Most emotional operatic scene?
Oskar Itzinger
opera_, _The most underrated opera_, and various flames re individual
composers, works, singers, etc.
I'm interested to know which SINGLE opera scene gives you the most thrill.
I should make it clear that I mean _a scene with emotional content which
gets one emotionally moved as well_).
Here are a few examples of scenes which I don't count into this category;
to be sure, these are very exciting scenes especially when sung by the
artists I indicate, but nevertheless they lack what I'm after --- being
really emotional AND getting me emotionally involved:
--- Riddle scene/Turandot [Nilsson/Corelli]
--- Church scene/Faust [Ghiaurov]
--- Riccardo's death/Ballo in maschera [Bergonzi]
--- some scenes from _I Cavalieri di Ekebu_ [Picchi/Barbieri]
However, none of the above (and countless others I might want to
substitute) REALLY set my emotions on fire. The following examples fit
much better into this class (giving me goose pimples whenever I listen
to them):
--- Presentation of the Silver Rose/Rosenkavalier
--- Love Scene/Tristan und Isolde [quite possibly the greatest love duett
of all]
--- Scene w. Marietta,Marie,Paul/Die Tote Stadt [_Glueck, das mir verblieb_
has a tune which haunts me since I've first heard it]
--- _Vicino a te_/Andrea Chenier [for me the greatest final there is]
--- _Was willst Du, fremder Mensch_/ Recognition Scene from Elektra [in
particular, _Orest!Orest!_ with Nilsson is something one could
hardly forget]
THIS is the stuff out of which thrills/chills are made but...
...but none of the above even comes close to the scene which brought me
REALLY down when I first heard it; it is a scene from Zemlinsky's Oscar
Wilde opera _The Dwarf_. For understanding, I should mention that the
title figure (some sort of Kaspar Hauser) has been caught in the woods and
is beeing presented as a gift to the princess, who, of course, just plays
pranks on him, etc. The dwarf, however, falls in love with her but, as
expected, isn't taken seriously; regardless of this, he stays in good
humour, plays games with her and has a good time enjoying himself. And
then the blow (and the scene I mentioned above) comes: he suddenly sees
himself for the first time in his life in a mirror and recognizes how
ugly and misshapen he is. The result of this is utmost despair...and I
can't imagine that this scene wouldn't move any watcher/listener in an
almost unbearable way (of course, the music itself contributes to this
feeling as well)
By the way, in case you wonder: the role is a vocally very demanding one,
so how is it acted out? Well, I saw Kenneth Riegel, and the whole time he
was on stage in this one-act piece, he was down on his knees (!!!) Quite
a feat that...
As a sidenote: I think that _The Dwarf_ coupled with _A Florentine Tragedy_
(another terrific Zemlinsky one-act work) would make up more than a very
good substitute for the old war-horse _Cav_/_Pag_!
So, now you know what IMHO is the most emotional operatic scene. What is
yours?
Enjoy/Oskar
Craig Werner
scene in _Boris_ has to be one of them. The chorus singing off-stage,
coupled with the Czar's tortured prayer for forgiveness, climaxed by that
shattering moment when Boris presents the heir--it's all too much for me.
I was fortunate to have heard Jerome Hines perform this at the Met and at
another time to have heard the Bolshoi chorus in the same hallsupporting a
Boris whose name I cannot now recall. Both performances were most
touching.
Just thought of another: the close of Act II of Strauss's _Die Frau ohne
Schatten)_. Anyone fortunate enough to have heard Christa Ludwig and
Walter Berry live in this scene has heard singing they'll never forget.
The defiance of the dyer's wife was almost tangible.
Craig Werner <wer...@world.std.com>
Robert Berbec
>...
>I'm interested to know which SINGLE opera scene gives you the most thrill.
>I should make it clear that I mean _a scene with emotional content which
>gets one emotionally moved as well_).
>Enjoy/Oskar
Here are a few that almost always work for me:
Walkure Act I: Sieglinde's aria (?) where she tells of the old man who
came to her (forced) wedding and stuck the sword in the tree; when she
tells Siegmund that she now knows why that sword was put into the tree,
well, it is simply one of the great emotional moments in opera.
Walkure Act II: When Sieglinde realizes she is carrying a child and, therefore,
decides to live.
Walkure Act III: When Wotan agrees to ring Brunnhilde with a wall of fire and
then bids her farewell.
Boheme Act I: That phenominal string of two arias and a duet that close
the act (especially the duet) (and, strangely, not the third or fourth acts).
Gotterdammerumg: Siegfried's death scene; when he recalls the awakening of
Brunnhilde, the poignancy is most beautiful.
Tristan: That solo oboe note just before the final chord at the end of this
grand story; it wrings my heart more than anything that has gone before.
Meistersinger Act III: When Walther comes out and reveals himself to Eva,
and sings final stanza (?) of the prize song.
Nozze de Figaro: The recognition scene when Marcellina and Bartolo are
revealed as Figaro's parents. There is something about this scene that
I find deelpy moving, despite the fact that it can easily be seen
as a sitcom situation. It is, of course, the music which transfigures it.
As you can see, I respond most readily to Wagner's genius.
