#un ballo in maschera (it's okay)

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

they did not have to serve this hard but they did

[the-tenth-arcanum]

I need a new opera I can listen to on a loop while I work or I'm going to ruin rigoletto for myself

[citrusandbergamot]

these costumes are WILD

[tatyana-dreaming]

Hello! I think like I've never asked you, but what are your favorite operas and opera composers in general? I know you like Eugene Onegin (and Le Nozze 🤔?), which is understandable, but what about other stuff please tell me. You can even list your top 20 (or 30, or 50?) that'd be cool 😎

who, ME??? *blushes * (especially because I know you study music) well, if yOU think it would be cool I will indeed list an opera top 20! but keep in mind I have only been into opera for a year and I usually like to obsess over one opera at a time, thus I make very slow process in discovering new favorites (which I also love to do!)

Honestly it is incredibly difficult to “rank” but I will do my best. The first 10 are operas I actually listen to regularly, and am well on the way to knowing by heart (like Onegin my beloved <3) (YES I LIKE VERDI is it clear? I won’t apologize) and 10-20 are operas I have only seen/heard once but either love the story or the music or both.

1. you guessed it: Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (my beloved)

2. predictable as always! Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (aber erlich höre ich lieber Die Hochzeit des Figaros – pls don’t hate :D damit kann ich mein Deutsch verbessern!!)

3. Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera

4. Verdi: Il Trovatore

5. Puccini: Tosca (thanks to @notyouraveragejulie for ehmm... strongly suggesting this one, after I was yelling about how "I'm just not a Puccini person!!")

6. Offenbach: Les contes d’Hoffman (@monotonous-minutia :'D thank you for bringing this into my life, I'm not sure I would have appreicated it the same way without you) (although how can anyone resist the music???)

7. Massenet: Werther (mainly the Sad Arias, oh wait that's most of them)

8. Verdi: La Traviata

9. Verdi: Rigoletto

10. Bizet: Carmen

11. Tchaikovsky: Pikovaya Dama

12. Gounod: Faust

13. Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor

14. Rossini: Le comte Ory

15. Bellini: Norma

16. Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia

17. Handel: Agrippina

18. Borodin: Prince Igor (the music is gorgeous, though I haven’t quite come to terms with the story. Then again when HAVEN’t I said that about an opera) (*flashbacks to Il Trovatore*)

19. Massenet: Cendrillon

20. Puccini: La Fanciulla del West

Some people may freak out that Don Carlo and La Bohème are not featured (yeah, I just haven’t clicked with them musically yet, but I am planning on re-visting them). Also I do very much love other Donizetti and Mozart operas, but I’m just not as familiar with them/have only seen them once (okay, I'll admit I have put Così on while I do work many a time).

Top on my list to watch next are Thaïs, Roméo et Juliette, and L’Étoile, the latter on the recommendation of @monotonous-minutia and @notyouraveragejulie… oh and definitely Don Carlos hehe @revedebeatrice. I also need to finish Idomeneo and finally get to Roberto Devereux! I’d also definitely like to see some operas by women and POC :) which reminds me I never got around to my Women’s Opera History Month assignment :( (yet!)

And I always take recommendations!!!!

Thank you so much for the ask, it made my day! (p.s. I ADORE YOUR NEW ICON <3)

[muchadoabout]

Opera ask games day 6 & 7!

(Super late!)

Any favorite weird/funny lyrics?

This bit from Ballo never fails to make me LOL, Gustavo: “O ciel, lo sposo suo!”.

What are some opera songs that make you lose your mind?

Lucia: Chi mi frena (the iconic sextet); Onegin: final scene; Hamlet: Ô mortelle offense! (when Hamlet drenching himself in red wine); Ballo: Il messaggio entri (the quintet is a total bop); Don Carlo: Ella giammai m’amò (THAT cello solo intro); Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances.

Are there any Met interview moments that live rent-free in your mind?

Not really interviews but, Alagna doing a backward-roll and Hvorostovsky asking for Fleming's approval to go for it.

What's an opera production that you positively rant about for an hour and a production that you could angry rant about for an hour

Positive: Onegin (2007), with the passion of seven blazing suns

Negative: tbh, I'll just ignore any productions that are still okay with black/brown/yellow-face and cultural appropriation.

Are there any weirdly specific moments from a stream/production that you love?

Hamlet (2010): a standard baritone overreaction / Don Carlo (2010): Rodrigo stroking Carlo's hair / Ernani (2012): Carlo V being dramatic

Le Comte Ory (2011): "Moi?" / Agrippina (2020): Nero doing some exercise on stage / La Bohème (2008): respect my modesty!

Which opera production was the most visually pleasing to you?

Off the top of my head: Prince Igor (2014), Eugene Onegin (2007), Cendrillon (2018), and Parsifal (2013).

Is there any singer who changed your opinion on an opera character?

I think it'd be Jonas Kaufmann and Werther. I'd not been a big fan of his voice for a long time and the opera was too gloomy for my preference. Then I finally got to watch his Werther last year. The dark tone in Kaufmann's voice actually suits the melancholic mood of Werther and the nuanced acting brings a lot more depth to the character. His rendition of Pourquoi me réveiller is such a powerful depiction of sorrow and despair. By the end of the opera, my perception changed... and I was all tears.

Are there any productions you wish had been filmed but are only available in audio form (or not available at all)?

Remember when the Met decided not to film THIS Boccanegra?

A singer that pleasantly surprised you in a role?

Roberto Alagna in La Rondine and Carmen. I didn't really care for his voice back then, just like Kaufmann's. But his willingness to throw himself into his performance has given me a newfound appreciation of him. This man also only cried real tears on stage.

Any costume(s) that you would want to have? (+pictures if you have them!)

My costume tag really comes in handy for this question :)

Opera characters that are meant for each other and you will not hear otherwise?

Charlotte & Werther, Tosca & Cavaradossi, Tristan & Isolde, Marcello & Musseta, Susanna & Figaro, and Carlo & Rodrigo.

Opera singer that you can’t dissociate from a certain role?

Probably, Radvanovsky's Elizabeth in Devereux. I don't know if there're any still-active sopranos out there that could ever be vocally and histrionically better than her 2016 portrayal.

Opera you think is a complete masterpiece from first to last note? (or an opera that you know by heart?)

Don Carlo(s), Eugene Onegin, La Traviata, La Bohème, Lucia di Lammermoor, Un Ballo in Maschera, Tosca, Il Trovatore, Norma, and Thaïs.

Favorite conductors/conducting moments?

Fabio Luisi goes from 0 to 100 at the beginning of Act 3 of Ballo:

A unique acting choice that you cannot stop thinking about?

2017 Onegin offering Lensky his half-eaten baguette before the duel.

Battle of the productions: for an opera that was streamed in many different productions, which production do you think is the best (or do you like them all equally)?

Eugene Onegin: 2007 >>> 2013 > 2017 La Bohème: 2008 >> 2018 La Traviata: 2012 > 2017 >> 2018 Violetta/Alfredo chemistry: 2017 > 2012 Il Trovatore: 2011 > 2015

Thank you for tagging me, @opera-my-beloved xoxo​

[monotonous-minutia]

Un Ballo in Maschera reactions, pt. 1

Production: Met 2012

“As is often the case--but particularly in 19th-century opera--there is no room for a happy ending when two men love the same woman.” ~Deborah Voight, host

Here we go!

