Simply the Best
We are glad you will be joining us for this entertaining evening of operatic highlights! From Handel to Bernstein, the selections for this concert span three centuries of well-loved works, four languages, and an array of musical styles. There will be rich moments of orchestral music, beloved melodies brought to life by our soloists, and the powerful drama of Austin Lyric Opera’s chorus. To enrich your experience, we have prepared some notes on the music you will hear. If you have questions or wish to explore the world of opera further, please contact Margaret Perry, Director of Education, at mperry@austinlyricopera.org or 472-5927 x 108.
The Overture from La Forza del Destino by Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Giuseppe Verdi was a revered national hero of Italy and one of the world’s most famous composers when he premiered La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny) in 1862 in St. Petersburg at the Bolshoi. The overture will reflect a dark and passionate story set in 18th Century Spain and Italy. When nobleman Don Alvaro accidentally kills the father of Leonora, the woman he loves, a tragic series of events leads to murderous revenge.
“Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” from Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
The success of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte when it premiered in September 1791 in Vienna was a great joy for him. The phenomenal young composer would be dead by December of that year, but this lasting masterpiece continues to delight audiences of all ages. This opera contains spoken dialogue with self-contained musical numbers, called Singspiel. It is also interesting to note that Die Zauberflöte is suffused with Mozart’s enthusiasm for the Masonic movement, its symbols, rituals and meanings. Filled with fanciful characters and familiar musical moments, this opera features a parable of good triumphing over dark forces through the courage of Prince Tamino and his true love Pamina. This aria is a showcase of high notes and vocal technique as the evil Queen of the Night tries to convince her own daughter to commit murder or be disowned.
“Che gelida manina” from La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)
La Bohème still reigns as one of the world’s all time favorite operas. Puccini based this memorable work on Henri Murger’s novel, Scènes de la Vie de Bohème, a poignant story of two young couples in the Paris in 1830 struggling with relationships, poverty, and the tragedy of untimely death. Much of Puccini’s work demonstrates a drive toward more natural and believable opera theater. We will hear the touching moment of awakening love when the poet Rodolfo reaches for the hand of Mimì, a shy seamstress, to warm it from the cold winter air.
“Nemico della Patria” from Andrea Chénier by Umberto Giordano (1867 – 1948)
Umberto Giordano brings the tumultuous tragedy of the French Revolution to life in his most famous work based on the real life of the poet André Chénier. In this thoroughly romantic story, the wealthy Maddalena de Coigny falls in love with Chénier and chooses to join him in death when he is sentenced to die on the guillotine. In this soul searching, tortured aria, Charles Gérard, a servant who has risen to become a leader in the Revolution, has the fate of Chénier in his hands. He must accuse him of being an enemy of the state, but they both love the same woman, and Gérard must face that he himself has become a puppet of the frenzied politics of the time rather than a young idealist with integrity. He chooses to sign the indictment against Chénier, driven by his love for Maddalena.
“Brindisi” from La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Verdi was perhaps one of the most influential composers of Italian opera. His masterworks still dominate the standard repertoire. Working closely with his librettists and well aware that dramatic expression was his forte, he made certain that the initial work upon which the libretto was based was stripped of all "unnecessary" detail and "superfluous" participants, and only characters brimming with passion and scenes rich in drama remained. La Traviata is no exception. This haunting story of the Parisian courtesan, Violetta Valery, remains one of the great operatic masterworks. Verdi first gave her voice in the premier in Venice in 1853, and her tale of finding true love with Alfredo Germont too late before consumption takes her life has given us many unforgettable musical moments. We will hear the catchy bubbling joy of this drinking song as Violetta, Alfredo, and friends toast the joys of love and life.
“Come dal ciel precipita” from Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Verdi’s passion for Shakespeare brings a dark passionate beauty to the music of Macbeth. Breaking from basic convention of the 19th century, the plot of this opera does not contain a love story, but instead, an unsettling tale of deceitful intrigue, blind ambition, murder, and the ultimate fall of Lady Macbeth and her husband. Though this opera was composed early in Verdi’s long career with its premier in 1847, it brought a daring score to audiences for its time and remains a powerful work. Macbeth covets the throne of his country and is manipulated into killing the current King by his wife. Banquo, a general who shared victory with Macbeth and is the next target of murder, sings this foreboding aria, which expresses his apprehension from entering the castle: “A thousand frightful forms seem to announce misfortune with specters and with horror.”
“Au fond du temple saint” from Les Pêcheurs de Perles by Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875)
Born to musician parents, Bizet entered the Paris Conservatory at age nine and composed his first symphony at age seventeen. Though not an initial success at its premier in 1863, Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers), has become one of the world’s more popular operas. And it’s very likely that you have already heard the duet on our concert. In an Australian poll, “Au fond du temple saint” was voted the number one moment in opera that you can’t live without.
In this tenor/baritone duet, Zurga and his friend Nadir rapturously sing of the beautiful Priestess Leila, with whom they both fell in love years ago. They swear that despite the rivalry they once had over her, they will remain united in friendship, cherishing each other like brothers, until death.