..Bob Berbec
ber...@watson.ibm.com
Juliet A. Youngren
Well, I may regret admitting this, but nevertheless: I go utterly
weak in the knees over the Miserere scene from _Il Trovatore_.
Yes, I know it's a warhorse, but although I've been an opera fan
since about age 12, I was lucky enough not to be exposed to it
too early, and if you come into it completely fresh, it packs a
real emotional wallop!
Utter agony ... Leonora onstage alone, hearing the monks preparing
for the death of her lover, hearing her lover calling his farewell
to her (not realizing she is so near and can actually hear him)
... it gets me just thinking about it.
Hope this isn't too lowbrow for the type of response you were hoping
to get. :)
J.A.Y.
arnold v. lesikar
(Robert Berbec) writes:
>>I'm interested to know which SINGLE opera scene gives you the most thrill.
>>I should make it clear that I mean _a scene with emotional content which
>>gets one emotionally moved as well_).
>>...
>>Enjoy/Oskar
>
>Here are a few that almost always work for me:
[cuts of Wagner stuff]
B>Boheme Act I: That phenominal string of two arias and a duet that close
B> the act (especially the duet) (and, strangely, not the third or fourth
acts).
[Wagner cuts]
B>Nozze de Figaro: The recognition scene when Marcellina and Bartolo are
B> revealed as Figaro's parents. There is something about this scene that
B> I find deelpy moving, despite the fact that it can easily be seen
B> as a sitcom situation. It is, of course, the music which transfigures it.
B>As you can see, I respond most readily to Wagner's genius.
B>...Bob Berbec
I certain agree on the Boheme. In the PBS broadcast of the Australian
production a few months ago, my wife and I were both in tears.
As a novice opera fan I would add a few other scenes:
Rigoletto - in the first act "Pari siamo" where Rigoletto laments his life,
followed by his scene with Gilda.
The second act of Rigoletto from "Cortigianni, vil razza dannata" to the
end of the act.
Traviatta - where Violetta resolves to give up Alfredo at the behest of the
elder Germont.
Butterfly - "bimba, bimba non piangere" to the end of act 1.
I don't know much Wagner. You can easily see that, as a novice, I am taken
with Verdi and Puccini.
Gary Greenbaum
Butterfly ("Un nave di guerra") where, poor, mocked, perhaps dispairing
as she clutches her child, she sees Pinkerton's ship entering the harbor
at Nagasaki. The music, a reprise of Un bel di, rises to a triumphand
peak, and yet we know, we know what must come.
Gary Greenbaum
--
"When the case is all over, the jury'll pitch th' testimony out'n the
window an' consider three questions: Did Lootgert look as though he's
kilt his wife? Did his wife look as though she ought to be kilt? Isn't
it time we went to supper?"--Finley Peter Dunne
joa...@rain.org
Great idea for a thread. Oskar, thanks for the e-mail M*****
Kugeln. (Too burned to dare mention that -name- again!)
DER ROSENKAVAIER - FINAL TRIO I was reduced to sobs at a recent San
Francisco Opera performance with this, but at a LA Opera performance I was
not. Everything worked at SFO, the production was the original Dresden
production while the LA production was glizted up and out of synch. I
cared about everyone in the SFO production but was irritated by the LA.
So for me it's the music, the acting, the voices and the production that
all weave their emotional magic. And I think I put more into the acting
than anything else. That is was sends the music directly to
the rightside of the brain for me.
DIE VALYKYRIE -WOTAN'S FAREWELL TO BRUNHILDE Again a fairly traditional
production at San Francisco Opera in 1990. I was moved against my will
to great sobs. I was hating the whole production and the entire Ring up
to this point ...and then... against my will I found myslef in a great
wave of emotion along with the entire rest of the audience. I stopped
fighting it at this point and let Wagner take over.
GOTTERDAMERUNG - FINAL CURTAIN Sheer emotional exhaustion at the impact
of the sweep of the drama and the soaring music at the conclusion. By
now I had become a Wagner junkie after succumbing to his powers in above
scene.
MADAME BUTTERFLY - Butterfly's death. LA Opera came through on this one
because they put their money on the sorprano (Galina, a Siberian and
wonderful actress)and a traditional production. I don't know if this is
the regular staging of the ending but after Butterfly's death, Pinkerton
held out his arms for his son and his son ran to Sharpless instead.
There was a gasp throughout the house and the tears came. Pinkerton had
been thoroughly discredited and it felt emotionally sound.
So for me, it appers to be scenes of painful and absolute good-bys. Sob.
Good by to a young love in Rosenkavalier, Good by to a child in Valkyrie,
Good by to it all in Gotterdamerung, Good by to love Butterfly.
Joan, Santa Barbara
--
sus...@mickey.cc.utexas.edu
up my emotions to the point I have physical reactions. They are:
Mimi's death in Boheme. It just kills me. When I was a senior in
college, I played principal bassoon for our production and my stand
partner and I couldn't get through rehearsals of that scene without
one of us crying. The Italian escapes me right now; you know the
part, though -- it's the part where the funereal music first starts
(Dum dum da-da-da-da DUM dum)... Ack! I'm starting to tear up right
now. Better move on...
(No particular singer in that one, BTW.)
