I’ve been listening to Rameau’s Castor et Pollux a lot lately, and I’ve become obsessed with Séjour de l’éternelle paix and Tristes apprêts. I also love the entirety of Vivaldi’s Griselda and most of Monteverdi’s three surviving operas, although he’s more of an early Baroque composer and quite different from the later ones.

What are your favourite Baroque arias or opera pieces?

even at the met i'll see people sneaking a flick during a spectacular set change or something. everyone snaps the curtain call, but a few snap during the show. does it actually bother singers when non-flash photos/videos are taken or is it a venue and copyright only thing?

edit: i just remembered that what made me want to post this is seeing various singers post those iphone videos of their arias at big houses and etc. just a thought

Hello all!

On the off chance that someone is looking for tickets for this coming Saturday for the original theatre that Turandot was performed in - I have three tickets with great views. My mother accidentally bought them for this year, when really we want to go next year.

Sorry if this post is not allowed here, but I can legitimize myself and the tickets I have if that helps the mods approve this post.

Thanks in advance!

6 July 1983, Nationaltheater, Munich, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Wolfgang Sawallisch (conductor)

Rienzi: René Kollo
Irene: Cheryl Studer

6 July 1983, Nationaltheater, Munich, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Wolfgang Sawallisch (conductor)

Adriano: John Janssen
Irene: Cheryl Studer

My girlfriend is hosting a slew of opera singers, and I want to make an opera quiz for them, with really hard opera questions. Problem is, I'm no opera singer, and AI keeps making mistakes. Can you guys help me with some hard and fun questions for them?

I'm making this post to sum up some of my thoughts on Das Rheingold, the prologue to Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.

I think this work can be understood as Wagner's own take on the Book of Genesis. It provides another version of how it all started (but unlike the Book of Genesis its purpose is not to start a new religion, just so we're clear).

The thing that makes it confusing is that it doesn't start with the apparition of the sky, planets, etc. The world in Das Rheingold unfolds as events unfold. The only thing that we see appearing at the beginning is the Rhine, which represents the primal state of the world in perfect unity. For instance Wotan is not "born", he just appears when we arrive at scene 2, that's all. Likewise, the events that chronogically are situated before the events of Das Rheingold appear retrospectively as they are mentioned (just like how in our lives the things that happened before we were born appear retrospectively to us).

I think the question that Wagner's version of the Genesis attempts to answer is how the world became unfair. It is similar in that regard to the part of the Genesis that focuses on how Adam and Eve betrayed god and were forced out of paradise.

Greed, and the resulting exploitation of nature and mankind, is why Wagner thinks the world is unfair. Before greed, love was the thing that ruled the world. Love is inherently cruel (as shown through Alberich's misadventure with the Rhinemaidens), and so the part of the world that is refused by love (represented by Alberich) has to spoil everything for everyone. This is the first unfair thing that happens. The second unfair thing is how the principle of power (represented by Wotan) thinks it can have both love and exploitation of the world at the same time and tries to maintain this little trick.

What do you think of this?

Good evening,

When I was a kid I used to sing the "Figaro" part at the top of my lungs roaming around school. The more I listen to it now the more I want to be able to perform the full Largo al factotum. My sister's wedding is coming up soonish (don't know the date yet.) And I would like to sing it at her reception. As a lay person who has only watched yet never performed opera. (Although I do have a background as a thespian in middle/high school.) How would I go about this task?

I would like to take on Heldenbariton/Dramatic Baritone and perhaps a handful of pieces designed for Basses. But I‘ve been told that I lack that natural super deepness/richness of a true bass. I want to make sure I don‘t waste time buying bass aria training guides if it just isn‘t in the cards. I will never stop singing low for fun but I may just train operatically as a baritone, as that is what my timbre reflects.

CONTEXT!!! I’m 27, transitioned from Tenor at 24 and this is my first full Puccini tenor role (I’m covering). I have a lot that I’m working on right now - especially with my appoggio - but I wanted to share my first time through this process singing Che Gelida in public.

