#Operatta

[aporeticelenchus]

While struck down by Covid (alas, alack, etc), I’ve been watching operas on my mom’s Met Opera account. So far we’ve gotten through:

Barber of Seville (2007, Peter Mattei and Joyce DiDonato):

Charming! A delight! I want to spend more time with the music later to get a better sense of individual movements. Largo Al Factotum looms large and is as good as promised. I enjoyed Peter Mattei as Figaro and Joyce DiDonato as Rosina a lot too! Bartolo’s patter songs are fun. Looking forward to hearing those again.

Marriage of Figaro (1998; Bryn Terfel and Cecilia Bartoli as Figaro and Susanna; Renee Fleming and Dwayne Croft as Countess and Count):

Finally watched a Figaro production after listening to it a million times! Also a delight! For some reason they switched out Susanna’s two solo arias, which threw me. I saw some reviewers thought Cecilia Bartoli did a little too much physical comedy, but I really liked her. Renee Fleming was a great countess; Porgi Amor is still a dead bore to me but that’s not her fault. Cherubino was adorable, but seemed to struggle a bit with Non So Piu.

This continues to be my favorite opera, and I enjoyed this as a production. I plan to watch the other two productions available on the Met on Demand later.

Don Giovanni (2000; Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming, Solveig Kringelborn, Hei-Kyung Hong):

I’ve now spent enough time with Don Giovanni to have an opinion: it’s good, but I don’t like it nearly as much as Figaro. The plot flow and pacing frustrate me. There are some standout musical moments, but also some parts that drag (hi act 2 Donna Anna). I do love La Ci Darem and Hei-Kyung Hong’s Zerlina was charming. Finch’Han Dal Vino and Deh Vieni A La Finestra are songs I enjoy from Don G, and of course Lepprello’s little list is fun. Donna Elivra generally has good music behind her, as does Act 1 Donna Anna.

Does Don Ottavio need to be in this opera? I’m just…not sure he does….

Every time I hear the Statue sing “Don Giovaaaaaaaannnnniiii” at the end, my brain fills in “from thy dark exile thou art suuuuuuumoned”, and it took me a bit to realize I was pulling that from Iolanthe. I like to think it’s a deliberate musical homage by Sullivan.

I definitely want to watch some more stagings of Don Giovanni; overall I enjoy the opera and I can imagine it changing a lot with different directorial choices.

Die Fledermaus (1986, Kiri Te Kanawa, Judith Blegan, Tatiana Troyanos, and some men probably)

I love an operatta. I love a dumb musical comedy. I love a catchy waltz I can’t get out of my head. Two thumbs up; great use of my time listening, bad use of my time trying to follow the details of the plot because it did not really matter. Special shout out to the Overture for being a jam. It almost renders the rest of the operetta superfluous.

A+ joke having an opera singer character who won’t stop singing during the talky bits. Love that the prince is a trouser role; that helped me through some of the dumb gender stuff elsewhere.

Total blast. I plan to listen to some more recording, including two English-language adaptations. (The POP Opera project did their English-language adaptation set in 1920s Hollywood; that’s on my short list to watch) I think I like J Strauss II!

Carmen (2014; Anita Rachvelishvili and Aleksanders Antonenko)

I’ve seen Carmen before, but it’s been awhile. My mom loves Carmen; I…struggle with it. Maybe it’s just my pro-comedy bias.

The music is very good, of course; the Habañera and Toreador song are some of the most recognizable music today for a reason. The Act 1 overture is great! Short and punchy! I think the opera might be growing on me musically as I listen to it more; I’ve found the group numbers initially overwhelming, but with a little more time i can better parse the music and find parts I really like.

But anyway, I liked most of this production! I thought the Carmen was compelling, and Don Jose was a good singer (I just hate his character a lot). The set deign (1930s Spain vibes) worked for me, which was a pleasant surprise.

Going to see La Boheme tonight! Wish me luck.

