I always thought it was some kind of a lullaby. The lyrics are nowhere near as sublime as the melody......Maybe that's why operas are sung in foreign languages. It's hard to find words to fit such beauty. Music says things you can't put in words.
Beautiful singing by a great singer. I might take exception to some of the translation, but that's pretty much it. Not sure jumping off the Ponte Vecchio would prove fatal, but one gulp of Arno river would seal the deal.
Interestingly, that opera was written in 1918 - who knew Puccini was a 20th century guy - I didn't, and I really like his work a lot. I need to pay closer attention to such things.
deborah, Good to see you back. Beautiful voice. There is something about a great voice. I have watched young, black kids watching the fountains @ the Bellagio in Vegas. The show is accompanied by music. Pavarotti was singing Malia. These inner city kids, raised on rap, were transfixed.
My grandparents were poor, immigrants. They loved opera and always had it playing @ their house. I'm reading a book about the Black Hand back in the early 1900's. It focuses on one of the 1st Italian detective in the NYPD and how Italians were looked upon like Mexicans are today. This cop loved opera. When attorneys, NYT reporters would meet w/ him they were amazed @ this man, w/ a 6th grade education, was so polished and knew opera better than they. The Tammany Hall Irish scum that ran NYC had to explain how a man raised in the Italian slums could be so smart and refined. So, they made up a myth that he was orphaned @ a young age and raised by the family of an Irish judge. LOL! The cop is Joseph Petrosino. The book, The Black Hand by Stephan Talty. I'm about a third through it. It's well researched and this Petrosino is a fascinating real life character. That's why I love nonfiction. The best characters are always real people. Well, unless Shakespeare created one.
I read when commercial radio first took off Opera and classical music recordings were often played probably due to cost and copyright issues. There were several generations of common schmoes with a good knowledge of the classics who could never afford live performances or the recordings.
Sixty, I've been doing a mini crash course in opera by flitting around youtube. So I knew Puccini was late... I want to make notes to memorize broad facts, like the early ones, mid, late. Their famous ones, etc. Who knows if I'll ever get on Jeopardy...or at least appear brilliant at trivia :)
And of course it's youtube, so the great debate rages over Maria Callas' weight change in the early Fifties, and did it affect her voice? Yes. Yes it did, but also she over-used her voice in her prime, and aging in general. Some claim she had some sort of muscle-affecting disease. But anyway she is the BEST EVER ;)
Netrebko excellent when younger, but now gets flack for going commercial and being lazy in technique, and her voice has lessened.
Thanks Nick, will look that book up. Love detective stories, so the biography of a real one, at that time, will be interesting.
I was watching a program, probably set in England, where an Irishman was looking for a place to stay, and one sign said, No Dogs, No Irish lol. I have about one-fourth British Isles in me...Scotch-Irish, Irish (probably), and Welsh.
Cool, ampersand. There are youtubes of very early recordings that are pretty and thought-provoking in the way that it's nice to have them at all, and regret they couldn't be caught with more advanced equipment.
I like Maria Callas for Verdi and Puccini. She just looks like one of their heroines. I understand she had a lot of intense and operatic moments in her private life. Fleming is better for Mozart. There's something playful and good natured in her delivery. She doesn't look like she contemplates suicide on her bad days........Some singers have a voice and personality that just matches the material. Not King Cole with Stardust. Doris Day with Que Sera Sera. Walter Huston with September Song. Mary Martin with There's A Small Hotel. Frank Sinatra with just about everything.
Giuseppe Verdi was on the old Italian 1000 lire note. I gave it to friend who loved opera. Italian inflazione being what it was, it had a face value of about a dollar.
Yeah, Sixty, Verde's wiki page is amazing. Or I should say his (eventual) second wife's; a famous diva who retired by 30 having had several illegitimate children by various men, simply abandoned at orphanages.
William, the first time Callas heard a recording of her voice she cried because it wasn't pretty. Some still think her voice is ugly. Here's a very cute Moffo:
That particular version of Carmen with Placido Domingo and Julia Migenes was a long-time favorite of mine. I had the box set of cds, had the movie on VHS, and listened to it and watched it many times. One of the things I liked about it was that it was filmed in and around Seville and director Francesco Rosi took pains to make it look authentic.
But then I saw it performed in person and the ending left me paralyzed - I couldn't get out of my seat. Dumb sumbitch stabbed her! What the hey?
I have had the good fortune to have worked with two opera buffs, one in Sunnyvale, he managed to get to be a spear carrier in crowd scenes during performances by the San Francisco Opera company, and another guy, who was raised in Detroit and saw many great performers, including Callas and all of her contemporaries. That guy was an opera nut - he had seen the entire Ring Cycle at least 3 times at the Met in NYC and could tell you the entire story of all of the operas in that big ol' mess. He could tell you, and by golly, he would tell you.
LOL I only knew that because I'd read the wiki page. That is hilarious.
There's so much out there to learn. I read a little about the Ring Cycle. Seems overwrought, with leitmotifs, etc. The one prelude I listened too didn't do it for me. Or the piece with the three sisters. And silly me thought the Magic Flute was Wagner, heh.
Oh, well, must start small. As far as Shakespeare, I'm halfway through the Sixties(?) Macbeth Judi Dench version...lady can act :)
Maybe I should have a goal to see one live Opera a year...the main ones.
23 comments:
I always thought it was some kind of a lullaby. The lyrics are nowhere near as sublime as the melody......Maybe that's why operas are sung in foreign languages. It's hard to find words to fit such beauty. Music says things you can't put in words.
Maybe a song in English would be more beautifully rendered in Italian? Or should we crowdsource a better English version?
Where have you been hiding?
Under the covers.
