I'm looking for the title for longest opera ever created?
Ed Clayton
Does anyone know what the longest opera ever created was titled? Also who
created it would also be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help!
Sincerely, Gail D. Clayton
Carmen Z. Catoni
The longest opera now in the repertoire is Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg by Wagner.
However, I have read the the Original version of Boito's Mefistofele had over five
hours of music. UF! (Though I love Mefistofele as it is now).
HAPPY LISTENING!!!
Luis A. Catoni
cat...@bellsouth.net
Ho da fare un dramma buffo e non trovo l'argomento.
.
Mike Richter
Ed Clayton wrote:
>
> Does anyone know what the longest opera ever created was titled? Also who
> created it would also be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help!
>
> Sincerely, Gail D. Clayton
There's a lot of definition needed here - is the Ring an opera? Are
Glass's works?
In addition, there are very long works which are conventionally
shortened or even shortened and split for performance.
--
Mike Richter
mric...@mindspring.com
http://mrichter.simplenet.com
http://www.opera.it/FreeWeb/mrichter
lbf6208
lbf6208 (lbf...@is.nyu.edu) wrote:
: How about _The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat_? Heck, I'm just
: guessing.
Oops, sorry. I thought the person was asking for the longest *title*. Now
I see that it's the title of the longest opera.
--
Linda B. Fairtile
Astoria, New York
lbf...@is.nyu.edu
lbf6208
Ed Clayton (edcl...@pacifier.com) wrote:
: Does anyone know what the longest opera ever created was titled? Also who
: created it would also be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help!
How about _The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat_? Heck, I'm just
guessing.
John Lynch
Surely the longest title is "The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh
and of the Maid Fevronia?"
John Lynch
James G. Jorden
In <57r0m2$t...@news.nyu.edu> lbf...@is.nyu.edu (lbf6208) writes:
>
>lbf6208 (lbf...@is.nyu.edu) wrote:
>: How about _The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat_? Heck, I'm just
>: guessing.
>
>Oops, sorry. I thought the person was asking for the longest *title*.
Now
>I see that it's the title of the longest opera.
In that case, how about "The Nibelung who Mistook his Wife for a Ring"
jj
Derrick Everett
On Sat, 30 Nov 1996 22:31:14 -0800 "Carmen Z. Catoni" <cat...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
> Ed Clayton wrote:
> >
> > Does anyone know what the longest opera ever created was titled? Also who
> > created it would also be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help!
> >
>
>
> The longest opera now in the repertoire is Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg by Wagner.
> However, I have read the the Original version of Boito's Mefistofele had over five
> hours of music. UF! (Though I love Mefistofele as it is now).
>
I believe that some of the operas in Stockhausen's "Licht" cycle are longer. I seem
to remember that "Donnerstag" lasts significantly more than five hours.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Derrick (Oslo, Norway)
Check out my Web page at: http://home.sn.no/~deverett/
Derrick Everett
On 1 Dec 1996 04:10:21 GMT lbf...@is.nyu.edu (lbf6208) wrote:
>
> Ed Clayton (edcl...@pacifier.com) wrote:
> : Does anyone know what the longest opera ever created was titled? Also who
> : created it would also be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help!
>
> guessing.
Despite the length of the title, Nyman's opera (which is highly recommended to
anyone who likes the work of Philip Glass, and even to those who don't :-) )
lasts just under an hour.
Trat Colins
Michael Yampol wrote:
>
> >On Sat, 30 Nov 1996 22:31:14 -0800 "Carmen Z. Catoni"
> <cat...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> >
> >> > Does anyone know what the longest opera ever created was titled?
> Also who
> >> > created it would also be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help!
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >> The longest opera now in the repertoire is Die Meistersinger von
> Nurnberg by Wagner.
> >> However, I have read the the Original version of Boito's Mefistofele
> had over five
> >> hours of music. UF! (Though I love Mefistofele as it is now).
