The Last Big Surge of Opera Music

The Last Big Surge of Opera Music was an incredible moment in history. Here’s a look back at what made it so special.

The three big operas of the late 19th century

Verdi, Wagner, and Puccini were the three opera giants of the late 19th century. Each composer wrote works that are still performed today and are some of the most popular in the repertoire. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these three composers and their final operas.

Wagner’s Ring Cycle

Wagner’s Ring Cycle is a set of four epic operas that tell the story of the struggle for control of a magical ring. The first opera in the cycle, “Das Rheingold,” sets the stage for the other three by introducing the main characters and conflict. “Die Walküre” continues the story, with the hero Siegfried battling dragons and winning the hand of the Valkyrie Brunhilde. “Siegfried” sees Siegfried continuing his heroic deeds, this time slaying Brunhilde’s father Wotan. Finally, in “Götterdämmerung,” Siegfried is betrayed and killed, and Brunhilde sets fire to Valhalla in a spectacular conclusion.

Verdi’s Othello

Othello, an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito (1842–1918), based on Shakespeare’s play, was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on February 5, 1887. Verdi had intimated to Boito that he would like to set the work, but his health and other commitments delayed the project. In 1886, however, the composer persuaded his publisher Giulio Ricordi to allow him a year’s sabbatical so that he might devote himself entirely to Othello.

The composer partially reused music from his earlier Nabucco and Simon Boccanegra as well as Raphael’s madrigal “La luna si trasforma” in act 3, scene 2. Verdi wrote most of act 3 while staying at Sant’Agata di Esaro in Calabria during the summer of 1886. The first performance was a huge success and confirmed the composer’s preeminent position among Italian opera composers.

Ricordi published the full score of Othello in 1888, and it quickly became popular among conductors. Among those who have championed the work are Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein and Giuseppe Sinopoli. The opera continues to be performed regularly around the world; starting from 2013 there have been more than 1,000 professional productions according to Operabase.

Puccini’s Turandot

Puccini’s final opera, Turandot, was left unfinished at his death in 1924 and was completed by Franco Alfano. It premiered at La Scala in 1926, conducted by Arturo Toscanini.Ironically, given its setting in ancient China, it was one of the first operas to make use of electronics, with a recorded Chinese gong replacing a live one onstage.

The story is based on the ancient legend of Princess Turandot, who will only marry a prince who can answer three riddles correctly. If he fails, he will be decapitated. Prince Calaf falls in love with her at first sight and accepts the challenge. When he succeeds in answering the riddles, she still refuses to marry him and orders him to be executed anyway. But Calaf declares that if anyone can guess his name before dawn, he will go to his death willingly. As dawn breaks, Turandot finally learns his name – “It is Love” – and they are married.

The composers who created these operas

The last big surge of opera music was in the late 1800s. Three composers in particular wrote operas that are still popular today. They are Giuseppe Verdi, Richard Wagner, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. All three of these composers were masters of their craft.

Wagner

Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, and music theorist, who is chiefly known for his operas. Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. Initially establishing his reputation as a composer of works in the romantic vein of Carl Maria von Weber and Giacomo Meyerbeer, Wagner revolutionised opera through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk (“total work of art”), by which he sought to synthesise the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, with music subordinate to drama. He described this vision in a series of essays published between 1849 and 1852. Wagner realised these ideas most fully in the first half of the four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen.

His advances in musical language, such as extreme chromaticism and quickly shifting tonal centres, greatly influenced the development of classical music. His Tristan und Isolde is sometimes described as marking the start of modern music.

Wagner had his own opera house built, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, which embodied many novel design features. The Ring and Parsifal were premiered here and his most important stage works continue to be performed at festivals held annually at Bayreuth.

Verdi

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian opera composer. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, and developed a musical education with the help of a local patron. Verdi came to dominate the Italian opera scene after the era of Vincenzo Bellini, Giovanni Pacini, and Gioachino Rossini, whose works significantly influenced him. By his thirties, he had become one of the pre-eminent opera composers in history.

In his early operas Verdi demonstrated a sympathy with the Risorgimento movement which sought the unification of Italy. He also participated briefly as an elected politician. He surprised the musical world by returning, after his success with “The Force of Destiny” in 1842, with three major works that are generally considered masterpieces: “Ernani” (1844), “Lincoln’s Lear” (1847), and “Macbeth” (1847). With “Rigoletto” (1851), “La traviata” (1853), and “Simon Boccanegra” (1857),Verdi achieved widespread popularity in Italy. He also began to attract worldwide attention with productions outside Italy during this period, such as Don Carlos in Paris and Aida at Cairo.

