Daily life - Others
Reviews-Books, Movies, TV, and More! - Operas and musicals
view page :

Opera and musical reviews
Our opinions on different operas, musicals, or anything of the sort.
Le Rossignol
Starring:Natalie Dessay (the Nightingale), Violeta Urmana (Death), Albert Schagigullin (the Emperor), Vsevolod Grivnov (the Fisherman), Marie McLaughlin (the Cook), Hugo Simcic (the Child)







Pic 1:Natalie Dessay as the Nightingale. Pic 2:The room full of computers, with the Cook in it at a distance. Pic 3:The Fisherman appears on the pot.

"...The moment it bursts into song, your eyes swell with tears..."

Review by:Brunnhilde

Le Rossignol is one of my favorite operas (I know, this blog is about reviews of books and movies, but I'm actually doing a review on a movie version of the opera directed by Christian Chaudet.). The opera was composed by Igor Stravinsky, and it is based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale "The Nightingale" (which is also the English translation of the name of the opera). I admit that I actually had never heard of the opera or the fairy tale, but ever since I saw the opera/movie I have really liked it a lot. The animations are a bit weird, though. If you look up the actual storyline of the opera on somewhere like Wikipedia, you will find that some of the parts from this movie (and, of course, I provide the plot of the movie, including some things that happened due to the animation) do not appear. Here is the storyline of the movie version of the opera:
In the beginning of the movie, the Child sneaks into a room full of pottery at night/very early dawn, and curiously touches the biggest pot. Oddly enough, music starts playing, and a Fisherman at a seashore appears in the pot. The Fisherman and the Child hear the sweet song of the Nightingale, and the Fisherman forgets all his worries from the beauty of the song. Meanwhile, nearby, in a strange room full of computers and typing hands, the Cook has brought the officials of the Emperor to hear the song. She is promised that if she can find the Nightingale, she will become the private cook of the Emperor. The hands type rapidly, and the computers first come up with the songs of animals other than the Nightingale by accident. After several tries to identify the correct song, the Nightingale eventually appears and sings, and the Cook invites her to sing for the Emperor. She accepts the invitation, but advises the Cook and the Emperor's officials that her song is the most beautiful in the forest, at night.
Not long later, a festive crowd of people (represented in the animation as hundreds of disembodied hands) decorate a Chinese city where the Emperor's palace is. They find the Cook and ask her about the Nightingale, saying "It's surely enormous! Does it shimmer like a diamond?" The Cook explained truthfully that it was just a little gray bird, whose song is so beautiful that it makes you cry. The crowds-or hundreds of hands-then rush to the palace to see the Emperor himself emerge. The Nightingale is there, too. The Emperor makes a signal, and then the Nightingale sings, soon making tears form in the Emperor's eyes. The Emperor offers her a golden slipper to wear around her neck as a prize for singing so well, but the Nightingale refuses to take it, saying that seeing tears in his eyes was good enough of a reward. Soon, three Japanese emissaries arrive and offer the Emperor a mechanical bird, which, in the special effects and animation, was represented by a strange blow-up man who spins and smiles. The real bird flies away, and the Emperor, out of anger, banishes the Nightingale and names the mechanical bird "first singer." Meanwhile, the Child has stayed nearby and witnessed all of this in silence.
Later on, the Emperor becomes gravely ill and is near death. Death itself, in the form of a woman with red hair who wears a plain white dress, appears near the Emperor and in a way "takes over" the land, using the "hands" (people) to industrialize China (which doesn't actually happen in the story, but happens in this version of the opera). The ghosts of the Emperor's past deeds, in the forms of dark stone faces, fly down and haunt the Emperor, who calls for music to try to drive them away. Instead of musicians, the Nightingale returns, defying her exile, and sings for the Emperor, driving away the ghosts. Death hears the song and asks for the Nightingale to keep singing, and the Nightingale agrees to do so, only if Death gives the Emperor's crown, sword, and standard back to him. Death agrees and does this, and as the Nightingale sings, eventually disappears from the scene (in this movie version, she rode away on a bulldozer). The Emperor regains his strength and offers the Nightingale the "first singer" post. The Nightingale, however, refuses the Emperor's rewards yet again, saying that seeing his tears was satisfactory enough, and promises to sing to the Emperor from dusk to dawn. Meanwhile, the Child escapes from the world of Le Rossignol, and reunites with his father in the pottery shop, where they walk away together into the morning light outside.

My Review

After first seeing this movie version of "Le Rossignol," I was a bit confused from some of the strange animations. While some I presently still do not understand or find very strange, others I do get. For instance, I don't understand why the mechanical bird was a strange blow-up man, but I do understand the part where Death comes and everything becomes "industrialized." The industrialization part made everything in a way alike and dull, and while before Death came, everything was unique and happy. I would also like to add that I recently saw "Le Rossignol" at the Sante Fe Opera. That version of the opera was easier to understand than the one from this movie, but at the same time a bit less interesting. I also like Natalie Dessay as the Nightingale better than Erin Morely, who was the Nightingale at the Sante Fe Opera, and all the animation in the movie version allowed more creativity to be put into the opera. However, since the version at Sante Fe was live, you wouldn't be able to see much animation except on some special screens in the backround, which, for example, put up an animation of moving water on a river in the Fisherman's scene. You can't really blame the Sante Fe Opera for having less special effects. Both versions were still really good, and the music was spectacular. I just think the movie version was a bit more interesting, even though here and there it didn't really follow what the story was supposed to have happen. Also, the music was surprisingly beautiful, and the singers in the movie were great.
Final Rating:8 out of 10 stars
Les Misérables (2012)
Starring: Hugh Jackman (Jean Valjean), Anne Hathaway (Fantine), Russell Crow (Javart), Amanda Seyfried (Cosette), Helena Bonham Carter (Madame Thénardier), Eddie Redmayne (Marius), Samantha Barks (Éponine), Aaron Tveit (Enjolras), and Isabelle Allen (Young Cosette)


"I dreamed a dream"

Reviews by: J and Brunnhilde

Les Misérables is a movie musical based off of the Broadway hit under the same name. Enter the world of revolutionary France and follow these iconic characters through their hopes, dreams, struggles, and victories, now on the big screen.
Enter Jean Valjean, a prisoner who has been sentenced to 19 years just for stealing a loaf of bread. Javart, the prison guard, releases Valjean on parole, so Valjean wanders around France for awhile and is offered refuge by the Bishop of Digne. After a few okay nights, Valjean steals a bit of silver and is caught by authorities. The Bishop saves Valjean by lying- stating that the silver was just a gift. Valjean breaks his parole and starts off fresh.
8 years later, Valjean is living the good life and is now a wealthy factory owners. One of the young workers, Fantine, is secretly trying to send money to her daughter (who is staying with the Thénardiers and their daughter, Éponine) and her cover is busted. Fantine is dismissed from her job and with nowhere else to go, turns to prostitution. Javart, now a police inspector, tries to arrest Fantine after talking with an abusive customer, but Valjean negotiates with him and Fantine, now sick with tuberculosis, is taken to a hospital. Later on, Valjean finds out a man- believed to be him- has been arrested. He goes to the court and reveals his identity. Valjean returns to the hospital and promises a dying Fantine he will look after her daughter, Cosette. SPOILER Fantine dies.
Meanwhile, a young Cosette is being pushed around by the Thénardiers and being worked from dawn until dusk. Valjean arrives at the Thénardiers halfway house and bribes them to hand over Cosette. Cosette is taken to life a safer life with Valjean.
9 years later, Jean Maximillien Lamarque, the only government official who cares about the poor, is near death. 2 students, Marius and Enjolras along with Gavroche, a boy who hangs around on the street, are planning a revolution to overthrow the government. While in town, Marius catches a glimpse of Cosette, and he instantly falls in love with her. He is more determined than ever to find Cosette.
As Enjolras is rounding up students to join the revolution, Marius asks friend Éponine if she can find Cosette for him. Sure enough, Cosette is found and she and Marius profess their love for each other. A devastated Éponine mourns over this, having loved Marius all along. She makes a risky decision- to join the revolution. Valjean finds out that his house has been robbed and fears that Javart has discovered him, so he and Cosette flee.
The revolution starts as the students interrupt Lamarque's funeral. Javart is acting as a rebel, trying to spy on them, but is quickly discovered by Gavroche and captured. Éponine saves Marius SPOILER at the cost of her own life, professing her love to Marius and then dying in his arms.
Marius is devastated.
Most or the citizens refused to fight, much to the students surprise. As a result, everyone is killed by government officials, but an unconscious Marius is saved by Valjean and they escape by the sewers. Valjean is confronted by Javart and Javart says he will shoot if Valjean doesn't surrender. Valjean ignores him, and Javart chooses to jump off a bridge, committing suicide.
Marius wakes up later and Valjean reveals his past and has to leave so he won't harm Cosette. He tells Marius never to tell Cosette this. A few months later, Cosette and Marius get married. The Thénardiers come and ruin the reception, stating that they saw Valjean carrying a murdered corpse through the sewers, holding up Marius's ring as proof. Marius realizes Valjean saved him. Marius and Cosette rush to Valjean after being told his location.
Valjean sits dying in a convent and distinguishes Fantine's spirit coming to take him to heaven. Marius and Cosette enter, and Valjean tells Cosette his past. The Bishop and Fantine lead Valjean to paradise and he reunites with Enjolras, Éponine, Gavroche, and the others at the barricade.

My Review
Les Misérables was a fantastic musical and I really enjoyed it. I liked the songs, they were definitely iconic Broadway. Anne Hathaway's performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" was so emotional and touching, one of my favorite songs from the whole movie. Amanda Seyfried as Cosette also had a really lovely voice. I was sort of surprised that there was only like, 5% actual talking in it, but I was overall pleased with this musical and I was able to follow the plot very easily.
Final rating: 4/5 stars

My Review (Brunnhilde)
Les Misérables is pretty famous and all, but actually I'm not into it. The story is actually fantastic, but in my opinion the singing is just hideous. For one thing, the only few people who actually sing (in other words, they don't speak the lyrics and pretend to sing) include Cosette, Young Cosette, and one or two others, and the only people who sing either simply on pitch or very beautifully include both versions of Cosette that I just mentioned. I watched about half the movie once, and I couldn't bear the singing, so finally I just left. I didn't watch the rest. Also, I was born with a naturally good sense of pitch, and I can tell if people are actually singing or not, so when something is way off pitch I can definitely tell. Overall, the story was great, but the singing was really bad (except for a few parts with Cosette, who had a really beautiful voice).
Final rating:2/5 stars
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Starring: Gerard Butler (The Phantom), Emmy Rossum (Christine), Patrick Wilson (Viscount Raoul de Chagny), Minnie Driver (Carlotta), and Miranda Richardson (Madame Giry)






"The phantom of the opera is there, inside my mind."

