[lit-ideas] Operoar
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:39:33 EST
"Operoar" is the title of a book on James Joyce's references to opera. I
still have to look at it.
Schilleriana
In a message dated 2/25/2009 4:47:09 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
cblists@xxxxxxxx writes:
On 25-Feb-09, at 1:52 AM, Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx wrote:
> There are only two hits in the OED for 'freude': the schadenfreude
> one and a few under 'strength
> through joy [freude]' (1935)
That's terrible! Rewrite the thing immediately! How about that over
200 year-old scrap of poetry 'An die Freude'- not wholly unknown in
the English world
-----
That's very good. I was recently listening to Schiller, actually.
You see, I'm into opera, and want to have my Donizetti complete. So I got
the "Maria Stuarda" DVD, only to find out -- it's not that bad -- it's a
German
television film, in German,
with operatic bits dubbed by la Stupenda Sutherland and Pavarotti.
I'm amazed how many of the Italians fell for Schiller for operatic purposes.
There's also Verdi, "Luisa Miller" (based on the Kabalah book) and "Forza
del Destino".
In the case of Verdi and the Milan group (around La Scala) it is
understandable because Maffei (married to this contessa) _was_ a Germanophile.
Donizetti
being from further south -- or _working_ further south -- is a more
difficult case to analyse.
But I suppose Schiller was everybody's fare of the day, in that day.
I'm learning a lot of Teutonic literature via the Italian operas. There's
Gounod and Boito's Fausti, of course -- my favourite being the "Salute,
demure,
casta, pura" -- and Massenet's Werther (with the grand 'perche me
ridestar'). O.T.O.H., German composers themselves (Wagner, and Richard
Strauss) take
much longer to assimilate. Of R. Strauss, what did get me is his parody on
Rossini's serenata (Barbier) in "Di rigore armato il seno". And of Lohengrin I
still have to study the tenor aria in Italian (for a local recital, if you can
believe that):
LOHENGRIN. Premiered in Italian at Royal Italian Opera House, Covent Garden,
May 8, 1875.
rec. Pertile, 1927.
Libretto by Arrigo Boito, Music by R. Wagner
The cast at Covent Garden
Henry The Fowler ......Seideman
Lohengrin (tenor).......Nicolini
Elsa .........................Albani
Friedrich von Telramund ......Maurel
Ortrud (female)....................Capponi
Four Nobles ...............Rossi, Manfredi, Fallar, Raguer
Four Pages .........Parry, Pocchini, Estele, Portaluppi, Ferrari, Vianello,
Abraham, Mardini
Conductor : Auguste Vianesi After the premiere, Lohengrin was regarded as
one of the most interesting musical events of the season.
Lohengrin’s “Aria”, “Da voi lontan in sconosciuta terra”
Da voi lontan in sconosciuta tERRA
havvi un castel che ha nome MontsalvATO
là un sacro tempio una foresta sERRA
di gemme senza pari e d’oro ornATO
ivi una coppa che del cielo è dONO
guardata è qual reliquia del signOR
a lor che di virtù campioni sONO
un angiol la portò sull’ali d’OR
ogni anno una colomba vien dal ciELO
a rinnovare il santo suo potER
essa è il san grail e forza e santo zELO
infonde in seno dei suoi cavaliER
chi del san graal è a cavaliere elETTO
munito è di potere sovrumAN
inerte è contro lui l’inganno abbiETTO
di ucciderlo si attenta ognun invAN
e se mandato egli è in lontana tERRA
l’onore e la virtude a sostenER
ei resta vincitore in ogni guERRA
poichè lo scorta un magico potER
però del Graal chi scopre il velo arcANO
dal guardo dei profani de’ fuggIR
apparve a voi cotal segreto strANO
Tosto deggio partIR
di voi prodi or si dia risposta dEGNA
del graal qui mi traeva il gran volER
mio padre Parsifal in esso rEGNA
son Lohengrin suo figlio e cavaliER
Sublime -- some of the modulations I had never head before. Very 'witty' and
'effective' and 'daring'.
Cheers,
JL
Bordighera, etc
**************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy
steps!
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1218822736x1201267884/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID
%3D62%26bcd%3DfebemailfooterNO62)
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
- » [lit-ideas] Operoar - Jlsperanza