>
>
> Another Wagnerian opera, seldom performed, which was actually longer
> than Meistersinger or any of the individual "Ring" operas, is his third
> opera, "Rienzi", the story of Cola di Rienzo, the last of the Roman
> Tribunes. This was Wagner's sole attempt at "Grand Opera" in the style
> of Meyerbeer, which was in vogue at the time, and before he found the
> "voice" we associate with Wagner.
>
> When originally premiered (around 1840), Rienzi contained over 6 hours
> of music, in five acts. It was so long that it had to be split into
> two halves, performed on separate evenings. In addition to the
> difficulty of the title role, perhaps one reason which contributed to
> the lack of popularity of the work is the fact that audiences probably
> did not relish having to purchase two tickets to see the opera.
>
> The few recent performances of "Rienzi" have suffered substantial cuts.
>
> There is a recording staring Rene Kollo.
>
> Usually these days the only part one ever hears is the overture.
>
> [ It is interesting to note that the next opera written by Wagner, "Der
> Fliegende Hollander," is among his shortest works. ]
>
> Michael Y.
> NYC
Yes, but if I am not mistaken, wasn't that opera supposed to be
performed as a single act?
I am no Wagner expert, but what was his deal with making such long
operas?
As it has been my experience, it is very difficult for an audience to
sit longer than about 70 minutes for a single act without having an
intermission. No matter how good the music or the singing is, it is
very difficult to do that. And it is 10 times worse when the singing is
bad.
Although I know a lot of operas usually run over the three hour mark, it
seems to me that a three hour opera with 2 intermissions is just right.
You know, you think you'd want the audience leaving wanting more, not
wanting to get the hell out of the theatre...
Michael Yampol
James G. Jorden
In <32A27F...@worldnet.att.net> Trat Colins
<bjoe...@worldnet.att.net> writes:
>I am no Wagner expert, but what was his deal with making such long
>operas?
This is a very involved subject, but I'm going to try to scratch the
surface and see if anyone else is interested in carrying on this
thread.
Wagner wrote long operas because he had big, involved stories to tell.
He attempted to plumb very deep psychological recesses and explore
subconcious feelings. As anyone who has undergone analysis can tell
you, this is a long drawn-out process.
Wagner was also determined to write his operas "the right way", not the
practical way. If he had an idea to explore, he didn't take shortcuts.
Remember, too, that the "mature" works (the Ring, Parsifal) were
conceived for performance only in a festival setting, where audiences
could be expected to concentrate for a greater length of time.
One more reason: in the middle of the 19th century the ideal of opera
was the Parisian-style grand opera, the model of which was Rossini's
"Guilliame Tell." Everyone was writing very long operas then, including
Verdi ("Les Vepres Siciliennes" and "Don Carlos"), Berlioz ("Les
Troyens"), and Meyerbeer ("Les Huguenots", etc.)
>As it has been my experience, it is very difficult for an audience to
>sit longer than about 70 minutes for a single act without having an
>intermission. No matter how good the music or the singing is, it is
>very difficult to do that. And it is 10 times worse when the singing
>is bad.
I agree. It is madness to rush over from work to a 6 pm performance of
"Meistersinger" or "Parsifal" at the Met. All the caffeine in the
world won't keep you alert for 6 hours of opera after 8 hours of work.
> Although I know a lot of operas usually run over the three hour mark,
>it seems to me that a three hour opera with 2 intermissions is just
>right.
But not when the intermissions take up an hour of that time!
jj
John Lynch
Trat Colins wrote:
> I am no Wagner expert, but what was his deal with making such long
> operas?
For the answer one has to turn to that fount of all vocal wisdom, Anna
Russell, who said, "Have you ever noticed that there is so much more
wind involved with German music?"
John Lynch
Lyle Neff
In article <57r0m2$t...@news.nyu.edu>, lbf6208 <lbf...@is.nyu.edu> wrote:
>lbf6208 (lbf...@is.nyu.edu) wrote:
>: How about _The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat_? Heck, I'm just
>: guessing.