The year is 1919, and the Paris Opera House is holding an auction. Raoul, the Viscount of Chagny, is now an old man who is wheelchair ridden. While at the auction, he purchases a music box, which is very prominent to the story. He also comes across Madame Giry, who is much older. The next thing for auction is a chandelier in pieces but newly wired and with electricity. The old, dirty, black and white version of the Paris Opera House is now restored and the setting turns to color, with a grander setting.
We now go back in time to 1870, a time when the opera house was flourishing. The two new owners, Richard Firmin and Gilles Andre, who are completely baffled about the opera house. They are soon introduced to Madame Giry, who introduces them to Christine, a young singer who is extremely talented yet doesn't have a big part in the productions. Raoul is introduced to the cast members, and Christine recognizes him as an old crush of hers back in the day. However, Raoul does not notice her. During a rehearsal, a backdrop falls from the ceiling, nearly hitting the main soloist, Carlotta, who is pretty rude. She of course marches away, and Christine gets the main part: to sing what Carlotta sang horribly-"Think of Me". Madame Giry finds a letter, which fell from where the backdrop once stood-and it is signed "Opera Ghost", who is feared by all and lives in the opera house somewhere. Firmin and Andre are pleased with Christine's performance and replace her with Carlotta. Raoul recognizes Christine and sets out to find her. Christine is in her room, and her friend Meg asks her how she got to sing so well. Christine tells her it is the "Angel of Music", who is in fact the Phantom. Raoul soon discovers Christina later in the night and asks her to go into town with him. Christine refuses, saying that the Angel is strict. Raoul sets out anyways, and the Phantom locks up Christine and sings to her. He reveals himself through a mirror to her, and she is wowed by his white mask. Christine and the Phantom set off, and Raoul is meanwhile banging on the door, thinking that she has been kidnapped. The Phantom takes Christine to his hideout, located under the opera house, which is located on a rocky piece of land in the middle of water. The Phantom wants Christine to love him as he does her, and shows Christine something he created, showing Christine in a wedding dress. She faints, and later when she awakes, she tries to get the Phantom to take off his mask. The Phantom is furious when she takes it off, and says she should stay in his lair forever-but eventually decides to take her back to the opera house. Later, at the opera house, Firmin and Andre are freaking out because Christine is gone and they don't have a lead. But the Phantom sends them letters, assuring them that Christine is back at the opera house. Christine is replaced with Carlotta and the Phantom is angered by this. He then disables Carlotta's voice so Christine can have the role. While Christine is getting ready for the big production, Joseph Buquet is seen by the Phantom and hung for all to see. This terrifies everyone, and she and Raoul run to the roof, where he assures her he loves her and will never leave her. This leaves the Phantom in a state of shock and sadness, since Christine does not love him.
3 months later, the opera house is back and better than ever, with no reappearances of the Phantom since the Carlotta fiasco. A Masquerade takes place, and the Phantom shows up, presenting them with an opera: Don Juan. He expects it to go his way or else. Christine later goes to her father's grave, and the Phantom meets up with her. Raoul appears and fights off the Phantom with a sword fight.
On the night of the premiere of Don Juan, there is a nervous feeling in the air. Raoul, Firmin, and Andre set a trap in case the Phantom makes an appearance. Don Juan begins, and while Piangi is preparing to sing, he is killed by the Phantom. The Phantom appears on stage, and Christine and the Phantom sing together, Christine professing her love for the Phantom. Raoul is torn upon hearing this. The Phantom takes off his mask and reveals his distorted face, and then escapes to his lair with Christine, the opera house left in flames. Raoul follows with the help of Madame Giry, hoping to rescue Christine from the wrath of the Phantom. Raoul is left halfway by Madame Giry to his own devices. After nearly drowning, he arrives at the lair. Raoul is tied up, and the Phantom gives Christine the ultimate decision to make: she can stay with him and Raoul is free, or she goes back to Raoul and he is killed, yet she is free. Christine decides to stay with the Phantom. The Phantom realizes he has acted so horribly so they couldn't possibly be together. In the end, he decides to free Christine and Raoul. Christine and the Phantom are both saddened, and Christine reluctantly leaves in the boat with Raoul. She takes one last look at the Phantom sadly before disappearing from his life forever. Heartbroken, the Phantom destroys all his mirrors and escapes before a mob shows up. In the end, only his mask is found.
It is 1919. Raoul is wheelchaired to Christine's grave and leaves the music box he got at the auction there. He notices that a rose (the Phantom's trademark) and the ring he gave Christine earlier in the movie are there. Saddened, Raoul realizes that Christine truly loved the Phantom.


My Review:
At first, I didn't know what to expect out of this movie. I thought it would be complicated and hard to understand. But once the movie started, it was already good. It's easy to understand, and just a great movie all around, especially if you like musicals. The music in this was incredibly excellent, as was the singing. Now, I'm not sure which is my favorite: The Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables!
Final Rating: 4.5/5 stars
MACBETH







Pic 1:The name of the opera comes up before it begins. Pic 2:Macbeth, with King Duncan's blood on his hands, being comforted and urged on by Lady Macbeth. Pic 3:Rene Pape, the opera singer who played as Banquo in the version of the opera this review is about. Note:Credit goes to the Metropolitan Opera for pic 2. I support the Met myself. If you want to support it, click here to go to their website.

Review by:Brunnhilde

After seeing the Metropolitan Opera's fantastic, new production of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Macbeth live in HD in my local movie theater on October 11, I decided to post this review of it. The great cast included Zelijko Lucic as Macbeth, Anna Netrebko as Lady Macbeth, Rene Pape as Banquo, and Joseph Calleja as Macduff. Fabio Luisi was the conductor. The opera is based on the well-known Shakespeare play Macbeth. Here is synopsis for this epic opera:
Nearby a battle, many witches come together and tell each other tales about the evils they have done and are intending to do when two generals, Macbeth and his friend Banquo, arrive. The witches tell Macbeth and Banquo about their destinies-Macbeth shall first become Thane of Glamis (which he will become through inheritance), then Thane of Cawdor, and after that a king. Banquo is told that he himself will not be a king, but his descendants will be given the throne. The witches disappear, and a messenger arrives, who tells Macbeth that he has been named Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth and Banquo are amazed, since some of what the witches said just became true. Macbeth tells the messenger that the previous Thane of Cawdor is alive, and therefore Macbeth himself cannot hold that title, but the messenger lets him know that the old Thane of Cawdor had been executed for being condemned as a traitor. While Macbeth wonders how he can become the king and ambition begins to drive him to thoughts of bloodshed in order to obtain the throne, Banquo, disliking the witches, thinks about whether the forces of Hell tell the truth in order to lead one to destruction. Meanwhile, in Macbeth's castle, Lady Macbeth receives a letter from her husband, which tells her what just happened, and she makes plans to kill the king and obtain the throne. As soon as Macbeth arrives at the castle, Lady Macbeth persuades him to kill the king, who is going to stay at their castle that night. Eventually King Duncan arrives, night falls, and the king and his servants go to sleep. Meanwhile, Macbeth and his wife stay awake. Lady Macbeth gives Macbeth a knife, and after arguing with himself on whether or not to do it, he kills the king. He returns to Lady Macbeth, having become horrified with himself at what he has done, and Lady Macbeth bloodies her hands too, having planned to make the servants bloodstained so they look guilty. After she bloodies up the servants, they meet at the king's room to find a crowd of frightened, horrified people, for Macduff, who had an appointment with the king, found King Duncan dead. Banquo is also there and bears witness to the death. The crowd (including Macbeth and his wife) curse whoever assassinated the king.
Later on, Macbeth has become the king. The king's son, Prince Malcolm, has fled from the country because people suspect him of being the murderer. Meanwhile, Macbeth becomes worried about the witches' prophecy that Banquo would form a line of future kings that come after Macbeth, and he tells his wife that he will have Banquo killed during a banquet he is going to hold tonight. Later, outside the castle, Banquo and his son, having been invited, are heading to the banquet, only to be met by assassins hired to kill them. Banquo fights the assassins, yelling for his son to flee, and is killed. However, Banquo's son escapes. At the banquet, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are having a good time and eating, drinking, and dancing with their guests, but soon one of the assassins enters and secretly tells Macbeth that Banquo is dead, but his son escaped. Macbeth is pleased that most of his plan worked, but when he goes back to the others to resume the party he is met by Banquo's ghost. A horrified Macbeth begins to rant about the phantom, which frightens the guests, but Lady Macbeth manages to calm him down, making the spirit disappear. However, only a few moments pass before Banquo's ghost reappears and Macbeth is driven crazy by it yet again. Macduff, believing that Macbeth is cursed and not wanting to be ruled by him, decides to leave the country, while the rest of the guests, now horrified, quickly leave the banquet, causing it to end in a shorter amount of time than expected.
Meanwhile, in a cave, the witches are making evil brews in their cauldron when Macbeth arrives. He asks them about his future yet again, and the witches cast a spell that causes three spirits to appear before Macbeth that tell him about what is to come. The first tells him to beware of Macduff, the second says that he is invincible to any man "born of woman," and the third lets him know that until the Birnam Wood marches towards him, Macbeth cannot be defeated. Macbeth is delighted with the third, believing that nothing can ever make a forest march forward into battle, but his happiness quickly disappears when Banquo's ghost arrives, holding a mirror that shows many of his descendants who will be future kings of Scotland. Macbeth falls down, unconscious, and later wakes up back in the castle. Lady Macbeth arrives, and Macbeth tells her what happened. The two then decide to find and kill Banquo's son, as well as Macduff (but they are unaware that he has left the country) and his family.
Later, people who have fled Scotland are in poverty. Macduff is among them. He receives a letter that tells him that Macbeth had his family killed, and is determined to get revenge. Malcolm and the English army arrive to fight Scotland, and Macduff forms an alliance with them. They head to Birnam Wood, camoflauge themselves with the branches and foliage. The army, Prince Malcolm, and Macduff then head towards Macbeth's castle. Meanwhile, a servant and a doctor watch Lady Macbeth as she sleeps. She talks in her sleep and rubs her hands, raving about how they are covered in blood, the deaths of Banquo, Macduff's family, and the king, and how nothing can clean her hands or conceal the smell of blood on them. The doctor and servant are horrified. Nearby in the castle, Macbeth spots the English army, Malcolm, some Scottish rebels, and Macduff coming from the Birnam Wood. He soon learns that his wife had just died and, having rejected love and life, doesn't care about it. He soon brings together his own army and fights the enemy. He has a one-on-one battle with Macduff, and tells him that no man born of woman can stop him, but Macduff retorts, revealing that he wasn't naturally born-he was cut out of his mother. Macduff kills Macbeth, and the English army and the Scottish rebels win the battle. Malcolm becomes the king, Macduff is seen forevermore as a hero, and there is a huge celebration. Meanwhile, Macduff and Malcolm spot Banquo's son nearby, unaware that they are seeing the future king of Scotland.

My Review

A can admit that this is one of my newest favorite Verdi operas. I saw a different version of it a long time ago, and I didn't really understand the story nor like it very much, but now that I'm older and I saw the Metropolitan Opera's version, I found that I like this opera a lot. (Note that this review is mainly about the Met's version of Macbeth.) I haven't read the play, so I can't compare this with the original Shakespeare version very well, but I like the music very much and how interesting and dark it is compared to most of other music from Verdi's operas, and I can definitely praise the cast for their amazing performance. In terms of the singers, my favorite in this production would be Anna Netrebko-while bringing out the "inner evil" of Lady Macbeth, she sang REALLY well and did a great job hitting the high notes. In terms of characters, I found surprisingly that I probably like Banquo the best, because although he died in only act two, he was a decent person, didn't deserve to die, and he seemed to sort of "revolve" around the whole opera, since it was foretold that his descendants would become the future kings of Scotland and such. Also, during the intermission, the Met showed a funny short made by "Toiletpaper" productions that was only one to two minutes long, and at the end of it mentioned never to say the name "Macbeth." I also noticed that once, in a hilarious sitcom I used to watch, there was an episode with some superstitious actors who would be horrified whenever someone said the name "Macbeth." I guess similarly to Verdi's La forza del destino, which has had several instances of someone dying on stage in real life during its performances, Macbeth could be considered a "cursed" opera, but I don't really mind, since I'm not superstitious. Another thing I want to mention is that the opera did keep a few of the most famous quotes from the play that I myself know of, one of them being said by Macbeth after learning of his wife's death and that the English army was coming for him. In that quote, Macbeth said that life "is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." Although here and there I find that quote a bit hard to understand, I found it interesting and decided to bring it up in this review. I believe that, in chess, it means a very powerful and dangerous-looking move that really does nothing at all. In life, however, I only know what some of the meaning is, and it is very hard to explain it in words, but I'll try to: In my opinion it means that the seemingly important tales of life are really nothing more than the "tales told by an idiot," and that in the end we all return to the dust where we came from, and aren't of any real significance (note that my definition may be inaccurate). Anyway, overall, this is a very good, intense opera.
Final Rating:8 1/2 out of 10 stars
JERUSALEM









Pic 1:The beginning of the opera, where the name of it comes up and the curtains are about to be lifted. Pic 2:A scene in Act 1 where Gaston and Helene's families are forming peace with one another and rejoicing. Pic 3:Roger gives Gaston his sword and urges him to fight with the Crusaders while Helene watches. Pic 4:Women dancing in the Emir of Ramla's palace.