Okay, I’ll forgive the facial hair this once...because...well, just LOOK at this child

directors take note this is the only way you’re allowed to stage an overture

well this is ominous

ahhhh

yeah well that never lasts very long

so the tenor and baritone already got their big arias and we’re only like 15 minutes in, what’s left?

and Oscar’s just chillin with a smoke and announcing people as they come, you know, basic page stuff

I’m dead already cause of death here’s a hint it starts with O

folks i literally screamed

Queen

we should say this to tenors more often

okay

buddy

this is like my new favorite picture of anything ever

I guess that’s a thing

So far I really like this :D I have no idea how the rest of the story goes--I have some ideas, because we all know how things work in opera--so I’m very excited to see the rest of it. Also I love the libretto, critics can shove off.

[harryduffany]

I’m broken

25th April 2076 Una Giornata da dimenticare

H: Quante probabilità ci sono che due (tipi? Frequentanti?) si incontrino in uno dei buchi più buchi di tutto il Regno Unito, su un prato che come quello che ne sono a decine in tipo due km quadrati? E ora ha la Wilson proprio lì accanto. Non è in grado di calcolare la distanza tra il naso di lui e gli occhi di lei, ma ancora una volta riuscirebbe a sentire l`odore profumato e zuccheroso che la Wilson sembra portarsi sempre con sé. Quasi torna con la mente a quella sera al Back to 50`s, in quel ballo lento, in cui non sarebbe riuscito a dire chi fosse chi e cosa fosse cosa. Anche oggi, su quel prato, la mente di Duffany appare confusa.

«A me non dispiace averti intorno» le dice, di nuovo schietto, con un` alzata di spalle.  «Preferirei vederti sdraiata, almeno non devo ciecarmi, se ho il sole accanto e non davanti»

I: «Cerchi di coprire le tracce di un omicidio?» domanda alludendo prima alla coperta, poi alle ceneri (...) e poi a lui, su cui torna con sguardo curioso.

H: «E no, è morto mio padre» conclude, con lo stesso tono che si utilizza per un` informazione tipo "sto andando a fare la spesa".

I: «Sul-sul serio? Non è una di quelle metafore fraintendibili tipo quella dei pagamenti in natura o-o dei cani e dei maiali nel labirinto...?» Ilary Wilson saprà sempre come tirar fuori la cosa più inopportuna di tutte. «Mi dispiace. Stai-stai bene?»

La teoria degli abbracci-da-almeno-trenta-secondi. 

H: Le sorride di nuovo, quando osserva il tono della sua voce cambiare da "sono preoccupata per te" a "ti tratto con dolcezza". «Non preoccuparti, Ilary, sto bene» la rassicura, alla sua ennesima occhiataccia di apprensione. Non necessita in questo momento della crocerossina, in realtà; lui sta bene così e di suo padre non glien`è mai infischiato un grinzanfico secco. «Non è stato un buon padre e non ci parlavamo da anni... lo stesso con mio fratello»

«Dannazione, Wilson», ora mi fai anche raccontare di me.

Avverte quella mano piccola, dalla pelle liscia e profumata, tirare verso di sé quella più grande dell`uomo che, come un fulmine inaspettato, riavverte di nuovo le viscere dentro di lui scomporsi e fremere. E poi all`improvviso, si ritrova a non produrre solo endorfine, ma sicuramente qualcosa di più a cui però ancora non riesce a dare un nome. Deglutisce, mentre la osserva fare. Quelle braccette vanno a coprire le spalle larghe dell`uomo che, inerme, non fa altro che deglutire ancora. E ancora, cinge la vita di lei con un braccio, inspirando quell`odore forte di camomilla non del tutto sconosciuto, che lo inebria e lo avvolge. 

«Magari mi dessi solo endorfine, Wilson...» sussurra di rimando, con il fantasma di suo padre ormai dimenticato e la presenza di un sorriso spensierato sulle labbra. Come potrebbe approfittarsene? 

Harry Duffany è tornato adolescente.

I: Ingenua rompitrice di gusci, spontanea conceditrice di abbracci e disinvolto animaletto che infine riesce ad accoccolarglisi contro senza dare a quella vicinanza niente di malizioso. Perché gli abbracci sono una cosa, you don`t mess with hugs, everybody knows that. Lo lascia ricambiare quella stretta, finendo ad incastrare la testolina nell`incavo della sua spalla, gli occhi socchiusi a riaprirsi un istante quando lui parla e a lei tocca reprimere un brivido che non è chiaro se sia la semplice reazione involontaria a quel sussurro troppo vicino, se sia colpo del contenuto ambiguo che sceglie saggiamente di non approfondire o ancora dell`angoscia viscerale che a quanto pare ora le prende quando sente qualsiasi cosa che non sia più che prevista e calcolata. Alla faccia della reputazione di fatina spensierata, eh Sorriso Wilson?

Profumi ancora di muschio bianco, Duffany? Potremmo esserci affezionate al tuo colletto, tutto sommato.

H: Quella mano che prima si agganciava alla vita vestita di verde acqua, ora si sposterebbe sul caschetto biondo, esattamente sulla nuca, andando ad accarezzare con il dorso dell`indice, quei capelli soffici e camomillosi. Un accarezzare lento, ritmico e distratto. Sdraiato sulla schiena Harry Duffany si ritrova a guardare il cielo.

«Non ho proprio intenzione a liberarmi di te» sussurra, a mezzavoce, perché giusto lei potrà sentirlo. «Da un cielo terso e limpido che non nasconde alcun rumore... Perdendomi negli angoli del tuo splendore, mi chiedo dove mai sia finito il sole...»

I: Lo sanno tutti che non bisogna mai toccare i capelli a qualcuno. E` sleale. E ora le palpebre sono così pesanti che potrebbero quasi convincerla ad abbandonarsi a quella bella sensazione. Ma poi lui inizia a canticchiare e lei cade vittima dell`ennesimo flashback intrusivo che le fa strizzare gli occhi. «Dannazione, Duffany» annaspa per scacciare la sensazione formicolante di pericolo. Ora deve davvero impegnarsi per non dire qualcosa di scortese, per non far ritrarre lui, giacché si sente un po` colpevole d`avergli chiesto di piantarla con le maschere. Scatta a sedere. Privandolo in un colpo solo di testolina, camomilla, calore, abbraccio e vicinanza. How rude, Wilson. 

«...S-scusa è che... Mi sono appena ricordata... di una sostituzione...d`emergenza, in ospeda- un collega di diploma! Come ho fatto a scordarlo!» 

«sto impanicando» confessa senza troppi giri. «Restaci tu, fermo, mentre impanichi!» E una Wilson spaventata è una Wilson aggressiva. «Non è logico!» esattamente come lei in questo momento. L`unica cosa chiara nell`ombra di sincera difficoltà che le attraversa le iridi, è che su quelle microscopiche spalline verde acqua sosti forse un peso più ingombrante del previsto. La manina libera a sfregare nervosamente contro una gamba e le dita dell`altra a impastare altrettanto nervosamente il palmo altrui. Nonmollarelapresa-nonmollarelapresa-nonmollarelapresa diventa un mantra silenzioso.

