Deadly Sins in Opera - Help!
Jim Dunphy
NNRathbun wrote:
> Hi --
>
> A small group I work with is trying to put together an opera concert based on
> the Seven Deadly Sins. So far we've got plenty of lust, a few anger, and
> little else. Our cast is not finalized, but right now we have a light lyric
> soprano (Lucia/Violetta type), dramatic soprano (Sieglinde/Leonora/Fiordiligi
> type), tenor who can sing anything from Bellini to Wagner (and pretty darn well
> too!), lyric baritone (Barbiere Figaro/Count type) and a buffo basso.
>
> Just to remind anyone who needs reminding, the seven deadly sins are: Lust,
> Envy, Anger, Covetousness, Gluttony, Sloth and Pride.
>
> Suggestions from any period will be gratefully received.
>
> With many thanks,
> Nancy
Well, for covetousness (= avarice) there's always Daland in Flying Dutchman who is
willing to sell his daughter for a chest full of gold and jewels. Your buffo basso
might try this, though it's basically a duet! Also, Mime in the Ring is the
quintessence of avarice, spending years scheming to win the Ring. Mime, especially
in Das Rheingold, is a good model for Envy, since he wishes to have the power now
enjoyed by his brother.
Gluttony: Jakob Schmidt eats himself to death in Rise and Fall of the City of
Mahagonny. He's a tenor, I think.
Sloth (with some covetousness thrown in for good measure): this has got to be
Fafner, the giant turned dragon in Siegfried. He's content to just sleep his life
away on top of the Nibelung treasure.
Jim Dunphy
Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)
NNRathbun wrote:
>
> Hi --
>
>
>
> Just to remind anyone who needs reminding, the seven deadly sins are: Lust,
> Envy, Anger, Covetousness, Gluttony, Sloth and Pride.
Okay, I'll give it a try. Does jealousy count as envy?
Then Amneris (in Aida), Count di Luna (Trovatore). Actually,
there's lots of envy/jealously in opera! Canio in
Pagliacci, Santuzza in Cavaleria.... need I go on?
For covetousness, how about Gianni Schicchi? (They wouldn't
be in the fix they're in, if they weren't covetous of the
wealth of..... what's his name?) And of course Scarpia -
he covets Tosca to the point where he'll do almost anything
to win her favors (except be a nice guy). Or Barnaba in
Gioconda, on a coarser, less sophisticated scale.
For gluttony, sloth and pride, all rolled into one, how
about Sir John Falstaff? The gluttony and pride are
self-evident, and surely it was slothful to make the same
love letter, with only the name changed, do duty for two
ladies at the same time!
I'm sure some contemporary operas abound in examples of all
seven, but I'm not very familiar with the modern
repertoire. Good luck. Your program sounds like an
interesting concept. I don't suppose your "small group"
performs anywhere accessible to Los Angeles?
NNRathbun
A small group I work with is trying to put together an opera concert based on
the Seven Deadly Sins. So far we've got plenty of lust, a few anger, and
little else. Our cast is not finalized, but right now we have a light lyric
soprano (Lucia/Violetta type), dramatic soprano (Sieglinde/Leonora/Fiordiligi
type), tenor who can sing anything from Bellini to Wagner (and pretty darn well
too!), lyric baritone (Barbiere Figaro/Count type) and a buffo basso.
Just to remind anyone who needs reminding, the seven deadly sins are: Lust,
Envy, Anger, Covetousness, Gluttony, Sloth and Pride.
Suggestions from any period will be gratefully received.
With many thanks,
Nancy
John Shanty
of Pride for a good baritone.
John Shanty
NNRathbun wrote in message <19991219203113...@ng-fr1.aol.com>...
ewa
nnra...@aol.com (NNRathbun) wrote:
>Hi --
>
>A small group I work with is trying to put together an opera concert based on
>the Seven Deadly Sins. So far we've got plenty of lust, a few anger, and
>little else. Our cast is not finalized, but right now we have a light lyric
>soprano (Lucia/Violetta type), dramatic soprano (Sieglinde/Leonora/Fiordiligi
>type), tenor who can sing anything from Bellini to Wagner (and pretty darn well
>too!), lyric baritone (Barbiere Figaro/Count type) and a buffo basso.
>
>Just to remind anyone who needs reminding, the seven deadly sins are: Lust,
>Envy, Anger, Covetousness, Gluttony, Sloth and Pride.
>
>Suggestions from any period will be gratefully received.
>
>With many thanks,
>Nancy
Gluttony:
"Don Giovanni"
Act II, Scene 3 (this is from "Three Mozart Libretti", a
Dover book, page 207)
Stage directions: A large room in Don Giovanni's palace. A meal is laid out,
ready to be eaten.
Don G: "Gia la mensa e perparata" etc.