Review by:Brunnhilde

Jerusalem is an opera written in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, and is also one of the operas I have seen very recently. Since I found the dramatic music and the plot quite interesting, I decided to do a review about it. Here is the plot:
Helene, the Count of Toulouse's daughter, is meeting with her lover, Gaston, Viscount of Bearn, at night. Although their families have been enemies for a long time, it has been agreed that on the next morning, they will form peace. Gaston leaves, and Helene and her friend, Isaure, hope that he will be safe. The next morning, the Count of Toulouse announces peace between the families and gives Gaston the right to marry Helene. However, at the same time, the Count's brother, Roger, secretly loves Helene and is furious. Enraged, he departs. The Papal Legate tells everyone that the Pope chose Gaston to lead the First Crusade tomorrow. Gaston promises to follow Pope no matter what, and is awarded the Count's white cloak as a sign of loyalty. They all enter the chapel. Meanwhile, Roger, still enraged, goes to a soldier and tells him to kill the man without the white cloak in the chapel-in other words, kill Gaston (although he doesn't know that the Count just gave Gaston his cloak). The soldier-murderer then heads inside the chapel, shouts and screams are heard, and he is chased out and captured by the people. Gaston then emerges from the chapel, exclaiming that the Count has been wounded. Roger, terrified and guilty about almost killing his brother, quietly tells the murderer to blame Gaston for what happened to the Count. The soldier-murderer follows Roger's instructions and points at Gaston, exclaiming that he hurt the Count. Gaston attempts to defend himself, but is cursed and exiled.
Years later, Roger has been hiding in the desert, hoping for his bad deeds to be forgiven. Surprisingly, Raymond, Gaston's squire, comes to Roger and asks him to help other Crusaders, who are lost and stranded throughout the desert. After Roger leaves to find them, Helene and Isaure, also in the desert, end up accidentally meeting with Raymond, who reports to them that Gaston is alive, but is a prisoner in the nearby city of Ramla. Helene is overjoyed, and Raymond leads her and Isaure to Ramla. Back in the desert where Roger was, some pilgrims arrive, as well as a new group of Crusaders, lead by the Count. Roger returns and meets with the Count, asking him to let him join in the Crusade, and the Count agrees. Meanwhile, in the palace of the Emir of Ramla, Gaston is planning to escape when Helene, having been captured too, is brought in. They reunite joyfully. Suddenly, they look out the window and see the approaching Crusaders and attempt to flee, but are caught by some of the Emir's soldiers.
Later, in the harem gardens, Helene is among some women, who feel bad for her, as well as plead for her to cheer up. However, the Emir enters and announces that if the Crusaders are to attack the city, Helene's severed head could be thrown to the Count. Helene feels even more distressed. Meanwhile, Gaston escapes and meets with Helene once again, but then the Crusaders and the Count burst in and demand Gaston's death. Helene argues with both them and the Count, trying to show that Gaston is innocent, but is taken away. Not long later, Gaston is dishonored publicly, his helmet, shield, and sword broken, even though he insists that everything they blame him for is a lie.
Near the Crusader's camp, the hermit Roger watches a procession with women (including Helene) and Crusaders in it go by. Helene sees Roger and leaves the procession to watch as the Papal Legate, believing Roger is a holy man, brings Gaston over to him so he can be comforted by Roger. However, Roger refuses the bless Gaston, but instead gives him his sword and pleads for him to fight with the Crusaders. Gaston agrees to do this. Later, after the battle for Jerusalem, in the Count's tent, The Count and the Crusaders (including Gaston) arrive, rejoicing, while Helene and Isaure watch. Gaston is praised for his bravery by the Count, and reveals his identity, ready for his execution. However, severely wounded, Roger comes in and pleads for the Count to give Gaston mercy, while revealing his true identity as the Count's brother. Roger unveils the fact that he was the one who caused the Count to almost be killed, while he, being jealous, was actually trying to kill Gaston. All rejoice for Gaston, whose honor has been restored, and Roger takes one look at the beautiful city, Jerusalem, before finally passing away.

My Review

In my opinion, this is one of Verdi's best operas. While some of the music is sweet and pretty, other parts of the music are dramatic and fiery. There are a few Verdi operas I would prefer to this one (including Rigoletto, La forza del Destino, and a few others), but otherwise this was a very good opera, even though I believe it may be one of the more obscure ones. I'm not really all that into the story mainly because I don't really know all that much about the First Crusade, although there are some parts of it I liked, but at the same time I found the music very appealing. Overall, if I were to recommend you a Verdi opera to watch, it would be this one.
Final Rating:7 1/2 out of 10 stars
Orphee Aux Enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld)











Pic 1:The logo of the opera being shown as the overture begins. Pic 2:Jupiter, in the form of a fly, sneaks into the room Eurydice is in. Pic 3:Orpheus being confronted by Public Opinion. Pic 4:The gods rebelling against Jupiter's rule due to boredom, with Pluto supporting them. Pic 5:Everyone except Orpheus and Public Opinion (who are watching nearby) dancing to Cancan in the big finale.

Review by:Brunnhilde

Orphee Aux Enfers is an opera written by Jacques Offenbach, and it may be his most famous one. It is about the myth where a musician known as Orpheus has a wife named Eurydice, who dies, and Orpheus goes to the Underworld to save her. However, Offenbach gives this myth a new twist, turning it into somewhat of a hilarious French farce. Here is the plot of the opera:
Orpheus and Eurydice are arguing at their home one day, for Eurydice is in love with a certain shepherd and wants to separate from Orpheus, while Orpheus loves a shepherdess and wants to separate from Eurydice, but also wants to punish Eurydice for loving the shepherd more than him. Orpheus reveals that he has set up a trap in the fields where Eurydice and the shepherd usually meet, and then runs off. Eurydice, fearing for the shepherd's life, rushes to the fields and meets with him, and just as she warns him, she falls into the trap and dies. The shepherd reveals that he is really Pluto, god of the Underworld, and takes Eurydice down to his dark world. Not long later, Orpheus finds out that Eurydice is dead and is overjoyed, exclaiming "I'm free!" However, voices surround him and shout at him for having no pity, and a woman known as Public Opinion comes and gets him to agree to go to the Underworld and rescue Eurydice. The two then head out to go to Olympus and seek the help of the gods.
Meanwhile, in Olympus, the gods are upset with Jupiter about not just some of his bad deeds that come up in mythology, but because they are extremely bored, since everything they do in Olympus is eat and sleep. The gods are on the brink of rebellion against Jupiter when Pluto arrives and supports the rebels, but the rebels doubt in his companionship after Jupiter reveals that Pluto had taken away Eurydice and put her in his residence in the Underworld. Pluto objects, claiming that Jupiter and the other gods have no proof of him doing such things. Orpheus and Public Opinion arrive, revealing their identities and asking for the help and support of the gods, and Jupiter agrees to help them. All of Olympus then head down to the Underworld, hoping to get rid of their boredom there.
Deep in the Underworld, Eurydice is so bored and lonely that she is beginning to hope that Orpheus comes to save her. At the same time, she is bugged by a certain servant who has a crush on her and claims to have once been a Prince of Boeotia until he died one day. Soon, the people of Olympus arrive, and Jupiter decides to get yet another woman-this time, Eurydice-to fall in love with him. Cupid turns him into an "oh so charming" fly, and Jupiter sneaks into Eurydice's room in fly form. (Shockingly) Eurydice falls in love with him. Jupiter then reveals his identity and plans with her to escape the Underworld and be together forever. Jupiter transforms back into his normal form and heads to a wild party that the people of Olympus are having, and all of them are dancing and drinking wine. Eurydice, having been turned into a bacchante by Jupiter, arrives and sings for the people of Olympus. Pluto, nearby, recognizes Eurydice easily and begins to realize what Jupiter and Eurydice are plotting. Orpheus and Public Opinion arrive, Orpheus somewhat unwillingly announces that he wants to take Eurydice out of the Underworld, and Jupiter grants Orpheus this as long as he doesn't look at Eurydice during the journey back to life. Orpheus leads Eurydice from the Underworld, but can't help looking at her one last time. Eurydice is sent back into Pluto's residence, and parties with Pluto, Jupiter, and the people of Olympus. During the party, Offenbach's most famous piece, Cancan, is played.

My Review

In my opinion, this is a really good opera. It is hilarious, entertaining, and the music is really fun and catchy. I like some of the moments with Pluto during the scene where the people of Olympus are rebelling, and I also like Orpheus' joyful reaction when he found out Eurydice had died. I also like the big finale, where they play Cancan. The only thing I don't like is when Eurydice falls in love with Jupiter while he is in fly form-although funny, it is somewhat weird and outrageous. Overall, this is a very entertaining and fun opera.
Final rating:8 1/2 out of 10 stars
Gianni di Parigi











Pic 1:The name of the opera comes up before the overture begins. Pic 2:Pedrigo argues with Oliviero. Pic 3:Gianni arrives at the inn. Pic 4:Pedrigo tempting the Seneschal into waiting for lunch by naming many different delicacies. Pic 5:Gianni and the Princess fall in love together.

Review by:Brunnhilde

Gianni di Parigi is an opera in two acts, composed by Gaetano Donizetti. This opera is much more obscure than the others, but it is still a really good one. Here is the plot:
At an inn, the innkeeper (named Pedrigo), his daughter (named Lorezza), and many servants are getting ready for the arrival of the Princess of Navarre, cleaning up the place and getting everything ready for her. However, they are interrupted when a young traveler named Oliviero arrives and wants to stay at the inn. Pedrigo insists that the inn is not vacant, but the young man does not leave, stating that he is waiting for Mister Gianni, a Bourgeois who wants to travel throughout the country. Eventually, Gianni does arrive, and the innkeeper, knowing that Gianni is rich, decides to let him stay for a few hours and then make him leave just before the Princess arrives. Gianni, however, gives Pedrigo more money than he received from the Princess, making Pedrigo think about his decision for a while. Not long later, Gianni and Oliviero chat, and during their conversation it is revealed that Gianni is really the son of Philip of Valois, and is disguised as a Bourgeois. After their talk, Oliviero leaves and Gianni rests, eventually being confronted by Pedrigo, who tries to coax him into leaving. Gianni refuses to leave and adds that he wants lunch, which is prepared for him quickly. Just then, the great Seneschal, who is a high-ranked official who is also an adviser of the Princess, arrives. The Seneschal argues with Gianni, ordering him to leave, but Gianni completely refuses to, baffling the Seneschal, who can't believe someone just plainly did not do what he told him to. The Princess herself enters, praising the servants for their good work, and when he Seneschal tells her about Gianni, she immediately recognizes him as the prince and plays along, pretending not to know who he really is while pardoning him for not leaving, as well as granting him a room. The Seneschal then announces that there is an "even greater crime" than Gianni not leaving, though, and it is that they can't have lunch yet, because Gianni already had his served and it would take a while to make some more. Gianni apologizes for that and invites the Princess to have lunch with him, and she accepts the invitation, which makes the Seneschal become somewhat outraged.
Later, lunch is being prepared for Gianni and the Princess. While Oliviero and Lorezza find that they are really fond of each other, the Seneschal, who is waiting for lunch to be served, is standing around, very hungry. The Seneschal asks Oliviero how much time there is left before lunch is served, and Oliviero responds with a mischievous "A short time, Your Excellency, just one hour." Oliviero and Lorezza leave just as the Seneschal becomes even more anxious, angry, and most of all hungry. The Seneschal calls Pedrigo and asks if he can secretly have lunch right now by himself, but Pedrigo explains that the cooks have seized all of the best food, leaving only bread, cheese, and eggs for lunch. Pedrigo then boasts about how many different delicacies there will be in the lunch Gianni and the Princess are going to have, making the Seneschal even more hungry. Unable to resist temptation, the Seneschal gives in to waiting for lunch some more. Eventually, lunch is served. Oliviero sings for Gianni, the Princess, and the Seneschal while they eat, and even sings to Lorezza, who is standing nearby. After lunch, Gianni and the Princess stay outside and talk. The Princess reveals that she knew all along who Gianni really was, and says that her father, the King, wants her to marry him. Gianni and the Princess, now in love, agree to get married and announce it to the rest of the people at the inn. Even the Seneschal approves of the Princess' choice. Everyone then celebrates for the two happy lovers as they run off to be married.

