- Der Dirigent ist fürchterlich
So viel Talent, das hab auch ich
- Was reden Sie da? Sie sind nicht gescheit!
- Wie finden Sie mein neues Kleid?
- Die Klara hat noch keinen Mann
- Das ist kein Wunder schauen Sie's an!
- Mir tut ja nur die Mutter leid
- Wie finden Sie mein neues Kleid?
- Ich halt' die Oper für geschwollen
Wir hätten ins Kino gehen sollen
- Ich mach's mir Butter und Kakao
- Das ist doch gar nicht seine Frau
- Die Paula wird schon ziemlich breit
- Wie finden Sie mein neues Kleid?
Da läutet die Glocke, das ist ein Glück!
Die Pause ist aus, gehen wir zurück!
Das Publikum wartet
Lichter gehen aus
Dirigent kommt herein
Hebt den Taktstock, anschnallen!
Niemand velässt das Lokal! - Vorhang!

Der dritte Akt, der bringt die Spannung auf ein Maximum
Der Ritter hat sich zwar aufgehängt, doch spukt er als Geist herum.
Die Ritterin, die mag ihn nicht, als Geist oder als Toten
Denn erstens ist er ihr unsympathisch, und zweitens ist Spuken verboten
Da singt sie: „Nur der Schönheit weiht' ich mein Leben..." - und stirbt
Und ihr Bruder singt: „Lache, Bajazzo..." - und stirbt
Der Dirigent singt: „Oh, wie so trügerisch
Sind Frauenherzen..." - und stirbt

Endlich sind alle tot
Was niemanden geniert
Das Publikum ist nur halbtot
Also wird etwas applaudiert
Da plötzlich geht der Vorhang auf
Was hat sich begeben?
Der Ritter, Ritterin, Mutter, Bruder
Alle sind wieder am Leben!
Das Publikum wird wild und schreit: „Wo ist der Schwan?"
Der Ritter wird melancholisch und heiratet den Sopran
Der Regisseur verbeugt sich tief, der Dirigent noch tiefer
Der Bruder lächelt zu viel und verstaucht sich seinen Kiefer
Die Herren und Damen des Chors, die wälzen sich auf der Erde
Der Rappe stellt sich als Rappin heraus und kriegt drei kleine Pferde
Ein Zahnarzt springt auf den Trompeter und schaut sich seinen Gaumen an
Der Konzertmeister wird wahnsinnig und zündet seinen Daumen an
Das Publikum stürmt die Bühne und brüllt nach Autogrammen
Da wird geschrien, gejohlt, getobt, und das ganze Haus bricht zusammen

Na, ist das nicht besser als Liszt und Puccini.
Chopin, Schostakowitsch, Ravel, Paganini
Gounod, Debussy oder Leoncavallo
Und Smetana, Schubert, Suppé und De Falla
Menotti, Rossini, Rachmaninoff, Händel
Vivaldi und Weber, Scarlatti und Mendelssohn
Gluck, Donizetti, Glinka und Delius
Bruckner, Respighi, Tschaikowsky, Sibelius?
Meine Oper ist besser als deren!
Meine Oper, die muss sich bewähren
Denn meine Oper ist feurig und wild
Meine Oper ist die schönste von allen
Meine Oper wird allen gefallen
Denn meine Oper - wird nirgends gespielt

P.S.: I think that this post suits in Youtube thread, but I have forgotten that we have it. sorry
 
#210 · (Edited)
OK, here's translation. It's mine and you know how good my english is, so please tolerate it. It's difficult because the song consist of some word jokes (german) but I hope you'll get the impression of the whole thing.
Please feel free to correct me.

Do you like operas?
I'm terribly fond of operas
But that is a history.
For what was written long ago
today we can't understand it
Why, in the Magic Flute, Pamina Tamino loves?
And why Margarete did not take Faust to the movies?
Why Desdemona didn't better locked her door?
And why didn't in Verona, Romeo left Juliet in peace?
Why Carmen sings the songs for Don Jose, the stupid guy?
And why Aida remains a slave girl until the end?
Yes, many questions remained to answer, and the answers would have no sense -
I have writen an opera, where everything is logically
Are you interested?
Lend me your ears!
I'll not deceive you -
Premiere is tonight!

