The genesis of the Threepenny Opera was dramatic. Everyone expected a failure. But the premiere on August 31, 1928 became an unexpected triumphant success and made Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht all of a sudden famous. Weill’s melodies became popular and the work was performed 10.000 times alone in the first 5 years.
Together with his “Orfeo ed Euridice”, “Iphigenia on Tauris” is Gluck’s masterpiece. The melodies are straightforward and beautiful, the orchestration is gripping, the drama is coherent and the three main roles are captivating personalities and demand great, mature artists.
This operetta by Leonard Bernstein is an absolute jewel. Each of the pieces has stunning humour, passion and musicality. It is both comedy and social criticism. It was the overture that made it famous. You almost have to go back to Rossini to find an overture that captures the comedy of the plot so perfectly.
The music of the Italiana in Algeri is gorgeous and sparkles with wit and melody. The finale of the first act can be considered the invention of slapstick comedy par excellence and for the female lead role Rossini created the vocal type of the coloratura mezzo-soprano, to which he will create further monuments a few years later with Rosina from Barber and Angelina from Cenerentola.
The music that Lehar presents to us in “das Land des Lächelns” (“the Land of Smiles”) is stunning. Lehar himself said of his music that he always sought the melody. And what splendor he offers us in this work! Each of the pieces unfolds an irresistible charm and has become a success story.
Mozart was to write a Singspiel for Emperor Joseph II. He fulfilled his wish and wrote the first truly great work for this genre. At the same time he beyond it and wrote one of his great masterpieces. It became one of his greatest successes during a sunny period of his life.
Don Carlos is an opera for great voices. Each of the six main characters receives a convincing dramatic foundation and development, and each singer has great musical highlights. Schiller wrote a brilliant literary model with his novel “Don Karlos” . It is a play about freedom and human dignity of the age of enlightement, which ignited the spark of inspiration in Verdi. No other work by Verdi has such a far-reaching plot and the power of five acts.
Cilea had a great sense of drama and was a gifted melodist. It is a veritable Primadonna opera and can achieve an extraordinary effect with great voices.
Norma is an effective opera written in the heroic spirit of its time. A story full of passion and with a tragic end. What Lucia di Lammermoor was for Donizetti is Norma for Bellini, it is his signature work and perhaps the greatest master work of the belcanto era.
For a long time, Lohengrin was Richard Wagner’s most frequently performed work. King Ludwig II saw it in Munich in 1857 and left the theatre in tears. This experience should not only change his, but also Wagner’s life.
Read more