“Ritorna vincitor!” from Aida by Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Aida represents a more advanced work in the French grand opera format than any other composer had been able to achieve at the time. With its panoramic deployment of the chorus, delicate touches of ballet, and strong face-to-face encounters between the principals, Aida has a fluidity that belies its massiveness. Ismail Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, commissioned Verdi to write the opera for performance in January 1871, contrary to popular belief that the opera was written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
Aida, an Ethiopian princess, is torn between love of her homeland, family and Radames, the man who loves her. The complex aria, “Ritorna vincitor!” (Return victorious!), with its many sections, tempi and moods, expresses her conflicting loyalties as she prays to the gods for mercy.
“C’est l’amour vainqueur” from The Tales of Hoffman by Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880)
German-born Jacques Offenbach emigrated to Paris as a teenager. In time, he decided to compose for the stage, but wanted to create something lighter than the increasingly serious works of grand opera. He envisioned something along the lines that Adolphe Adam and Herve had set, blending operatic vocals, catchy melodies and comic plots. In his plight, he became a master and wrote nearly 100 works for the stage. Of this great number, The Tales of Hoffman is his only serious work, based on three short stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann, a prolific German writer and composer of the Romantic era. Hoffman himself is a character in the opera just as he often is in his stories.
“Alerte, alerte…Anges purs, anges radieux…Christ est ressuscite” from Faust by Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893)
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend in which a medieval scholar makes a pact with the Devil. The power of this story lies in its examination of the human spirit and its insatiable desire for knowledge. It has seen many incarnations dating back almost five centuries. Most notable are Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, Goethe’s epic poem, and Gounod’s opera. Other interesting embodiments of this tale are a libretto of Gertrude Stein, computer games, animated feature films and even progressive rock bands.
The National Opera house in Paris declined the premiere of Gounod’s Faust because it was thought not to be “showy” enough. But after being staged at the Theatre Lyrique in 1859, is became immensely popular, so much so, that the late 19th century New York opera season opened with it for decades.
“Intermezzo” from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni (1863 - 1945)
This one act opera from 1890 by Pietro Mascagni remains actively in the current operatic repertoire. One of the leaders in the verismo movement, Mascagni focused on biting realism and blunt honesty. Set in the late 19th century in a Sicilian village, the story introduces us to Turiddu, a young soldier returning to find his love Lola now married to Alfio. He takes solace with Santuzza, but when he rekindles his affair with Lola, Santuzza, now pregnant, tells Alfio of his wife’s deceit. After telling his mother goodbye, Turiddu meets his death in a duel with Alfio. The beautifully peaceful Intermezzo showcases the orchestra and is an eternal favorite in the symphonic repertoire.
“Votre toast je peux vous le rendre” from Carmen by Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875)
As a whole, Carmen contains perhaps the largest number of recognizable arias, duets and choruses from the operatic literature. Interesting though, because for a year after its premiere in 1875, it was considered a failure. Audiences and critics can be so fickle! The initial shock of the opera was not the music, but the libretto, which presented gypsy “low life” and allowed the heroine to die instead of the customary happy ending.
Carmen was extremely innovative in its drama: no longer was French Opera confined to one-dimensional comic characters. The two lead characters in the work are some of the most profound in all operatic literature. Carmen’s beauty unintentionally entraps men, who are then led to their downfall by their own misguided ideas of love.
The story concerns the flirtatious Carmen, a beautiful gypsy with a fiery temper. Not careful with her love, she is responsible for the downfall of many men. She woos the corporal Don José, leading him to mutiny against his superior. His infatuation causes him to join a band of smugglers, of which Carmen is a member. He is happy with Carmen for a brief period, but is driven to madness when she turns from him to the bullfighter Escamillo.
You will hear the famous “Toreador Song” in which the crowd praises the bullfighter Escamillo. The Austin Lyric Opera Chorus joins Stephen Powell in this rousing number.
“Glitter and be Gay” from Candide by Leonard Bernstein (1918 - 1990)
Bernstein was America’s first world-famous conductor, at the helm of the New York Philharmonic. As a composer, he wrote the beloved West Side Story as well as much orchestral, chamber and choral music. He was also particularly sensitive to music education and led a series of programs for children and adults alike called the Young People’s Concerts.
Candide is based on Voltaire’s novella, which tells the tale of a naive man, who has been taught to believe in Leibnizian Optimism but becomes disillusioned after undergoing a series of extraordinary hardships in the course of a luckless odyssey. Through this allegory, Voltaire pokes fun at religion and theologians, governments and armies, philosophies and philosophers.
A number of famous American writers contributed to the libretto of Berstein’s operetta such as James Agay, Dorothy Parker and Stephen Sondheim. It premiered in 1956 starring Broadway legend Barbara Cook in the role of Cunegonde.
We are pleased to present Ms. Jennifer Rowley in one of the most fiendishly difficult coloratura arias for the stage, “Glitter and be Gay.” Some of the florid passages are very intricate and high in pitch, calling for marksmanship of the highest order. Theatrically, it demands an elaborate comic staging (in which Cunegonde adorns herself with jewelry while singing and dancing around the stage), and has a satirical quality that is a challenge to perform.
