Wagner Opera Parsifal

Classical Music / Opera 

Wagner took most of the story from a medieval poem Parzival by the German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach.  Parsifal was the last opera Wagner completed.

Parsifal, WWV 111 ('WWV' denotes Wagner's catalogue of musical works in German, meaning "Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis")  is and opera in three acts by German composer Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, a 13th-century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival (Percival) and his quest for the Holy Grain (12th century). Wagner first conceived the work in April 1857 but did not finish it until twenty-five years later. It was his last completed opera.

Parsifal was first produced at the second Bayreuth Festival in 1882. The Bayreuth Festival maintained a monopoly on Parsifal productions until 1903, when the opera was performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Wagner's widow Cosima (Franz Liszt's daughter), was outraged that she declared none of the singers involved in the unauthorised production would ever work at Bayreuth again.  Bayreuth only lifted the baon on January 1, 1914. Parsifal was so popular that in the first six months after the ban was lifted, numerous European opera houses staged performances.

Wagner Das Rheingold

Classical Music / Opera (Music Drama)

Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold), WWW 86A, is the first of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (English: The Ring of the Nibelung.) It premiered at the National Theatre Munich on 22 September 1869, with August Kindermann as Wotan, Heinrich Vogl as Loge, and Karl Fischer as Alberich. Wagner allowed the performance only of this first cycle at the insistence of his patron King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The work was first performed as part of the complete cycle on 13 August 1876, in the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.



Video Credit: 

Wagner - Der Ring Nibelungen: Das Rheingold. Richard Wagner. Das Rheingold. Adam Fischer/Vienna State Opera, 2016.  Youtube, uploaded by Randall G. Malstrom. Accessed April 20, 2023.

Resource:

Das Rheingold. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed September 22, 2016. 



(c) 2016-2017. Updated April 20, 2023.  Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.   

Wagner Opera Tristan und Isolde

Classical Music / Opera  


Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde, or Tristan and Isolda, or Tristran and Ysolt) is an opera or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by him, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Strassburg. Composed between 1857 and 1859, it was first performed in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bulow conducting. Wagner referred the work not as an opera but called it "Eine Handlung" (literally a drama, a plot or an action). 

In 1886, 1st of December, Richard Wagner's opera Tristan and Isolde in its American premiere is enormously successful. Anton Seidl conducted the Metropolitan Opera in the New York opening.
 

This work by Wagner was inspired by the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer, as well as Wagner's affair with Mathilde Wesendonck. Acknowledged as one of the peaks of the operatic repertoire, Tristan und Isolde was notable for Wagner's unprecedented use of chromaticism, orchestral colour, harmonic suspension and tonality, and was enormously influential among Western classical composers.

 

The Prelude to Act I and Isolde's Liebestod (Love Death) are often performed as concert item.

 

Listening Pleasures: 

 

Love Duet from Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" Pt. I (English Subtitles). YouTube, uploaded by Eric Anderson. Accessed December 1, 2020.

 

Richard Wagner "Tristan Und Isolde" | Carlos Ludwig Kleiber. YouTube, uploaded by Adagio. Accessed June 10, 2015. Richard Wagner - Tristan and Isolde, Complete Opera, WWV 90. Staatskapelle Dresden, Carlos Ludwig Kleiber. Deutsche Grammophon, 1982. Act I. Prelude http://youtu.be/l25J7xdhhKc Act III. Liebestod http://youtu.be/YjMwDbFng_g

 

Live Performance:

Below is Act I of Tristan und Isolde performed in 2015 by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, conducted by American conductor David Robertson.  Christine Brewer (soprano) – Isolde, Lance Ryan (tenor) – Tristan, Katarina Karnéus (mezzo-soprano) – Brangäne, Boaz Daniel (baritone) – Kurwenal, Angus Wood (tenor) – Melot,  John Tessier (tenor) – Young Sailor, Shepherd, John Relyea (bass) – Marke, King of Cornwall, Harrison Collins (baritone) – Steersman. Tristan und Isolde Act I - SSO.  YouTube, uploaded by Sydney Symphony Orchestra.  Accessed December 1, 2016. 
For those interested: Act II - here,  and Act III - here.

 

Resource:

Tristan und Isolde. en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed June 10, 2016. 

Tristan und Isolde. Opera Online. Accessed June 10, 2018.

(c) December 2016. Updated Dec 1, 2020. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Wagner Opera Siegfried

Classical Music / Opera

Wagner Opera Siegfried:  Plot, Synopsis and Character Descriptions of a German Opera

Siegfried is the third of the four operas that comprise Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). It was first performed at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, Germany, on 16 August 1876, as part of the first complete performance of The Ring.  Hans Richter conducted.

