Now here's a change of pace. As I have said in my introduction, I have eclectic tastes in music, but have never been a huge fan of opera. All that changed when I was visiting Milan a few weeks ago and attended a performance of La Traviata at the famed La Scala opera house. Fortunately, my brother gave me a recording with a one-hour introduction to this opera. The recording provided some backgrouond and historical context for the opera, some information about Verdi, a summary of the story, and then some detailed analyses of certain scenes in terms of how the music relates to the emotional turns in the tale. It was all very fascinating and I went to the show with a much greater appreciation for what I was supposed to be listening for.
I am now the proud owner of two different recordings of La Traviata. Like anything else, a little knowledge can lead to much greater appreciation of the art form. Plus, La Traviata is possibly more accessible and familiar than many other operas.
The Preludio featured here first is what starts the opera. It is supposed to introduce you to the themes of the opera that is to follow. It starts in an almost haunting manner that foreshadows the death of the main protagonist (Violetta) before heading to the more sprightly tone showing the other carefree party life she leads. It is true that the music conveys the mood of the scenes.
The first "song" in the opera is also a relatively familiar one. Many of you may have heard Brindisi which is sung by an admirer of Violetta at the party that opens Act I. He is a relatively shy admirer of this girl and he is egged on by the folks at the party to sing a toast to Violetta. He launches into this drinking song that extols the virtue of wine and partying (something college students should be able to relate to) - "Libiamo."
The one question I used to ask before I was "initiated" into the opera brotherhood is why these women have to screech at such a high pitch during opera. I discovered the answer is very simple - that's because it is the nature of that form of music. It is like asking "why do they have to distort guitars in heavy metal music?" Well, that is the nature of that musical style. So, don't judge on the basis of just some high pitched excerpts you have heard. Accept that this is the style of operatic music and start to appreciate the incredible vocal prowess needed to pull off these performances. While singing at that pitch, these sopranos have to maintain astonishing control over their voices. The role of Violetta is famously considered to be a very difficult role to pull off given that Violetta is on stage for almost the entire show.
The performance I am including here is from a 1960 recording featuring Anna Moffo as Violetta and Richard Tucker as her admirer Alfredo Germont. You can find it on Amazon here.
1. La Traviata - Preludio (3.53 MB; 128kbps MP3)
2. La Traviata - Brindisi (2.68 MB; 128 kbps MP3)
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