It is a scene between Don Giovanni and Leporello, so it may not work.
---------
Envy:
"Otello"
Probably a few to choose from here--one that could be used is toward the end of Act II,
with Otello singing (to Iago): "Tu?! Indeitro! fuggi!" (this from "Seven Verdi
Libretti" tranlated by William Weaver, published by Norton, page 363)
---------
Covetousness:
"Fidelio"
A tough one, but Rocco's aria "Hat mman nich auch Gold beineben" may do the trick,
since he equates gold with happiness.
From the Schirmer vocal score for "Fidelio", page 37.
There must be a LOT more that don't occur immediately--will post more
as I think of them, unless others cover all the bases beforehand.
Sounds like a fun evening, by the way.
ed waffle
Capa081348
>From: nnra...@aol.com (NNRathbun)
>Date: Sun, 19 December 1999 08:31 PM EST
>Message-id: <19991219203113...@ng-fr1.aol.com>
>
>Hi --
>
>A small group I work with is trying to put together an opera concert based on
>the Seven Deadly Sins. So far we've got plenty of lust, a few anger, and
>little else. Our cast is not finalized, but right now we have a light lyric
>soprano (Lucia/Violetta type), dramatic soprano (Sieglinde/Leonora/Fiordiligi
>type), tenor who can sing anything from Bellini to Wagner (and pretty darn
>well
>too!), lyric baritone (Barbiere Figaro/Count type) and a buffo basso.
>
>Just to remind anyone who needs reminding, the seven deadly sins are: Lust,
>Envy, Anger, Covetousness, Gluttony, Sloth and Pride.
>
>Suggestions from any period will be gratefully received.
>
>With many thanks
--------------
Nancy,
envy -- Iago (Otello) is probably too heavy for a lyric baritone; could the
bass try Fafner's envy of Freia's youth (and her golden apples ;-) in the
second scene of Rheingold? Or the tenor might like "A moi la jeunesse!",
Faust's plea to regain his lost youth.
covetousness (of thy neighbor's wife) -Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro)
should be fine for your lyric baritone; or perhaps your bass might try "Finch'
han dal vino" in which Don Giovanni salivates at his conquests to come. Or
your tenor might have a go at "Questo o quella" or "Le Donna e mobile" from
Rigoletto.
but frankly, I don't remember covetousness as being one of the seven deadly
sins -- I think that you're forgetting avarice.
For avarice -- the Jewel song from Faust, would do nicely for your lyric
soprano
sloth -- Your buffo might be able to essay "Notte e giorno faticar",
Leporello's complaint about his working conditions as Don Giovanni's servant --
this would also qualify under envy. How about the beginning of the scena with
Tannhaeuser and Venus as they languorously celebrate their satisfied sensuality
in the first scene of the Paris version of Tannhaeuser?
gluttony -- tough one -- there's a fair amount of drinking in opera -- the
brindisis in Traviata and Otello are well known, as is Falstaff's contemplation
of the effects of wine. Gluttony doesn't often get anyone in trouble in opera.
But Hansel *does* try to snatch a piece of the witch's edible house.
The Love for Three Oranges probably doesn't count, does it? Albert Herring?
The Veau d'Or (Golden Calf)? Le Coq d'Or (Golden cockerel)? "Mignon" -- served
"Medium"? Is Papageno catching birds in order to eat them?
pride -- Turandot's pride is awesome; can your dramatic soprano manage "In
Questa Reggia?" Or Carmen's La Habanera? Or the baritone might venture the
Toreador Song from Carmen.
If you've got room for that auxiliary sin, despair, "Suicidio" from La Gioconda
would do nicely.
I think that there's something in this offering for each of your singers. Hope
this helps a little!
Pat Finley
Or che mi conoscete
parlate voi. Deh parlate.
Chi siete? Vi piaccia dir?
Flex-...@webtv.net
Somnus the god of sleep would be a great bit for Sloth. Listen to Sam
Ramey in Handel's Semele with Battle and Horne. He yawns a lot, and
falls asleep before he can finish his Da Capo!
Flex
Matthew B. Tepper
nnra...@aol.com is reputed to have iterated as follows...
>
>Hi --
>
>A small group I work with is trying to put together an opera concert
>based on the Seven Deadly Sins. So far we've got plenty of lust, a few
>anger, and little else. Our cast is not finalized, but right now we have
>a light lyric soprano (Lucia/Violetta type), dramatic soprano
>(Sieglinde/Leonora/Fiordiligi type), tenor who can sing anything from
>Bellini to Wagner (and pretty darn well too!), lyric baritone (Barbiere
>Figaro/Count type) and a buffo basso.
>
>Just to remind anyone who needs reminding, the seven deadly sins are:
>Lust, Envy, Anger, Covetousness, Gluttony, Sloth and Pride.