Elvira's first aria in Don Giovanni. (What is it with me, that I
can't remember the Italian to anything right now?) It gets me more
riled than _Thelma and Louise_, I'll tell you. :) It also tears out
my heart (pun intended) because it's obvious she really loves him (or
thinks she does) and is very hurt. Rachel Yakar in the (70s?)
Glyndebourne production.
Deh vieni, non tardar (ha! I remembered something) from Le Nozze.
Simply put, one of the most sublimely erotic things I've ever heard
(so okay, I have strange tastes :) ). Very emotional. Kathleen
Battle, Met '86.
And, although I'm not a big Donizetti fan, the mad scene from Lucia de
Lammermoor (Dame Joan -- who else) gives me the willies. The first
time I heard it was on a Walkman while reading the score on my first
trip home from college on the bus, and I was *there* in that opera as
sure as if I had a front row seat. It was magic.
Well, that's it for now. My prevalent theme seems to be women on the
edge (although I don't know how you'd fit Susannah in that
category...)
--
Beannachta!
---Susan Harwood Kaczmarczik---------...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu---
"The hart he loves the high wood, the hare she loves the hill;
The Knight he loves his bright sword, the Lady -- loves her will."
br0...@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu
Seeing as how the stock "Butterfly" scenes have been mentioned, I
guess it is safe to reveal my own personal tear-jerker fave...the
final scene of "Suor Angelica" when Angelica realizes the sin she has
committed in taking her life and is presented with her child by the
angel as she ascends into heaven. The only live performance I was
lucky enough to see of this, was (by another stroke of luck, IMHO) as
part of the original Trittico at The Academy of Vocal Arts in
Philadelphia. Student artists or no, it was a beautifully intimate
evening, and that particular scene (though I can't say the rest of the
score does much for me) soars with the offstage chorus of nuns and
Angelica's powerful high Ds, not to mention the visual impact.
No flames, please, from those afficianados who find Puccini pedantic
;) I am a singer, BTW, so my experience isn't TOO limited!
Amy
Christopher B. Reznich
> Boheme Act I: That phenominal string of two arias and a duet that close
> the act (especially the duet) (and, strangely, not the **third** or fourth acts).
>
The second delivery of Mimi's phrase "Addio, senza rancor" ALWAYS reduces
me to a blithering idiot!
My addition: the "Regina Coeli" in Cav, in which Santuzza, excommunicated
from the Catholic Church, sings the hymn with the chorus. That always gets
to me.
--
Christopher B. Reznich, Ph.D.
Office of Medical Education Research and Development
Michigan State University
1571...@msu.edu
Lyle Neff
The demise-solo of the title character at the end of SNOWMAIDEN;
Vera's narration in THE NOBLEWOMAN VERA SHELOGA;
Pannochka's farewell in Act III of MAY NIGHT;
(I guess these are all soprano sections. Sorry for the lack of variety.)
Tchaikovsky:
The final duet and lullaby in MAZEPA;
IOLANTA's realization that she is blind.
Lyle Neff, ln...@ucs.indiana.edu
http://copper.ucs.indiana.edu/~lneff/home.html
Libretto Homepage
Sardine Eating Seagull
Eric Dew
Tannhauser, all of act II (since it's really just one scene), but especially
near the end when Elisabeth's voice overrides all the knights as she
gives her life to Tannhauser.
Siegfried, act I, forging scene. With the hearty hammering in the Solti
recording, it's just mesmerizing.
Boheme act I, Che gelida manina and then the duet to end the act. Ahh!
Boheme act III, the whole duet
Gotterdamn act III, Siegfried funeral march. Now that's music
Magic Flute, last scene, Pa-pa-pa, pa-pa-pa-pa, etc. Very happy, especially
in Bergmann's Swedish version with Hakan Hakagaard (sp?) and whoever played
Papagena.
Tosca and of Act I when Scarpia vows that he'll have Tosca AND nail Caravodossi
(oh, whatever...) to the wall. My video version is quite good.
As for some other good scenes, check out the scenes in ARIA, the movie
made by 19 directors, each directing an MTV type scene for an aria.
EDEW
Elliot Richmond
Itzinger) wrote:
>
> Which SINGLE opera scene gives you the most thrill.
For me, it will always be the last scene of the first opera I ever saw,
Britten's _Peter Grimes_. When Peter sailed his ship out to sea and
scuttled it, while the townspeople turned away in apparent disinterest, I
cried. Is there a greater tragedy than the meaningless death of an
unloved man?
--
Elliot Richmond
Science Education Center
The University of Texas at Austin
ell...@tenet.edu
lbf6208
the following?
OTELLO: The end of the "Willow Song," when Desdemona's pent-up emotion
suddenly bursts forth as she bids farewell to Emilia, the only person who
might have been able to save her.
FREISCHUTZ: The "magic bullets" scene. Not really emotional, but it's
so neat.
TRISTAN: The Liebesnacht. What more can I say?
FIDELIO: The Prisoners' Chorus, when all of those poor, oppressed guys
finally crawl out into the sunlight.
I have to say that my #1 most emotional scene is the end of _Madama
Butterfly_. Sometimes I can't even bear to read the libretto!
--
Linda B. Fairtile
New York University
lbf...@is.nyu.edu
Jay Azneer
Tristan's Mad scenes--the watchers and listeners can actually
see this mind unravel before their eyes in a way that is not
pretty as in Dinizetti but painful and moving and evocative of
the entire human experience. At leat I think so<g>.