My Review

In my opinion, this opera is great. Although I do prefer a couple other Donizetti operas over this one, I have never ran into a Donizetti opera that wasn't good. I like the music of this opera-there are many catchy tunes throughout it-and I especially like it when Pedrigo gets the Seneschal to go to lunch after naming lots of delicacies that the Seneschal could not resist, which was really funny. Overall, this is a romantic, funny, and fun opera that I would watch again anytime.
Final Rating:8 out of 10 stars
HERZOG BLAUBARTS BURG (BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE)











Pic 1:The name of the opera comes up just before it starts. Pic 2:The seven doors. Pic 3:Clouds cast crimson, bloody shadows on Bluebeard and Judith as they look out at their kingdom. Pic 4:Bluebeard's three immortal wives, one who has the power of the morning, the other the noon, and the third the sunset. Pic 5:Bluebeard stands with the seventh door behind him.

Review by:Brunnhilde

Herzog Blaubarts Burg, also known as Bluebeard's Castle, is a short opera composed by Bela Bartok that is rarely performed, but beginning to come back into favor. After watching it, I found it interesting, and therefore decided to post a review on here about it. Here is the plot:
A ruler known as Bluebeard leads his new wife, Judith, who has run away from her parents, brother, and betrothed to be with Bluebeard, into his castle. Judith looks around the castle, which is dark, cold, dreary, and sad, and spots seven locked doors. She pleads for Bluebeard to open all the doors and let in light, but he refuses to. Eventually, she coaxes him into letting her open one of the doors, where she finds a room full of weapons, all spiky and pointed. Bluebeard follows, explaining that is his torture room. Judith finds the room terrible, and notices that all of the weapons are bloodstained. Bluebeard asks if she is afraid, and she responds that she is not. They exit, Judith manages to get Bluebeard to give her the key to the second room, and they enter it. The two find a room full of more weapons, this time more warlike than for torture, and Bluebeard explains that that is his artillery room. Judith notices that the weapons, like the ones from the torture room, are bloodstained. Bluebeard asks if she is frightened at all, and she replies that she still isn't. Judith pleads for Bluebeard to let her go into the other rooms so that more light can enter the castle, and Bluebeard, full of torment, asks her why she is doing this. Judith replies that she is doing this because she loves him. Bluebeard eventually gives her three keys, allowing her to explore three more rooms, but warns her not to ask any questions. Judith and Bluebeard go into the third room, where they find a hoard of magnificent treasures;gold crowns and coins, beautiful robes, diamonds glittering among pearls, and more. However, Judith suddenly sees that Bluebeard's treasure is bloodstained, like the weapons from the last two rooms. Being a bit upset from all the blood, Judith goes into the next room, which turns out to be Bluebeard's secret flower-filled garden. She looks at all the different kinds of flowers in awe and Bluebeard shows her around the place, but suddenly the flowers become crimson with blood. Judith points this out to Bluebeard and asks him who waters the flowers, but Bluebeard reminds her not to ask any questions. They go on to the fifth room, which allows them to look out at Bluebeard's vast, light, and beautiful kingdom. Judith finds it wonderful until some clouds cast red, bloody shadows on them. Becoming upset, Judith asks what kind of clouds cast such shadows, but Bluebeard reminds her yet again not to ask any questions. They leave the room. Bluebeard is immediately antagonized by Judith again, who pleads for him to let her explore the other two rooms. Bluebeard gives her only one key. They go into the sixth room to find a small pond of still, pure white water, which Bluebeard explains sadly that it is a pool of tears. Judith asks who made these tears while at the same time noticing some blood among them, but Bluebeard tells her to love him and not ask any questions, insisting that she should kiss him. Eventually they do kiss, and leave the room. Later, Judith asks Bluebeard who he loved before her, what the woman was like, and if she was more beautiful than she is. Bluebeard tells her over and over again that she should just love him and not ask any questions. Judith in the end pleads for him to open the seventh door, revealing that she, who has heard rumors about him, knows they are true-all of his past wives have been murdered, and that is why the castle bleeds. Bluebeard gives in and leads Judith into the seventh room, where they find his three other wives alive. Bluebeard explains that they are all immortal and rule certain times of the day-his first one he met at morning, and he gave her the crown, clothes, and power of dawn, the second he met at noon, to whom he gave the crown, clothes, and power of noon, and the third he met at sunset, to whom he gave the crown, clothes, and power of sunset. Judith is a bit delighted, now knowing who waters Bluebeard's flowers and who created the pool of tears, but she quickly becomes upset when Bluebeard suddenly turns to her, saying that he met his fourth wife at night, gives her the crown, clothes, and power of the night, and left her with the others-and like the others-in an immortal, suspended animation. Bluebeard exits the seventh room, locks the door, and says that from now on it will always be night at his castle.

My Review

Although I don't really like Bartok's music, I found the story very interesting and quite entertaining. Here and there I don't understand the story, but when I go back to it I can begin to get what's going on. The music was okay, in my opinion, and was just as intense and romantic as the plot was, but it sounded like "modern period" music now and then, therefore making it less appealing to me. (Note that in classical music, there are several periods, the most commonly known ones including the baroque, classical, romantic, and modern periods. My least favorite one is modern.) Also, Judith reminds me of Pandora from the tale known as "Pandora's Box," because both she and Pandora in the end paid for having too great a curiosity. Overall, this isn't a favorite of mine, but it is still pretty good and interesting.
Final Rating:7 out of 10 stars
La vie parisienne











Pic 1:Everyone rushing to their trains at the Gare l'Oeust. Pic 2:Raoul tells the baron and baroness that he will be a good guide. Pic 3:Gabrielle rejects Frick's attempts to flirt with her. Pic 4:Everyone getting tipsy at the party in Bobinet's aunt's mansion. Pic 5:Everyone praising Paris at the Brazilian's party.

Review by:Brunnhilde

La vie parisienne (translation:Parisian life) is an opéra bouffe (an operetta) composed by Jacques Offenbach. It is one of his more popular works. I thought it was a pretty fun opera, so I decided to do a review on it. Here is the plot:
At the Gare d l'Oeust (a railway terminal in Paris now known as the Gare Montparnasse), employees there are listing where different trains are coming from. Bobinet and Raoul de Gardefeu, two Parisian dandies, are waiting for a train, but they avoid each other, since they have both fallen in love with a demin-mondaine (a woman who is on the fringes of the respectable society) known as Metella. Metella does arrive, but she has a new man with her and she pretends that she doesn't know who Raoul and Bobinet are. Raoul and Bobinet, now determined to look for better mistresses, come back together and become friends. Raoul suddenly sees his former servant, Joseph, who has now become a guide for tourists in Paris, and he learns from Joseph that a Swedish baron and baroness are coming to stay at Paris for a little while, and Joseph is to be their guide. Raoul, hoping that he and the baroness will fall in love, bribes Joseph into letting him become their guide instead. The Swedish Baron Gondremarck and his wife soon arrive and Raoul tells them that he is their guide. More tourists arrive at Paris, including a Brazilian who claims to have come to Paris before and spent all of his money in the city.
Not long later, at Raoul's home, his bootmaker, known as Frick, and his glovemaker, who is named Gabrielle are waiting for Raoul's return (and during this Frick tries to flirt with Gabrielle, but he fails in impressing her). Raoul does return with the baron and baroness, and he pretends that his home is a hotel. Frick, Gabrielle, and their friends help Raoul by dressing up and pretending to be hotel guests. Raoul hopes he can find a way to make the baron go away so he can spend time alone with the baroness, and finds that the baron already has some plans of his own in a letter that came from a friend. Bobinet comes over and offers to hold a fake party at his aunt's vacant mansion when the next evening comes, and also offers to invite the baron over, too. Meanwhile, the baroness finds a few things that belonged to Metella in Raoul's room, which came from when Metella and Raoul were in love. Metella comes by, wanting forgiveness from Raoul, and also agrees to entertain the baron for a little while. Later, everyone arrives for a table d'hote (a table at a hotel where all guests ate certain foods together at a fixed time and price), with Frick disguised as a major and Gabrielle as the widow of a man who died in a war. After supper, everyone went to bed.
The next day, at night, in the mansion of Bobinet's aunt, a somewhat wild party is held, where Frick, Gabrielle, and their friends are pretending to be famous aristocrats once again. The baron is at the party, too, but he did not bring the baroness with him when he arrived, since the invitation he received said that bringing her was optional. After the baron flirts with a so-called aristocrat (who is really a chambermaid), everyone sings, drinks lots of champagne, and gets quite tipsy.
Later, the rich Brazilian is hosting a masked ball at a restaurant. The baron arrives, expecting Metella, who agreed to meet with him and entertain him, and meanwhile is becoming very suspicious of the things that are going on and has a hunch that everything that has been happening to him has been nothing but pretend. Metella arrives and advises him not to be suspicious, but refuses to entertain him, telling him that she is deeply in love with someone else. She brings over a friend of hers to entertain him instead. Soon the baron finds out that Metella's lover is Raoul, and he becomes enraged. Bobinet, Raoul, and the Brazilian arrive at the restaurant, and when the baron accuses Raoul of tricking him and taking him to fake places and parties, the Brazilian gets a bit excited and pulls out some weapons, saying that he wants to fight, too. The argument only stops when Metella's mystery friend, who turns out to be the baroness, stops it. Metella reveals to Raoul that she had done everything that she did because she loves him, both Raoul and Bobinet forgive her and love her again, and all have a party and give a toast to Paris.

