I knew PETER GRIMES well before I saw it live. (I had written a grad school paper on its dramatic structure.) But perhaps because I didn't have to work too hard to understand the text, I had an experience similar to that which Joey describes.
The music washed over me and I thought I was moved. Then I made it about 10 steps out the exit door before I began to sob uncontrollably for several minutes. That hasn't happened to me in too many musicals.
I'll also never forget Renata Scotto doing Desdemona's death scene with her head draped off the bed, literally singing at the top of her register while upside down. If that ain't acting, then I think we need to invent a word for it!
Finally, I want to pay tribute to Beverly Sills as head of the NYC Opera. They experimented with some of the lesser known works such as MARIA STUARDA and ANNA BOLEYNA, and did them as if they were musical dramas. (No current calls at the end of Act I!) The stagings were modern but not gimmicky, the excitement among the resident company was palpable and the audience was given a glimpse of what opera can be without a few of the unfortunate conventions it has a acquired along the way.
***
newintown, very few musical theater numbers are like "A Weekend in the Country" and move the dramatic action forward with giant steps. Far more common are songs like "Now/Soon/Later" or "Send in the Clowns" where a great deal of singing about feelings is done in return for a tiny movement in the action.
Opera isn't all that different. True, MADAMA BUTTERFLY has an entire second act in which no one does anything, but that inaction is really active in its way because "waiting" is so germane to the story.
Actually, it was Julius Rudel who mounted the "Tudor Ring" for Sills ten years before she became head of NYCO. She revived the BOLENA and the STUARDA for up and coming singers at the time, but they didn't have the same impact they had when she sang the roles. The ROBERTO DEVEREUX was never revived ( a new production was mounted at NYCO for Lauren Flanigan years later ) but Sills' performance survives in a commercially recorded production from Wolf Trap. It is a stunning tour de force.
The reason the three queens at NYCO were never fully revived was that a warehouse fire destroyed most of their costumes. The 3 queens costumes were so expensive, they could not afford a full revival.
It's interesting to note that many years ago in the 60's, the MET was going to do the trilogy for Montserrat Caballe, but the NYCO productions with Sills were so critically well received and definitive, the Met dared not do them for fear of unfavorable criticism.
Those were the years that NYCO was the daring opera company. Thanks to Gelb, the Met has taken over.
^^^^^The above is why when people ask, I say, "I love opera, but I'm not what you'd call an opera fanatic."
Thanks for the clarifications, guys.
For the record, I had no comparison and found the later MARIA STUARDA especially mesmerizing. It contains my favorite moment in all of opera during the "confrontation scene" when Elizabeth I seems to condemn Mary Queen of Scots to death for singing the highest note.
Me, I'm an opera fanatic. I was taught to love opera by my godmother. When I was young, I used to go over to my godmothers house to listen to the Mets Saturday Matinees. If it was an opera she had done, my godmother sang along. My mother used to hit me at the time and tell me I should remember what was happening. I knew.
My godmother was Rosa Ponselle.
For those who don't know, Rosa Ponselle was equal to Caruso.
Please tell me somebody on here knows who Rosa Ponselle was.
Yes, of course, I know who Rosa Ponselle was. And I am very envious! I wish some of the childhood hours I spent on church music could have been spent listening to opera. (But, hey, thank God for "That Old Time Religion." Without it, I might not appreciate music at all.)
I trust my use of the term "opera fanatic" was understood to be a compliment.
(P.S. to Marc: I lived in Ft. Lauderdale until I was 23.)
That makes sense, Joey. I've heard many non-singing actors say the same thing about HD. And they were talking about TV, not theater screens 40 feet high!
We haven't made the switch to HD at our house because, really, do I need to see Russell Crowe's acne scars?
I do hope more people check out a Met Live in HD at some time. I fear that the bulk of what people have access to are videos from their library that were shot back in the 80s' and 90s' . While vocally they may thrill some one to me they totally put me to sleep watching them. I tried for years to get through one them. Libraries here in the rural parts of the Midwest believe that is only opera if if has Placido Domingo or Luciano Pavarotti in them. (I know I'm still in the baby steps of learning but I just don't like Pavarotti's voice)
Ponselle is an opera legend, just like Lily Pons, Amelita Galli-Curci, Nellie Melba, Adelina Patti, Luisa Tetrazzini, etc. I should hope some people here know who she was.
While it was exciting to see him live, for me he didn't translate to the small screen -- he was just too large a personality.
Domingo, on the other hand, was and remains thrilling. I always felt Pavarotti was "performing," while Domingo just inhabited his roles with astute clarity. Pavarotti may have been electric onstage, but for me at least, Domingo glows with a deeper warmth.
Marc, Ponselle was your Godmother!?! How cool is that! (And I also lived in Hollywood, Fla, as a child when my father worked for Pan Am out of Miami International.)
Pavarotti's voice is STUNNING. He has beautiful focus to the voice, purity of tone, great on the breath, legato singing and excellent vowels. Sure, he isn't the greatest actor, but I am not of the opinion that great acting is the be all and end all in opera. After all, they are not hired for their acting ability but rather primarily for their voices. Ramon Vargas, one of my favourite singers for example, is not the best actor in the world, but boy does he know how to sing! Don't get me wrong, the ability of singers in opera to act is very important, but it should not compromise the quality of the singing.
However, some of my other favourite singers are also great actors. One example that is being used a lot in this thread is Joyce DiDonato. In everything I have seen her in (my exposure to her is via DVD), her depth of characterisation in a role is remarkable. One such example is her role as "Sycorax" in "The Enchanted Island" where she charted the journey of the character with perfection. All this, but never compromising on the singing! I very much look forward to seeing her "Maria Stuarda" Live in HD at the weekend.
Here are some examples of her performance in "The Enchanted Island":
As you can probably tell, I love opera too. I came to musical theatre first, but discovered opera when I was about sixteen and instantly fell in love with it. In fact, opera satisfies me much more now than musical theatre does. Nothing seems to interest me much in musical theatre at the moment, what with the current trend of jukebox musicals and frame-for-frame stage "adaptations" of popular films. Very little new or original material seems to be being done.
Opera can be just as theatrical and dramatic as the musical, if not more so. The Act One "Te Deum" Finale of Puccini's "Tosca" is one such example of dramatic writing at its best. It absolutely blew my socks off when I first heard it! The way it combines the religious ceremony with Scarpia's aria of sexual desire for Tosca is stunning! For those who do not know it, here is a link to Bryn Terfel singing it in the recent Royal Opera House staging (just out on DVD):
Thank you for starting this thread metropolis10111.
I love opera and musicals almost equally.
My favourite opera is Tristan Und Isolde - i have put on a clip with Waltraud Meier singing Isolde's final aria. I prefer listening to Jessye Norman's version but can't stop watching the acting of Miss Meier.
Thank you, and apologies, I wasn't trying to be cheeky or smart with my zorro description, just typing in a rush and thought it seemed ok at the time. Should have re-read my post before submitting.
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Posted: 1/14/13 at 05:24pm