Jay
os...@opec.org (Oskar Itzinger) wrote:
>
>There are threads discussing _The perfect opera_, _The
>most overrated opera_, _The most underrated opera_,
>and various flames re individual composers, works,
>singers, etc.
>
>I'm interested to know which SINGLE opera scene gives
>you the most thrill. I should make it clear that I
>mean _a scene with emotional content which gets one
>emotionally moved as well_).
>
Tom Ascher
was during the final act trio of Rosenkavalier. It was at the Lyric
here in Chicago with Anna Tomowa Sintow, Anne Sophie von Otter and Kathleen
Battle. I have never been so overwhelmed and filled with the music and
feeling of the moment.
=====================================================================
Tom Ascher Internet: u15...@uicvm.cc.uic.edu
University of Illinois at Chicago Phone: (312) 413-3665
KK Kua
Well let's see...
For Puccini:
I cried during Boheme's Che Gelida Manina, Addio Senza Rancor and Mimi's death
scene... enough said *sob*. My tears rolled down effortlessly when I heard
Madama Butterfly's Un Bel di... My legs were *like butter* when I heard Alan
Glassman sing E lucevan la stelle. I couldn't stand up to walk out the NYC
Opera house.
For Verdi:
Sempre Libera liberated my voice and I felt like singing the aria in falsetto
after the performance. The ending quartet in Rigoletto Act II(?). When four
people speak, you have noise; when four people sing, we have *MUSIC*.
Mozart:
Figaro finding out his real mother... Cherubino's Voi che sapate made me think
twice about love. Finale in Cosi Fan Tutte left me wondering who will pair
up. Finally, the revenge aria from Queen of the Night made me cry for poor
Tamina.
Hope you netters share the same feelings.
Regards,
K.K.
*******************************************************************************
Mi pungichi, mi stuzzichi, mi tuzzichi, mi mastichi... Amor, que questo h'aime?
Pieta, pieta, pieta. Amor e un cherto que, que disperar mi fa ;-)
*******************************************************************************
Panther
les...@tigger.stcloud.msus.edu (arnold v. lesikar) quoted someone:
>Boheme Act I: That phenominal string of two arias and a duet that close
> the act (especially the duet) (and, strangely, not the third or fourth
>acts).
Never got caught in the first act of Boheme before but received
the tapes of the Callas version.
Yep, caught.
[di Stefano is more than decent on that one]
Sandra Wenner
1. Presentation of the rose, Der Rosenkavalier (especially as done by
Troyanos)
2. Lucia's mad scene, Lucia di Lammermoor (Sutherland or Callas)
3. "Parigi, o cara" in _La Traviata_
4. "Che gelida manina" in _Boheme_
5. Geschwitz' death in _Lulu_
The Crow
: The one time I can remember both myself and my wife crying at an opera
: was during the final act trio of Rosenkavalier. It was at the Lyric
: here in Chicago with Anna Tomowa Sintow, Anne Sophie von Otter and Kathleen
: Battle. I have never been so overwhelmed and filled with the music and
: feeling of the moment.
I would have to go with "I, Pagliacci", during the "Vesti la guiba"
aria, Turandot, during "Nessun dorma", or the love duet from "The Pearl
Fishers"...any of the three can work me to tears in a fraction of a second...
: =====================================================================
: Tom Ascher Internet: u15...@uicvm.cc.uic.edu
: University of Illinois at Chicago Phone: (312) 413-3665
- The Crow
=========================================
"...And you - music lover - you're next."
- Val Kilmer, "Tombstone"
=========================================
joa...@rain.org
The dirge as the nuns march off to their deaths one by one by one
by one by one by one in Dialogues of the Carmelites by Poulenc, - Salve
regina - the scenes and music build powerfully in sheer horror.
Joan, Santa Barbara
--
John Feather
I agree with Elliot Richmond (#2108) that the finale to PETER GRIMES is
devastating. I also agree with Joan (# 2198) that the finale to
DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES is overwhelming.
It isn't just modern operas that move me. I love the trio from
ROSENKAVALIER, the Cathedral scene from FAUST, the final trio from FORZA
DEL DESTINO, and all of TRAVIATA, BOHEME and MADAMA BUTTERFLY.
However, the opera scene that I find most moving is the final scene
from Janacek's JENUFA.
After Kostelnicka confesses to killing the child and the townspeople rise
in fury, Jenufa takes her shoulders and lifts her saying "I understand"
then later "God give you comfort", I start to choke up.
However my tears flow freely when, Jenufa, alone with with Laca, says
"They have left, now you go too. Now they will look at me with
scorn and put me on trial."
Laca says "Even that I will bear for your sake. What is the world to us,
if we can comfort one another?"
Jenufa ends the opera saying "You are led to me now by that greater love,
the love that pleases God."
Music soars. Curtain.
How many operas are so filled with forgiveness?? This is one of my
favorite operas, if only for that finale.
John F., Arlington, VA
Ryan Acton
discribe it because it so moving. How anyone can not rank that #1 I am a little mistified.
Other than that I tend to agree with the poster who put the finale to Gotterdammerung. The sweeping
music and the fact that it is the end of the cycle just bowls me over.