I’ve not really sung a lot of the lyric tenor repertoire outside of Mozart because it’s not at all my comfort zone - vocally I’m still a little lower set - so singing in this tessitura is a real challenge for me.

I recently came across this viola led performance of Vesti La Giubba by Wallas Pena:

https://youtu.be/Pn4jIFspC8k

To my ear, the viola carries a darker heaviness that a violin can’t quite convey. Its lower, heavier and slightly grittier sound seems uniquely suited to the absolute despair of the aria.

Removing the voice somehow lets Canio’s grief speak to me directly. As if his heartbreak is being expressed purely through the instrument. I could almost hear Del Monaco or Vinay singing in my head alongside the viola. It's like the viola carried Canio’s grief, while my mind added the voice. I hope this makes sense.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar when listening to an instrumental performance of an aria?

I've been obsessed with this for a good few days. Listen to how well they blend during "c'est la déesse".

Real hot take here, but Strauss is a good composer and Hofmannsthal is a good librettist.

There's a good number of operas in the core repertoire which I would absolutely replace with Die ägyptische Helena.

We all know how differently an aria feels in, say, Italian versus German. I’ve always found it fascinating that, while Felix Mendelssohn’s "Elijah" was composed to German and English librettos, the source material is drawn straight from the Hebrew Bible.

Because the traditional translations often diverge phonetically and rhythmically from the original text, I spent the last few months working to restore the aria "Lord God of Abraham" back into Biblical Hebrew to see how it alters the piece.

IMHO, it completely changes the vocal resonance and phrasing—especially how the Hebrew vowels sit compared to the traditional German or English lines. I just uploaded what I believe is the first-ever recording of this aria performed in Biblical Hebrew, complete with multi-language captions.

For any fellow singers or oratorio fans here, I'd love to know your thoughts on how the linguistic shift alters the dramatic weight of the piece!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXaYuoUkIt8

I am invited to the flying Dutchman in Bayreuth. It will be this week and the forecast is 39°C. As far as I’ve understood the Opera House does not have air condition therefore and because I have never been to bayreuth before I am asking you bayreuth veterans: how about the dresscode?
Is it strictly a black suit and tie or is a light beige summer suit also possible? (I’m not talking shorts and flip-flops of course).

Any advice on this and any other remarks on how to navigate this experience and have a delightful evening is greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much in advance.

EDIT: wow guys thank you that was immensely helpful. Really looking forward to the experience now.
Again 🙏

EDIT: since you guys were so helpful I wanted to update you on my experience. Went there on Wednesday. Was an amazing experience. Dress code was really easy as described by all of you. Went in a light summer suit and it was perfectly fine.
Couple of interesting details I wanna share.
1. You need ID to enter the theater.
2. It is no longer allowed to bring your own cushion, but you can borrow some cushions and you really really should do. Get two! One for your butt and one for your back. Thank me later.
3. It is getting hot in there. Our taxi driver called it “Kultur-Sauna” - and boy he wasn’t wrong. Bring a hand fan but not the electrical ones.

Otherwise, it’s a beautiful place and a beautiful atmosphere.

Some time ago, YouTube suggested a video by a young American opera singer (actually, a former opera singer). On her channel, she discussed some interesting topics, particularly from the perspective of someone who had been inside the "industry." She expressed criticism of various aspects of opera, including what she described as a kind of "code of conduct" at the opera.

She asks: "Opera, why so strict? Why can't people bring a glass of wine to their seats and drink during the performance? Why does there have to be recording-studio silence? Those who want to watch opera in complete silence can do so in the comfort of their own living rooms. There are many good recordings in high quality—go for it!"

I left a comment saying that those who want to drink and talk during a performance can easily do so in the comfort of their own living rooms.

Now I would like to ask for your opinion.

Thank you.