[wernevergrowingup]

Bro NOTHING could have prepared me for that teaser

Toralei looks AMAZING! Nearly identical to her doll, she's soooo pretty!

Girl looks straight outta a tim Burton film. Some think she may be Operetta. Her pin implies she's half human half monster, so, daughter or the phantom and Christine? Or maybe she's just a new character all together, which honestly might be a better idea, because Operatta should have her mask.

Who wants to join this hype train?!!! 🕺🏻💃🤸‍♂️🤸‍♀️🤸🙋‍♀️

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

With how diverse g3 it'll be interesting how they decide to write Operetta. Like yes was born a monster but her dad used to be human and was shunned by human society because of the way he look. It would be interesting to see if this has causes her to just outright hate human in generalmsince they can't even accept her own kind. Also her mask may be kept as a design choice but I'm curious to see if she's physically different on one side of her face just like her father. I understand that Frankie is disability rep however it would be nice to see that representation expand

[solaaresque]

For the ask game! Niki and Ritsu c:

niki!

favs: panda niki bloomed… he just looks so cute 🥰 i love him sm. sweets hunter bloomed because !! it’s literally perfect in every way… the composition… the angles… i would like to kiss whoever decided on that card 💕 hot limit unbloomed because he’s so fucking adorable i love baby niki 🥺 ummm cinnamoroll niki bloomed because it’s saur cute and i have him maxed on eng 😎 hehe. and helter spider unbloomed because he looks so chill… at peace with the world… simply thriving…

least fav: sweets hunter unbloomed... stand up king... please...

ritsu!

favs: his fs1 !! the unbloomed is cute asf (except that should be ME in anzu's lap !! ritsu moooove !!) and the bloomed is loooovely like i adore the design, the lighting... if i ever got that card, i would be happy :3 sportsfes 4* bloomed because cheerleader ritsu !! operatta bloomed because that card set are actually some of my favs, they are gorgeous gorgeous <3 ummm cheshire cat 4* unbloomed because he looks cute and the setsubunfes 4* because it's so funny (he's using the beanshooter gattling gun to try and shoot his brother btw... for you non-enstarries who follow me)

least fav: la mort unbloomed just ‘cause it looks kinda depressing and i wanna give him a hug…

[hardware-sparks]

rewatching the g1 3d monster high films and operatta is so funny. daughter of the fucking PHANTOM OF THE OPERA?

[renatedagmarmilada]

I flew to heaven after the Human Research people had taken my life remote, all had sat on my little

heart and my little heart couldn't take it, after so much pressure from them. It was too much. I saw

my grandson at the door, wishing he could stay- but it was late.

 Cheerily, his voice sounded in contrast to his face.

Sadly I murmured: Goodnight- and closed my eyes!

I had done a lot of good in my life, so I didn't have to wait long before being admitted into Peter's upstairs band.

They'd told me all my life there was a garden up here in heaven. I looked, was I going blind:

Could I have some glasses?

"No need," said a fellow colleague angel of heaven.

I peered hard here and there, for this garden. Garden means grass, means trees, means little animals to such city born as me.

Well grass! The ground was white. Sort of cotton wool, fluffy balls but firm. For a second I wondered then said :

so that is where those missing aeroplanes end up, in here!

Do they crash land I wondered or do they have a soft landing on the clouds. Not my business. Ok. Not my business, so what's my business up here?

Miss colleague angel fellow dead person, where is the garden, where are the trees? I asked the figure by me.

He/She laughed till her/his white frock shook,

"all around dear," It was a she, her voice told me.... and the trees? where are they?

Over there!" she pointed at what looked like scrunched up cloud with a sort of dark aura around them, almost Mars like in appearance.

Well, they're not apple trees are they, I muttered as I grumbled to myself Hmph!

Look, I've got a long white frock on from you lot, and it is pure cotton. Not easy to wash you know. They should do poly-mix . Easier to keep clean, beautiful stuff that polyester. You should tell someone up here about it!