“Suoni la tromba” from I Puritani by Vincenzo Bellini (1801 - 1835)
Bellini, Sicily’s most famous composer, was born to a musical family and began studies at age three, composing his first aria at age six. Due to his exquisite melodies, long phrases, and expressively ornamental style, he was a leader in the bel canto movement. Vocal lines in this genre are characterized with beauty, elegance, flexibility and coloratura technique. Even the great Frederick Chopin asked to hear a Bellini aria on his deathbed. Many other composers admired Bellini’s work, including Verdi, Wagner and Liszt.
I Puritani (The Puritans) premiered in 1835 with great success. Set in 1650 during the English civil war, it reveals the story of Elvira who is betrothed to Lord Halton, but loves Arturo, each fighting on opposite sides of the conflict. A favorite convention of many stories of the time, I Puritani includes a mad scene motivated by love lost.
The duet you will hear features Mr. Powell and Mr. Volpe singing the characters of Giorgio and Ricardo who are arguing about the fate of Arturo, the love of Elvira.
“Crude furie” from Xerxes by George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759)
Handel is a household name, possibly for the “Hallelujah Chorus” alone. He was German born, but spent a great portion of his life in Britain, where so much of his famous music was written, including the Messiah, Music for the Royal Fireworks and the Water Music. He also composed a great deal for harpsichord, organ and chorus.
Xerxes had its first performance in 1738 with little success, and was subsequently rarely performed for 250 years until its revival in the 1980’s. It is composed in the popular form of the time, opera seria, which is usually based on serious subjects, formalized emotions and plots involving characters from mythology or ancient history. Following such convention, Xerxes is set in Persia in 450 B. C. The title role (male) being played by a mezzo-soprano is referred to a “pants role,” which is seen in countless plays and operas throughout history. Perhaps the most common example for modern American audiences is Peter Pan. The original performer of the role of Xerxes was a castrato, but thankfully this practice has been abandoned and roles originally composed for the unnaturally high adult male voice are now usually sung by women, or sometimes, countertenors (male falsettists).
The plot of this opera is quite simple: King Xerxes is determined to wed Romilda; Romilda loves Xerxes' brother, Arsamene; Arsamene loves Romilda. Romilda's sister Atalanta is determined to make Arsamene hers. Confused much? Have no fear: Amastre has sent a letter to Romilda's father, which has helped to befuddle the issue further. The interference in his plans arouses Xerxes’s frustration, which he explains rather thoroughly in “Crude furie.”
This aria makes ample use of melisma, another convention of the time in which many notes are sung to the same syllable of a word. Perhaps this explains why four lines of libretto can take a great deal of time to sing! Jennifer Holloway will again delight us with this virtuosic aria.
“Dich teure Halle” from Tannhäuser by Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883)
Wagner is a towering figure in the history of opera. He set new standards in the art form and remains a controversial and bigger than life figure to this day. Though the idea was in the air with Verdi and others, Wagner brought to its height the conception of the music drama, in which all dramatic and musical elements were brought together into a cohesive whole. Recognizable tunes were built into the fabric as a point reference to a character, object or idea and grandly termed, leitmotif. This idea was brought to full realization in Wagner’s massive Ring Cycle.
Tannhäuser (1845) gives us the story of a 13th century knight-minstrel by the same name who fights against the temptations of the flesh and whose soul is redeemed through the sacrificial love of Elisabeth. We will hear her singing joyfully about her return to the magnificent Hall of Minstrels where she will hear her love competing in a tournament of song.
“Entrance of the Guests” from Tannhäuser by Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883)
The grandeur of Wagner’s skill with choral composition will bring a rousing rendition of this familiar melody to life at our concert. The guests are anxiously entering the Hall of the Minstrels in anticipation of a colorful showing of the greatest troubadours competing for the top honor and the hand of Elisabeth.
“Hab’ mir’s gelobt” from Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949)
Famous for conducting as well as composing, Strauss’s long life ranged from 1864 to 1949. Many of his orchestral works are still commonly heard, and he is well known for his operas Salome and Elektra. Der Rosenkavalier (1911) is filled with lush waltzes and Viennese elegance as it introduces us to one of opera’s great women characters, the Marschallin, while she struggles with the loss of love and youth the changes life brings to us.
This almost painfully beautiful trio is some of the most touching moments in the history of music. The three singers’ voices weave about each other in sinewy lines gradually rising to a great climax that only Strauss could compose.
“Make Our Garden Grow” from Candide by Leonard Bernstein (1918 - 1990)
The finale to Candide is a beautiful, heartfelt conclusion to a soul-searching operetta, whose summation is that no one is perfect, but just the best that we can be. Opening simply with a solo from Candide, this piece gradually flowers into small ensembles and ultimately blooms with the full company. The words are a perfect sentiment for the Austin Lyric Opera as we being our new adventure at the Long Center.
“We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow.
And make our garden grow!”
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