>
>Suggestions from any period will be gratefully received.
>
>Nancy
For pride, "Quand'ero paggio" from _Falstaff_, sung by the title
character, who pretty much personifies lust, gluttony and sloth, for that
matter). For specific gluttony, the little passage in _Don Giovanni_
where Leporello is stuffing his face while serving his master. For lust,
the little aria Monostatos has in _Die Zauberflöte_ which is pretty much
all about horniness. For anger, Pizarro's Act I aria in _Fidelio_. How
are those for starters?
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
"Compassionate Conservatism?" * "Tight Slacks?" * "Jumbo Shrimp?"
John Shanty
Andrea Chenier "Son sessant'anni, o vecchio..." where he sees his aged
father straining to do work for a haughty aristocrat.
Flex-...@webtv.net wrote in message
<2776-38...@storefull-223.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
NNRathbun
> Does jealousy count as envy? <
We've been having fun debating that. In my opinion envy is different from
jealousy, which thus makes it harder to find in opera.
>For covetousness, how about Gianni Schicchi? (They wouldn't be in the fix
they're in, if they weren't covetous of the wealth of..... what's his name?) <
That's a great idea. I don't know the opera well. Are there any ensembles
that would work as an excerpt on a concert program?
>For gluttony, sloth and pride, all rolled into one, how about Sir John
Falstaff? ... surely it was slothful to make the same love letter, with only
the name changed, do duty for two ladies at the same time!<
Good point! Unfortunately Verdi's Sir John isn't a good match for either our
baritone or bass. Does anyone know anything about the Nicolai? All I know is
Frau Fluth's aria. Anything entertaining and excerptable for Sir John from
that?
>
>Your program sounds like an interesting concept. I don't suppose your "small
group" performs anywhere accessible to Los Angeles?<
Thanks for asking, but we're going to be giving this concert in Greenwich,
Connecticut in the NYC suburbs.
Nancy
Tyrrath
of your program. Those cries of 'Maledizione!' at the end are about as enraged
as one can get. 'In Questa Reggia' works for both Anger and Pride, as somebody
here mentioned.
The Count Almaviva aria from Le Nozze di Figaro works fine for both Lust and
Envy.
The scene from 'Susannah' in which Blitch sings, 'I'm a Lonely Man, Susannah'
would also be a fine Lust piece, as would the Siegmund/Sieglinde duet from Die
Walkure (bro and sis run off together! How lustful is that!:P). The latter is
long, long, long, though.;) If you're willing to do a duet, you might try 'La
ci darem la mano' from Don G. for your baritone and your lyric sop. It's short
and famous.
For Greed, the Jewel song from Faust is lovely but I think "Glitter and Be Gay"
from Candide is even better.:)
I'm assuming you're not just sticking to arias - it's nice to fit a few scenes,
duets, etc. into a program like this. For sloth, I wonder if there is an aria
from 'The Old Maid and the Thief' that Bob sings - I've forgotten. But he's
about as lazy as it gets.;) You could also combine several deadly sins and
feature the scene in this opera where Bob and Laetitia steal all of Miss Todd's
worldly goods, then when she comes back in and discovers the misdeed (ya got
yer Greed, ya got yer Anger, even Envy and Pride).
You could do 'With a Little Bit O' Luck' as an encore (for Sloth)....:)
If I think of any more I'll do another post.:)
Good luck!
Best,
Tyrrath
Lyle K. Neff
set of plays about all of the seven deadly sins.
So take a look at Rachmaninoff's "The Miserly Knight", Rimsky-Korsakov's
"Mozart and Salieri" (envy), Dargomyzhsky's "The Stone Guest" (lust),
and Cui's "Feast in Time of Plague". All of these were performed this
past year for the Pushkin centennial in Perm, Russia.
Best,
Lyle K. Neff
mailto:ln...@udel.edu -- mailto:ln...@indiana.edu
http://php.indiana.edu/~lneff (with Libretto Homepage)
Mike Volpe
>
> >For covetousness, how about Gianni Schicchi? (They wouldn't be
> That's a great idea. I don't know the opera well. Are there any
ensembles> that would work as an excerpt on a concert program?
Are there ever !! I still think Schicchi is the perfect little opera.
Edward A. Cowan
the comparatively brief piece by Bert Brecht and Kurt Weill, "Die sieben
Totsünden" -- "The Seven Deadly Sins"!
-- E.A.C.
Mark D. Lew
> Gluttony: Jakob Schmidt eats himself to death in Rise and Fall of the City of
> Mahagonny. He's a tenor, I think.
Yes, he is, and he has a charming little tune as he does so. I highly
recommend this number for your concert. Nothing could be more appropriate
to the theme.
mdl
dreigr...@my-deja.com
Because it's a ballet?? But Weill is a good suggestion!
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
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Soder606
Eileen