My Review

I find the plot of this opera very fun (especially the parties, some of the humorous parts, and how the plot is full of schemes and tricks), and I like the catchy tunes and music (especially the overture and the tune from the big finale) from it. However, I actually like one of Offenbach's other operas better-and that opera is Orphee Aux Enfers. I prefer that opera over this one because I can understand that story better than this one, and I also liked the music from that one more than this one. However, although I prefer Orphee Aux Enfers, La vie parisienne is still a fun, good opera.
Final Rating:8 out of 10 stars
The Merry Widow

Review by:Brunnhilde

The Merry Widow is an operetta composed by Franz Lehar. Lehar was born in Komarom, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary (nowadays known as Komarno, Slovakia) and grew up to become a classical music composer. His most famous opera/operetta is this one (The Merry Widow).
The story begins at the ball of the Grand Duchy of Pontevedro, which is being held in honor of the Grand Duke's birthday. An ambassador and guest named Baron Zeta is determined to make one of the guests, Hanna Glawari, a very rich widow, marry another Pontevedrian "for the fatherland" in order that she keeps her money there and Pontevedro doesn't go bankrupt. He intends to have Hanna meet Count "Danilo" Danilovitsch, the First Secretary of the Pontevedrin Embassy (as well as the former lover of Hanna). However, Danilo does not arrive at the ball for some time because he is at Chez Maxim (a place at Paris that holds many parties and is famous for its six can-can dancers, beautiful women named Lolo, Dodo, Joujou, Froufrou, Cloclo, and Margot). During Danilo's absence, all the single men at the ball follow Hanna around, trying to get Hanna to marry them. Hanna, knowing that they are all after her money, patiently rejected all of their pleas. Soon, Danilo does arrive, and, after taking a short nap, meets Hanna. They declare "war" on one another, in which Danilo won't marry Hanna because of how rich she is and Hanna won't marry Danilo until he says "I love you." Meanwhile, Valencienne, wife of Baron Zeta, soon finds herself falling in love with Count Camille de Rosillon, a French attache to the embassy. Durng this, Rosillon writes "I love you" on Valencienne's fan. In reply, Valencienne writes "I am a respectable wife" on the other side of her fan, trying to ignore her love for him and continue being a good wife. The two accidentally lose the fan, which is found by a barn named Kromow, who believes the fan belongs to his flirtatious wife Olga and angrily passes it on to Baron Zeta. Zeta then meets with Danilo while trying to find Olga in order to give the fan to her, urging the First Secretary to marry Hanna in the name of the fatherland. After some arguing, Danilo consents and finds Hanna. After gaining permission from Hanna to dance with her, he drives away all the other suitors by offering the right to dance with Hanna for ten thousand francs (and all the suitors, of course, quickly backed down). Danilo and Hanna then dance together.
Later that night, Hanna Glawari is holding a party in the garden at her house. Hanna herself comes forward and sings the famous Pontevedrian song about a nymph named Vilja. At the same time, Baron Zeta fears that the Frenchman Rosillon might marry Hanna, and, still having Valencienne's fan (and still not recognizing it as Valencienne's), gives the fan to Danilo so that Danilo can find out who it belongs to. Danilo questions various women about the fan, but after getting nowhere, he takes a break and spends some time chatting with Hanna. Hanna spots the fan and the words "I love you" on it and, believing that this is Danilo's way of saying those same words to her, keeps denying Danilo the right to marry her. Later, Rosillon and Valencienne meet alone in the garden and find the fan, which was accidentally left behind by Danilo. After deciding to say their final goodbyes to one another in a pavilion (while being unaware that Zeta, Danilo, and an Embassy Secretary named Njegus had decided to meet in), Valencienne lets Rosillon keep the fan to remember her. They enter the pavilion. Njegus, Danilo, and Zeta arrive. Danilo and Zeta, realizing that Rosillon and another "unknown" woman have locked themselves in the pavilion, try to peer in through a crack and see what is going on. Zeta momentarily sees his wife's face and is shocked. Meanwhile, Njegus, knowing that Valencienne is inside the pavilion and being determined to help her, spots Hanna nearby and gets her to go into the pavilion through the back door while Valencienne sneaks out the same door. Hanna and Rosillon then exit the pavilion, revealing themselves to Danilo and Zeta while announcing that they are to be married. While Zeta is devastated, Danilo is jealous and furious and leaves to go to Chez Maxim.
Even later that night, Hanna, having invited the people who work at Chez Maxim, is hosting a party in her ballroom, complete with the six famous grisettes/can-can dancers, Lolo, Dodo, Joujou, Froufrou, Cloclo, and Margot. Danilo soon arrives after finding the real Maxim empty and tries to get Hanna to give up Rosillon. Danilo is happy when Hanna lets him know that she was never engaged to Rosillon and was filling in for a married woman whom Rosillon loved. Danilo almost tells Hanna he loves her, but he remembers how he pledged not to tell her he loves her as long as she has tons of money. Meanwhile, Baron Zeta finds out that the "mystery" fan belongs to Valencienne and, after spotting the words "I love you" on it, announces to Valencienne that he considers himself divorced. He then tells Hanna that he is single and would like to marry her, but Hanna declines, adding that in her deceased husband's will it says that if she marries someone, she will have to give up her fortune. Danilo, realizing that if he marries Hanna she will have to give up all her wealth, says "I love you" to her. A happy Hanna then states that she would actually have to give up her money to her new husband, and Danilo, now finding out that he had been tricked, asks Hanna if she will marry him anyway. Hanna accepts. At the same time, Valencienne shows Baron Zeta her fan again, revealing to him her reply "I am a respectable wife." Zeta forgives Valencienne and apologizes for his ignorance. Everyone then celebrates joyfully.

My Review

In my opinion, this is one of the best operettas I've ever seen! A LOT of it was hilarious, entertaining, and fun. Also, the Vilja song was extremely beautiful and it was my favorite aria in the whole thing. I would like to add that the version of The Merry Widow I saw was a live broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera at my local Cinemark, and oddly enough instead of being in German all the libretto was in English. Also, several of the cast members were Broadway singers rather than opera singers, and some of the opera was done in Broadway-like style (it had some Broadway-like dancing, Broadway-like singing, etc.). After doing a little research, I found out there are various English adaptations, including ones by Basil Hood and Alice Hammerstein Mathias. I am not sure which English adaptation I have seen. However, overall, this is a highly entertaining opera full of famous catchy tunes and wonderful arias.
Final Rating:4 out of 5 stars
La fanciulla del West

Review by:Brunnhilde

La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West) is an opera in three acts about the American Wild West by Giacomo Puccini (an Italian composer whose most famous operas include La Boheme, Turandot, and Tosca). I found the concept of an Italian composer writing an opera about the Wild West interesting, so I decided to post a review about it.
Around 1850, in the Cloudy Mountains of California, many Gold Rush miners head to a saloon owned by a woman named Minnie, who is extremely popular among the men. While the miners gamble and drink, Jack Rance, the local sheriff, reveals to Minnie that he loves her very much. Minnie, however, rejects him and acts as if he's joking. Just then, an agent from Wells Fargo named Ashby comes in and tells everyone that he is trying to track down the famous bandit Ramerrez and his Spanish followers. Ashby and the miners then leave to search for Ramerrez. Just then, a handsome, charming stranger named Dick Johnson comes in and talks with Minnie, stating that he is from Sacramento. At one point, Dick asks Minnie if she will dance with him, and after she accepts, they do so, infuriating Jack Rance. After they finish dancing, Ashby and the miners, having captured a member of Ramerrez's gang named Castro, return. Oddly enough, Castro and Johnson secretly exchange a few signals and glances before Castro tells Ashby and the miners he will lead them to Ramerrez. Everyone except Minnie and Johnson leave, and Minnie shows Johnson her savings stored in a keg hidden in the saloon. Johnson, who had been intending to steal the money, realizes he cannot steal it with Minnie around and even feels sorry for her as she tells him some of the stories about her life, thus making him decide to leave. However, before he does leave, he and Minnie reveal to one another that they love each other and agree to meet at Minnie's cabin in the mountains.
Later that night, Minnie prepares for Johnson's arrival with the help of her servant, a Native American woman. Eventually, the servant leaves and Johnson arrives. The two chat for a while and then kiss. It starts to snow, and Minnie persuades Johnson to stay until next morning. There is suddenly a knock on the door, and Minnie quickly makes Johnson hide before opening the door. Some of the miners enter, asking Minnie if they have seen Ramerrez anywhere, as well as revealing to her that Johnson is Ramerrez. Minnie denies seeing Ramerrez/Johnson, and angrily confronts Ramerrez after the miners leave. Ramerrez sadly tells his story, explaining that his father was actually the evil bandit everyone feared, and after his father died Ramerrez/Johnson was forced to take his place. Minnie rejects Ramerrez and, out of anger, forces him to get out of her house. Rance, who has been patrolling near Minnie's place, spots Ramerrez and shoots him. Ramerrez quickly returns to Minnie's house, and Minnie, who actually still loves Ramerrez, quickly helps him by making him hide in the attic. Rance comes in and questions Minnie about Ramerrez, and Minnie denies seeing him anywhere, but after blood drips down through the cracks onto Minnie and Rance, Ramerrez's hiding place is given away. Rance goes into the attic and pulls a weak Ramerrez out of it. Minnie reveals her love for Ramerrez to Rance, and coaxes Rance into competing for Ramerrez by playing three rounds of poker. If Minnie wins, she gets to keep Ramerrez, and if Rance wins, he gets to marry Minnie and take Ramerrez away. Minnie secretly puts some extra cards in her socks and then plays a game of poker with Rance, in the end cheating and winning. A devastated Rance departs, leaving a highly relieved Minnie back at her house with Ramerrez.
Later, at dawn, Ramerrez has been on the run again and is quickly captured by Ashby, Rance, and the miners. He is blamed for his father's crimes and is condemned to death by hanging. Ramerrez pleads to speak in order to announce what his last wish is, and after being given permission to do this, he says that his last wish is that Minnie is to be told that he is still on the run and is freely going on to start a new life. Ramerrez is then about to be hanged, but Minnie arrives with a gun and rescues him. Minnie calms down the miners and reveals that they owe her a lot for all the things she has done for them over the years, thus making the miners have to let her and Ramerrez go. The miners sadly say a final goodbye to Minnie as she and Ramerrez exit the town in order to leave California and lead a new life, hand in hand.

My Review

In my opinion, this is an interesting but pretty strange opera. As soon as I started watching it, I thought of it as a "spaghetti opera." (Note that the term "spaghetti Western" means a movie about the Wild West made by Italians. Spaghetti Westerns are usually very good movies.) The music itself is great and has Puccini's beautiful, undulating trademark "swells" in them, and the plot, as stated before, is interesting. It puts the romantic, love-story twist of the average opera and the usual Wild West setting together, thus creating an extraordinary "spaghetti opera." Overall, this is a very entertaining (and, as stated before, interesting) opera that will keep you watching-and listening to the wonderful music-minute by minute.
Final Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The Magic Flute

