This week’s theme is French Opera Today we’re listening to Shirley Verrett, and Nicolai Gedda sing the love duet, “Nuit d'ivresse et d'extase infinie”, from Act IV of Hector Berlioz’s Les Troyens. Thank you to one of our members for pointing me in this direction
Berlioz is grateful too. Every night Berlioz' Father read him the AENEID as a bedtime story which became part of his artistry as a composer. It was never heard complete in Paris in his lifetime and for 90 years until the Royal Opera House did it in the 1950's with brutal cuts. LES TROYENS was vilified by critics for almost a century and one remarked that Berlioz was buried under the Wall of Troy. Nonetheless, you work here is extremely important for LES TROYENS and Berlioz in Century 21.
Having finally wiggled my toes in the warm waters of French opera, I have plunged in and begun swimming with "Les Troyens". First of all, I am certain I would have enjoyed six hours of the kind of grand spectacle required by Berlioz's grand opera. After all, films, plays and streaming services have enabled us to sit through hours of entertainment. Berlioz was simply ahead of his time. Shirley Verrett and Nicolai Gedda performing “Nuit d'ivresse et d'extase infinie” was so beautiful. There was so much to learn about the shimmering, incredible voice and the extraordinary life of Shirley Verrett in the YouTube videos I watched. Is it unusual to have a voice which can slide between mezzo-soprano and soprano roles? Verrett herself was a gorgeous woman, and reportedly a fine stage actress, too. Having only paid fleeting attention to her, I now get why the family opera lovers were always attuned whenever she appeared on TV. Michele, I so appreciate your guidance, and the contributions of other subscribers, to my edification and enjoyment.
Opera Daily's format is perfect for my shortened attention span and the times we live in. The information presented is just enough to savor, without getting satiated. Even so, comments here and on YouTube often point me in new directions. Now I'm eager to hear Shirley Verrett and Claudio Abbado in Verdi's "Macbeth". I'm also interested in the great opera houses, having been to only three of them. I also think about opera singers who have achieved fame and fortune. It can't be talent alone. I wonder about the mix of variables that create celebrity (such as location, training, patrons, publicity, connections, critics, physical attributes and probably race and class). I have some mild regret about not cracking open that big history of opera book that languished at home for years. At least it is now in the hands of my sister, a trained classical though not a professional, singer and a true aficionado. Me, I'm grateful for the time to explore what I used to ignore. Onward!
Magical
***A marvellous tapestry of voices and orchestra***
Berlioz is grateful too. Every night Berlioz' Father read him the AENEID as a bedtime story which became part of his artistry as a composer. It was never heard complete in Paris in his lifetime and for 90 years until the Royal Opera House did it in the 1950's with brutal cuts. LES TROYENS was vilified by critics for almost a century and one remarked that Berlioz was buried under the Wall of Troy. Nonetheless, you work here is extremely important for LES TROYENS and Berlioz in Century 21.
Having finally wiggled my toes in the warm waters of French opera, I have plunged in and begun swimming with "Les Troyens". First of all, I am certain I would have enjoyed six hours of the kind of grand spectacle required by Berlioz's grand opera. After all, films, plays and streaming services have enabled us to sit through hours of entertainment. Berlioz was simply ahead of his time. Shirley Verrett and Nicolai Gedda performing “Nuit d'ivresse et d'extase infinie” was so beautiful. There was so much to learn about the shimmering, incredible voice and the extraordinary life of Shirley Verrett in the YouTube videos I watched. Is it unusual to have a voice which can slide between mezzo-soprano and soprano roles? Verrett herself was a gorgeous woman, and reportedly a fine stage actress, too. Having only paid fleeting attention to her, I now get why the family opera lovers were always attuned whenever she appeared on TV. Michele, I so appreciate your guidance, and the contributions of other subscribers, to my edification and enjoyment.
Opera Daily's format is perfect for my shortened attention span and the times we live in. The information presented is just enough to savor, without getting satiated. Even so, comments here and on YouTube often point me in new directions. Now I'm eager to hear Shirley Verrett and Claudio Abbado in Verdi's "Macbeth". I'm also interested in the great opera houses, having been to only three of them. I also think about opera singers who have achieved fame and fortune. It can't be talent alone. I wonder about the mix of variables that create celebrity (such as location, training, patrons, publicity, connections, critics, physical attributes and probably race and class). I have some mild regret about not cracking open that big history of opera book that languished at home for years. At least it is now in the hands of my sister, a trained classical though not a professional, singer and a true aficionado. Me, I'm grateful for the time to explore what I used to ignore. Onward!