Who does your hair dear? I asked Colleague angel lady, trying to be friendly as she was looking expectantly at me.

You don't need a hair do.It stays for ever and ever the way it was the day you came here!

What, no hairdresser, That's boring- I l-o-v-e having my hair done!

My dear, retorted lady colleague angel: This is heaven. Patient voice as to a little child. Keep that up and I shall forget where I am..

You  have to leave your earthly ways behind you  up here. Occasionally you will  sing-like an angel, ha ha (scowl from me) or float about and guide people on their right shoulder on which you sit, but that's it for physical activity now  you are here for keeps.

Well, that sounds jolly uncomfortable. I have not been skinny for some decades, though personally, I don't think I ever got proper fat, but my fourteen stones will not fit on just anyone's shoulder you know!-

Lady colleague angel tutted.

I continued unabashed: However I adore  Austrian Operetta, can I sing that? The Tsarevich. I'll sing that for you  right now.

NO! colleague angel lady, intoned, implored or what ever you would call it, as snapping is not permitted up here in the heavenly land.

HYMNS my dear, Hymns!

Do I know any hymns I thought. No. I did good thing, but not in the wildest stretch would you have called me religious, even at school with the nuns I was always in trouble for not behaving in a lady like fashion all through Convent years, but especially at Finishing School.

-so I tried again-

well, Italian operatta then?

No, it has to be to holy songs about holy souls , praising our Heavenly father, God.

Hmph. I can't see any heavenly father, I saw Holy Peter there at the gates but that was about it.

Then methought-- love, that's it, love is heavenly.  I'll sing about love!

NO, no operetta love,heavenly love... dear, lady colleague angel said ' the dear' testily.

Angel or not, I am not going to like  you I thought, let me be off to see if there are some angels after my own taste- and off I flew over the white cotton wool ground searching for angels with character! What an introduction to eternity, didn't think much of that at all!

[bubblybumblebee1]

This was so good!

Heath's right, though. I've been thinking about it lately, and the world of Monster High is beyond messed up on a few levels

Especially for what they've done to Jackson and Holt

I'm honestly not sure who has it worst

Jackson: who for the most part gets ignored or belittled for being a normie

Despite the fact that technically the body was his from the start and he then became part monster at some point and had to be moved to a new school, leaving everything he knew behind

Or Holt: who is basically being used constantly for his DJ skills and is found annoying any other time by anyone but Frankie

The only reason he's like that is because he doesn't know any better. Holt doesn't even know how old he is and I'm fairly certain that Holt didn't start existing until recently

So Holt doesn't have much life experience, has probably never had friends or even been around anyone else besides their parents his whole short life

We don't even know when he met Heath or if Monster High was the 1st time they ever actually met

We know that he and Jackson share some memories

So basically everything Holt knows is through Jackson

Jackson we can assume had normie friends before moving to Monster High and even managed to make a few friends in the form of Frankie, Heath (if he counts since they're family), Deuce and Clawd

Holt? No one other than Heath if they knew each other prior

Holt's only new friend is Frankie and maybe Draculaura? An even bigger maybe of Operatta. I don't even know if we can count Clawd and Deuce since he's never around them

The only monsters we've consistently seen Holt around are Heath and Frankie

It's crazy that so many characters have the nerve to be racist and hypocrites

What happened to accepting everyone's freaky flaws?

Frankie's made of dead human bits and honestly is probably rotting and leaving smell

She's basically a high functioning zombie

I'm sure not all ghost characters were born as ghosts, meaning they died as humans

The whole De Nile family or any mummy for that matter

Deuce's mom had goddess status but was physically human

Werewolves were once human right?

Zombies

Freaking Draculaura

So many of these characters have human origins

What makes them so special??

I don't even think the freaky fusion monsters have it as bad as Holt and Jackson

And I STILL can't believe they made that freaking movie mostly about Frankie and the fusion monsters and not Holt and Jackson with the fusion monsters

If anyone's gonna know how it feels, it's them

Little cousin AU in Ghouls Rule

Heath is on edge.