H: La mano è ancora a presa salda con la sua. Non riesce a capire cosa sia effettivamente successo dal momento che se ne stavano tranquilli abbracciati su una coperta a quello in cui lui, implorante la trattiene per una mano.

La maschera, quella che lei gli aveva minacciosamente detto di togliere, torna al suo posto, e un involucro invisibile si riadatta al suo corpo, caldo come un vecchio amico.

Sarà perché lui non ha mai affrontato un divorzio, sarà che per lui le relazioni siano qualcosa di completamente inesistente, sarà perché era davvero la prima volta che si toglieva quella maschera. Si irrita quando non riesce a spiegare una cosa. E se non riesce a spiegarla, automaticamente è sbagliata. «Dammi un motivo valido».

I: «Ti sei scottato» proprio quello che lui doveva evitare di fare. «E` che... sono veramente un casino in questo momento. Ho divorziato solo venerdì scorso, ho una casa di cui non so che fare e...»

«Potresti per favore provare a portare pazienza?»

H: Appena terminate quelle tre parole “ti-sei-scottato”, lascia andare la presa perché, nel profondo, sa che quella sbruffona ha pienamente ragione. La sua bocca si assottiglia in una linea e volge lo sguardo altrove: non ha proprio voglia di guardarla. 

Inspira. «E ora vai a fare la tua sostituzione del gramo, e non tornare a cercarmi». Espira.

I: «Sei un idiota che preferisce mandare tutto a morgane piuttosto che fare lo sforzo di conversare col proprio ego per spiegargli che non tutto gira intorno a lui perché è troppo... spaventato per farlo!»

H: Due falcate e la raggiunge. «Se tu pensi che il mio unico obiettivo era quello di portarti a letto, allora di me non hai capito una scopa». Respira. Inspira. Espira. «Ti ho dimostrato in tutti i modi che tengo a te. E che l` unico tavolo al quale vorrei sedermi, porta inciso il tuo nome sul legno, a caratteri cubitali. 

Mi sono aperto con te e ancora non so quali siano le tue intenzioni. Ecco perché mi mandi in pappa il cervello»

Si toglie il cappello di paglia dalla testa e se lo rigira tra le mani, guardandolo con un tiepido sorriso sulla bocca. «Dannazione, Ilary...»

I: «Okay. Sono stata molto bene con te. Mi dispiace se ho mandato segnali ambigui. Non l`ho calcolato. E` solo successo. E` stato spontaneo, ok?»

Comprami una mela caramellata mentre io guardo gli altri suicidarsi e rido e dico "ahah-che troll, IO non lo farò mai" ma poi lo faccio».

H: Quel battibecco lo sta stancando e quel sole gli sta offuscando la vista.  Eppure, c`è ancora qualcosa, in quelle iridi azzurre, che lo tengono ancorato alla proprietaria.  Non gli vuole dare un nome. Ilary ha ragione: per paura.

«È la prima volta che ho intenzione di conoscere tutto dell` altra persona.

Ora prenditi tutti i giorni che vuoi, e quando pensi di essere pronta, mi troverai nello stesso posto»

I: "Tutto dell`altra persona" e gli occhi si sbarrano increduli. Un piccolo broncio antilacrima le curva le labbra all`ingiù, mentre le deglutisce appena in tempo tutte le risposte a tutte le domande per non mandare segnali ambigui. Non riesce a trattenere solo quel «dici sul serio?» che esce fuori come un mormorio incredulo. Il tempo è decisamente qualcosa che non è mai stata abituata ad avere. 

«Posso vedermi accordata un` ambiguità?» «Dipende» «Sei bello»

H: Schiude la bocca, giusto per far entrare un po` d`aria nei polmoni, non per far uscire una risposta.   "Anche tu" è la prima. "Dannazione, Wilson" è la seconda. "Non puoi uscirtene così" è la terza e ultima. Quella sensazione d`assenza di superficie sotto i suoi piedi è tornata più solida che mai. Senza dire alcunché, la vede voltarsi, quel vestito che la rende irresistibile si apre a ruota con lei, e lì un sorriso gli scappa. 

Sicuro, sarà una giornata da dimenticare.

[onebizarrekai]

Hey Kai I was wondering how you're doing and if you wanted cookies

I’m okay! I just had lunch and cookies too so I’m good. XD

On a random note, the weather has proved to be a traitor, though. I thought it was finally going to become spring, since it’s been above 45º for the last few days, but there was this freakish snowstorm yesterday. Except it was mostly wind and rain and not a lot of snow. But my brother and I had to go outside and shovel a little bit anyway and we were basically screaming for the whole ten minutes we were out there because the wind was being terrifying and sounded like it could’ve been destroying a town a few miles away.

My family was also scheduled to clean our church today, but we were let off because apparently the building doesn’t have power thanks to the storm. ((silently hoping that it still doesn’t have power by tomorrow so I get to sleep innnnn))

Aaaand we’re starting staging rehearsals for the opera that my dad’s company is putting on that I’m in the chorus of. Interesting stuff is going to happen, I’m sure, haha. FUN FACT, we’re putting together a performance of Un Ballo de Maschera, aka Masked Ball, which is LITERALLY THE REASON I had that idea for Dream throwing that party even though those two things have nothing to do with each other aside from their center focus being a masked party.

I also need to do some drawing and writing and finish up the Greyscale update for tomorrow sometime today, and draw more thumbnails for that comic, and  PRACTICE and learn a bunch of music by next week, and finish the WWDT update, AND write more IBVS at some point :’)

BUT I can do it because I belieeeeeve–

[janiedean]

stevetomjohn(.)tumblr(.)com/post/125974550995/so-i-just-saw-an-article-today-on-npr-about-how stevetomjohn(.)tumblr(.)com/post/124713803865/operainthearchives-fizzylimon What do think about this? Because while I agree that opera companies should avoid blackface and stereotypical portayal of non-Western cultures, I think that color-blind casting is the better choice, not only for the quality of the performance (more people to choose from, more chances to get the better voice for the role) part 1

But also for the minorities involved: if an opera house decides to include e.g. Aida in their season and they can choose from X sopranos among which one is a black woman, they’re going to put her in Aida, while the white women will have more choice (so, type-casting). Also, if the ethnicity of characters like Otello is important to the point of requiring a black man singing his part, you have to select the rest of the cast accordingly, so the other roles can be played only by white part or white-passing singers? (Not considering that if you find a black tenor who can play Otello well, you can’t still put him in every single Otello performance, you’re going to wreck his voice on the top of not giving him the opportunity of a satifying and wide repoertoire). I believe that there’s a racism problem even in the opera world, but I think that people should advocate to a more equal selection in all roles, not just the ones with POC.