Verdi’s Requiem, originally written for the funeral of Alessandro Manzoni in May 1874 and first performed in St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice on 22 May 1874 was one such internationally popular work.. With popular successes such as these last two pieces, though not approaching those obtained in his early operas,Verdi maintained his activity until close to his death at the age of 87 years old in 1901. Besides masterpieces like Il trovatore, La traviata and Aida he left us many other valuable operas like Otello and Falstaff as well as some sacred music like the Messa da Requiem..

Puccini

Puccini was one of the most successful opera composers of all time. Born in Tuscany in 1858, he began his career composing religious music and operettas before turning to opera. His best-known operas include La Bohème, Tosca, and Madame Butterfly. Although he wrote a number of other works, these three operas are the ones most often performed today.

The performers who brought these operas to life

It is hard to overestimate the role of the performers in the history of opera. They are the ones who brought these operas to life and gave them meaning. Opera is a form of theatre in which the performers are required to sing and act. This is a highly demanding form of theatre, and the performers who excel at it are some of the most talented and skilled in the world.

Nellie Melba

One of the most popular performers of her time, Nellie Melba was an Australian soprano who achieved international fame in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born Helen Porter Mitchell in Melbourne, she began her career as a concert singer before making her operatic debut in 1887. She quickly rose to prominence, appearing in leading roles at some of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, including La Scala in Milan, Italy, and the Royal Opera House in London, England.

A renowned beauty, Melba was much sought-after by society’s elite and was often photographed by leading society photographers. Her fans included royalty, such as Britain’s King Edward VII, who is said to have nicknamed her “Melba toast” after she served it to him at a dinner party. In 1908, she became the first Australian to be named a Dame of the British Empire. She continued to perform and record until her retirement in 1926.

Enrico Caruso

Enrico Caruso was an Italian operatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and North and South America, appearing in a wide variety of roles from the Italian and French repertoires that ranged from the lyric to the dramatic. Caruso also made approximately 260 to 272 commercial recordings from 1902 to 1920. All of these recordings, which span most of his stage career, remain available today on CDs and as digital downloads.

Maria Callas

Maria Callas was one of the most influential and renowned opera singers of the 20th century. She was known for her powerful voice and dramatic interpretations.

Callas was born in New York City in 1923 to Greek immigrant parents. She began her singing career in Greece, where she quickly gained popularity. She made her operatic debut in Italy in 1946, and soon after, she began appearing at some of the most prestigious opera houses in the world.

Callas became particularly well-known for her roles in Verdi operas, such as “La traviata” and “Macbeth.” However, she also sang a wide range of other roles, from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” to Puccini’s “Tosca.”

In addition to her operatic career, Callas also gave recitals and recorded a number of albums. She retired from the stage in 1974, but continued to teach and coach young singers until her death in 1977.

The influence of these operas on the 20th century

The three operas that will be focused on are Tosca, La Bohème, and Madama Butterfly. Each of these operas had a profound influence on the 20th century. Tosca was the first to bring in a more modern approach to opera. La Bohème was responsible for bringing in a more realistic approach to opera. Lastly, Madama Butterfly was responsible for bringing in a more emotional approach to opera.

The Ring Cycle’s influence on cinema

The Ring Cycle’s influence on cinema is significant and far-reaching. Numerous films have been made that reference or are based on the story, themes, and music of the Ring Cycle. The following is a partial list of these films:

-The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) by Peter Jackson
-The Hobbit trilogy (2012-2014) by Peter Jackson
– Wagner (1983) by Ronald Neame
– Parsifal (1982) by Ingmar Bergman
– The Damnation of Faust (1974) by Don Taylor

Many other films make reference to Wagner’s music or theRing Cycle in some way, including: Apocalypse Now (1979), The Discovery of Heaven (2001), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), 2001: A Space Odyssey(1968), and The Big Lebowski(1998).

Verdi’s influence on Italian opera

In 1839, a young composer named Giuseppe Verdi wrote his first opera, Oberto. Just two years later, he wrote another, Un giorno di regno. Neither was particularly successful. But Verdi didn’t give up. Over the next several decades, he composed some of the most popular operas of all time, including Nabucco, La traviata, and Aida. His work had a profound influence on Italian opera in the 19th century.

In the 20th century, Verdi’s influence could still be felt. His operas were some of the most frequently performed works in the repertoire. And his style continued to be an important influence on Italian opera composers, such as Pietro Mascagni and Giacomo Puccini.

Puccini’s influence on 20th century opera

Puccini’s operas were very influential on 20th century opera. He was able to take the best of Verdi’s dramatic style and Giuseppe Adami’s librettos and create his own unique style. His operas are characterized by beautiful melodies, sumptuous orchestrations, and interesting harmonies. They also often deal with tragic subjects, which made them even more appealing to 20th century audiences.