Review by:Brunnhilde

The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was the first opera I ever saw, (I saw a recording of it when I was really little) and I recently saw a live performance of it. Therefore, I decided to make a review of it and post it on this blog.
In the first scene, a young prince named Tamino is lost somewhere in another land. He soon finds himself being attacked by a snake. He eventually becomes unconscious, and the Three Ladies, assistants of the ruler of the realm Tamino is in (who is named the Queen of the Night), come and kill the snake. All three of them are fond of Tamino, and after arguing over who should go back and tell the Queen of the Night about him, they decide to all leave. The Three Ladies depart, and the Queen's birdcatcher, Papageno, arrives. Tamino wakes up and thinks Papageno killed the snake for him, and Papageno pridefully lies and tells Tamino how he "did" kill the snake. The Three Ladies return and overhear Papageno lying, so as punishment they put a padlock on his mouth. The Three Ladies then give Tamino a picture of the Queen's daughter, Pamina, and Tamino instantly falls in love with her. The ladies let Tamino know that an evil man named Sarastro kidnapped Pamina, and Tamino becomes enraged with Sarastro. The Three Ladies then warn Papageno not to lie anymore, take the padlock off of his mouth, tell Tamino that the Queen is coming, and leave. The Queen of the Night herself comes and tells Tamino that she has assigned him to save Pamina from Sarastro, and Tamino accepts the role. After the Queen departs, the Three Ladies come back and get Papageno to go with Tamino on his journey. They show the two three child-spirits who will act as guides during their trip and then leave yet again to let Tamino, Papageno, and the child-spirits begin their adventure.
Later, in Sarastro's palace, Pamina is captured and chained by Sarastro's slaves after apparently attempting to escape. Monostatos, the chief of the slaves, is about to violate Pamina when Papageno, who has been separated from Tamino, comes in. Monostatos and Papageno are terrified at each other, each one of them thinking the other is Beelzebub, and Papageno, realizing that Monostatos is afraid of him too, takes advantage of this and chases him out of the room. Papageno then introduces himself to Pamina, frees her, and the two escape together.
Meanwhile, Tamino has been lead to Sarastro's temple by the three child-spirits. Tamino goes to the three doors that are entrances into the temple. When he goes to the first two doors, he is denied access by deep, powerful voices, but when he goes to the third an old priest lets him in. Tamino and the priest talk, and the priest tells Tamino that he has been deceived, for Sarastro is a good, loving man and is the head of the temple. Tamino, not sure who to trust anymore, decides to see if he can contact Papageno, so he plays a magic flute given to him by the Three Ladies. Wild animals nearby hear the music and are instantly tamed by its magic power. Tamino hears Papageno playing his pipes in reply and hurries off to find him.
At the same time, Papageno and Pamina wander about, searching for Tamino. Monostatos and his slaves capture them again, but Papageno plays the magic bells given to him by the Three Ladies. Monostatos and his slaves are immediately taken over by the music's power and dance away happily, singing along to the bells. Just then, Sarastro himself and his followers arrive at where Papageno and Pamina are. Pamina openly confesses to Sarastro that she tried to escape with Papageno, but it was because Monostatos became a bit too interested in her. Sarastro forgives Pamina, but warns her that she cannot return to her mother no matter how much she wants to. Monostatos, who has captured Tamino by now, comes in with him. Sarastro congratulates Monostatos by ordering some of his followers to give the chief of the slaves seventy lashes. Before being taken away, Monostatos replies by saying "You've given me more than I deserve!" Meanwhile, Tamino and Pamina find themselves quickly falling in love with one another. However, they are separated, for Tamino must undergo many tests and trails before he proves to Sarastro that he is a worthy husband for Pamina.
Tamino and Papageno, who are going through their trails together, are taken to a courtyard. Some priests warn them about the way women can lie and trick men into doing certain things and give them their first test-they must remain silent no matter what. The Three Ladies arrive and try to get Tamino and Papageno to believe that if they stay in the temple they will die. Papageno can't help replying to the ladies, but Tamino impatiently urges him to keep quiet. After realizing that they can't get a single word out of the two, the Three Ladies leave the temple.
Meanwhile, Pamina is sleeping in a garden. Monostatos sneaks in and attempts to kiss her, but the Queen of the Night arrives and chases him away. She then urges a now wide awake Pamina to take a dagger and kill Sarastro. After seeing that Pamina is reluctant to do this, the Queen of the Night disowns her, singing the very famous aria "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen." ("Hell's vengeance boils in my heart";this is also known as "The Queen of the Night Aria.") Monostatos comes back and threatens to reveal the Queen's plan to everyone unless Pamina loves him, but Sarastro arrives and drives him away. Pamina pleads forgiveness for the way her mother acted, and Sarastro tells her that it is fine, for her cruelty cannot exist in his temple.
Back with Tamino and Papageno, the two are still under the test of remaining silent. However, when Papageno loudly complains that he is thirsty, a woman comes in and gives him water. He playfully asks if she has a boyfriend, and she replies that her boyfriend is named Papageno. Before Papageno can respond, she vanishes. The three child-spirits come in and give the two the magic flute, bells, and food. Tamino plays his flute, which causes Pamina to come in, but when she tries to talk to him he does not respond because he must still keep silent. Pamina becomes devastated, believing Tamino does not love her, and leaves.
Later, Tamino is praised by the priests for doing well at his first test but is not ready to become a member of Sarastro's temple. Pamina comes in and the two say goodbye, since Tamino has many more trails ahead and he will not see her for a while. Meanwhile, Papageno blurts out how much he wants a wife, and the woman who gave him water appears. She tells him that he will be incarcerated if he does not marry her, so Papageno promises to wed her, while secretly planning to get someone else as time goes on. The old woman transforms into young Papagena, who is Papageno's perfect wife, but before they can embrace each other the priests drag Papageno away, telling him that he must finish his trails before marrying her.
At the same time, Pamina is devastated because she still believes Tamino does not love her and is leaving. The child-spirits see her and reassure her that he loves her.
Tamino is meanwhile lead to his final trail, in which he must overcome his fear of death. Pamina arrives and tells him that she will go through his test with him. She hands him his magic flute. Tamino, now free to speak to her, thanks her and begins playing the flute. The two pass through dangerous chambers filled with fire and water safely, guarded by the magical music, and are accepted into Sarastro's temple.
Papageno, depressed because he seemingly lost Papagena, is in a garden and decides to hang himself. The three child-spirits come and stop him, advising him to play his bells. When he does, Papagena appears and the two joyfully unite.
Far away, on a dull, rocky landscape, the Queen, the Three Ladies, and Monostatos (who has betrayed Sarastro) plan to destroy Sarastro's temple. However, they are suddenly overwhelmed by magic and become trapped in deep night for eternity.
Back in Sarastro's Temple of the Sun, Sarastro and his followers celebrate the light's triumph over dark, thus explaining how the Queen of the Night and her subjects ended up trapped in eternal night. Tamino and Pamina are united, and everyone praises the Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris.


My Review

While being the best of the first few operas I have ever seen, this is also one of the best operas in general. The music is fantastic, the plot light and funny, and it also shows the challenges and choices people have to make when they are young (the choice between light and dark, benevolence and malevolence, loyalty and deceit, etc.). The two arias the Queen of the Night sang are wonderful. Also, the live performance I recently saw was decent, but it did have a few issues. One of those issues is that it was all sung in English, thus forcing there to be more dialogue than there originally was, and although the English translation was clear, good, and it even rhymed a lot, it's a bit suspicious-in other words, the translators could have changed the real meaning of some of the lines. Another issue is that the person singing as the Queen of the Night apparently couldn't tell the difference between vibrato and coloratura-while she was supposed to be singing coloratura, she sang with tons of vibrato that wasn't supposed to be there. The costumes weren't all that great, and the stage itself was set up rather plainly, without much fancy or amazing stuff. However, the music itself was great, I can always watch different recordings of the opera if I don't really like the live performance, and it was good enough the way it was when I saw it live at an opera house.
Final Rating:4 1/2 out of 5 stars
IOLANTA





Pics 1, 2, and 3:Anna Netrebko as Iolanta. Pic 4:Iolanta meets Vaudemont. Note:Credit goes to the Metropolitan Opera for all four pictures. If you want to support the Met, click here.

Review by:Brunnhilde

Iolanta is a one-act opera by the famous Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky about a sweet, blind princess named Iolanta. I saw the Met's Live in HD version of this opera, and after finding that I was very fond of it I decided to post a review about it. Here is a synopsis of the opera:
King Rene, ruler of Provence, has hidden away his blind daughter Iolanta deep in a garden-filled estate in the mountains of France. He and her servants have never revealed to her that she is blind, and have been telling her that her father is a wealthy knight rather than a king. Also, since childhood, she has been betrothed to Robert, Duke of Burgundy. Robert, like Iolanta, doesn't know of her blindness because he has never even met Iolanta. By the time Iolanta has grown up and become a young woman, King Rene has decided to try to find a cure for her blindness. He finds Ibn-Hakia, a Moorish physician, and asks him for his help. When Ibn-Hakia explains to Rene that Iolanta can only be cured if she knows that she is blind and wants to see the light, Rene refuses to reveal to his daughter that she is blind. Meanwhile, Iolanta has been living peacefully with her servants, which she considers and calls her friends rather than her slaves.
Soon, as a replacement for another armor-bearer who died, an armor-bearer and messenger named Almeric comes to Iolanta's home, where he meets a guard named Bertrand, who explains to him that Iolanta is blind, unaware of her disability, and must never be told the truth about herself. Almeric promises never to let Iolanta know about what she is missing.
Later, Robert and his friend, Count Vaudemont, who were hunting and got lost in the woods, accidentally find Iolanta's hidden home. Robert tells Vaudemont that he wishes to marry his girlfriend, Mathilde, rather than Iolanta. Soon, Vaudemont peers into Iolanta's home (while ignoring a sign that promises death to anyone who comes in) and, when seeing a sleeping Iolanta, falls in love with her. Robert sees Vaudemont's behavior and instantly thinks that Iolanta is a witch who cast a spell on him, so Robert leaves in order to get help. Meanwhile, Iolanta wakes up and meets Vaudemont. After talking for a bit, Vaudemont asks for a red rose that he can keep to remember her. Iolanta, unaware of what color is, keeps picking white roses. Quickly Vaudemont realizes that Iolanta is blind and, feeling sorry for her, explains to Iolanta what light and color are. The two fall in love.
King Rene and Ibn-Hakia arrive shortly afterwards and find the two lovers together. After discovering that Iolanta knows the truth about her disability, Ibn-Hakia explains that she could be cured, but Iolanta has no will to see, for she is happy and content the way she is. However, King Rene gets an idea and tells Iolanta that he will have Vaudemont executed for revealing the truth about her blindness to her unless she is cured of her blindness. Now desperate, Iolanta turns to the doctor and lets him begin the treatment. Meanwhile, Rene apologizes to Vaudemont, explaining that he lied to Iolanta so that she would want to see. Robert soon arrives with men so he can try to save Vaudemont from his "bewitchment," but after the truth about what is happening is revealed to him, Robert confesses to Rene that he actually loves Mathilda and doesn't want to marry Iolanta. King Rene forgives Robert and tells him that he is free to marry Mathilda, for Count Vaudemont and Iolanta are to be married after Iolanta's treatment is over. Just then, Iolanta and Ib-Hakia come in;the treatment has worked, and Iolanta can see! Although she first finds the new, visible world confusing to her, Iolanta begins to get used to it. Everyone joyfully celebrates.

My Review

Among Tchaikovsky's eleven operas, his last opera, Iolanta, is probably his greatest. The music is wonderful, the plot is interesting, and the version I saw was absolutely spectacular. The Met's staging and cast was especially good, and the music was well-played/sung. Also, a rather interesting thing is that Iolanta's wonderful personality would never change whether or not she could see. In fact, the way Iolanta didn't even know she was blind probably made her the gentle, kind person she always was, showing that King Rene overvalued sight. Anyway, overall, this is one of the best operas I have ever seen, and probably ties with Le Rossignol in being my favorite Russian opera.
Final Rating:4 1/2 out of 5 stars
Note:Two of the reasons I didn't give this 5 stars is that 1.I don't have any Russian heritage, so I didn't really "feel" the music in me very much and 2.Beethoven's Fidelio is my very favorite opera and is (in my opinion) the only opera that is 5/5 stars. Therefore, I didn't want this opera to tie with Fidelio.
The Cunning Little Vixen











Note: Since I was obviously unable to take pictures during the performance of this opera in Prague, the pictures of scenes from the opera are from another performance of the same opera that I have on DVD. Pic 1: The National Theatre in Prague, where I saw this opera live. Note that this is a REAL picture from my REAL trip! :) Pic 2: Bystrouška attacks the chickens (note that I preferred the Prague version of this scene; Bystrouška literally pulled the heads off the chicken costumes in that version rather than just pushed over the people playing as the chickens). Pic 3: Bystrouška meets Gold-spur. Pic 4: Harasta struggles to free himself from his own trap as Bystrouška taunts him and Bystrouška's children mess with his stuff. Pic 5: The grieving Forester meets one of Bystrouška's daughters and is comforted by how life goes on.