........ good fucking grief.

okay, first thing of all, this person is completely living in a fantasy world if he thinks that people will stop performing both otello and/or aida based on the lead characters’s ethnicity. period. especially aida which is an extremely popular opera, and I don’t even like it personally, it’s one of the few verdi operas I’m very meh on, but like...... opera theaters need revenue because they’re almost always in the red not in the green, and popular verdi operas are sure revenue 100%, and if people think theaters won’t perform aida out of political correctness ESPECIALLY when it’s full of stuff singers die to do they’re delusional. period. and as far as othello is concerned is absolutely a demanding role (and not just verdi - rossini’s never gets performed because you need three tenors and there’s one singer in the world - gregory kunde - who can sing both verdi and rossini’s role, says all) and if you send people who can’t sing it properly to do it, you ruin their voice. and assuming that you can’t stage one of verdi’s best operas which is also a revenue and which bass singers die to perform in (IAGO’S PART GUYS) out of that is also equally idiotic. never mind that saying that those parts never went to black singers is ridiculous because I didn’t dream up leontyne price singing aida AND IT WAS IN WHAT THE SIXTIES OR THE SEVENTIES I mean let’s be real. it’s not that opera companies don’t employ poc singers on purpose, it’s that it’s not a given they’ll find poc singers with the right skills. also otello is not a role that young singers usually take on so you’d need to have someone who’s had a long career or at least enough to let their voice mature.

NOW, with that stated, I 100% agree with you and pretty much with what the person who was not OP was saying (admittedly I was rolling my eyes so much at halfway through that I skimmed but I think I got the gist), but the point is: we should avoid blackface - I mean, we all know othello’s supposed to be black even if he’s not we can play along without putting make-up on the singer -, we should do accurate productions (though I mean, I think they were complaining about butterfly or smth and like I hate puccini so I’m not an expert but at some point I found out that he actually did extensive research and the japanese back in the day loved it and I’m pretty sure that a while ago in italy they had a japanese director do the opera with japanese singers and so on and they perform it in japan so.... IT’S DOABLE AND IT’S NOT INHERENTLY RACIST even if to me the plot of that opera is atrocious but to each their own) and we definitely should have more nonwhite/poc singers in the opera world (though I mean if you watch videos of those singing competitions like that one in wales or that bi-yearly one in germany most of the singers are poc, a while ago I was wasting time on youtube and found out some a++++ five south-african singers both male and female who were amazing and I think a couple won so things are changing albeit slowly), but solving the problem by not doing blind casting is ridiculous because at that point it means that if you do idk l’italiana in algeri the poc singer can only be mustafa or his right hand man... and.... that’d be kind of sterotypical since it’s not like roles for poc people in opera were ALWAYS non-stereotypical. like, if we take just mozart, we could have poc playing just... mitridate, I suppose, MAYBE, the bad guys in serraglio and MAAAYBE sarastro in the magic flute?? MAYBE? ah, no, and monostatos. I mean, that’s not.... much of a repertoire??? (also I personally dislike productions where monostatos is suddenly ‘ugly’ and not black because I thought that the point was showing that others saw him as a monster and he had feelings too but NEVER MIND) instead last time I watched it from the ROH papageno was an absolutely handsome and charming half-caribbean guy who also sang amazingly

and that’s for mozart, but idk for rossini you’d just have the turkish/algerians from italiana and turco in italia or the people from semiramide, but semiramide is hard af to sing and you should find an all-around appropriate cast TWICE because you’d need the secondary company as you pointed out. and I mean I just saw that one of my fave bass singers who is russian is up to play assur at the MET, now he can’t do that because assur was persian and he’s russian?? samuel ramey’s career then would have been dead from the beginning because he played both assur and attila and he certainly wasn’t a hun? I mean, where do you actually find a race-appropriate attila anyway since it could be anyone from a russian to a mongolian at this point? like, if you don’t do blind casting you’re also confining POCs to roles that might or might not be stereotypical and leave most to the white people in question and honestly..... why? I’ve seen excellent chinese and korean singers around, and especially when there’s no ethnicity required (in theory) then just cast whoever. but as you said then if you do otello then the only black singer can be otello and everyone else can’t? I can’t have a chinese iago then, even if the chinese singer has the perfect voice for it? and like, juan diego flòrez couldn’t have played ANY role he ever was famous for because he’s peruvian and no one in operas is peruvian??? kathleen battle who is/was (I think she’s retired) one of my favorite sopranos is black and she played adina and rosina and susanna and a bunch of main leads back in the 80s, she shouldn’t have because sure as fuck l’elisir d’amore’s protagonist wasn’t black? come on.

like, the point is that you have to make sure more people have access to opera so more people want to become opera singers so you have more variety when you choose/audition and you can also do accurate casting when it’s required (ie aida), but you also can’t limit the singers. I mean, doing aida for sopranos is very good on a CV, if you get cast for it you shouldn’t take it because you’re not historically accurate? so we can’t have a chinese aida? or a mexican aida? why not? and maybe a black singer wants to do aida but also might want to play other parts? leontyne price or kathleen battle or pretty yende (just the first three coming to mind but there’s a lot more around) didn’t just play POC roles and I doubt they hate it. like, what that OP doesn’t get is that opera is also about what you get to sing, not the goddamned plot, because half of the opera plots in existence are hardly high literature. I mean, any soprano wants to sing violetta from la traviata because it looks great on your CV and is basically the top notch you can get with that work, no one gives a fuck what color violetta is. and there’s been non-white violettas for that matter. any bass wants to sing iago because it’s a good part, any tenor wants to play calaf  regardless of where he comes from because if you sing all’alba vincerò properly you bring the house down and same for rigoletto/the duke of mantua, and any baritone wants a shot at un ballo in maschera because that’s the only opera where he does encores and not the tenor XDD like ffs one of my favorite tenors who isn’t really a big bane is half french and half vietnamese and I saw him live once and fell in love TM and he was playing... don ottavio? IN PRAGUE? I mean don ottavio is spanish, not french-vietnamese, and no one cared? like the point is that you should have operas where everyone can sing and that are done respectfully and preferably with appropriate singers if  there’s the availability and if they have the right voice and it’s valid for every opera - I mean I’d totally be okay with an italiana in algeri where mustafa is white and lindoro is black WHO CARES [actually I saw one where mustafa was italian and lindoro was chinese soooo] -, not where you gatekeep what operas get to be sung by whom. idk according to this person polish singers can’t sing eugene onegin because it’s all russians?? srsly??

and other than that, OP knows kind of fucking nothing about what they’re talking about because:

if he wants canon lead poc roles for men there’s not just verdi’s othello, there’s rossini’s othello, then there’s assur from semiramide and actually all of semiramide as stated above should have a persian cast, there’s selim from rossini’s turco in italia and mustafa/haly from l’italiana who are algerian, there’s she sultan and osmin from mozart’s abduction from the serraglio (osmin mostly has an a++++ part), monostatos from magic flute (kinda stereotypical tho but I think a good direction could make it work very well), maometto II/mohamed II from rossini’s maometto II/le siege de corinthe (same opera different language), the pharaoh and his son from ALL the goddamned operas about moses that have ever been written first and foremost rossini’s mosè in egitto and the french version, plus verdi’s nabucco also has persians vs jewish people so I mean ALSO THE JEWISH PEOPLE FROM NABUCCO AND MOSE’ and so on if you consider jewish people poc, THEN there’s the fucking tenor from LOMBARDI ALLA PRIMA CROCIATA who’s **pagan**/muslim so definitely poc in theory and I’m not counting puccini bc I hate puccini but in theory turandot is all pocs, ALL OF THEM, and butterfly is all japanese and one american (WOW NOW ALL THE AMERICANS CAN ONLY SING PINKERTON I AM SAD FOR YOU AMERICAN TENORS), and ah yeah attila from verdi’s same-title opera is obviously hun.

if he wants canon lead poc female roles as stated above: FUCKING TURANDOT, semiramide plus retinue, elvira from italiana in algeri might not be lead but she’s important af, both female leads in nabucco, ulrica from un ballo in maschera (where it was actually a plot point that she was discriminated because she was black and characters in-verse pointed out it was shitty), if you want to go all the way then il trovatore has supposed to have an entire choir of roma travelers + azucena (and azucena is terrible but people would pay to sing her role BECAUSE IT’S A GOOD ROLE, and btw the last leonora I saw live was... japanese I think), zaida from turco in italia, ZELMIRA from rossini’s zelmira actually EVERYONE IS POC IN THERE TOO same as aureliano in palmira excluding the romans and ah yeah there’s also rossini’s ciro in babilonia where again it’s all poc technically. ah and cleopatra from haendel’s julius caesar I guess, if you assume she’s dark skinned, but julius caesar is one of those things I never could watch entirely without sleeping so idek but I mean...