Yes - I do like Wagner very much!
Ryan
Fmermaid
I'm interested to know which SINGLE opera scene gives you the most thrill.
I should make it clear that I mean _a scene with emotional content which
gets one emotionally moved as well_)...
The following examples fit...much better into this class (giving me goose
pimples whenever I listen to them):
--- Presentation of the Silver Rose/Rosenkavalier
--- Love Scene/Tristan und Isolde [quite possibly the greatest love duett
of all]
--- Scene w. Marietta,Marie,Paul/Die Tote Stadt [_Glueck, das mir
verblieb_ has a tune which haunts me since I've first heard it]
--- _Vicino a te_/Andrea Chenier [for me the greatest final there is]
--- _Was willst Du, fremder Mensch_/ Recognition Scene from Elektra [in
particular, _Orest!Orest!_ with Nilsson is something one could
hardly forget]
THIS is the stuff out of which thrills/chills are made but...
...but none of the above even comes close to the scene which brought me
REALLY down when I first heard it; it is a scene from Zemlinsky's Oscar
Wilde opera _The Dwarf_.
So, now you know what IMHO is the most emotional operatic scene. What is
yours?
Enjoy/Oskar
-------------------------------------------------------
You seem to have a prediliction for the Germans. I fully agree with you
about The Dwarf. One of my favorites is the final scene from Wozzeck (but
you have to listen to all of Act 3 to get its full impact). Another is the
Aida-Amonasro scene from Act 3 of Aida. Another the Brunhilde-Wotan duet
and farewell from Walkure Act 3. Another the Act 2 confrontation between
Tosca and Scarpia.
F Mermaid
Yves Roberge
>From: ku...@news.cc.geneseo.edu (KK Kua)
>Subject: Re: Most emotional operatic scene?
>Date: 26 May 1995 21:01 EST
Wotan's farewell to Brunhilde in Die Walkure
dse...@infinet.com
where Figaro recognizes his parents. Funny, yes; but emotional?), one scene
that always tears me to pieces is Liu's death scene in the last act of
Turandot. Liu's two arias are so heart wrenching, particularly when she
tells Turandot that it is love that makes her so strong and that by
withholding Calaf's name she gives Turandot to him. And then when in her
second aria she says that by dawn she will close her eyes, well just reading
the libretto puts me in tears.
==============================
Michael & Bianca Sekus - dse...@infinet.com
finger for PGP public key
David Pickering
BOHEME, the final trio from ROSENKAVALIER, Isolde's Leibestod, and the
immolation scene in GOTTERDAMMERUNG.
I would also like to add the ending of Act III of PARSIFAL beginning
with Parsifal's baptism of Kundry. I always find that moment profoundly
moving. And of course the healing of Amfortas and the unveiling of the
grail are absolutely stunning.
Dave
dp...@andrew.cmu.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The future will be better tomorrow.
-- Former Vice President Dan Quayle
Oskar Itzinger
>
>You seem to have a prediliction for the Germans.
Well, actually I listen to more Italian stuff than anything else. And I
could cite a number of terrific scenes, eg.
- _Giuletta, son io_/Giuletta e Romeo [especially when sung by the role's
creator, Miguel Fleta, who was also the first Calaf]
- _Vieni deh! Vieni_, the Love duet from Lorelay
- the final scene from La cena delle beffe
- _Otello's death_ [especiallly when sung by the role's creator, Tamagno]
These are great emotionally loaded scenes but I had to settle down on the
things which get me really down --- and these are, mostly, from German
operas...
>I fully agree with you about The Dwarf.
Nice to find someone who appreciates _The Dwarf_...
>One of my favorites is the final scene from Wozzeck (but
>you have to listen to all of Act 3 to get its full impact). Another is the
>Aida-Amonasro scene from Act 3 of Aida. Another the Brunhilde-Wotan duet
>and farewell from Walkure Act 3. Another the Act 2 confrontation between
>Tosca and Scarpia.
>
>F Mermaid
>
Actually, 3 out of your 5 favorites are from German operas as well :-)
Enjoy/Oskar
Mark Bartelt
How true! I've seen this work only once, and I must say that of all the
performances I've seen in 20+ years of regular opera going, I'd rate that
one as one of the half-dozen most memorable.
The final scene was so effective in its dramatic intensity that I found
myself literally shaking from the impact. And after the final curtain,
there was a rather lengthy hush before the applause started ... I think
most of the other people in the audience were as stunned as I was.
By the way, to resurrect an old thread from r.m.c a few months ago, this
is just one example (of several) of why I feel that having a subscription
to a series is such a great idea: It exposes you to works which you might
otherwise not bother to attend. Sometimes they'll be forgettable, or even
a waste of time. But sometimes it'll be something absolutely astounding.
I doubt that I'd have ever bothered getting tickets to DotC if it hadn't
been on our series; and what a loss that would have been! (And Wozzeck is
another example of something I'd never have gone out of my way to see, but
which was superb.)
Mark Bartelt 416/978-5619
Canadian Institute for ma...@cita.toronto.edu
Theoretical Astrophysics ma...@cita.utoronto.ca
"Nur eine Waffel taugt!" -- Parsifal, in an Eggo commercial
Pete
: I'm interested to know which SINGLE opera scene gives you the most thrill.
