Discovering Music Listening Guide – 13

Required Works

Georges Bizet

“Habañera” from Carmen (1875)
Naxos   Classical Archives   YouTube   Score   Text

Giacomo Puccini

“Nessun dorma” from Turandot (premiere 1926, left unfinished at composer’s death in 1924)
Naxos   Classical Archives   YouTube   Free

Suggested Works

Giuseppe Verdi

“Va’ pensiero” from Nabucco (1841)
YouTube

Selected Viewing of Opera and Ballets on DVD

Adolphe Adam

Giselle. Natalia Markarova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, American Ballet Theater (1992)
There are literally dozens of performances of Giselle available on DVD. This performance with Baryshnikov and Markarova is a classic, but you should try several productions for comparisons! Try any Russian production, especially the Kirov Ballet (Leningrad/St. Petersburg), or the 2008 production by the National Ballet of Paris, National Orchestra of Paris, 2008. There is an older performance that features legendary dancer Rudolph Nureyev, and while the video quality may not be as “modern,” the dancing is phenomenal.
Amazon   Classical Archives   Score

Georges Bizet

Carmen. Directed by Carlos Saura with Antonio Gades (1983) Flamenco-Film Version.
A fascinating new way to look at Carmen, featuring the virtuoso dancing of Antonio Gades. Saura has created a story-within-a-story, in which a group of professional flamenco dancers are preparing a flamenco production of Carmen. Suddenly, a Carmen-like situation develops within the company. The principal parts of the opera are all heard, and the flamenco dancing is magnificent. Plus, you’ll get an idea of how a dance production is rehearsed. There are gripping scenes, and viewers are likely to be entranced. Also, you can discuss how a story-within-a-story drama works. (There’s a long tradition of this dramatic structure—start with a familiar one such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet.)
Netflix   Classical Archives   Score

Puccini – Turandot at the Forbidden City of Beijing, conducted by Zubin Mehta. Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (1998)
A remarkable documentary, this DVD shows the construction of a production of Turandot at the great opera house of La Scala in Italy. It then was taken to the Forbidden City in China. A splendid way for the whole family to see how an opera is produced and to marvel at the resources China contributed to the production. The costumes and sets are blindingly beautiful. And there are interviews with the singers, directors, even officials involved in the delicate matter of transporting an Italian theatrical production to China.
Netflix   Score

Giuseppi Verdi

Otello. Directed by Franco Zefferelli. Teatro la Scala. Plácido Domingo and Katia Ricciarelli (1986)
This attractive movie version of Otello is smartly done with wonderful sets, realistic acting, and the fantastic voices of Placido Domingo and Katia Ricciarelli. In addition to being impressive as a film, it will provide an excellent basis for a comparison with Shakespeare’s Othello.
Netflix   YouTube   Score

La Traviata. Directed by Franco Zefferelli. The Metropolitan Opera, conducted by James Levine. Plácido Domingo, Theresa Stratas (1983).
This heart-breaker is well done as a movie, with lovely sets. The opera is performed straight through (with subtitles, of course), and the movie-like aspect of it will capture the attention of those new to opera.
Netflix   Score