Look at the beautiful Opera House
It is not fantastic?
So, let's go in!
It is not great here?
Ladies in full evening dress, men in tails
Dogs are kept on a leash
The auditorium is decorated with flowers
Let's take a quick glance at the program before it starts!
Aha, here it is already: "Opera in three acts
The Knight and the Dame (it's that right for woman knight???) have a tipsy - or Kiss Me, the cat (Kiss me Kater)"
Cast:
The Knight-Kuno, named by his friend Kunigl - Tenor
The Dame -Kunigunde, named by her friend Kuniglgunde - Bass
Emma, ​​her mother - Alt
-Ella, her grandmother - very old (it's because Alt in german also means old, therefore sehr alt means very old)
-Eberhard, her inferior brother - Soprano
-Evergreen, the knight's horse - a black horse, (this is certainly speaking role)

As the lights go up
The conductor comes in
Raises his baton - Curtain up!
We are in a gloomy forest
Near the city limits of Neu Lenkbach
The knight comes in with the motif of - Boogie-Woogie''

So, the knight, it is very essential
That he's nice and slim and beautiful
But today he is ugly
Even his wig is already lost
He was even tenor, but now he is hoarse
Then the Dame, we look into her face
She has blue eyes, a rosebud mouth
But she is not young
And besides, she weighs three hundred pounds
Her voice was once strong but now it is quieter

What happens now?

The knight takes the Dame under the lime tree (tilia)
And there they carve up their names into the bark
Then comes the Dame's mother - she is also in love with knight
And asks how he imagines that, and who will now pay lime tree
Then he pierced her with his sword and makes her put an end
And the Dame screams, the curtain falls, and is the end of the first act

Now comes a break
Some are leaving
Some are drinking sparkling drinks
That is the purpose of the pause
How beautiful it is to eat a sausage
while listening to opera!
- What do you say about the tenor?
I think he was awfull
- What are you talking about? He is wonderful!
- But not as good as it once was!
- What do you think of his high C?
- That was not a C, it was a B!
I understand every note of music
My sister is playing very well gramophone!
The bell is ringing, it's a fortune!
The break is over, we're going back!
The audience is waiting
The lights go out
The conductor comes in
Raises his baton - curtain!

In the second act, the knight is sitting at home on his mattress
He has a suit of armor and wants to scratch himself so much
As he sings an aria, and that's a mishap
He sings "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Figaro is ...", but Figaro is at the hairdresser
As he screams like a hunted animal, and still is no applause
As he hangs up, the curtain falls, and the second act is Off

Another break
Some are leaving
Some are drinking sparkling drinks
That is the purpose of the pause
How nice it is to bite into a cheese
while listening to the opera!
- The conductor is terrible
So much talent - I have it also
- What are you talking about? You are not clever!
- What do you think about my new dress?
- Klara still has not find a partner (a man)
- It's no wonder, just look at her!
- I am sorry only for the mother
- What do you think about my new dress?
- I can not stand the opera ? ( Ich halt' die Oper für geschwollen)
- We should go to the movies
- I'll make myself butter and cocoa
- It's not his wife
- Paula is pretty wide (fat)
- What do you think about my new dress?
The bell is ringing, it's a fortune!
The break is over, we're going back!
The audience is waiting
The lights go out
The conductor comes in
Raises his baton - curtain!

The third act, which brings the voltage to a maximum
The knight has indeed comite a suicide, but we can see him as a ghost.
The Dame who does not like him neither as a ghost or a dead
Firstly because she dislikes him, and secondly because spitting is prohibited (spitting-Spuken. Also means that he shows himself as a ghost - er spukt)
As she sings: "I devoted my life only to the beauty ..." - and she dies
And her brother sings: "Laugh, Pagliacci ..." - and he dies
The conductor sings: "Oh, how so deceptive
Are women's hearts ... "- and he dies

Finally, all dead
What embarrasses anyone
The audience is only half dead
So something is applauded
Suddenly, the curtain on
What is happening?
The knight, Dame, mother, brother
All are alive again!
The audience goes wild and screams: "Where is the swan?"
The Knight is melancholic and marries the soprano
The director bows low, the conductor still deeper
The brother smiles too much and sprained his jaw
The lords and ladies of the chorus are rolling on the ground
The black horse turns out to be mare (female horse) and get three little horses
A dentist jump to the trumpeter and looks down at his palate
The concert master is mad and sets fire to his thumb
The crowd stormed the stage and shouting for autographs
There's screaming, yelling, raging, and the whole house collapses

Well, is not that better than Liszt, and Puccini.
Chopin, Shostakovich, Ravel, Paganini
Gounod, Debussy and Leoncavallo
And Smetana, Schubert, Suppe and De Falla
Menotti, Rossini, Rachmaninoff, Handel
Weber and Vivaldi, Scarlatti and Mendelssohn
Gluck, Donizetti, Glinka and Delius
Bruckner, Respighi, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius?
My Opera is better than their.
My Opera, which must prove herself
My opera is fiery and wild
My Opera is the most beautiful of all
Everyone will like my opera
But my opera - is never played
 