Review by:Brunnhilde

The Cunning Little Vixen (Czech: Příhody lišky Bystroušky; the literal translation of this is "Adventures of the vixen known as Sharp-Ears", but in most versions of the opera the vixen is called Cunning Little Vixen instead of Sharp-Ears) is a three-act opera by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček based on the Czech comics about the same Cunning Little Vixen. It is Janáček's lightest (least serious/dark) opera, and while it is often called a comic opera or a children's opera, the more serious themes in it often make people interpret it also as a tragic opera. Since the translation of the name of the vixen often varies (sometimes she's called The Cunning Little Vixen, other times she's called Sharp-Ears) from now on I shall stick with her Czech name whenever I mention here (Bystrouška). I found this opera to be interesting, so I decided to make this review about it. Here is a synopsis of the plot:
Deep in the woods, the native wildlife roams freely. Some animals and insects dance to the tunes the crickets fiddle, and the youthful Bystrouška explores. Meanwhile, nearby, the Forester arrives. He talks to himself, making sure to mention how his trusty gun (unlike his wife) doesn't nag, and then decides to take a nap in a nice spot on the forest floor. Bystrouška finds a frog; she asks her mother if she can eat it, but her mother (who doesn't appear onstage but is simply mentioned by Bystrouška) doesn't respond. Bystrouška pokes at and chases the frog. The frog flees but ends up landing right on the Forester, who promptly wakes up, knocks the frog off, and spots Bystrouška. He decides that she will make a nice pet, so he picks her up and hauls her away back home. Bystrouška calls for her mother, but it is too late.
Over time Bystrouška grows up to become a pretty young adult. She discusses love with Lapák the dog. Soon, some of the Forester's children come and try to poke at Bystrouška, annoying her. Finally she bites one of them, who starts crying and calls for the Forester's wife, shouting that the vixen bit him and is going to eat him. The Forester's wife comes out and calls the Forester, who catches Bystrouška and ties her up. The humans leave and some hens and a rooster come, taunting Bystrouška. Bystrouška by now has had enough. She pretends to bury herself alive; when the rooster comes up to her to see if she is dead, Bystrouška jumps up and kills him. She breaks free from the rope and proceeds to kill the rest of the chickens. The Forester's wife comes out and tries to catch her, but Bystrouška escapes over the fence and runs back to the forest, free at last. Bystrouška soon goes to her Uncle Badger's home. She drives him out and takes the home for herself using her quick tongue and wits.
At the same time, the Forester and his friends (the Schoolmaster and the Priest) are at a bar, drinking and discussing how they like the seductive, young gypsy girl Terynka. The Schoolmaster leaves, anything but sober, and stumbles through the darkness near the woods, trying to get to his home. Bystrouška spots him, grabs a sunflower, and holds it in front of him. The Schoolmaster mistakes the sunflower for Terynka and tells "Terynka" how much he loves her. Bystrouška runs around with the sunflower while the Schoolmaster chases her. The Forester, who has left the bar by now, sees Bystrouška and shoots his gun at her a couple times, making her run away back into the forest (note that his gunshots missed her).
Later on, Bystrouška, who is becoming a woman fox, meets a kind male fox named Zlatohřbítek (English: Gold-spur or Gold-skin; since the translations of his name vary too but his Czech name is a bit hard to spell, I will call him Gold-spur). Bystrouška tells him her story about how she was given a human upbringing but finally bravely fought off the humans and escaped; an amazed Gold-spur tells her how he had always longed for someone to love, and that she was the perfect modern woman. Bystrouška begins to be confused and afraid and tries to make him leave, but Gold-spur does not, explaining that he does not love her for her looks, but he loves her for her soul. Bystrouška confesses her love for him, too. Together they head to Bystrouška's home (the badger den).
Not long later rumors have spread through the forest about Bystrouška and Gold-spur, and Bystrouška tells Gold-spur that the rumors are true: She is going to have his fox cubs soon. This forces them to get married. They and the other animals and insects all celebrate.
Winter comes. Harasta, a poacher engaged to Terynka, is out hunting. He is going to be married to Terynka very soon. He sets a fox trap and tries to sneak off, but the Forester catches him and, suspecting that he is poaching again, asks him what he is doing and how he got a rabbit (note that Harasta was carrying a dead rabbit). Harasta swears to God that he found the rabbit laying around, already dead. He also informs the Forester during their brief chat that he is going to be married to Terynka. The Forester is a bit upset by this (for he loves Terynka) but tries to hide it. The Forester and Harasta depart; of course, Harasta makes sure to put the rabbit in the trap before leaving. Bystrouška, Gold-spur, and their countless number of fox cubs arrive. They spot the fox trap, instantly knowing what it is, and make fun of it. While the fox cubs then leave to play, Gold-spur and Bystrouška promise each other that they will discuss having more children in May. Harasta comes back to see if anything got caught in his trap and spots the foxes. While Gold-spur quickly hides, Bystrouška defies the poacher, running around until Harasta accidentally steps in his own trap. The fox cubs come and start to mess with and tear apart some of Harasta's stuff, with Bystrouška urging them on, but then an angry Harasta gets up and shoots Bystrouška, killing her. The fox cubs all run away, terrified.
The Forester, after going to Terynka's wedding, goes to the forest to think about things. He mentions that he noticed that Terynka had a new muff made out of fox fur, and knows that Bystrouška is dead. He returns to the place where he first found Bystrouška and sits down, mourning not just the death of Bystrouška, but how he has no hope of Terynka ever being in love with him. Suddenly, a frog hops on the Forester. The Forester asks the frog what he was doing here, and the frog explained that he is actually the grandson of the frog that originally jumped on the Forester. Then another young vixen appears, the spitting image of her mother, Bystrouška, hopping around and trying to play with the Forester. The Forester gets up, mentioning the new vixen's resemblance to Bystrouška and warning her that he might just catch her the same way he caught her mother.
The Forester finds peace and even happiness in the knowledge that life goes on.

My Review

Before stating my opinions, I would like to mention that in November 2015 I went on a trip to Prague, went to the National Theatre and saw this opera. While the opera house itself was magnificent, hearing and seeing the opera played by Czechs was especially wonderful. I would also like to mention that during the composition of this opera, an elderly Leoš Janáček really loved the much younger (and married) Kamila Stösslová. He thus made the opera turn himself into the Forester and Kamila into both the Vixen and Terynka; so, while you read this review and while/if you watch this opera, please consider who these characters actually represented in real life. Now, back to the review: While the plot is interesting and some of the parts (especially the ones featuring the Vixen) are fun to watch (e.g. Bystrouška attacking the hens and escaping), I would not say that this is a children's opera. If this were a movie, due to some of the adult themes that pop up in it (note that for the sake of the young readers out there I didn't really mention too many of those themes in the plot summary) it might be rated PG or PG-13. However, don't reconsider watching this opera because of that-young kids and intelligent, older adults alike will enjoy it very much. The music is beautiful, the plot is good, and from what I've seen so far the staging isn't that bad, either. For some reason I especially like the final scene (which features the Forester, the grandson of the frog from the beginning, and one of Bystrouška's daughters) and its philosophical themes. Note that I actually have some Czech heritage, so in a way I can sometimes "feel" the Czech music while listening to it. Overall, I would say that, despite the adult themes, this is an absolutely wonderful opera.
Final Rating: 9 1/2 out of 10 stars
The Pearl Fishers









Pic 1: Diana Damrau as Leila. Pic 2: Zurga (wearing blue and black, is standing behind Leila), Nourabad (standing by Zurga, has yellow paint on his forehead), and the fishers witness Leila promising to uphold her vows as a priestess (to remain chaste, never to have a lover, etc.). Pic 3: Nadir and Leila are reunited in the temple at night. Pic 4: As the fire begins to destroy the village and make the sky glow orange in the background, the fishers prepare Leila and Nadir for execution. Note: Credit goes to the Metropolitan Opera for all four pictures. If you want to support the Met, click here.

Review by: Brunnhilde

The Pearl Fishers is an opera in three acts by Georges Bizet. After watching this opera being performed by the Met Live in HD, I found that I liked this opera and decided to make a review about it. Here is a plot synopsis:
The story takes place in ancient Ceylon. Hindus have come to fish for pearls; they elect one of themselves, Zurga, as their leader/king. Nadir, Zurga's best friend, arrives, and Zurga and Nadir are left alone, where they talk about how on a journey to the city Kandy they rapidly turned from friends to rivals upon seeing and falling in love with a beautiful and mysterious priestess. They vow to let go of their love for the woman and forevermore be loyal to one another.
A boat arrives at the shore with Leila (the priestess whom Zurga and Nadir loved, but they are unable to recognize her now since she is wearing a veil) and the high priest of Brahma, Nourabad. Zurga explains to Leila that she is to pray for the fisherman in order to keep away evil spirits and keep the fishers safe; as he does this, Leila recognizes Nadir (whom she loves), but doesn't acknowledge him and instead just vows to follow the rules as a priestess (which include remaining chaste and not having a lover; if any of these rules are broken, her punishment would be death). She is lead by Nourabad to the temple, and Zurga and the fisherman go out to the ocean. An isolated Nadir remembers how he got Leila to fall in love with him in Kandy, and the fact that she could have left to go to Ceylon drew him to this island. As he goes to sleep, Leila sings, praying for the fishermen. Nadir, hearing her, wakes up and follows her voice to the temple, where they recognize each other and admit that they have fallen in love with one another all over again. Meanwhile, at the seashore, the fishermen call out to Leila, asking for her to sing for them some more, but she promises Nadir that she will only sing for him.
Later, Leila is with Nourabad in the temple; she tells the priest that she is afraid of being alone in the temple, but he urges her to be fearless, explaining how she is well guarded and that she should remain true to Brahma. Leila assures Nourabad that she is loyal for as a child she had protected a fugitive from a mob and didn't reveal where he was hiding even when his enemies threatened to kill her; in return the fugitive gave her a necklace with a pearl on it. Nourabad leaves, and not long later, while Leila is thinking about how she loved Nadir, Nadir arrives. Fearing for his and her lives, Leila pleads for him to leave, but Nadir refuses. They proclaim their love for each other, and soon Nadir departs, promising Leila that he will come back tomorrow night, but as he tries to exit he is caught by the fishermen and forced back into the temple. The fishermen urge Zurga to execute Nadir, but Zurga refuses to; he only heeds their calls, however, when he takes off Leila's veil, recognizes her, and becomes enraged and envious. As a storm rages overhead, the fishermen sing a prayer to Brahma.
After the storm has passed and dawn is approaching, Zurga is in his tent, has calmed down, and is starting to feel bad about giving his best friend a death sentence. Leila comes in and pleads for Nadir's life; Zurga at first considers giving Nadir mercy, but he quickly becomes jealous again and tells her he loves her but refuses to show clemency. Nourabad and some fishermen enter and tell Zurga that a pyre for Nadir and Leila is ready. Leila is about to be taken away, but she first gives her necklace to a fisherman, asking for it to be given to her mother. Zurga recognizes the necklace and seizes it from the fisherman.
Nadir is outside by the pyre, and Leila joins him. The crowd sings and dances, excited about the upcoming execution. The two sing about how they will be eternally united in heaven. Suddenly, the fishermen see a glow; at first they think it is dawn already, but Zurga runs over and tells the fishers that their camp is aflame, and they should go save their children and homes. The fishermen run away to carry out Zurga's orders, and Zurga frees Nadir and Leila. Zurga gives the necklace back to Leila, revealing that he set the camp on fire and he is the fugitive she saved, and urges her and Nadir to flee. They say goodbye, and then Nadir and Leila depart, finally free to love each other. Zurga stays behind, waiting for the fishermen to return.
Zurga's fate is left a mystery; in some versions, Nourabad sees Zurga free Leila and Nadir and tells this to the fishermen, and one of the fishermen pulls out a knife and kills Zurga. Other versions, of course, have him die in other ways. In the version I saw, Zurga did not die; the final scene simply showed him standing with the fire nearby, waiting for the fishers to come back.

