Operas
La Traviata
It is Rossini's masterpiece and one of the most staged operas in History, even though it is always a challenge to interpreters due to its technical difficulties. The extraordinary quality of its melodies and crescendos has transcended in such a way that they are easily recognized by the general public, and, indeed, Figaro's aria might be one of the best-known operatic pieces, and its overture is a classic of music History, as well as the arias for the soprano and the basso. It is also challenging for the tenor, who has to face a very difficult cavatina as soon as sets foot on the stage. Rossini embellished the scores of this opera in a way always demanding virtuous interpreters. Orchestra is widely used, and the finales, conceived as collective numbers, are a true musical cascade of many characters vocally running over one another following the vertiginous rhythm of the orchestra. These are Rossini's famous "imbrogli strepitosi" which aroused applause waves from the public of his time, and still do
Il Barbiere di Seviglia
Cosi Fan Tutte
Così Fan Tutte, ossia la scuola degli amanti, (Thus Do They All, or The School for Lovers) was the last work written in collaboration by the two geniuses of 18th Century opera: Mozart as composer and Da Ponte as librettist. The libretto created by Da Ponte is a masterpiece of comic opera, of very agile character, elegant and well structured, very superior to other librettos of the time.
Gentleman should accept that human condition is common to all and does not make any gender distinctions.
That is way, nowadays, the original Italian title Così fan Tutte, which refers only to women, becomes Così Fan Tutti, referring to everybody. The main characters accept Amadeus challenge and strip the complicated and embellished notes as if they were garlands; Don Alfonso and Despina toss the henhouse, while cocks and hens, between singings, play and try it all. Così Fan Tutte should be listened to as a wonderful concert for a group of voices and a transparent orchestra, full of delightful embellishing details of all sorts. To submerge in it is an unforgettable experience.
Die Zauberflöte
Die Zauberflöte is a wonderful musical and theatrical imaginative explosion. Doubtlessly it represents the masterpiece of singspiel a musical work popular in Germany, especially in the latter part of the 18th Century, characterized by spoken dialogue interspersed with songs-, with which Mozart decisively leaps towards the so much craved national opera. It must be said that at the time Europe followed Italian and French guidelines referring to opera singing, so Die Zauberflöte can be considered the first proper German opera, written and sang in that language.
On September 30th 1791, two days after he finished writing it, Mozart directed the premiere of Die Zauberflöte in the popular Theatre Auf der Hieden, owned by Emmanuel Schikaneder who also worked on the script and acted playing Papageno. Mozart died three months later. Schikaneder's great personality together with Mozart's genius became the best breeding ground for this masterpiece which keeps as valid as the first day, when it was an overwhelming success, completing over 10 consecutive years 233 performances.
LÉlixir D´Amore
The elixir of love (original Italian title, L'elisir d'amore) is a comic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. It was first performed at the Teatro della Canobbiana of Milan on May 12, 1832. The Italian libretto, by Felice Romani, is based on the libretto Le philtre (1831) by Eugène Scribe's opera for Daniel-François Auber.
The elixir of love is one of the most frequently performed operas by Donizetti and all are good number of recordings. The most famous opera aria is Una furtiva lacrima.
The elixir of love remains one of the most popular operas, and Operabase ranks it as number 12 of the hundred operas represented in the period 2005-2010, being the 7th most represented in Italian and the first by Donizetti. Along with The Barber of Sevilla and The Marriage of Figaro, it is the most famous comic opera represented worldwide. It has beautiful melodies and a good script.