Opera for People Who Don’t Like It
This is going to be long. There is just too much here to laugh at: Sopranos and Mezzo-Sopranos I used to have a wonderful vocal coach who, when she heard me say something that she […]
This is going to be long. There is just too much here to laugh at: Sopranos and Mezzo-Sopranos I used to have a wonderful vocal coach who, when she heard me say something that she […]
This is a true story. I am not making it up. I was there, and I saw the whole thing. The opera was Puccini’s Tosca, produced by The Israel National Opera in their home theater, […]
Tenors Yes, tenors get their own chapter. You’ll see why. Tenors and sopranos are natural enemies, passionate lovers or both. Whatever the state of the relationship, it is never dull. Tenors are the rock stars […]
There was a time in the history of opera when singers ruled. If you had a great voice, it wouldn’t matter if you looked like a gorilla. You were in. Stage directors would never dare […]
Auditions If you think job interviews are the liver and Brussels sprouts on the dinner plate of life, try doing an audition sometime. An audition makes a job interview look like a triple-dip double chocolate […]
The So-Called Life of an Opera Singer Life upon the wicked stage ain’t nothin’ for a girl. Ellie in Jerome Kern’s and Oscar Hammerstein II’s musical Show Boat* People outside “The Business” are fascinated when […]
THE FRENCH AND THE RUSSIANS Once everybody else saw that the Italians had come up with a Good Thing, other countries wanted to get in on it. I already covered the Germans in an earlier […]
American Appetizer PRETZELS INGREDIENTS 3/4 cup warm water 2 cups bread flour or plain flour 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar 1/2 tablespoon dry active yeast 1 egg no-stick spray 1/2 […]
DEATH, OPERATIC STYLE In most operas, somebody dies. Usually it’s the hero or the heroine, or both of them. Occasionally, someone else will get in on the act, too, not wanting to be left out […]
Those Crazy Germans In my last lesson, I mentioned opera plots and how they are reminiscent of lurid cable TV channels that specialize in re-enacted crimes. As an example, I gave the plot of Verdi’s […]