My Review

In my opinion, this is a very good opera with mellifluous music and cool staging (at least in the version I saw). It should really be performed more often and it may actually be a little better than Bizet's most famous opera, Carmen (at least musically). Some people say that this opera isn't liked very much because it has a bad plot, but I found the plot perfectly fine and easy to follow.
I would like to add that even though the most famous aria of the opera, "Au fond du temple saint" (which is a duet sung by Zurga and Nadir when they promise to be forevermore faithful to one another), was very good, the aria sung by Nadir alone when he remembered when he and Leila first fell in love with one another (this aria is called "Je crois entendre encore") is especially great. It ends where the tenor/Nadir sings some quiet, very high notes; the vocal range of this aria is F3 to B5. B5 is in the tenor's vocal range (which is C3 to C5), but it is around the high extremes and I was amazed upon hearing that note. It is also not too far from the high extreme of the contralto voice range (which is F3-F5). Thus, it takes someone of great skill to sing Nadir's role, and in the version of the opera performed at the Met that I saw, Matthew Polenzani (who, of course, played as Nadir) did a great job.
Though I do admit that I prefer German music over French music, I will in the end say that this is an excellent opera.
Final Rating: 4 1/4 out of 5 stars
Jenůfa





Review by: Brunnhilde

Jenůfa is a three-act opera by Leoš Janáček. Being a fan of Janáček's operas, I found that I liked the music from this dark/serious opera and decided to make a review about it. Here is a plot synopsis:
Before I begin to describe what happens in the opera, I'll list the major characters and how they are related to one another: In a Moravian village, an old woman named Grandmother Buryja owns a mill; both of her sons have married twice, had children, and are now deceased, and their wives have also died, with the exception of Kostelnička, the stepmother of a young woman named Jenůfa. Števa, Jenůfa's cousin and the son of Buryja's elder son, is destined to inherit the mill when Grandmother Buryja dies; he is in love with and engaged to Jenůfa, but his half-brother Laca secretly also loves Jenůfa. Now, on to the story:
Jenůfa, Laca, and Grandmother Buryja are waiting at home for Števa to return; Jenůfa, who is pregnant (but she hasn't told anyone about this), is worried, for Števa could return with the solemn news that he has been drafted into the army. Laca, who is of course jealous of Števa's relationship with Jenůfa, complains about how Števa was always liked better than him and toys with his knife as he angrily talks to Grandmother Buryja and Jenůfa. His knife is blunt, so he gives it to the mill foreman, Stárek, who begins to sharpen it for him. Stárek reports that Števa hasn't been drafted, and everyone except Jenůfa leaves; Jenůfa of course stays behind so she can meet with Števa when he comes home. Števa does return, but to Jenůfa's dismay he is drunk and talks about how he is popular with girls. Števa orders a group of soldiers he brought with him to play music and forces Jenůfa to dance with him. However, the music and the dancing is stopped when Kostelnička arrives, angered by how Števa is acting. As punishment, she removes Števa's rights to marry Jenůfa until he successfully refrains from drinking for one year. Jenůfa and Števa are left alone; Jenůfa urges him to keep loving her no matter what, but Števa, who doesn't know that she is carrying his baby, gives her normal responses and departs.
Laca enters and tries to tempt Jenůfa into disliking Števa's behavior, but it is in vain; Jenůfa continues to side with Števa. Laca angrily retorts that Števa only likes Jenůfa for her perfect, rosy cheeks, and, enraged and envious, he takes out his knife and slices one of those cheeks.
Months pass and winter arrives - and so does the baby. While Kostelnička feels thoroughly ashamed and dishonored because Jenůfa, is a mother without a husband, Jenůfa is content and happy with the baby. To defend her own and her stepdaughter's honor, Kostelnička has hid the baby and Jenůfa in the house and pretended that Jenůfa has gone to another country.
Kostelnička makes Števa come to the house, and she insists that he claims responsibility for the baby; though he vows to give them money, he doesn't want anyone to know that he is the father of the baby, for his love for Jenůfa left him after he saw her disfigured from Laca's blow and he is now engaged to Karolka, the daughter of the mayor.
Števa departs, not even looking once at the baby or Jenůfa, and Laca arrives. Kostelnička tells Laca that Jenůfa never went to another country at all and that he has the right to marry her, but she also tells him the secret about the baby's existence; Laca is offended and can't deal with the idea of raising Števa's baby, but Kostelnička, forming a plan, quickly tells him that the baby is dead. Laca leaves and Kostelnička takes the baby out of the house.
Jenůfa, who is a bit feverish, wakes up and prays for her baby's future, but soon notices that her child is missing. She decides that Kostelnička must have taken the baby to the mill so Števa could see it. Kostelnička gets back and lies to Jenůfa, telling her that she slept for a couple of days and the baby simply died while she was sleeping. Laca enters the house again and tries to comfort Jenůfa, offering her his hand, and she accepts.
Spring comes, as well as Jenůfa and Laca's wedding day. Though Jenůfa has recovered and Laca, Števa, and Karolka (who doesn't know a thing regarding the baby) are happy, Kostelnička has become overly anxious and paranoid. Girls sing wedding songs to Jenůfa and Laca, and Števa and Karolka even pay a visit. But the songs are interrupted when screams are heard; the corpse of a baby has been discovered under the melting ice in the mill-stream. A shocked, angry, and grieving Jenůfa instantly recognizes the baby's clothes as those belonging to her own baby, and the people of the village begin to think that she was the murderer by how distressed she is. However, before the village can punish Jenůfa, Kostelnička reveals that it is she who killed the baby in an attempt to preserve her and her stepdaughter's honor, and she tells her story. Jenůfa forgives Kostelnička, and everyone except Jenůfa and Laca takes Kostelnička to prison. Jenůfa turns to Laca and states that they cannot live together and must go their separate ways in life, but Laca expresses how much he loves her and how much guilt he feels about ruining her beauty and thus causing Števa to abandon her and make her go through so much pain. Jenůfa explains that she forgave Laca for cutting her face a long time ago, and she changes her mind about leaving him, finding that she truly loves him.

My Review

I will admit that I prefer Leoš Janáček's more famous opera The Cunning Little Vixen (this is mainly because I like the music in that opera more than this one, though overall the music was excellent in this opera too), but I will also admit that this/Jenůfa is a very good opera. Though the plot is dark, it is still interesting and kept me watching throughout the whole thing, and, since I have some Czech heritage, I could "feel" the music and thus it appealed to me. However, what especially stands out (to me, at least) is how shockingly realistic this opera is; I could easily imagine that an average American mother, whose daughter has a baby and was abandoned by her husband, could be driven to murder by not just her fear for her daughter but her selfishness and fear of how she would appear to others as well. For example, when the baby was alive in this opera Kostelnička was not only worried about her daughter, but her own image, and ranted and raved about how if the truth were discovered about the baby's existence, people would go around pointing at her/Kostelnička and gossiping about her. This kind of murder from fear of social stigma is largely a matter of possibility in less secular areas of my country (the USA). Overall, despite how serious and dark this opera's storyline is, this is an excellent opera.
Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Good Friday Music (from the opera Parsifal)





DISCLAIMER: I do not claim ownership for the pictures displayed above.

Review by: Brunnhilde

To commemorate Easter Sunday (note that I submitted this review on March 27th, 2016), I decided to do a review on the Good Friday Music from Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal. The Good Friday Music plays in Act 3 Scene 1 of the opera. Since the music in Parsifal is flowing and continuous, single arias and orchestral excerpts are hard to take out of the opera; however, Wagner took some parts of his opera and changed them slightly so that they end more naturally and thus can be played separately, including the Good Friday Music. You can look up "Parsifal Good Friday Music" on Youtube if you want to listen to it; it isn't very long (the different versions generally range from 10 to 20 minutes long). Since Parsifal is a fairly long opera, I shall make the plot summary as short as I can so you just get the general idea of it and so I can get to the reviewing part:
In medieval Spain, there is a region owned and guarded by Knights of the Holy Grail; this place is called the Grail Kingdom. Not too far away in Spain is the palace of an evil magician and former Knight named Klingsor. Amfortas, the ruler of the Grail kingdom, has a wound that cannot heal; Amfortas had fallen for a mystery woman who turned out to be a servant of Klingsor, and Klingsor arrived and stole the Holy Spear from Amfortas (while wounding Amfortas with it in the process, of course). Back in the present, a Knight named Gurnemanz and a strange woman named Kundry encounter a young man named Parsifal, and Parsifal learns about the Knights and the Grail. Parsifal sets out on a mission to get the Spear back, and eventually makes it to Klingsor's castle. Enchanting Flowermaidens try to get him to fall in love with them, but they overwhelm him slightly, so Kundry (who turns out to be the mystery woman Amfortas fell for) comes and takes the Flowermaiden's place. Parsifal almost does fall for her, but when Kundry kisses him Parsifal feels intense pain, as if Amfortas' wound has been put into Parsifal's body. Parsifal rejects Kundry, and Klingsor arrives and throws the Spear at Parsifal in order to kill him. Parsifal miraculously catches the Spear, makes a cross sign with it, and the castle crumbles. Parsifal then sets out on his journey back to the Grail Kingdom, but a curse has fallen upon him and it takes him years and years to find the right path back. He arrives and meets with Kundry and an aged Gurnemanz on Good Friday, and this is where the Good Friday Music plays (for a continued synopsis, look up Parsifal on Wikipedia).

My Review

I shall split this review into two parts: One about the music itself, and one about how Parsifal and Good Friday are related.
First of all, the music is very good. It even sounds solemn, peaceful, and pious (the good/"holy" kind of pious, not the "insincere" kind of pious) and thus truly is music for Good Friday.
Secondly, the story of Parsifal is similar to Good Friday in several ways. One of the more obvious similarities is that Kundry's kiss is quite like Judas'; Kundry was betraying Parsifal and trying to lead him to his death, and Judas did the same to Jesus. Also, Amfortas was stabbed by Klingsor, who wielded the Holy Spear; meanwhile, Jesus' side was pierced by the Spear too. Finally, Kundry herself is directly related to Good Friday; though her past isn't discussed in the opera, I once heard that upon seeing Jesus on the cross, she laughed at his pain, and ever since has been cursed so that whenever she wants to cry, she laughs instead.
In the end, this music suits both Good Friday and the opera Parsifal itself very well, and it is great music - and perhaps holy music, too.
Final Rating: 5 out of 5 stars



| Welcome! | Reviews: Books | Reviews- Movies | Operas and musicals | Music |

Reviews-Books, Movies, TV, and More! - Operas and musicals (Daily life - Others)    -    Author : P,B, and J - USA



4144 visitors since 2014-07-25
Last update : 2016-03-28

Blog-City.info >> Daily life >> Blog #25489

Create your own
WEBSITE !
Make new friends all over the World !
Make penpal friends with StudentsoftheWorld.info

Visit France !

website author area
Password :
Forgot password? - unpublish