I mean, I’m fairly sure that I didn’t even get all of them and half of those roles could absolutely be played by black people - algerians aren’t necessarily light-skinned and egyptians aren’t either - and anyway ULRICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BLACK EXPLICITLY but if we can’t find a black ulrica then we don’t do il ballo in maschera anymore when the main three roles are not hers?? I mean seriously let’s be real, taking operas out of performance for etnical correctness is unfeasible.

but again, OP other than not knowing the above obviously has only ever heard of extremely famous shit because if you say the only roles for black men and women are othello and aida you haven’t even scratched the surface just as verdi is concerned never mind everyone else in opera history.

obviously it’d be lovely to have all those roles sung by ethnically-accurate people but opera never was about accuracy in any way shape or form so maybe we should make sure everyone gets to sing everything according to their vocal abilities. maybe.

also it also depends on where the hell you are because of course a theater in the US will have more choice of poc singers and one in italy less, and still with that I’ve seen plenty of poc singers just at the rome theater never mind others. times are changing in the good direction already, let’s just keep on going that way maybe?

[boycopter]

hello jag sir would youmst like to tell us about your Favourite Opera

THE DEEP VISCERAL EXCITEMENT THAT THIS ASK JUST FILLED ME WITH .

my favourite opera is not quite an opera. it is an operetta, and perhapes that makes me a fake opera fan, but elitism is dead and old white men can kiss my ass. it is called die fledermaus which is the bat in german and is consequently the only phrase that i know in german off of the top of my head. i have gone to germany once and did not need to know any german so it’s entirely okay.

fledermaus has one of the most convoluted plots in existence, so please bear with me.

act one starts in the eisenstein residence. the eisensteins are rosalinda and gabriel, but he’s referred to as eisenstein through the operetta and i kind of hate his character, so he gets no respect from me. anyway it starts with rosalinda being flirted at by alfred, an opera singer (very meta) who is standing outside her window, very beautifully singing an aria that boils down to “rosalinda come fuck this!” rosalinda reminds him that she is married and therefore must wait will not come fuck this. at the same time, we meet adele, rosalinda’s chambermaid. she is shit at her job. she has received an invitation from her sister, the ballerina, to come to a party that the wealthy prince orlofsky is throwing in his vacation home. (it’s not actually from her sister. it’s a forgery. more on that in a bit.) so she does what is natural and tells rosalinda her aunt is fucking dying so that she can take off of work and go to this rager. adele has used this same excuse before. her aunt has been dying for so long. she actually told eisenstein at one point that her aunt was dead. she hates being a chambermaid and wants to be an actress. (very meta.) anyway, rosalinda sees through her aunt excuse and tells her to fuck off and do the dusting. rosalinda also receives an invitation to a party - one that specifically tells her to come disguised as a “hungarian princess”. then, eisenstein and his lawyer, dr. blind, who is blind, very meta, storm onstage. eisenstein is LIVID because dr. blind is a dumbass and, instead of shortening eisenstein’s prison sentence, made it longer. everyone’s very upset about the whole ordeal. then, dr. falke, an old friend of eisenstein’s, comes over and basically convinces eisenstein to blow off going to prison to come to orlofsky’s party. they “fondly” recall together the last party they went to, where eisenstein played a Funny Joke and left falke’s drunk ass on a park bench. he was dressed like a bat. (die fledermaus!!) eisenstein says bye to rosalinda because he is “going to prison”. he’s a liar and men ain’t shit. eisenstein fucks off, alfred fucks on. rosalinda tells adele to go take care of her “sick aunt” so she can… definitely not go fuck alfred. alfred is also rosalinda’s former lover, so it’s all very scandalous. he starts putting on eisenstein’s clothes to get rosalinda to, again, come fuck this. but alas, the police show up. and the governor of the prison, frank, immediately assumes that alfred is eisenstein. rosalinda doesn’t want people to think she’s cheating on her husband, because she does love him, and she actually isn’t cheating. she’s not going to come fuck this. so she forces alfred to take eisenstein’s place. he goes to prison in eisenstein’s place, but not before saying that he absolutely must kiss his “wife” before he goes. he kisses rosalinda many times. disgusting little man.

act two is in orlofsky’s house. i love orlofsky. i sang orlofsky. orlofsky is basically an extremely rich, extremely bored teenager. nothing interests him. falke pulls orlofsky aside and tells him that he has a show that he intends to put on during the party that will absolutely amuse orlofsky. orlofsky says “you know what man? make my day.” everyone shows up to the party - rosalinda, disguised as a hungarian princess; adele, disguised as an actress, wearing a dress she’s stolen from rosalinda; eisenstein, disguised as the “marquis renard”, a frenchman (eisenstein doesn’t speak french); and frank (the prison governor), disguised as “chevalier chagrin”, another frenchman (frank doesn’t speak french). orlofsky gives adele his ENTIRE WALLET to go to the game room because he doesn’t give a fuck about money and he is very attracted to actresses. he says, specifically, that “actresses are very lucky for me”. that is a REAL quote. fucking weirdo. orlofsky sings a really fab aria about how he’s seen everything and nothing amuses him. see the link in the third sentence of this paragraph. eisenstein - “the marquis” - is introduced to adele - “the actress” - and immediately points out that she looks like his maid. she makes a point of seeming AS OFFENDED AS POSSIBLE to prove that she is absolutely not a maid. frank arrives and he and eisenstein, both not knowing french, both thinking each other are frenchman, start spouting random common french phrases at each other. orlofsky is amused by this. i love him. falke introduces rosalinda - “the masked hungarian princess” - to the party, but no one is properly convinced that she’s hungarian, so she sings a folk song to prove herself. eisenstein, not realising she’s his wife, tries to flirt with her and convince her to take her mask off. men ain’t shit. while he’s flirting with her, she pickpockets him and steals his pocket watch. sneak 100. orlofsky comes in and toasts to champagne for making things interesting, because this company really does not know how to enjoy things if they’re not drunk. eisenstein and frank both run away from the party because they’re both supposed to be at the damn jail. idiots.