Beautiful singing by a great singer. I might take exception to some of the translation, but that's pretty much it. Not sure jumping off the Ponte Vecchio would prove fatal, but one gulp of Arno river would seal the deal.
Interestingly, that opera was written in 1918 - who knew Puccini was a 20th century guy - I didn't, and I really like his work a lot. I need to pay closer attention to such things.
deborah, Good to see you back. Beautiful voice. There is something about a great voice. I have watched young, black kids watching the fountains @ the Bellagio in Vegas. The show is accompanied by music. Pavarotti was singing Malia. These inner city kids, raised on rap, were transfixed.
My grandparents were poor, immigrants. They loved opera and always had it playing @ their house. I'm reading a book about the Black Hand back in the early 1900's. It focuses on one of the 1st Italian detective in the NYPD and how Italians were looked upon like Mexicans are today. This cop loved opera. When attorneys, NYT reporters would meet w/ him they were amazed @ this man, w/ a 6th grade education, was so polished and knew opera better than they. The Tammany Hall Irish scum that ran NYC had to explain how a man raised in the Italian slums could be so smart and refined. So, they made up a myth that he was orphaned @ a young age and raised by the family of an Irish judge. LOL! The cop is Joseph Petrosino. The book, The Black Hand by Stephan Talty. I'm about a third through it. It's well researched and this Petrosino is a fascinating real life character. That's why I love nonfiction. The best characters are always real people. Well, unless Shakespeare created one.
I read when commercial radio first took off Opera and classical music recordings were often played probably due to cost and copyright issues. There were several generations of common schmoes with a good knowledge of the classics who could never afford live performances or the recordings.
Jimmy Launce, on WJR Detroit, used to play it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRuYQ9KRJms
to refresh the spirit in a spate of unfriendly news.
But used Kiri te Kanawa's version.
Sixty, I've been doing a mini crash course in opera by flitting around youtube. So I knew Puccini was late... I want to make notes to memorize broad facts, like the early ones, mid, late. Their famous ones, etc. Who knows if I'll ever get on Jeopardy...or at least appear brilliant at trivia :)
And of course it's youtube, so the great debate rages over Maria Callas' weight change in the early Fifties, and did it affect her voice? Yes. Yes it did, but also she over-used her voice in her prime, and aging in general. Some claim she had some sort of muscle-affecting disease. But anyway she is the BEST EVER ;)
Netrebko excellent when younger, but now gets flack for going commercial and being lazy in technique, and her voice has lessened.
Thanks Nick, will look that book up. Love detective stories, so the biography of a real one, at that time, will be interesting.
I was watching a program, probably set in England, where an Irishman was looking for a place to stay, and one sign said, No Dogs, No Irish lol. I have about one-fourth British Isles in me...Scotch-Irish, Irish (probably), and Welsh.
Cool, ampersand. There are youtubes of very early recordings that are pretty and thought-provoking in the way that it's nice to have them at all, and regret they couldn't be caught with more advanced equipment.
Thank you, rh, that's a beautiful version.
Very nice - Kiri was a favorite of mine back in the day.
Renee Fleming.
I like Maria Callas for Verdi and Puccini. She just looks like one of their heroines. I understand she had a lot of intense and operatic moments in her private life. Fleming is better for Mozart. There's something playful and good natured in her delivery. She doesn't look like she contemplates suicide on her bad days........Some singers have a voice and personality that just matches the material. Not King Cole with Stardust. Doris Day with Que Sera Sera. Walter Huston with September Song. Mary Martin with There's A Small Hotel. Frank Sinatra with just about everything.
I always thought Julie Migenes was born to play Carmen.
Good to see you back here, deborah!
Giuseppe Verdi was on the old Italian 1000 lire note. I gave it to friend who loved opera. Italian inflazione being what it was, it had a face value of about a dollar.
The original Mean Joe Green!
:) @ chick
Yeah, Sixty, Verde's wiki page is amazing. Or I should say his (eventual) second wife's; a famous diva who retired by 30 having had several illegitimate children by various men, simply abandoned at orphanages.
William, the first time Callas heard a recording of her voice she cried because it wasn't pretty. Some still think her voice is ugly. Here's a very cute Moffo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8CcmMXWmaA&list=RDi8CcmMXWmaA&t=101
Nicely done Habanera, Sixty, sweet choreography.
Serving Miss Callas. Bet she hit some high notes that day.
Maybe she was on steroids?
That particular version of Carmen with Placido Domingo and Julia Migenes was a long-time favorite of mine. I had the box set of cds, had the movie on VHS, and listened to it and watched it many times. One of the things I liked about it was that it was filmed in and around Seville and director Francesco Rosi took pains to make it look authentic.
But then I saw it performed in person and the ending left me paralyzed - I couldn't get out of my seat. Dumb sumbitch stabbed her! What the hey?
I have had the good fortune to have worked with two opera buffs, one in Sunnyvale, he managed to get to be a spear carrier in crowd scenes during performances by the San Francisco Opera company, and another guy, who was raised in Detroit and saw many great performers, including Callas and all of her contemporaries. That guy was an opera nut - he had seen the entire Ring Cycle at least 3 times at the Met in NYC and could tell you the entire story of all of the operas in that big ol' mess. He could tell you, and by golly, he would tell you.
LOL I only knew that because I'd read the wiki page. That is hilarious.
There's so much out there to learn. I read a little about the Ring Cycle. Seems overwrought, with leitmotifs, etc. The one prelude I listened too didn't do it for me. Or the piece with the three sisters. And silly me thought the Magic Flute was Wagner, heh.
Oh, well, must start small. As far as Shakespeare, I'm halfway through the Sixties(?) Macbeth Judi Dench version...lady can act :)
Maybe I should have a goal to see one live Opera a year...the main ones.
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