![]() But the festival made such a stupendous loss that the Ring was never again performed there in his lifetime.ġ904: Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini The end of Italian Romantic opera ‘“Next year, we’ll do it all differently” he said afterwards. It is hardly surprising that Wagner was dissatisfied with certain aspects of the Ring cycle’s execution at the first Bayreuth Festival. The result was arguably the single most ambitious artwork of the 19th century. Wagner aimed to immerse the audience in a ‘total work of art’ which fully integrated text, music, scenography and performance. The Ring circles around the conflicting impulses of power and love as it takes us from the birth of the world to its ending – and the possibility of a new beginning. Wagner himself described his works as ‘music drama’ but, like the first composers of opera, he found inspiration in myth (Norse-Germanic in his case), and, like them, he repurposed ideas about ancient Greek theatre. The Ring cycle – three operas, plus a ‘preliminary evening’ – was first performed over five days in August 1876 at the theatre Wagner had built specifically for the purpose in the small Bavarian town of Bayreuth. ![]() The Milanese audiences soon warmed up however, and by the end of the century, Norma had been performed in 35 countries in 16 different languages.ġ876: Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner A cycle of operas Unfortunately, it only received a lukewarm reception on the first night at La Scala. When the time was up, Pasta decided that none were required. ![]() Apparently she was none too keen on it at first, so Bellini made her a deal: if, after she’d practiced it every day for a week, she still had doubts, he would rewrite the number to suit her better. Its most famous number is ‘Casta diva’ (‘Chaste goddess’) sung by the opera’s heroine. Norma is a classical tragedy set in Gaul during the Roman occupation. He was one of the finest purveyors of the ‘bel canto’ (literally, beautiful singing) tradition. 1831: Norma by Vincenzo Bellini Bel CantoĪlong with Rossini, Donizetti and, a little later, Verdi, Bellini helped establish the tradition of Italian Romantic opera that, for many people, goes to the heart of what opera is all about.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |