Listening To 19th Century Opera

My reflections and notes for this exercise are focused more on the music than the characters or plot, so I will only mention these things when directly relevant to the musical aspect being discussed. Opera is difficult ground which I'm determined to cover and appreciate, and my exposure to the works below has taught me a lot and ignited further interest.

Gioachino Rossini - The Thievish Magpie, The Barber Of Seville

The Thievish Magpie is most famous for its overture, which features prominent use of the snare drum. What I found exciting about this overture is the striking changes of character where Rossini employs themes found later in the opera. The opening has a somewhat triumphant military feel courtesy of the solo snare introduction, but later moves to an often stormy allegro in triple time. We are also exposed to a witty theme that begins softly but gradually builds to a furious outburst, and a jubilant ending. The overture, in ten minutes, appears to be brief synopsis for the entire opera.

The Barber Of Seville's overture is one of the most famous pieces in the classical repertoire, and I was fortunate to see it performed by the London Concert Orchestra in March. Unlike the overture to the Thievish Magpie, Rossini didn't compose this piece specifically for the opera, he had in fact used it in two previous operas. After a short introduction from full orchestral chords, the piece begins proper with a sublime cantabile effort from the oboe followed by a jaunty but mellow section with plucked string accompaniment. Later in the piece appears the ultra-famous theme of violins over chugging accompaniment which is treated to intense development before we are treated again to the oboe's lyrical singing style, joined shortly by the horn. This section, like the ultimate end to the overture features a characteristic 'Rossini Crescendo'.

Largo Al Factotum is a famous baritone aria from the opera and a classic example of 'patter song', which is, according to wikipedia,

'characterized by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid  succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note'. 

The piece is very humorous and entertaining to listen to, which its tongue-twisting agility and moments of falsetto.


Giuseppe Verdi - Aida, Rigoletto

There is a clear contrast in tone here to Rossini's opera buffa style looked at previously. For the opera Aida, I listened to Gloria all'Egitto, Marcia Trionfale and Ballabile which all run consecutively. Gloria all'Egitto is a choral piece with orchestral accompaniment. It has a triumphant brass introduction, heralding the arrival of the strings and other instruments. The voices alternative between powerful outbursts and calm song-like qualities with a beautiful arpeggiated melodic fragment that occurs again at the end but much more strongly. The piece ends with a fantastic crescendo, aided by strong percussion leading directly into the Grand March. Marcia Trionfale is one of the most famous marches ever written. It features a simple, melodic, repeating brass theme first over brass accompaniment, then plucked strings. There is a direct modulation halfway through, leading to a short transition, in turn leading back to the main theme, this time punctuated with a single repeated note from the trumpet. Again there is a seamless transition to Ballabile, which leaves the jubilant character of the march behind for a more stormy approach, but quickly takes on a dance-like feel. There are strong 'Egyptian' (what I'd imagine most people would think that ancient Egyptian music sounded like) melodies dispersed throughout the piece.

In Verdi's Rigoletto, La donna è mobile is the most easily recognisable 'tune'. The listener is treated to a surprise from the very beginning, where the first section fails to resolve, and instead there is a short pause before the theme begins again, this time with the tenor. Another surprise comes later near the end, where there is a bold and triumphant 'ending', but in fact the instrumentals begin the theme again, which is modified and ends with a much softer tone.

I also listened to the opening Preludio, which is very short, and of a very sombre and melancholic character which has the occasional loud outburst before descending back into the gloom. The piece has a theme played by the trumpets and trombone that recurs several times. What I found most interesting about this music is its gradual building of tension and release, and its dramatic ending.


Georges Bizet - Carmen

At the same concert at which I saw The Barber of Seville's overture performed, I was also treated to several pieces from the Carmen Suite, orchestrated music compiled by Bizet's friend after his death. As these were all orchestrated versions, I also listened to the operatic versions on Spotify, to form a comparison; the 'suite' versions do stay true to Bizet's originals.

The Spanish flavour to the opera comes from Bizet's gathering of folk songs, as he had never visited Spain. Habanera is the commonly known name for 'L'amour est un oiseau rebelle', the opening aria for the title character. The unusual and exotic sound of Carmen's melody is based on a descending chromatic scale. The vocals take prominence throughout the piece, with light plucked and bowed strings acting as accompaniment.  There are moments where a choir can be heard imitating Carmen's melody, and short outbursts where the soloist, choir and orchestra dynamically peak together.

The Prelude is an orchestral piece which embodies three themes found later in the opera: the bullfighters from Act 4, the refrain from Les Toréadors in Act 2, and Carmen's 'fate' motif. The piece gives the audience a taster of what's to come, starting triumphantly, but with distinct and sudden changes in mood at the beginnings of the two other themes, especially the foreboding fate theme.

Aragonaise (as it's known in the Carmen Suite), is a Spanish dance in triple time, and is the interlude before Act 4 of the opera. I think this piece has an especially Spanish sound, with the rattling tambourine and exotic oboe sound a large part of the reason.


Richard Wagner - Ring Cycle, Parisfal

Wagner's The Ring Cycle is a behemoth of a work, taking 26 years to complete and is actually comprised of four large operas bound together with the same story. Easily the most well known piece of music from the cycle, and in the classical music repertoire as a whole is "The Ride of the Valkyries". Previously I had only heard the purely instrumental version, but found I really enjoyed the version actually featured in the opera. It is stormy and dramatic, suited to the scene of the Valkyrie sisters preparing to take the fallen heroes to Valhalla. The purpose of the music here is to depict the 'galloping of their airborne steeds, the rushing winds, and their fierce battle cries'. The music is certainly powerful, and Wagner does a great job of painting the intended musical landscape in the mind of the listener.

The other ultra-famous piece from the cycle is Bridal Chorus. It has been adapted and played countless times at weddings across the western world. In those circumstances it is usually played instrumentally, on an organ or piano, or by a string quartet or similar. Wagner's original however is vocal with a light orchestral accompaniment. The tune is very familiar, and I enjoyed this version a lot, and would like to see it in context with the visuals of the opera.

The Ring Cycle includes a 100 or so individual leitmotifs which serve to accompany people, places, emotions and objects in the operas. These leitmotifs are incredibly important in this work, so I thought I'd explore some here. The 'sword' theme is one of the most crucial, as it appears in all of the four operas, and bridges three characters. What is interesting is Wagner's development of the themes; he slightly modifies the 'sword' theme at different times depending on its context and the emotions of the character. The 'Valhalla' theme is grand and majestic, evoking the epic scene of its namesake. The 'Gold' motif depicts exactly that, with a bright brass melody accompanied by harp and twinkling percussion.

For the opera Parsifal, I listened to the long opening prelude. In a program note for Parsifal I saw this piece described as 'slowly and meditatively' introducing the listener to the forthcoming music. I thought this was apt as it was the same thoughts I had at first listen. The prelude is comprised mostly from the various thematic material from the main body of the opera, so is a good 'overview' of the musical landscape. Like in his other works, Wagner makes extensive use of leitmotifs, and three can be heard in this opening piece: Motif of the Sacrament (clarinet, bassoon, muted violins and cellos), Grail Motif (softly played trumpets and trombones), Motif of Faith (played immediately after the Grail Motif, on brass instruments). The prelude, like the opera, concludes with a feeling of hope and redemption.

Wagner's operatic repertoire differs from the other composers studied, in that he engineers a continual flow of music, with no free standing arias. His focus was to ultimately fuse all aspects of the arts, lead by the superior power of music.