He's pacing up and down the halls and it's making everyone go dizzy.

This isn't right.

"Dude, what's up with you?" Asked Deuce, concerned.

It wasnt like Heath to be anxious, not even before a test.

"Jackson's being transferred to some human school." He said, he'd stopped pacing but he was messing with his sleeve.

"Am I missing something? That should be a good thing, right?" Asks Frankie.

Heath glared.

"No! No it isn't! They haven't been in the human world before. My auntie lives across from the street from us, she's on the phone with Blood Good now."

His mum was also with her, God his auntie must be so afraid.

"Face it man, he's a normie, he's a human. Why he was in a monster school is beyond me." Says Manny.

The hallway's temperature sky rocketed.

Heaths eyes had gone white and his hair burst into flames.

"You do not call him that! If I hear you say that word again, I'm gonna shove your head so far up your" He yelled.

Clawd and Deuce got between them.

"Heath you need to chill out." Said Deuce.

"No! No I am sick of the way you guys treat my cousins!" Screams Holt, he matches up to his friends, seething.

"You know why Jackson can't go to a human school? Not only is he being taken from his family... You don't think they'd try and kill him the second they know about Holt?"

Everyone froze.

"You don't think the second they know he's part monster, because he is part monster. That they won't try to get rid of that?

See him as being under poesseion? That they won't try to 'cleanse the demon from within him.' Because the human world is sooo accepting to monsters."

He laughs.

And somehow despite him being ablaze, it sends chills down everyone's spines.

"Oh but you guys are right, they're so good to human monsters. So open, so kind, hey why don't we do a lil exchange. Why don't we send you to them, Manny? You wanna how they say your family was created?" He spat.

"Dude..."

Heath turned to look at Deuce "why don't you go, your half human Deuce why don't you go make friends with them."

Heath puts his eye on Cleo and smiles, but it's cruel. "Or hey why don't we send Cleo. She used to be one of em, hell she's more human than monster."

Cleo glares at him, but there's fear in her eyes.

Heath glares them all, tears in his eyes that start to fall.

"You wouldn't though would you? Because that's cruel. Because that's wrong. Because you know what the consequences would be... So why?! Why is it okay when it's them?! Why is it fine when it's my little brothers, when it's my family being sent to the slaughterhouse!"

He punches a locker and it shatters on impact making them all flinch.

"You don't even care, you'll actually have to find a DJ instead of triggering Holt... No matter how many times he and Jackson tell you to stop. You don't care what they want. You don't even care to get to know them.

If that were you... If that were any of your loved ones , you'd be rioting. You'd be screaming and shouting from the rooftops, wouldn't take a no and do everything you could till they were safe. And I'd be right there with you."

Heath shakes his head, letting out a sad laugh "maybe they'll be happier there... Because no one cares about em here... At Monster high, where you can be anything, be proud to be yourself with all your flaws..."

He sneers, looking down "what a joke."

"Heath, we're sorry, we didn't mean it like that. Tell is what we can do, we can help." Says Frankie.

Heath faces his friends.

"You wanna know how you can help? Stay away from me, stay away from Jackson, stay away from Holt."

"Heath! Come on man, we're friends." Said Clawd, frowning.

"Friends?" Heath says it like it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Funny... Last I checked Friends don't celebrate when their friends family is being destroyed. I should've stopped being your friends the day I knew you guys were hurting Jackson and Holt. But I hoped you'd accept them... Like an idiot."

His friends have nothing to say, theres nothing they can say to defend themselves.

"Mr Burns."

Heath turns to see Headmistress Blood Good "It's time to say your farewells."

"No... Please, you can't." All of Heaths strength dissolves into pleas.

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do, Mr Jekyll is in my office, you can say your goodbyes their."

She tries to say professional but even she wilts under Heaths gaze.