and finally, act three. it’s the next morning, and everyone is at the jail. alfred’s been pissing everyone off by singing opera in the jail. the prison guard, frosch, says that opera should be illegal, and he’s fucking right. (frosch is also very drunk because frank, his boss, has been gone.) adele begs frank to sponsor her career as an actress because she still thinks he’s the “chevalier chagrin”. frank is far too poor to do that. it’s sad. alfred asks for dr. blind to get him removed from jail, and frank brings in dr. blind. oh yeah, everyone’s gonna be in this finale, or the composer’s name isn’t johann strauss. enter eisenstein, saying he is ready to serve his sentence. but wait! someone’s already in his cell! it’s alfred! frank tells eisenstein that the man in his cell was singing Mating Songs in the street to rosalinda and kissed rosalinda before being taken to prison. eisenstein goes ape (he steals dr. blind’s wig and glasses and pretends to be him in order to yell at alfred) and accuses rosalinda of cheating - something she never did. i am absolutely team rosalinda. then rosalinda pulls eisenstein’s pocket watch out, throws on the fake hungarian accent, and basically calls him a hoe. falke comes in with the whole “it’s just a prank bro!” and everyone is delighted. you know, except for rosalinda, who threatens to divorce eisenstein’s hoe ass. but then eisenstein says “but babe. i was drunk on champagne.” AND SHE FORGIVES HIM IMMEDIATELY. let me tell you how mad this makes me. he actually, real life attempted to cheat on her, and then blamed her for cheating on him. she did not cheat on him - all jokes aside, rosalinda denied alfred in all ways possible from the beginning. the only infidelity on her part was when alfred kissed her, and even then, she told him to stop. (alfred’s really obnoxious and i really do not like him.) eisenstein fully intended upon cheating on her with the “hungarian princess”. he can actually choke. anyway, she forgives his hoe ass. orlofsky promises to sponsor adele’s acting career because he was so amused by the drama that falke put on (die fledermaus!!) that he finally felt joy. the company toasts to champagne again. end of opera.

anyway! this is my favourite opera in the world, specifically because it contains chacun à son goût, orlofsky’s aria. that was the aria that i heard a woman sing at music camp that made me desperately want to sing opera because it was the coolest thing i’d ever heard. basically, i can attribute my love and passion for opera to die fledermaus. especially because orlofsky is a trouser role! trouser roles are traditionally men’s roles that are written for and played by mezzo sopranos. before i went on testosterone, i was a mezzo soprano, and trouser roles like orlofsky, oscar (from un ballo in maschera) and cherubino (from my second favourite opera, le nozze di figaro) gave me a safe outlet to explore my gender and my presentation while i was deeply closeted. opera has always blurred the lines of gender and presentation, and i find it incredible for that reason particularly! despite being a super old art form, it’s become very accessible to transgender performers! it’s part of the reason i want to be able to teach trans vocalists. because everyone has a place in opera.

thank you for sending this ask. i listened to the recording i have while writing the response and it was very fun for me. :)

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

okay, so Spotify Wrapped 2022 has been out for a couple days now, which means WRITE UP TIME:

-for the first time, non-operatic tracks made it into my top 101! six of them, to be exact.

-the following operas/basically operatic oratorios made their first appearances on my Spotify Wrapped this year:

I Lombardi alla prima crociata, Pelléas et Mélisande, Simon Boccanegra, Idomeneo, Eugene Onegin, Theodora, Bluebeard’s Castle, Hänsel und Gretel, Ariadne auf Naxos, Der Rosenkavalier, Jenufa, Rigoletto, Osud, Maria Stuarda, Mignon, Pagliacci, L’elisir d’amore, I due Foscari, Mathis der Maler, Carmen, La donna del lago, La Gioconda, Cendrillon, L’heure espagnole, Adriana Lecouvreur, Iphigénie en Tauride, Un ballo in maschera, Apollo et Hyacinthus, Jérusalem, and L’Aiglon (30 new works total)

-the following operas appeared on both last year and this year’s wrapped:

Dialogues des Carmélites*, Iolanta*, Die tote Stadt, La traviata*, Lucia di Lammermoor, Don Giovanni*, Macbeth, La juive*, Guillaume Tell, Il trovatore, Orfeo ed Euridice/Orphée et Eurydice, Don Carlo*, Susannah, Mefistofele*, Stiffelio, Armida, L’Étoile, and Samson et Dalila (18 works)

*the operas marked with asterisks have appeared in all three of my Spotify Wrappeds thus far: 2020, 2021, and 2022.

-the following operas appeared in 2020, did not appear last year, but are back this year:

Le nozze di Figaro, Le prophète, Roméo et Juliette, Don Pasquale, and Tosca (5 works)

and here’s the finished product!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1F0sijgNaJdgit?si=9yy3ReZ8S02IoxbL5L3Feg

[exposingsmgitalia-blog]

EXPOSED: Jelena e Barbara

Questa non è una mia storia, né vengono da me le informazioni. Lo scrivo solo per condividere i dettagli e le immagini, così potrete capire meglio. 

 La fonte che ho trovato ha incontrato Selena una volta e parlato con Barbara Palvin tramite DMs su Twitter, che posterò. Questa fonte ha contattato uno degli ex amici di Selena perche lei e Selena hanno amici in comune da quando ha parlato con questa ragazza, ossia @Selenaexposed (account chiuso) 

 Qui di seguito la traduzione dei messaggi tra l'ex amica di Selena e la mia fonte:

Penso che tu voglia parlarmi segretamente.

Sì, segretamente, nessuna condivisione, tra me e te, e niente stampa.

Le credo, quindi mi fiderò di te.. qual è il problema con SG? Odio dire il suo nome a meno che io non sia obbligato. Sembrerà strano ma ho i miei motivi..

Tutto questo riguarda la rottura di Justin e Selena. Vi ricordate Barbara Palvin, giusto?

Quando Justin ha incontrato Barbara Palvin, era single perché lo aveva detto Selena. Perché? Non lo so. 

 Tutti ricordiamo la notte in cui Selena ha postato questo. 

Lei era visibilmente irritata dal fatto che Justin e Barbara avessero parlato, ma questo è un problema suo perché aveva lasciato Justin. Selena ha chiamato Pattie piangendo, dicendole "Justin mi ha tradita". Pattie le ha detto che avrebbe impedito a Justin di vedere altre modelle. L'ex amica di Selena descrive la situazione dicendo che Selena ha attaccato iniziando a ridere, minacciando di spedirlo in riabilitazione perché non avrebbe lasciato che nessuno, oltre a lei, lo avesse. E come canta Selena,

I want you all to myself, and nobody else...

Come fa quest'amica a sapere tutto questo? Beh, quella sera Selena ha avuto uno dei suoi Pijama Party ed ha postato una foto su Twitter, che poco dopo è stata eliminata. Quindi, questa foto dimostra che era con le sue amiche. La ragazza che è stata contattata è tra queste? No. 

 Selena ha poi chiamato Taylor, esagerando la situazione. Taylor odia Justin, intuibile dal modo in cui l'ha trattato ai Billboard Awards del 2013. Taylor ha anche detto "non volete sapere ciò di cui io e Selena parliamo". Tutto torna, esatto? Lasciatemi continuare, c'è anche una prova dei messaggi tra la mia fonte e l'amica di Selena. 

 Selena amava Justin, ma ha scoperto cos'è successo tra lui e Barbara ed ha deciso che doveva ferirlo. Questi messaggi sono tra SE e Barbara. Per quelli che non riescono a leggere, c'è scritto:

Barbara: tradimento

SE: da parte tua o sua? Perdonami per tutte queste domande

Barbara: mia

Selena è evidentemente infastidita, quindi ha mentito a Pattie sapendo che Justin l'avrebbe ascoltata, dato che lui adora e tiene molto a Pattie. Voleva che stesse lontano da Barbara, perché lei la spaventava. 

 Quando dopo ha incontrato Barbara ad un award show, ha indossato la maschera della ragazza gentile e Barbara non sa ciò che Selena ha fatto o detto a Pattie quella notte. Selena aveva un'amica che ha inviato quelle foto di Justin che fuma erba a TMZ perché sapeva che lui sarebbe andato a fumare con i suoi amici ed ha ingaggiato qualcuno per fotografarlo. 

 Quindi, per colpa di chi queste foto sono state rilasciate? Selena. Se davvero le fosse importato di Justin allora non sarebbe andata così oltre nello sputtanarlo ai media. Non mi interessa di lei, quindi sarò io a sputtanarla adesso. Selena ha anche girato due balli per prendersi gioco di lui, evidentemente per Justin e se credete il contrario, allora siete stupidi. Si è presa gioco di lui, l'ha umiliato davanti alla tv nazionale. Ricordatevi, "beh, allora siamo in due", tutto ciò che la sua amica dice combacia perché Selena ha fatto del suo meglio per distruggere la figura pubblica di Justin. Ha detto che voleva finisse in riabilitazione, giusto? Beh, ci è andata vicina. Ricordate questo e questo?

Lui ha passato la settimana più difficile della sua vita a Marzo e cosa fa Selena? Rilascia un altro video perculatorio dove balla insieme alle sue stronzette sulle note di "Everybody Knows (your boyfriend is a douchebag)". Il ballo consiste anche nella mossa del "vaffanculo", ed in una in cui fanno finta di fumare erba. 

Ha fatto tutto ciò in suo potere per rivoltare i media contro Justin e indovinate? Ha vinto, dato che i media erano contro qualsiasi cosa lui facesse, trattandolo come se fosse una brutta persona. 

Ha continuato a tornare da lui ogni volta che ne aveva bisogno per promuovere qualcosa. Ha preso un volo dalla Norvegia per andare da lui perché era nel bel mezzo della promozione per Come & Get It. Ai Billboard Awards non l'ha considerato, eppure nel backstage è successo questo. Questi sono tutti i messaggi tra SE e l'amica di Selena:

L'ho sentito. Ero lì quando l'ha postata [la foto di Justin con Barbara]. Ha dato di matto ed ha iniziato a piangere e l'unico modo in cui potesse superare quella rabbia era uscire allo scoperto, cosa che non fa mai a meno che lei non voglia pubblicità o cerchi vendetta, quella sera ha cacciato tutti dalla stanza, quando avevamo deciso di restare all'ultimo minuto ha deciso di cacciare tutto tranne me, Samantha e Patricia, ha chiamato sua [di Justin] mamma, ha chiamato Pattie piangendo e dicendole che Justin l'aveva tradita e Pattie ha detto che gli avrebbe impedito di vederla [Barbara], Selena ha attaccato ed è scoppiata a ridere dicendo, quoto "mi ferisce e finice così, è finito, farò in modo che finisca in riabilitazione, non me la prenderò, voglio che soffra tanto quanto sto soffrendo io", e poi ha chiamato Taylor esagerando in una maniera assurda.

In più, per quanto riguarda le foto dell'erba rilasciate, era la stessa settimana in cui giravano foto di Justin con una ballerina di lap dance, un giorno prima, quindi chi aveva le foto dell'erba? SG, come ho detto Justin esce con Maria, (la ragazza nella foto) il giorno dopo Selena rilascia le foto dell'erba. La gente dimentica quanto Selena e gli amici di Justin siano vicini, lei ottiene tutto ciò che vuole. Non postare nulla finché non ho spiegato tutto al meglio.

Quando ha caricato la foto con "..." significava "continua", che si riferisce a quello che ha fatto dopo, chiamando Pattie facendo finta di piangere per impedire a Justin di vedersi con Barbara, perché lui adora la mamma più della sua stessa vita, dopo lei ha chiamato Taylor, Taylor era MOLTO scioccata, adorava Justin. Sì, fammi spiegare. Ma ciò che sto cercando di dire è che quando Selena è ferita o adirata non lo dice a Justin o ad altre persone, cerca di farli soffrire più di quanto soffra lei, ha senso? Ad esempio io l'ho offesa, si è seduta a parlarmene in maniera pacifica? No, semplicemente mi sono ritrovata senza lavoro.

Okay. Grazie. Credimi, questo non andrà in stampa. Ti copro io.

Puoi postare l'ultima parte sul tuo sito, ma niente stampa, per favore.

Bene, lo prometto, niente stampa. Hai la mia parola.

Lei è adorabile, le importa, ma fai anche solo una piccola cosa o disobbediscile e diventa la più irrascibile al mondo, tutto va fatto a modo suo, se fai quello che vuole lei e la lasci fare allora è stupenda, sono così stanca e delusa, sono senza lavoro ed ho perso così tanto, avevo un futuro davanti ed anche molto promettente, ora sono giovane e non ho nulla grazie a lei. Sono così imbarazzata e profondamente ferita, non posso esprimere quanto la mia vita sia rovinata.

SE ha aspettato per contattarla e finalmente ci è riuscita. Che voi ci crediate o no, questo è un problema vostro. Io so che è vero e per una volta, Selenators, pensate come esseri umani normali. E' tutto vero. Ci sono le prove e TUTTO TORNA. Di nuovo, non sono miei i messaggi.

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

Un ballo in maschera (Met, 1980): Reactions, Part II

the moral of this act is really quite simple: for a variety of reasons, going to sketchy gallows at night is a bad idea (this is a joke)

she is beauty she is grace somewhere is a veil to cover her face

also this prelude slaps

v stands for verdi! v also stands for vienna lighting!

(it’s not quite that bad but…pretty close)

“what is left once love is lost?” …your identity as a soprano heroine in a nineteenth-century italian opera? (i kid, i kid. they have so much more going on even if people don’t pay attention to it)

“or stop beating and die! annihilate yourself, my poor heart!” y’all did not have to go so hard

Area Soprano Is Now Losing It (in other news: what’s new)

brava!!!!!! (also: the floor is always a good place for the opera folk to be)

did she fuckin ASK you to show up? no? then LEAVE

okay but the way he just casually plays around the phrasing and timing and makes it sound so lovely… *chef’s kiss*

two greats just doing their thing *melts*

and she said YES

i swear this exact moment sends me onto a different plane of existence every time i hear it

ONE OF THE BEST FUCKING LOVE DUETS OF ALL TIME EVERYONE

but like all good things, this moment must come to an end

tfw you and your bestie’s wife are having a Moment but her husband/your bestie shows up

they didn’t even TRY to give her a veil that covered her face 😭 *redacts earlier statement*

“i need you to swear by the love you have for me” that sounds VERY heterosexual of y’all. outstanding heterosexual behavior.

“come to think of it, i fucked up here.” yeah. yeah you did.

yet ANOTHER boptastic ensemble

well this is awkward!