Siegfried, the opera, incorporates an earlier symphonic poem music of Wagner, Siegfried Idyll, which he composed for his wife, Cosima.

This part of Siegfried opera is primarily inspired by the story of the legendary hero Sigurd in the Norse mythology.

Fairytale Opera Hansel and Gretel

Classical Music / Opera Datebook:  December 23

Humperdinck Hänsel und Gretel in Three Acts

Opera Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel) by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck: plot synopsis, character list, and other Humperdinck opera information.

The fairy tale opera Hänsel und Gretel by 19th- century German composer Engelbert Humperdinck is based on a German folk tales by the Grimm Brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The libretto was written by Humperdinck's sister, Adelheid Wette, adapted from the Grimm brothers' fairy tale of the same title. The opera was written by Humperdinck in Frankfurt in 1891 and 1892, although other biographers include 1893. it was first performed in Weimar on December 23, 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss. 

It is much admired for its folk music-inspired themes, one of the most famous being the "Abendsegen" ("Evening Benediction") from Act 2.  After several revisions, the musical sketches and the songs were turned into a full-scale opera. The opera has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances and until today it is still most often performed at Christmas time.  

Wagner Opera Die Meistersinger (Recording)

Classical Music Milestone: June 21  

The Master Singers of Nürnberg, a comic German drama by Richard Wagner

Video below is a full Opera Recording of the  "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg." Sung by Theo Adam, René Kollo, Geraint Evans, Peter Schreier, Helen Donath, Ruth Hesse. Recorded by Staatskapelle Dresden and the Chorus of the Staatsoper Dresden. Conducted by Herbert von Karajan (EMI, studio, 1970).

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Master Singers of Nuremberg) is a three-act comic opera composed by Richard Wagner. Libretto by Wagner himself, an original work with historical personages. It was first performed in Munich, Königliches Hof- und Nationaltheater, June 21, 1868. Setting is in Nuremberg in the 16th century. It is among the longest operas commonly performed, usually taking around four and a half hours.

The story takes place in old city of Nürnberg (modern-day Nuremberg) during the middle of the 16th century when it was an Imperial Free City, and one of the centers of the Renaissance in Northern Europe. It revolves around the real-life Meistersinger (Master Singers), an association of amateur poets and musicians, mostly from the middle class and master craftsmen in their main professions.

Mozart Opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Classical Music / Opera 

 

The Magic Flute Premiered, September 30, 1791

Wolfgang A. Mozart conducted his opera 'The Magic Flute' in its first performance on September 30, 1791, in Vienna. His librettist, Schikaneder, was also the first Papageno.

Die Zauberflöte, K. 620 (The Magic Flute / Die Zauberfloete), is an opera in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. This opera is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form which included both singing and spoken dialogue. It premiered in Vienna on 30 September 1791 at Schikaneder's theatre, the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden.

The first performance was at an out-of-town but not obscure theatre. Schikaneder himself played Papageno, while the Queen was played by Mozart's sister-in-law Josepha Hofer. The opera was not an immediate success, but slowly, it gained popularity. By November 1792, Schikaneder announced the opera's 100th performance. Unfortunately, Mozart did not have the pleasure of attending his masterpiece as he died December 5, 1791.

On January 11, 1904, The Magic Flute (German: Die Zauberflöte) is first performed at the Metropolitan Opera, New York. 

Today, Die Zauberflöte remains one of the most performed works of Mozart worldwide.

Below is a performance by The Royal Opera, with German soprano opera singer Diana Damrau superb as the queen singing 'Der Hölle Rache', the famous Queen of the Night aria. Interested with the lyrics to the 'Queen of the Night' aria? Here. (classicfm.com. 2 June 2018.)





 

Recommended Magic Flute Overture:

 

Magic Flute overture- Mozart - Muti - Wiener philharmoniker. YouTube, uploaded by vexillum1. Accessed October 8, 2018.

 

 

Recommended arias: 

Detlef Roth performs "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" (English: "A Girl or a Little Wife"). YouTube, uploaded by FoxyGrandpa. Accessed October 8, 2018.

Erich Kunz sings "Der Vogelfänger bin ich" in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. YouTube, uploaded by liederoperagreats. Accessed 18 August 2018. 

Simon Keenlyside as Papageno in Mozart "Die Zauberflöte" singing: "Papagena! Papagena! Papagena!". YouTube, uploaded by Priezza. Accessed 30 September 2014.




Video Credit:

Mozart - DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE - Queen of the Night aria, with The Royal Opera. Youtube, uploaded by The Royal Opera. Accessed 2 June 2018.