>
>Oops, sorry. I thought the person was asking for the longest *title*. Now
>I see that it's the title of the longest opera.
An even longer title than those already given is another by Rimsky-Korsakov:
"The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his son, the famous and mighty Prince
Gvidon, and of the Beautiful Princess Swan".
Victor Borge's opera book makes no small point of the length of this
title, and comparing it to the very brief "Flight of the Bumble-Bee"
that derives from the opera.
Lyle Neff, ln...@ucs.indiana.edu
http://copper.ucs.indiana.edu/~lneff/home.html
Libretto Homepage
Lyle Neff
What bugs me is opera companies that will perform long Wagner operas,
but poo-poo the notion of performing some 3+-hour opera less well
known to its audience, or begrudgingly do so with cuts!
Don Patterson
Michael Yampol wrote:
> When originally premiered (around 1840), Rienzi contained over 6 hours
> of music, in five acts. It was so long that it had to be split into
> two halves, performed on separate evenings. In addition to the
> difficulty of the title role, perhaps one reason which contributed to
> the lack of popularity of the work is the fact that audiences probably
> did not relish having to purchase two tickets to see the opera.
Can you blame them? A green-behind-the-ears composer and a new six hour
long opera? It didn't look promising. :-)
>
> The few recent performances of "Rienzi" have suffered substantial cuts.
At six hours long, thank goodness for them. Without the cuts, no opera
house in the world would risk the capital the stage it. At least this
way, we can hear some of the music.
>
> There is a recording staring Rene Kollo.
>
> Usually these days the only part one ever hears is the overture.
One of the best overtures ever penned by anyone. IMO, as a concert
piece (separated from the opera), it is Wagner's best overture. Really
muscular stuff. As an actual overture to the opera however, it doesn't
set the mood as well as some of his later preludes.
Don Patterson
"The President's Own"
United States Marine Band
Don Patterson
> > : Does anyone know what the longest opera ever created was titled? Also who
> > : created it would also be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help!
> >
> > guessing.
>
> Despite the length of the title, Nyman's opera (which is highly recommended to
> anyone who likes the work of Philip Glass, and even to those who don't
Speaking of Glass, the longest opera I ever sat through was Ahknaten.
The longest evening of my life. :-)
Karen Mercedes
How about the new opera (to debut in February):
THE LOVE OF DON PERLIMPLIN AND LADY BELISA IN THE GARDEN
by Michael Shapiro?
Karen Mercedes
=====
On 1 Dec 1996, lbf6208 wrote:
> Ed Clayton (edcl...@pacifier.com) wrote:
> : Does anyone know what the longest opera ever created was titled? Also who
> : created it would also be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help!
>
> How about _The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat_? Heck, I'm just
> guessing.
> --
John Taylor
John Lynch wrote:
>
> For the answer one has to turn to that fount of all vocal wisdom, Anna
> Russell, who said, "Have you ever noticed that there is so much more
> wind involved with German music?"
>
> John Lynch
And her ex-husband played the French Horn, which is English. "It's
condensation!"
Carmen Z. Catoni
Lyle Neff wrote:
>
> In article <57r0m2$t...@news.nyu.edu>, lbf6208 <lbf...@is.nyu.edu> wrote:
> >lbf6208 (lbf...@is.nyu.edu) wrote:
> >: guessing.
> >
> >Oops, sorry. I thought the person was asking for the longest *title*. Now
> >I see that it's the title of the longest opera.
>
> An even longer title than those already given is another by Rimsky-Korsakov:
>
> "The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his son, the famous and mighty Prince
> Gvidon, and of the Beautiful Princess Swan".
>
> Victor Borge's opera book makes no small point of the length of this
> title, and comparing it to the very brief "Flight of the Bumble-Bee"
> that derives from the opera.