: I should make it clear that I mean _a scene with emotional content which
: gets one emotionally moved as well_).
Wow. Everybody baring their souls here!
I've got to 'fess up to being reduced to water by some of the "greatest
hits" spots. Like ...
O terra, addio - the last duet in Aida. (The recording with Milanov and
Bjoerling is the first opera I ever bought - when I was in school. I
didn't know what I was buying.)
In The Flying Dutchman, the scene where the Norwegian sailors wake up the
Dutchman's crew. Seeing it live is fun: Listening to it loud with
headphones is chilling.
Vesti la giubba is a killer if the tenor is a good actor.
Vissi d'arte and the whole scene in which Tosca kills Scarpia
Sometimes ... Boris Godunov singing to his son in the last act.
Pete Levin
Richard Villanueva
: Most emotional - powerful scene -DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES
: The dirge as the nuns march off to their deaths one by one by one
: by one by one by one in Dialogues of the Carmelites by Poulenc, - Salve
: regina - the scenes and music build powerfully in sheer horror.
: Joan, Santa Barbara
This is the most powerful opera scene that I have witnessed in live
performance. I wouldn't put the music up there with the highest,
but as drama it was overwhelming. The intensity and immediacy were
stunning.
I have not had the privilege of seeing the Ring in person. It has
many emotional scenes that move me more than any other opera. The
three highest are the awakening of Brunhilde, the Brunhilde-Hagen-
Gunther trio, and the death of Siegfried.
James Kahn
> I'm interested to know which SINGLE opera scene gives you the most thrill.
> I should make it clear that I mean _a scene with emotional content which
> gets one emotionally moved as well_).
Two from Tosca: The scene in which the news comes about Napoleon's
victory, right after Cavaradossi was being tortured; and, of course,
"E lucevan le stelle".
--Jim
--
ka...@troi.cc.rochester.edu |
ka...@finance.wharton.upenn.edu |
Steve Cavrak
general puts you on edge, but for me, "The Tears" scene does it. I saw
a Boston Opera performance staged by Sarah Caldwell. What added to the
impact was the utter audience silence at the end of the scene, and the
realization, hey, it's not over yet. Slowly, people began breathing.
Steve
(The final scenes in Rosenkavalier are right up there too!)
Tom Ascher
This qualifies in my mind as one of the most emotional and also one of
the most "haunting" scenes I can think of. There is something about this
being sung at dawn as the first light is appearing and knowing that
Cavaradossi will not live to enjoy it... I learned to play this on my
clarinet so I can hear this and cry whenever I like :)!
eric_sean_phillips
>
>Oskar Itzinger (os...@opec.org) wrote:
>: I'm interested to know which SINGLE opera scene gives you the most thrill.
>: I should make it clear that I mean _a scene with emotional content which
>: gets one emotionally moved as well_).
Well,
1) Peter Grimes- Soliloqy. Ol' Joe has gone fishing and Young Joe has
gohne fishing...
2) Tristan and Isolde- Liebestod (sp?) The biggest plagal cadence you'll
ever hear.
3) Der Rosenkavelier- Final Trio.
4) The Coronation of Poppea- Final Duet- Montiverdi didn't write it, but
it's still really neat.
Eric Sean Phillips
Crane School of Music, Potsdam, NY
phil...@potsdam.edu
John Evans
Oskar Itzinger (os...@opec.org) wrote:
> I'm interested to know which SINGLE opera scene gives you the most thrill.
> I should make it clear that I mean _a scene with emotional content which
> gets one emotionally moved as well_).
Time to de-lurk and confess, I suppose:-
1. Bartok - Opera: Duke Bluebeard's Castle; Scene: The Lake of Tears.
2. Monteverdi - Opera: The Coronation of Poppea; Scene: The Death of Seneca.
John
--
--
***************************************
* John H. Evans *
* High Performance Systems *
* International Computers Limited *
* Manchester, England *
* Email: j...@wg.icl.co.uk *
***************************************
Harry Peck
abducted and hidden his daughter.
Opera - Lucia - scene: mad scene in last act.
Opera - La Boehme - scene: 1st Act duet, O soave fanciulla - not all
emotional scenes are sad, some are joyfull.
-
HARRY MBF...@prodigy.com
Lori Labadie
Also, I'd say that the Te Deum is one of the most emotional scenes for me
in that opera.
An other is the mad scene in the last act of Lucia di Lammermoor. And,
maybe one of my favorites: the 1st Act duet, O soave fanciulla. Love
that!
Lori
LEOCAPRI
ways--musical, dramatic, spiritual. The most devastating
for me I think is Traviata Act 3 when Alfredo hurls his
winnings at Violetta's feet, the ensuing ensemble and
the logically absurd yet overwhelmingly right entrance
of Germont. Of course this goes over so well because
your emotional pump has been primed by Act 2, which
contains my second most-emotional-scene-in-opera,
Germont/Violetta to the end of the Act. The
components of love (both familial and romantic
varieties), fear, despair, pity, more love, fury,
shock, humiliation, more love . . . I'm afraid Act 4 is
anticlimactic, and a good thing, too.
Mark Shulgasser
Darci Lane
Mefistofole when good overcomes evil. Especially when you know who is
singing it. Darci
Dan S.