"Fuck you..fuck you! If anything happens to them it's on your hands!" He screams, his whole body bursting into flames that Blood Good burns her hand trying to comfort him.

Heath swats her hand away, he looks at his once friends one last time... Before storming off.

No one hears anything for the next hour than Heaths sobs.

And everyone will never be able to unsee him being pulled away from Jackson.

Jackson who's also crying and trying to hold onto him.

Until he's gone.

Heath falls to his knees and screams.

A wall of fire bursting around him.

Abbey, who wasn't in that day but heard from Heaths mother, rushes in and apologises that she couldn't hold them off, feels her heart break watching him.

She can do nothing but stand as close to the fire as she can to comfort him.

But she knows that Heath won't be okay until his brothers are in his arms.

[angstintensifer]

My monster high lgbtqia headcanons

Headless headmistress Bloodgood is a Trans woman.

There is non gender confirming bathrooms for agender and non binary people

Cleo & Deuce are both bi & trans. We stan a power couple.

Nefera is gay.

Clawdeen we all know a lesbian icon (it’s already canon)

Lagoona is pansexual

Draculaura is unlabeled.

Ghoulia is non binary and aroace

Abbey trans queen

Heath is also unlabeled

Frankie is pansexual

Pharaoh is a trans man

Ramses is technically an ally (ish) but still a power hungry shitty parent.

Howleen is genderfluid and bi. Twyla is biromantic and demisexual, demi girl.

Twyla and Howleen are a couple. I can confirm this Twyla had the same energy as Cleo in 13

All they wanted to be with the person they loved. #lovewins

Clawd is bi and still a himbo. Jackson thinks he’s str8. But holt is bi af. And eventually Jackson will release hes bi

Operetta, a pansexual.

Rochelle is an ally.

Venus is sapphic

Robecca is bi with a crush on Draculaura.

Toralei is gay and in love w Nefera.

Clawdia is a sapphic, but we knew that already

C.A Cupid is pan and actually has a plot (instead of being in love w Dex in EAH)

Mr Rotter is a dumb he/they. But he’s also aro.

Sirena is a sapphic and is dating Lagoona. No questions.

Neighton is an ally

Bonita is a sapphic

Avea is a butch lesbian.

Yea that’s all I got for now. Lol

[immoraltales]

Türkiye'nin ilk opera sanatçılarından Mesude Çağlayan ve yıllarca başarıyla canlandırdığı Madam Butterfly operasının programı

Mesude Çağlayan'a Madam Butterfly operasındaki başarısı nedeniyle teşekkür ile ''Butterfly Bebeği'' armağan edildi. Çağlayan'ın o temsillerde giydiği kimonosu ve hediye edilen bebek, 2008'den beri Ankara Opera Binası'nın üst fuayesinde sergilenmektedir.

[arkhangael]

#Merry #Widow #newspaper #october #mauritius #operatta #classical #popular #music #instagram #instagood #instaphoto #gazette

[spookberry]

a moment of solidarity

[electronnie27]

Here’s the Grims Dyke hotel on N edge of London today, featuring a wonderful late Victorian fireplace with statues of cheeky chap Greek deity Pan. Numerous horror + other films shot there in the late 60’s.

[hekate1308]

I could be working, but

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Spoilers, potential seizure trigger, slight sexual imagery

Title: Operatta of Awesome

Editors: Warlike Swans, BecauseImBored1, RAWdangers, Irriadin, Siny, GuntherAMVs, Warlike Cygnet, ShinAMV, Fall_Child42

Song: Super Smash Bros Brawl Theme

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu 

Anime: Princess Tutu, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Summer Wars (film), Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kuroshitsuji, Kuroshitsuji II, Eden of the East, Howl’s Moving Castle (film), Bakemonogatari, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time; Pyrotechnics Edition (film)

Category: Freestyle

[meatsparrow]

I kinda sorta started making my own Operatta design alongside the main ones, though the back of the jacket (not shown here) is my pride and joy atm

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Anonymous asked: You’ve written about Wagner, do you enjoy light opera? (Though compared to Wagner, all opera is light opera...). But seriously do you enjoy The Merry Widow and such fare?

