Do you remember waiting for those broadcasts? Our single chance annually to see Amahl and the Night Visitors? And afterwards, did you, too, run around singing: “This is my box, this is my box, I never travel without my box!”? Or dance your version of … Read more
Leoncavallo, Vesti la giubba Ridi, Pagliaccio. Laugh, Pagliaccio, your love is broken. It may be one of the most iconic lines and melodies in opera. If you want to conjure up the high emotional drama of opera in your soundtrack, commercial, or cartoon, you just … Read more
Massenet, Méditation The Belle Époque describes a peaceful and prosperous era between two catastrophic European wars: the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and the onset of World War I in 1914. Major advances in science and technology were accompanied by a flourishing of … Read more
Standing with a dozen others outside the main administration building, Cooke Hall, on the campus of Highlands Latin School, I watched as swaths of thick clouds chugged past, as if daring us earthlings to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. Before us, out on the … Read more
The 1927 musical Showboat is very much on my mind. On January 23rd, Showboat will be our initial opera in this spring’s lineup for the series “A Night at the Opera.” Not the first Broadway musical we’ve offered in the nearly three-years of this series, … Read more
Donizetti, Lucia di Lammermoor (“Mad Scene”) The “mad scene” in Lucia di Lammermoor ranks as one of the most famous scenes in opera. A short synopsis will explain the situation. Lucia is in love with Edgardo, but their families are engaged in a feud. While … Read more
Beethoven, O Welche Lust Beethoven completed only one opera: Fidelio. Its premiere in Vienna on November 20, 1805, unfortunately came on the heels of Napoleon’s occupation of that city a few days earlier. Consequently, the audience was comprised mostly of French officers who likely preferred … Read more
Wagner, Die Meistersinger Prelude We have had numerous occasions to discuss the “singers’ wars” in our courses and various other materials on this website. Richard Wagner built his opera Tannhäuser around this competition (Sängerkrieg) of the Minnesingers that occurred at the Wartburg Castle in Eisenach. … Read more
Weber, Huntsmen’s Chorus I had planned to spend part of this fall in Germany, once again soaking up the local culture, but other events intervened. I first went to Germany courtesy of the U.S. Army and was assigned the task of performing with the band … Read more
Whenever those of us in education think of young children, we consider the multitude of possibilities for influence in every arena of their lives. So when asked to contribute a guest article for my friend Carol, I asked my daughter Michelle, “Where would you start?” … Read more