#223 · (Edited)
Question about Tosca: So I'm listening (again) to the fabulous ROH Tosca, specifically *cough* "Vittoria! Vittoria!" and it occurred to me that the difficulty here (from the perspective of a very, very amateur soprano) is not the Vittoria, because (although I don't have the vocal score) it doesn't seem out of the range of any good tenor (it's not a C or anything..is it an A? maybe even a G?)--seems like it's kind of in any tenor's happy place plus it's loud which always helps...no for me the difficulty is that he then immediately has to drop down lower (into a different register?) to sing quite loudly over the orchestra which has the volume up at that moment, in a tessitura (?--I should have checked opera terms) that doesn't exactly seem to me like a good spot for a loud tenor sound.

Am I right or just imagining things?

(Not to say that El Guapo didn't sound stupendississimo singing it, both parts!)
 
#234 ·
Hey, Alma, no mistaking this lady on the cover of Opera Now's October issue:



I don't think this issue has reached our side of the Atlantic yet (I subscribe, and haven't received my copy). However, when it does arrive, you should probably be able to find an issue at Barnes and Noble -- most of their branches usually stock it.

I must say that the editors of this publication have remarkably good taste. The cover boy on the August/September issue was Jonas K. :)
 
#242 ·
"The Newest Audience"

There is a charming article in the August 2011 edition of "Opera News". Entitled "The Newest Audience" by Michael Slade. Discussing "nature vs. nuture" when it comes to loving opera. The young man in question is two year old Henry. Neither of his parents really listen to opera. Henry came to opera via Elmo on Sesame Street. He quickly abandoned Elmo for the real thing. Youtube performances of Pavarotti singing "La donna e mobile" turned into Henry, in rapt attention, sitting through the entire Rigoletto. He is able to recognize Placido Domingo by sight and sound. Temper tantrums are quited by opera on the radio.

I consider myself a product of "nature". I didn't start with opera that young, but I remember as a 5 year old loving classical music when my parents never listened to it.
 
#243 ·
Rather intense operatic/classical music weekend coming up.

Tomorrow at 10 AM I'll be attending the screening by my local opera group of the 1951 film of The Tales of Hoffman with Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann and Leonide Massine and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham. Then we'll have a luncheon, and in early afternoon 15 student singers from the local university/music school will sing a program of Offenbach's arias. I have a reservation for dinner at a French restaurant at 5:45 PM, and at 8 PM I'll be attending a concert at the local symphonic orchestra hall, featuring Enrique Soro's Danza Fantástica, Sibelius' violin concerto, and Tchaikovsky's 5th. On Sunday, after a nice late breakfast and the morning paper, a lecture at 2 PM with the conductor of the local opera company, followed at 3 by a live presentation of Carmen at our main local opera house.

This all, following a week that started last Monday with Anna Bolena at the Met, plus a personal encounter with Anna Netrebko, and meals at the Grand Tier restaurant at the Met on Monday with my best friends, and the Michelin-starred The Modern restaurant at the MOMA on Tuesday with my wife. Three days of hard work in between (Wed-Thu-Fri, gotta make the money to pay for all this!), and then tonight's excellent cheese and bread and wine (a 95-pointer) at home, while I wait for the upcoming two days of fun performances and meals. I can't think of a better Monday through Sunday 7-day period in my recent life, and I'm not even on vacation!

Life is good!
 
#244 ·
I took my 9-year-old to her first live opera experience today, a matinee of Rossini's La Cambiale di Matrimonio at the local opera studio, the Opera Factory. It was sung in English, so very accessible, and was just the right length to sustain her interest. They were following it up with Donizetti's Rita, but I decided not to push it and to leave while she was still enjoying the experience (She was the youngest there by about 40 years, a bit sad really, but good to see all those young people singing on stage).

I'm trying to build her up to sitting through the Bartered Bride, which is NZ Opera's offering for next year (along with Rigoletto).
 
#249 ·
Back from the first part of my plans. I'll review the Hoffmann movie in the appropriate thread.

I'd just like to add a comment about the student singers - 15 of them, most nice but nothing extraordinary as expected - they are all undergrads, ages 18 to 21. Regardless, it was nice to see them rehearsing, tuning up the voices, and then singing the same arias we had just seen in the movie. For the most part they were good actors too.

However, two of them had spectacular performances, really surprising! I went to talk to them after the end, and wrote down their full names, because I won't be surprised if they make it into the professional opera singing world, and one day we see their names performing at least in regional opera companies:

Noelle Harb, soprano, and Ryan Griffin, tenor. Both in my opinion have what it takes to become professional opera singers.
 
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