>
or almost. It runs something as " The Legend of the Invisible City of
Kitej and of the Princess Fevronia".
tom_hamilton
In article , ln...@ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu says...
>
>In article <57r0m2$t...@news.nyu.edu>, lbf6208 <lbf...@is.nyu.edu> wrote:
>>lbf6208 (lbf...@is.nyu.edu) wrote:
>>: How about _The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat_? Heck, I'm just
>>: guessing.
>>
>>Oops, sorry. I thought the person was asking for the longest *title*. Now
>>I see that it's the title of the longest opera.
>
>An even longer title than those already given is another by Rimsky-Korsakov:
>
>"The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his son, the famous and mighty Prince
>Gvidon, and of the Beautiful Princess Swan".
>
>Victor Borge's opera book makes no small point of the length of this
>title, and comparing it to the very brief "Flight of the Bumble-Bee"
>that derives from the opera.
>
>Lyle Neff, ln...@ucs.indiana.edu
>http://copper.ucs.indiana.edu/~lneff/home.html
>Libretto Homepage
>
I too misunderstood, at first reading , the question.
Answers given above seem OK.
Maybe a little levity is in order.??
Irving Berlin was asked one time about short titles.
The would be song writer asked Berlin about her current effort
which she had entitled "I did'nt bring up my boy to be a soldier"
Berlin's reply - "Don't go" !!
Bye for now:
Tom Hamilton
Joan Livingston
The longest play I have ever seen was The Kentucky Cycle, done in
two parts stretching in time from the first white intruders upon the
Kentucky landscape to the last to leave after it had been strip mined into
oblivion. What a grand play that was, one of the most powerful pieces of
theatre I have seen, stayed with me for days.....wonder if it would be
the makings of "The Great American Opera"?
--
Joan, Santa Barbara
mark...@aol.com
I never really appreciated how long Meistersinger was, until a few years
ago when I was in SFO's production. (The way SFO opera chorus works is
there's the regular chorus and the "extra chorus." Occasionally, for a
big show like Aida, they'll sign up extra extra chorus. For
Meistersinger, they recruited EXTRA extra extra chorus, which includes
local amateurs like me.)
Our group was only in the final scene, the one with EVERYBODY. Curtain
for the show was 6:30; our call was at 10:30, and we went on stage some
time around 11:15.
One day I realized that as I'm leaving work (my day job) at 6 o'clock,
people are ALREADY lining up for the show. In the meanwhile I take the
train home (about a 30-minute ride), walk home from the station (another
10 minutes), eat dinner, take a nap (at least an hour), maybe watch some
TV, and then take the train back into the city, and I STILL get there with
enough time to get bored sitting around backstage. Unbelievable.
mdl
Axel Reichert
mark...@aol.com wrote:
>
> I never really appreciated how long Meistersinger was, until a few years
> ago when I was in SFO's production.
You have to distinguish between the time with and without the
interruptions. In Bayreuth, there is one hour between the acts.
There are other operas by composers who are normally not
associated with long works:
Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro
Strauss, Rosenkavalier
Strauss, Die Frau ohne Schatten
Verdi, Don Carlo
Rossini, Guilliaume Tell
Not all Wagner operas are so long, look at
Der Fliegende Hollaender
Das Rheingold
Tannhaeuser
If the music is boring, even one hour is a long time. If
it is not, why not listen to it for six hours?
Also, you have to take into account the timings for one act.
Many people have difficulties to concentrate longer than about
one and a half hour. Most acts from Wagner's operas are shorter.
Between the acts, you've got enough time to relax. Wagner splits
his bigger works very good (Die Walkuere, Siegfried, Tristan,
Lohengrin). Much better than Puccini in La Boheme: Four acts in
100 minutes. Most opera houses split after the second act. This
causes problems (stage decoration, ...). Even worse some other
operas: The first two acts last about 100 minutes, the third just
40 minutes. After the first part that's just an overture. But two
interruptions are not better. No interruption is impossible, again
due to stage limitations.
Concercing this and the average "stamina", the best solution is an
opera divided into three acts, each about 90 minutes. If you like it
shorter, two acts, each about one hour.
Good music cannot last long enough!
--
Axel Reichert () Free Speech Online
re...@mpie-duesseldorf.mpg.de /\ The Blue Ribbon Campaign
Brian Newhouse
In article <57v2ni$j...@lois.zippo.com>, Tom Hamilton wrote:
> In article , ln...@ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu says...
> >
> >In article <57r0m2$t...@news.nyu.edu>, lbf6208 <lbf...@is.nyu.edu> wrote:
> >>lbf6208 (lbf...@is.nyu.edu) wrote:
> >>: How about _The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat_? Heck, I'm just
> >>: guessing.
> >>
> >>Oops, sorry. I thought the person was asking for the longest *title*. Now
> >>I see that it's the title of the longest opera.
> >
> >An even longer title than those already given is another by Rimsky-Korsakov:
> >
> >"The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his son, the famous and mighty Prince
> >Gvidon, and of the Beautiful Princess Swan".
>
> I too misunderstood, at first reading , the question.
> Answers given above seem OK.
> Maybe a little levity is in order.??
>
Perhaps the longest operatic titles ever are to be found in late 17th
century/early 18th century Hamburg? Try these on for size, and pass them
on to your favorite Two-Ton Tessie if you can't get out of them alive
<grin>:
‹-Der erschaffene, gefallene und auffgerichtete Mensch, oder, Adam und Eva
[The Creation, Fall and Redemption of Humanity, or, Adam and Eve]
(Johann Theile, 1678)
‹‹Der hochmütige, gestürtzte und wieder erhabene Croesus
[How Croesus was Overthrown from his High Estate and then Raised Back
Up] (Reinhard Keiser, 1710, rev. 1730)
‹‹Der in Krohnen erlangte Glücks-Wechsel, oder, Almira, Königen in Castilien
[The Change in Fortune that Gained a Crown, or, Almira, Queen of
Castile] (G.F. Handel, 1705--this was his first opera)
--
Brian Newhouse
newh...@mail.crisp.net
"Weia Weia Weia Wiwaxia"--
you thrilled to Mammoth Productions's Ice Age Aida, now glory in their all-new Burgess Shale Rheingold!
Brian Newhouse
In article <32A42C...@mpie-duesseldorf.mpg.de>, Axel Reichert
<re...@mpie-duesseldorf.mpg.de> wrote:
>
> Also, you have to take into account the timings for one act.
> Many people have difficulties to concentrate longer than about
> one and a half hour. Most acts from Wagner's operas are shorter.
> Between the acts, you've got enough time to relax. Wagner splits
> his bigger works very good (Die Walkuere, Siegfried, Tristan,
> Lohengrin). Much better than Puccini in La Boheme: Four acts in
> 100 minutes. Most opera houses split after the second act. This
> causes problems (stage decoration, ...). Even worse some other
> operas: The first two acts last about 100 minutes, the third just
> 40 minutes. After the first part that's just an overture. But two
> interruptions are not better. No interruption is impossible, again
> due to stage limitations.
>
So why _aren't_ two interruptions better for a three-act opera? This
clearly reflects the unfortunate German practice of only having one
intermission per evening no matter how many acts the opera has. Puccini
clearly intended _La boheme_ to have three intermissions--not necessarily
long intermissions that the opera can get lost in, but enough time to give
us on both sides of the footlights a breather. I have even seen _Wozzeck_
done at the Met without any intermissions! which is _very_ hard on the
singers (especially Marie, who has her big mirror scene right after the
Drum Major rapes her), and ruins Berg's effect of having the beginning of
each act recall the end of the previous one.
--
Brian Newhouse
newh...@mail.crisp.net
Trat Colins
Perhaps the reasoning of the management is to try to keep the opera as
short as possible. i.e. eliminating intermissions. Which that just
makes it more difficult to watch an opera if you have to sit down for 2
hours without a break, or sometimes longer.
Get 'em in and get 'em out...
lbf6208
Brian Newhouse (newh...@mail.crisp.net) wrote:
: Puccini
: clearly intended _La boheme_ to have three intermissions
Actually, the current Act I and Act II were conceived as a single act, so
it's not as clear-cut as it seems.
--
Linda B. Fairtile
Astoria, New York
lbf...@is.nyu.edu
Trat Colins
They were? Well, it would make sense to do it that way, being that the
action is continuous here, i.e. there is no stop in the plot at this
point as in the end of the current act II and act III.
But I guess it evolved to two acts possibly because of there being a
scene change. I am just guessing though.
Owen Hartnett
>>operas?
>
To quote Bill Nye:
"Wagner's music is better than it sounds."
-Owen
Eric Dew
In article <582967$1...@news.nyu.edu> lbf...@is.nyu.edu (lbf6208) writes:
>Brian Newhouse (newh...@mail.crisp.net) wrote:
>
>: Puccini
>: clearly intended _La boheme_ to have three intermissions
>
>Actually, the current Act I and Act II were conceived as a single act, so
>it's not as clear-cut as it seems.
>
for the practical (i.e., set management), they would be better as two
separate acts with an intermission in between.
EDEW
James G. Jorden
In <582967$1...@news.nyu.edu> lbf...@is.nyu.edu (lbf6208) writes:
>
>Actually, the current Act I and Act II [of La boheme] were conceived
>as a single act, so it's not as clear-cut as it seems.
really? where did you hear that?
I have read that the original idea for Boheme was in *5* acts including
a scene where Musetta is evicted from her apartment and gives a dinner
party on the sidewalk. Oh, and Mimi leaves the party with the Viscount
and Rodolfo is furious!
jj
Christina West
In article <582gok$4...@dfw-ixnews11.ix.netcom.com>,
Yep! (see my previous post on this thread)
Christina
--
_________________________ ___________________________________________
| ____ | |
| / / / | xi...@argonet.co.uk |
| |___ hristina /_/_/est | |
|_________________________|_________________*ZFC__A*__________________|
Christina West
In article <582967$1...@news.nyu.edu>, lbf...@is.nyu.edu (lbf6208) wrote:
>
> Brian Newhouse (newh...@mail.crisp.net) wrote:
>
> : Puccini
> : clearly intended _La boheme_ to have three intermissions
>
> it's not as clear-cut as it seems.
Actually, there was originally going to be ANOTHER act - the so-called
'Cortile' scene - as in Leoncavallo's (excellent IMHO) 'La Boheme' - for
which the libretto exists (reprinted in Cambridge Opera Handbooks volume on
the opera), so it's even less clear-cut than that.. :-)
WP
Axel Reichert <re...@mpie-duesseldorf.mpg.de> wrote:
>mark...@aol.com wrote:
>>
>> I never really appreciated how long Meistersinger was, until a few years
>> ago when I was in SFO's production.
>
>You have to distinguish between the time with and without the
>interruptions. In Bayreuth, there is one hour between the acts.
>
>There are other operas by composers who are normally not
>associated with long works:
>
>Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro
>Strauss, Rosenkavalier
>Strauss, Die Frau ohne Schatten
>Verdi, Don Carlo
>Rossini, Guilliaume Tell
>
>Not all Wagner operas are so long, look at
>
>Der Fliegende Hollaender
>Das Rheingold
>Tannhaeuser
>
>If the music is boring, even one hour is a long time. If
>it is not, why not listen to it for six hours?
>
>Also, you have to take into account the timings for one act.
>Many people have difficulties to concentrate longer than about
>one and a half hour. Most acts from Wagner's operas are shorter.
>Between the acts, you've got enough time to relax. Wagner splits
>his bigger works very good (Die Walkuere, Siegfried, Tristan,
>Lohengrin). Much better than Puccini in La Boheme: Four acts in
>100 minutes. Most opera houses split after the second act. This
>causes problems (stage decoration, ...). Even worse some other
>operas: The first two acts last about 100 minutes, the third just
>40 minutes. After the first part that's just an overture. But two
>interruptions are not better. No interruption is impossible, again
>due to stage limitations.
>
>Concercing this and the average "stamina", the best solution is an
>opera divided into three acts, each about 90 minutes. If you like it
>shorter, two acts, each about one hour.
>
>Good music cannot last long enough!
>
>--
>Axel Reichert () Free Speech Online
>re...@mpie-duesseldorf.mpg.de /\ The Blue Ribbon Campaign
As far as I'm concerned, Wagner could go on FOREVER. His stories and music transfix me, though I know it's
pretty heavy for a lot of people.
lbf6208
James G. Jorden (jjo...@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
: really? where did you hear that?
I can't remember offhand where I first read it. It was probably in the
Carner biography of Puccini which has recently been discussed in another
thread.
: I have read that the original idea for Boheme was in *5* acts including
: a scene where Musetta is evicted from her apartment and gives a dinner
: party on the sidewalk. Oh, and Mimi leaves the party with the Viscount
: and Rodolfo is furious!
Not quite. The original scenario was still in 4 acts: the current Acts I
and II were scenes 1 and 2 of the first act, the current Act III was the
second act, the "courtyard act" that you describe above was the third act,
and the current Act IV was the fourth act. This outline, circa 1893,
appears on page 39 of the _Cambridge Opera Handbook_ for _Boheme_ by Arthur
Groos and Roger Parker.
Carmen Z. Catoni
Trat Colins wrote:
>
> Brian Newhouse wrote:
> >
> > In article <32A42C...@mpie-duesseldorf.mpg.de>, Axel Reichert
> > <re...@mpie-duesseldorf.mpg.de> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > Brian Newhouse
> > newh...@mail.crisp.net
>
> Perhaps the reasoning of the management is to try to keep the opera as
> short as possible. i.e. eliminating intermissions. Which that just
> makes it more difficult to watch an opera if you have to sit down for 2
> hours without a break, or sometimes longer.
>
> Get 'em in and get 'em out...
There are many reasons, some quite extraartistical, including union regulations.
joining acts together without going over the limit of the single time sopan maximum
enables companies to end earlier and thus sdave extra hours on everybody.
In La Boheme luckily the curtain has to come down even if only for a second: I have
seen no set design enabling to change from Act 1 to II in seconds just turning some
elements and changing a few props. At least that is respected. I saw the La Scala
production the germ for the actual Met production) in Barcelona a few years ago. It
had been cancelled a few years before due to impossibility of handling the second act
change with the Liceo's stage facilities. after some modifications we had it some
years later, but with a 45 minute intermission between act 1 and II and 35 between 11
and 111...for 18 minutes of music!
HAPPY LISTENING!!!
Luis A. Catoni
cat...@bellsouth.nety
Ho da fare un dramma buffo e non trovo l'argomento.
Carmen Z. Catoni
lbf6208 wrote:
>
> lbf6208 (lbf...@is.nyu.edu) wrote:
> : How about _The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat_? Heck, I'm just
> : guessing.
>
> Oops, sorry. I thought the person was asking for the longest *title*. Now
> I see that it's the title of the longest opera.
>
Aren't you glad these operas with long titles aren't all that frequent? Imagine
having to put them in databases for your catalogs, doing your labels, etc. I
already go nuts when there are more than ten or characters in the cast!
HAPPY LISTENING!!!