Note: I originally wrote and published this abridged version for Suite101, 30 September 2008. / Tel


Resources:

Various books from my private collection of Mozart books and other documentary materials. / Tel


 

(c) September 2008. Tel. Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved. 

Beethoven Opera Fidelio

 Classical Music / Opera

Ludwig van Beethoven's Only Opera, in Two Acts

 

Fidelio, the only opera by Ludwig van Beethoven: opera plot synopsis, character description, and other Beethoven opera information.

Opera: Fidelio  

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Libretto: Joseph F. Sonnleithner based on a libretto by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, later, revised by G.F. Treitschke. Also revised by Beethoven with premieres on March 29, 1806 and May 23, 1814. The work has a long and complicated history of composition. It went through three versions during Beethoven's career. However, there are four versions of the overture.  The composer spent more time writing the overture to Fidelio than Rossini and Donizetti spent on an entire opera, overture included. Beethoven wrote a total of four overtures to this, his only opera.

Language: German

First performance: Vienna, Theater an der Wien, November 20, 1805. Final version performed at the Theater am Karnthnertor, Vienna, May 23, 1814. 

Setting: 18^th century Spain, a fortress near Seville.  

Opera in Two Acts.

For all of Beethoven's many works including symphonies, concertos, chamber music and songs, the master only produced one opera, Fidelio.  

The plot of Fidelio is simple: love triumphs over injustice, in particular, marital love. By this time he was writing this, Beethoven was beset with hearing problems and eventually deafness.

Fidelio carries Beethoven's musical signature, a powerful orchestration, and therefore requires equally powerful vocalists to blend with the orchestra. Fidelio exhudes that glorious music displayed both in the exquisite aria opening, for example, by Florestan in Act 2 in his dark solitary dungeon, as well as the prisoners' chorus at the end of Act 1.   

Enjoy this video I found from YouTube. Leonard Bernstein conducts the Vienna State Opera, with Gundula Janowitz and Lucia Popp singing. Directed by Otto Schenk. Uploaded by Stanley Chang. Accessed 23 May 2021.  

The Characters / Roles in Fidelio

Florestan, A Spanish nobleman (tenor)

Leonore / Fidelio, His wife, in disguise as Fidelio  (soprano)

Don Pizarro, Governor  (bass baritone)

Rocco, The jailer (bass)

Marzelline, Rocco's daughter (soprano)

Jaquino, The porter (tenor)

Don Fernando, The Minister  (bass)

 

Plot Summary / Synopsis of Fidelio 

Act 1.

Scene 1. A room in Rocco's jail quarters

The jailer's daughter Marcelline, loves Fidelio and ignores the advances of the porter Jaquino. Fidelio is the poor young man hired by her father as an assistant. What Marcelline does not suspect is that Fidelio is really Leonora, a woman in disguise, who came out in search for her husband Florestan. Rocco the jailer is most impressed with Fidelio and plans to offer him his daughter Marcelline. Fidelio/Leonora persuades Rocco to let her help him with his work in prison. Meanwhile, Rocco tells them about a mysterious political prisoner whom he has been starving on the orders of overseer Don Pizarro. This mysterious prisoner is none other than Florestan.

Scene 2. The courtyard of a state prison

Pizarro has wrongly imprisoned Florestan and plots to murder him. He is worried when he learns that the minister Fernando is coming. When Rocco refuses to kill Florestan,  Pizarro decides to do it himself. Marcelline and Leonora persuade Rocco to let the prisoners go out for a walk. Pizarro arrives, furious at Rocco's lenient treatment of the prisoners.

Act 2.

Scene 1: Florestan's dark dungeon

Leonora still disguised as Fidelio, has come to find Florestan. When Rocco and Fidelio/Leonora enter Florestan's cell and dig out an old well for a makeshift grave, Leonora immediately recognizes Florestan. She and Rocco give him food and reveal that Pizarro is the overseer of the jail. When Pizarro tries to stab Florestan, Leonora reveals her identity and draws a pistol. Pizarro rushes out and husband and wife embrace.

Scene 2: On the ramparts before the castle

The prisoners and guards are jubilant and hail Don Fernando's arrival and their liberation. The minister is surprised and pleased to learn that Florestan is alive. Upon learning from Rocco what has happened, Fernando frees Florestan and has Pizzaro arrested. All hail Leonora's courage and devotion.

 

Resources:

Martin, Nicholas Ivor. The Da Capo Opera Manual . Da Capo Press (1997)

Riding, Alan & Leslie Dunton-Downer, DK (2006)

 

© October, 2007. Updated May 23, 2021. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.