WELP!!!

the sheer delicious irony and laughter…*chef’s kiss* pure genius

“i will literally stab you with your own sword if you keep this stupid-ass chorus going”

despite what you may say, this tragedy has NOT turned into comedy. if anything, it’s the exact opposite.

poor amelia :(

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

Un ballo in maschera (Met, 1980): Reactions, Part I

society has progressed past the need for Ballo productions set in Boston, including ones set in Revolutionary-era Boston, but in all fairness a) this was forty-three years ago and b) Pavarotti and Ricciarelli, that is all

also: “savannah what happened to you watching all 26 verdi operas in chronological order this one is like number 21” a) i changed my mind and b) let’s do it a little different this time around!

verdi just captures the mood so perfectly in the music

also: my mood is whoever gave one very short, high cheer at the end of the prelude cause that thing fuckin SLAPS

trouble brewing like tea in a harbor… (also love how this setting makes it inherently like “hey! americans! y’all are the bad guys!” especially just four years after the bicentennial lmaoooooo)

THE MAESTRO THE PAV HIMSELF

it’s oscar!!! my favorite little ball of sunshine!!!

man oh man this man can SING (of course. always such a delight to listen to him.)

“oh heaven! her husband!” WAY TO BURY THE LEDE, VERDI AND SOMMA (i mean, obvs i know lmao)

this exchange is always so funny to me. like “idc that you have intel on an assassination attempt, just as long as you don’t find out i’m in love with your wife” lol

“hate strikes its victims more quickly than love” TOTALLY not foreshadowing

casual racism from the judge!

(unrelated but it’s always nice to see charles anthony around)

oscar i love you but saying that ulrica is in league with satan is not exactly helping her or your case

still: ULTRA precious child

“bestie with all the chaotic energy in the world and bestie who is a hapless accessory to said chaos” is a great pairing and the EXACT energy of these two

(at this point i realized i had accidentally zoomed in on the youtube video, so sorry if some of the images look weird. also the app keeps doing this for some reason so maybe it’ll keep happening. sorry.)

THE WAY HE RUFFLES OSCAR’S HAIR IT’S SO CUTE

i want whatever verdi was on whenever he wrote this BOPTASTIC SCENE ENDING

even the onstage folk can’t help but applaud

these chords and this prelude right here: SO. DAMN. ICONIC.

“i saw goody ulrica consorting with the devil” (also. thank fuck that from the looks of it there’s no blackface.)

even the pav doesn’t get to cut in line

okay but fr. ulrica has gotta be one of the funnest mezzo/contralto roles to play. she’s definitely one of the funnest to WATCH

not silvano spitting in his hand to wipe it off lol

to paraphrase that one humorous ballo summary: “and the theme of self-fulfilling prophecies is waved around like a flaming cliff notes”

“i must consult with satan privately” surely one of the best opera lines ever

tfw you’re in love with your husband’s bestie, also i want that dress

verdi lavishes such wonderful melodies even on such simple moments as this, and that’s one of the reasons i love him

maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe following amelia around is not the best way to solve this, riccardo. just a thought.

what a MARVELOUS trio, just the first of a serious of MARVELOUS small ensembles in this opera

just an afternoon out with the boys!

we have come across yet another bop

“this is the right hand of a great man…” a great TENOR alright!

AND THERE IT IS

i’m sorry but this gives me the EXACT energy of the photo jonas kaufmann put out with his statement about the invasion of ukraine 😭

(sorry it’s so big. but anyway. carry on.)

riccardo: uh yeah surely it’s a joke!

oscar: riccardo, with all due respect, what the fuck

again: the small ensemble writing in this opera is just *chef’s kiss*

Handshake Of Doom TM

ah yes, boston massachusetts in the period leading up to the american revolution, a time and place where the people were just DRIPPING with pro-british sentiment *facepalm*

then again this director was from australia so.

still, this scene slaps! thank you verdi and thank you somma for capturing just-a-little-actually-probably-a-lot-overblown patriotism perfectly and making a great first act finale <3

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

Un ballo in maschera (Met, 1980): Reactions, Part III

this opera could have so easily been solved if polyamory was widely accepted

surely we can come up with a solution more reasonable than *checks notes* killing your wife? no? well i tried

“silence, adulteress!” “almighty god!” “ask him for mercy!”

not gonna lie, that exchange is kinda baller

YES GO OFF AMELIA

once again, BURYING THE LEDE (that renato and amelia are PARENTS)

brava!!! also this aria is *insert incoherent noises* it gets you good 😭

love how the cameraperson just zooms in the portrait on whoever’s being referred to in the text

evidently that aria also got him good enough to make him no longer want to kill her

okay, see, now killing riccardo isn’t a good solution either

is that supposed to be the pav???

“ERI TUUUUUUUUUUU CHE MACCHIAAAAAAAAVI QUELL’AAAAAAAAAANIMA”

this aria just has everything i love it so much

you’re not winning any Dad of the Year awards any time soon—holding your kid hostage (essentially) ain’t okay

i may have known this opera for over eight years now, but to this day i cannot tell you who is sam and who is tom in the opera. i simply cannot.

(also LOVE backing this super-martial ensemble with harps played almost like they’re percussion instruments)

let’s have a raffle!

on a scale from 1 to 10 of how unnecessarily but wonderfully extra something is, making your wife draw the name of who will kill a guy she loves (your former bestie and current boss) has to be at least a 17

verdi did not have to go so hard writing this lot drawing scene but he did and i am extremely thankful

congrats on winning the murder raffle i guess

my little ball of sunshine has returned!!!

rooooooooooooooll credits!

“oscar no don’t look at the papers for the murder raffle!”

“what? this? idk what you just said but heehee it probably isn’t important” *crumbles it up*

oh sweet summer child

an absolute KNOCKOUT of an ensemble

amelia/oscar absolute BROTP

this scene is legit so sad. ungh.

Area Tenor Is Actually Able To Make Sacrifices

totally not foreshadowing!

AWWWWWWW HE’S A MINI ME OF RICCARDO

dude you going to the ball ESPECIALLY AFTER BEING SPECIFICALLY WARNED NOT TO is a TERRIBLE idea

tenors…

and here we are at last!!! at the BALLO IN MASCHERA!!!

(also @ the met audience: you do not have to clap for a set just because there is a chandelier)

girlies’ night out

rude

love this aria, love this character, love the device of freezing background characters

the pageboy squad!

nooooooooooooo don’t manipulate the innocent trouser role

“oh fuck! i, the innocent trouser role, just got manipulated”

the masked ball music just objectively slaps!

gasps of amazement for THE BRITISH

it’s a wedding cake dress

opera logic: taking off your masks at a masked ball while you are actively being sought!

most awkward way to break up with your…”well it’s complicated” not-quite-girlfriend ever

at least it’s not a kitchen knife! (also uh…at least the australian director got our country’s favorite way of killing people correct?)

nooooooooooooooooooo

fastest way to ruin a perfectly good party smh

poor oscar just sitting there helplessly also someone PLEASE give the party band the memo

L for riccardo for having to talk about being in love with his bestie’s wife in front of everyone tbh

Area Baritone Realizes He Fucked Up

at least he forgave them!

this little chorus right here is so beautiful and so sad

NOT HIM HUGGING OSCAR 😭😭😭

and the look of just total HORROR on oscar’s face when he falls

rip riccardo :(

grief bonding moment

to quote an iconic post that i don’t remember who posted it right now, “we don’t like this ball anymore”

and that’s the end! one of verdi’s very best