Violetta. It's funny (not comical, but interesting) that Verdi wrote some
of his most poignant music around scenes of familial sentiment rather than
just tacky romance.
Rodrigo's death from Don Carlos/Carlo is devastating as hell, as is
Violetta's big explosion before she leaves Alfredo (right after the Papa
duet)..."Amami Alfredo! Amami quant`io t`amo!" ("Love me Alfredo, as I
love you!")
I guess the final trio from Faust is sort of "beyond" emotion.
Marguerite's psyche has sort of already shattered from too much emotion,
and she comends her fractured, splintered "anima" unto the smoke machines,
or white spotlight, or celestial backdrop (however it might be staged).
"O soave fanciulla" is tremendous musically, but come on...THESE PEOPLE
HAVE JUST MET! I adore opera. It is my great passion. Yet I have always
had difficulty suspending my disbelief with the instant perfect love
aspect of Boheme's first act. After the presumed time lapse, I have no
trouble. Anything could have happened during that time to bring the two
lovers quite close. The first act has never quite held my attention
dramatically though.
The "Liebestod" is like the Faust trio to me. It's the state that
falls just beyond where we feel emotion. It's beyond human. Then maybe
that's because I think of Nillson's Liebestod. She's like a
space-monster. Sort of an ET love-death!! Sorry, that was cheap.
Anyway......Lotte Lehmann's liebestod definitely works in this category.
My blue ribbon goes to "Con onor muore.." Butterfly's death. I
nevereverevereverevereverever get tired of it, and I neverevereverever
don't cry when I hear it (save some really bad performances by bad singers
which I won't name). I did see one production where I had to laugh just
an eentsyweentsy bit 'cause the butterfly was a oooooooooh _LOUD_ ass
girl!!! and during "death of Butterfly" you could tell that no ammount of
rehearsals had prepared that baby for the way she belted out in his
face!! The child was about three I guess, and probably was deaf by the
end, but you could tell he was squirming to get away from the crazy lady
screaming in his little ears!
---Scott Vanderpool
Austin, Texas
Studente di Voce(baritono)
Kitchen Trash
=============================================================================
"Ah! Tessete i veli vaghe donzelle, ____
mentre e nei cieli l`astro maggior che ___/____\____
sono i veli al brillar delle stelle / o o \ __________________
piu cari all`amor." | \ | / Show me \
--Eboli, from Verdi's "Don Carlo" | )=( | < your bum, sport! )
\____/ \__________________/
| >|
=============================================================================
Youn
: Rodrigo's death from Don Carlos/Carlo is devastating as hell, as is
: Violetta's big explosion before she leaves Alfredo (right after the Papa
: duet)..."Amami Alfredo! Amami quant`io t`amo!" ("Love me Alfredo, as I
: love you!")
Really, I agree.
I can't listen it without tears.
"Amami Alfredo, Amami quando'io t'amo! A..ma..mi......Addio!"
wow. Really great scene!
- youn
Paul Pelkonen
RIGOLETTO-The moment when the reprise of La Donna e Mobile comes in and
Rigoletto starts to realize who is in the sack
TRAVIATA-Final scene gets me every time
SIMON BOCCANEGRA- My favorite Verdi opera. and the recognition scene in Act I
is for me the hgighlight of the work, even more so than the mysterious opening
and hte Council Chamber scene.
RHEINGOLD- Here's one from left field. When Fasolt sings "A woman to come live
iwth us poor creatures" There is a quick littole oboe solo that comes and goes
int he score but is a moment of such poignancy and beauty that it must be
mentioned here. the old magician Wagner makes the cards appear anddisappear in
a second bu tiwht moving effect.
Die Walkure-Wotan's Farewell, the moment in act II when he leaves all to the
Nibelungen sohn, the height of Gotternot.
Siegfried- The Idyll "Ewig War Ich, Eweg Bin Ich" Yall should hear Anne Evans
sing this on the new much-belittled Barenboim set. magnificent.
GodDamnerung (he he) Um...death of Siegfried, and of course the immolation
with the sweeping arrival of the redemption motif.
STrauss-
The trio at the end of act III of rosenkavelier
The entire final act of die frau ohne schatten.
cheers
Paul
Barbara Chaffe
arthu...@cobra.uni.edu
What about Liu's death in Turandot? That just about does me in just listening
to it, let alone seeing it.
What sopranos think is the most emotional operatic scene?
Mimi's death. (Just kidding, sops! Don't flame me!)
For passion (a verifiable emotion, I believe) or romance, what of:
Fenton's "Dal labbro il canto . . . " at the beginning of the last act of
Verdi's _Falstaff_
Or an albeit overdone, but still fantastic aria--Vesti la giubba from
_Pagliacci_.
Of all, however, just hearing the intermezzo music from Cavalleria Rusticana
makes me a bit emotionally overcharged.
Peace.
--Stephanie
Gary Greenbaum
from Gotterdammerung, from Gutrune's enterence until Brunnhilde begins
her monologue. Filled with enotion--hate, fear, greed, grief, and the
tension in the music is something incredible.