Luis A. Catoni
cat...@bellsouth.net
Axel Reichert
Brian Newhouse wrote:
>
> In article <32A42C...@mpie-duesseldorf.mpg.de>, Axel Reichert
> <re...@mpie-duesseldorf.mpg.de> wrote:
>
> >
> > operas: The first two acts last about 100 minutes, the third just
> > 40 minutes. After the first part that's just an overture. But two
> > interruptions are not better. No interruption is impossible, again
> > due to stage limitations.
> >
>
> clearly reflects the unfortunate German practice of only having one
> intermission per evening no matter how many acts the opera has.
Two intermissions for an opera shorter than two and a half hours
would be too much, one act is too short, you just have got the
sound at this time, the feeling for the music.
OK, I must admit that I used to listen to longer work. I like
Bruckner and Mahler also. I don't like the fast-food classics of
nowadays.
Eric Dew
Thought that was Twain.
EDEW
Karen Mercedes
Do you think this might have something to do with there being so many
wind-inducing substances in the German diet?
Karen Mercedes
at her wurst
=====
On Mon, 2 Dec 1996, John Lynch wrote:
> Trat Colins wrote:
>
> > I am no Wagner expert, but what was his deal with making such long
> > operas?
>
Karen Mercedes
But it's the longest hour of your life.
Karen Mercedes
=====
On Sun, 1 Dec 1996, Derrick Everett wrote:
> On 1 Dec 1996 04:10:21 GMT lbf...@is.nyu.edu (lbf6208) wrote:
> >
> > Ed Clayton (edcl...@pacifier.com) wrote:
> > : Does anyone know what the longest opera ever created was titled? Also who
> > : created it would also be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help!
> >
> > How about _The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat_? Heck, I'm just
> > guessing.
> > --
>
> Despite the length of the title, Nyman's opera (which is highly recommended to
> anyone who likes the work of Philip Glass, and even to those who don't :-) )
> lasts just under an hour.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> Derrick (Oslo, Norway)
> Check out my Web page at: http://home.sn.no/~deverett/
>
>
>
>
Mike Gibb
What about Berlioz Les Troyens? Too long and too many resources
were required to stage it during Berlioz' lifetime. He was told
that part one had been staged and his comment was 'What all of it ;-) ?'
--
Mike Gibb
William F. Merlin, Jr.
lbf6208 <lbf...@is.nyu.edu> wrote in article <57r0fd$t...@news.nyu.edu>...
> Ed Clayton (edcl...@pacifier.com) wrote:
> : Does anyone know what the longest opera ever created was titled? Also
who
> : created it would also be helpful. Thanks to anyone who can help!
>
> How about _The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat_? Heck, I'm just
> guessing.
> --
> Linda B. Fairtile
> Astoria, New York
> lbf...@is.nyu.edu
> The longest opera ever written is Wagner's Ring Cycle (4 operas in one).
If you mean the longest title ever then I don't know. Matt
Dale G. Abersold
newh...@mail.crisp.net (Brian Newhouse) writes:
> So why _aren't_ two interruptions better for a three-act opera? This
> clearly reflects the unfortunate German practice of only having one
> intermission per evening no matter how many acts the opera has.
This is a tradition I've never heard of. It would be impossible in much
of the repertoire: what Wagner opera can you do with only one intermission?
None! They all require either two, or none (Rheingold, certain versions of
Fliegende Hollander).
In my German operagoing experience, some operas had no intermissions (a version
of Carmen at the Komische Oper, for instance), some had one, some two, and
rarely, some three.
____________________________________________________________
| Dale G. Abersold-...@cc.usu.edu |
| S1.2 LIS+++! MIL++@ CBG* f++ n++ $+++ 7F19 M27 |
| http://cc.usu.edu/~slkby/index.html |
| "Annoying People Since 1969" |
------------------------------------------------------------
res...@uconnvm.uconn.edu
In article <849783...@cogence.demon.co.uk>,
I thought it was Rossini who said "what all of it" in reference
to the Opera putting on act II of William Tell...everybody couldn't
have said it...?
Bob Smith
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