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
On my mind are two famous composers: Gioachino Rossini and Bela Bartók. You would be hard-pressed to find two more different figures, truth be told. Both made their careers during artistically fruitful periods (Rossini, during the early 19th century; Bartók, across the turbulent stretch of … Read more
Wagner, Ride of the Valkyries You might think that performances of a work as popular as this would be easy to find. But I have my own criteria for what qualifies for this series, and it has taken a while to find something suitable. When … Read more
Paulus, Pilgrim’s Hymn The American composer Stephen Paulus (1949-2014) is perhaps best known for his choral works. We featured one such example, the exceptionally lovely chorus The Road Home in this series four years ago. The Pilgrim’s Hymn comes from Paulus’ one-act opera The Three … Read more