Gary Greenbaum
--
"When the case is all over, the jury'll pitch th' testimony out'n the
window an' consider three questions: Did Lootgert look as though he's
kilt his wife? Did his wife look as though she ought to be kilt? Isn't
it time we went to supper?"--Finley Peter Dunne
Jan Grootenhuis
fetch Jokanaan's head. On my recording (Nilsson/Solti) there is
about 10 seconds of absolute silence -
so nerve-wrecking that when it finally ends in the rattle of a falling
sword, one cannot help a nervous giggle.
---
Jan Grootenhuis Kralenbeek 1873 1104 KJ AMSTERDAM The Netherlands
Tel/fax (+31)20-699.89.66 Internet ja...@xs4all.nl
cwzi...@hopsut.com
Here are two alternatives to the boy-loses-girl scenes, ones that really touched me seeing them live:
-- Alberich's aria in Das Rheingold, after Wotan has taken from him the Ring itself. Ekkehard Wlaschiha sings this so sensitively, it made me look at the character from a new angle.
-- The scene in Fidelio where the political prisoners get a few moments of sunshine in the yard, after years of confinement. I find this scene so touching, and chillingly modern, too.
Chris
Byungik Kahng
> cheers
> Paul
I agree with your comments about the most dramatic cenes of operas for the
most part, but ...
R Strauss' Die Frau Ohne Schatten is really magnificient opera. Its scale
is so huge and the changes of scenes are genarally so hectic that it gives
very hard time to stage directors of even modern times with all the technical
advantages that Strauss himself would never have even dreemed of. However,
in the last moment it bogs down at the most important part. After the emperror
and Barrak being freed, two wemen rejoicing the reunion with their lovers, at
the very climax of the opera it drags down for over 25 minutes, with love
songs and the chorus of unborn children. I'm not arguing with the music he
wrote. It is absolutely magnificient, but just simple time delay is barring
the explosion of catarcis. What if Otello sang for 20 minutes over Desdemona's
body? What if Marke and Brangene sang for 25 minutes after Isolde's "Mild und
Leise", greaving and wishing her reunion with Tristan in heaven? After 16
minutes of long ferewell song by Wotan, how does Wagner ends Die Walkure?
A short magic fire music. That's the only thing comes after Brunhilde falls
into her long sleep. In Richrd Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten, the dramatic
conclusion loses its place to musical notes. I often dreem what would have
happen if Strauss had met better librettist. Then would Die Frau had become
as good as his earlier masterworks as Salome and Elektra?
Remark: This is only my personal thought on the opera. therre can be,
or should be many that do not agree.
Byungik
Byungik Kahng
>Most emotional operatic scene?
>Peace.
>--Stephanie
I am not good at English enough to understand all the differences in the
nuance. Say, emotional, passion (a verifiable emtion?), romantic, etc.
Here the issue is being "sad" and "tragic".
I like La Bohem, but I rarely listen to. It's sad, too sad, not tragic.
Wagner's Tristan is tragic. Puccini's Turandot, as far as Liu's death is
concerned, is tragic. They seem to be quite far from our daily lives. Those
happen only on theaters and on screens, but we have Mimi's in our own
neighborhoods. Sometimes, when I listen to La Bohem, it feels like losing my
deer neighbor or even my own sister. It's sad. Tosca's death or Gilda's
sacrifice don't give me such a pang in my heart. They are tragic.
Furthermore, Tanhauser and Elisabeth's death and Tristan and Isolde's death
are rather joyfull. They are, I would say, love's triumph depite that both
heros and heorines die.
I feel similar feelings from La Traviata, too, which, also, I rarely listen
to, being one of my favorite. I like Schbert's Wintereise a lot. However,
I rarely listen with the booklet open and following the verses and their
translations as I do with many Lieds and operas. Even if I did many a times
it resulted in giving up or stopping the CD player and moving into lighter
piece.
The Most emotional operatic scene? I've already listed many. although
I can't separate them as being passionate, romantic, and so on as you did.
Byungik
Patrick Togher
Try the concluding minutes of Britten's The Turn of the Screw where young
Miles is exorcised of the ghost of Peter Quint and then falls lifeless
into the arms of the devoted governess. It is dramatic,horrifying
and,ultimately, heartbreaking.
Patrick Togher
hamza...@gmail.com
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CHSIII
Honteuses?
wrote in message
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Dorme Riposa
It's good to know rmo can still produce gems like yours!
CHSIII
"Dorme Riposa" wrote in message
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> My list of Most Emotional Operatic Scenes/Arias
>
> 1. Presentation of the rose, Der Rosenkavalier (especially as done by
> Troyanos)
>
The cymbal crash at the beginning of the Presentation of the Rose starts the
shivers that take awhile to subside!!
Just saw a version at Tucson Desert Song Festival that did the trick!
Conductor George Hanson is great.
BH Loveland CO
ronfr...@gmail.com
> Most emotional - powerful scene -DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES
>
> The dirge as the nuns march off to their deaths one by one by one
> by one by one by one in Dialogues of the Carmelites by Poulenc, - Salve
> regina - the scenes and music build powerfully in sheer horror.
>
> Joan, Santa Barbara
>
> --
I agree this is heart wrenching.
Also get a recording, if you can, of Australian soprano Merlyn Quaife singing Madame Mao's aria in Nixon in China. Also her singing in Gordon Kerry's Medea.