I think you are right next to Wagner any other opera might well be considered light opera. It’s like going from reading Thomas Mann, James Joyce or Marcel Proust to Alexandre Dumas, Jane Austen, and P.G. Wodehouse.

I do enjoy ‘light opera’ (or also known as operettas) but it’s been a while since I’ve attended a performance. I suspect it’s because the cost of going to operas is quite steep these days so you have to discriminate. Alongside how lucrative ticket availability is and the time free one actually has to attend then like many others, I tend to save my money, effort, and time, on going to the really big operas instead of the lighter variety.  You want more bang for your buck as they say.

I admit you sucker yourself into thinking you are going to a ‘major cultural event’ by going to a big heavyweight opera. But of course it’s not true at all.

I think part of the problem is the term light opera or operetta itself. It’s a problem of definition. How on earth does one describe it? It comes across as a bit of a derogatory term and not something to take seriously.

It’s very difficult to define the lines between musical theatre, operetta, and opera, especially when opera companies occasionally mount musical theatre or operetta productions. People have proposed a number of possible criteria: Perhaps in musicals and operettas, the words matter more than the music and vice versa in operas. This is somewhat true, but one can think of counterexamples - for instance, the primacy of the music - some of it stolen from operas–in several of Weber’s musicals. Perhaps it is the presence or absence of dialogue. But it begs the question does that make The Magic Flute, Ariadne auf Naxos, Carmen, and other examples of Singspiel and opera comique musicals? And does it make Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera operas?

There doesn’t seem to be a workable, clear criterion.

The best anyone can come up with is that an operetta is something that falls between opera and a musical. I’m not sure how helpful that really is but essentially it’s the least offensive definition I have come across. Like a musical, an operetta (most often) contains spoken dialogue, as well as song. Operettas are often satirical and witty, and tend to be much shorter and less complex than traditional operas. But the mistake would be to get sniffy about it and not treat it with a sensible level of seriousness because it has a great musical lineage and popular mileage to match.

Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus walks the line between opera and operetta. It is performed at the world’s leading opera houses (like the Met in NYC), which usually sniffily shun operettas. Interestingly when it was first performed in Vienna at the Theatre an der Wien in 1874, it was to an unmoved audience. It wouldn’t be for another two years that the Viennese audience took to the operetta, and another 16 years before the Vienna Opera added Die Fledermaus to its repertoire. But now it’s well known and beloved all over the world. I know from experience that it’s also a go-to piece for Gilbert and Sullivan societies looking to mix up their annual repertoire. It is frequently performed in English in English-speaking countries, but it is also frequently performed in the original German in English-speaking countries. It has gotten the Regie treatment - which operettas are usually spared–on several occasions, but when directors aren’t super-imposing dark political or psychological messages onto it, it’s about as silly and contentless as an opera/etta could possibly be. I love it.

Johann Strauss the younger of course modelled his operettas on Jacques Offenbach, the 19th Century French composer. Strauss’s satire was often generic, unlike Offenbach who commented on real-life matters. Also unlike Offenbach’s, and other operettas of the time, Die Fledermaus relies on the power of the orchestra, and only one role can be performed by an untrained voice.

I do enjoy the works of Jacques Offenbach. Which is just as well as he is credited with inventing the operetta art form and composing over 100 of them. His achievement of course paved the way for Strauss, Gilbert & Sullivan, and the musicals of the 20th century, which stemmed from the genre.

I have enjoyed watching and listening to his works such as  Orpheus in the Underworld (Orphée aux enfers), and Beautiful Helen (La belle Helene). Up until 1858, when Offenbach composed Orpheus, his theatrical licence prevented him from staging any operas with more than one act, or four characters. After negotiation (with Napoleon III’s government) he was finally allowed to stage full-length operettas, and Orpheus in the Underworld was premiered. To get back at the young Napoleon’s strict regime, Offenbach wrote an operetta that satirised Paris and its government. Surprisingly, the emperor allowed Offenbach to stage the operetta without any censoring.

Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár’s operetta Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), is one I do enjoy immensely. The melodies and songs - Vilja, The Merry Widow Waltz, You’ll Find Me At Maxim’s, to name but a few - are lovingly played and sung the whole world over, making it one of the surest box-office attractions of all time.

There is no question I think that the Austro-Hungarian Franz Lehár revitalised the world of Viennese operetta after the golden age of this genre with composers such as Suppé, Strauss and Millöcker was over. While Strauss, who transplanted the light waltz of the 19th-century bourgeoisie into Offenbach’s harshly satirical tradition, is regarded as the inventor of the Viennese operetta, Lehár’s The Merry Widow was an extraordinary and unexpected success in the Vienna of Freud, Mahler, Schnitzler and Schönberg. It was Lehar’s merit to have revived this genre to much critical acclaim.

Apparently, Hitler referred to the operetta as ‘the equal of the finest opera,’ and it is rumoured to be the only piece of music the dictator would play during the last two years of the war. Thankfully, Lehár and his operetta remain untarnished by their association with Hitler, largely because the composer kept a low profile during the war and died shortly afterwards. The Merry Widow is still popular worldwide. And rightly so.

One reason why I love it is within the story itself. Today, Hanna would be called a modern woman. At the time of the world premiere in 1905 such a role design caused a sensation. Valencienne, on the other hand, is the counterpart to her; she corresponds more to the traditional, conservative role model.

So I would put Die Fledermaus, Orphée aux Enfers, and Die Lustige Witwe in the tier one of operettas.

But it’s the next tier that I have a more personal attachment to and those would be the operettas of Gilbert & Sullivan. And why not? They are such jolly good fun and an immensely enjoyable spectacle. 

I have known G&S aficionados get sniffy or bristle with annoyance about G&S works being described as operattas - including many of the older generations in my family. One of my great aunts practically snorts with disdain in her dram of Scotch whisky at the very suggestion. She just sees that as another sign of civilisational decay. I think Gilbert & Sullivan themselves thought of their works as comic operas more than anything else.

But they do share one major trait with Offenbach and that is they do satire in such biting ways. Indeed they often poke fun at the establishment and use wit and humour as a way of expressing political opinion. But what sets them apart from everyone, including Offenbach, is how unpretentious they are in the music and to tell it as a story with such gaeity and wit that puts on dry English humour at its best.

I would say The Mikado, Iolanthe, and The Pirates of Penzance would be three of my favourite G&S comic operas from the fourteen they did.

Before Gilbert, a lawyer by training, died in 1911 he asked that The Mikado, an operetta set in Japan (although in fact a commentary on British issues), be updated to reflect current issues. Indeed it’s one of the many highlights that I love the most about The Mikado is how inventive they are going to be when they come to do ‘It’s on the list’. As G&S afficianados know ‘The List’ is list of gripes on current personalities and current affairs that have nothing to do with the opera. It’s very funny.

One of my favourite parts of The Pirates of Penzance’s is the famous Major General’s song that parodies the military leader who, although well educated, knows basically nothing about warfare or technology.

Another favourite of mine is from The Mikado - the beloved Three Little Maids From School Are We.

Other operettas on my list would include, in no order:

Auber - Haydée ou Le Secret Bernstein - Candide Carl Zeller - Der Vogelhändler Chabrier - L'Étoile Franz von Suppé - Boccaccio Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore Johan Strauss II - Der Zigeunerbaron Karl Joseph Millöcker - Der Bettelstudent Karl Joseph Millöcker - Gasparone Lehár - Das Land des Lächelns Lehár - Zigeunerliebe Offenbach - La Vie Parisienne Offenbach - La Belle Hélène

Thanks for your question