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| Giuseppe Verdi |
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| Richard Wagner |
It marks a double bicentennials this year for two great opera composers. They are Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, both were born in 1813 with only five months apart. They are so influential in the world of opera that some of the melodies & tunes continue to play in people's life. Giuseppe Verdi was an Italian. He dominated the Italian opera after Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini. He was also a long-lived composer, quite well to do before he died. He was also unique in setting up a living space for the well-known retired opera singers. This is really rare as most composers struggle to make a living during their productive years. Richard Wagner was a German. He single-handed created German Opera, later called Music Opera. He not only composed music, but also wrote lyrics and story of the opera. His operas typically are long, intricate in plot and character. In contrast to Verdi, Wagner as a person was stingy, quarrelsome and hard to get along. He was not generous as Verdi and he thought most people owe him something because of his genius. However, his influence is enormous as he frequently is listed as the top 10 greatest composers in history. It is worth to note that Cosima, daughter of Liszt, wife of famous conductor Hans von Bulow, eloped with Wagner and spent a few years in Villa Tribschen near Lake Lucerne of Switzerland. Wagner got involved with revolutionary activities in 1848 and he had to leave the country to avoid being arrest. While I visited Lucerne in 1986, I took a one-mile walk from the lake to see Villa Tribschen. It was a nice and well-kept two-story building, a museum now opened to public. I saw a lot of his artifacts and manuscripts including Die Meistersinger which he completed in the villa. Wagner was fortunate that the mad king Ludwig II liked him so much that he financed most Wagner's activities including the Bayreuth Festival.
The following are some of the most popular arias and tunes in the world of opera from these two composers.
From Verdi:
La Donna e Mobile, Rigoretto
Libiamo, La Traviata
Follie, Sempre Libera ( Folly, Always Free), La Traviata
Grand March, Aida
Va, Pensiero, Nabucco
Questa o Quella, Rigoretto
From Wagner:
Bridal Chorus, Lohengrin
Ride of Valkyries, Die Walcure
Fest March, Tannhauser
Overture, Tannhauser
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When I was in high school, I used to get confused and mixed up the opera Rigoletto (弄臣) and Pagliacci (小丑), I think the reason is that 弄臣 and 小丑 is close (meaning) in Mandarin and also both operas have hunchbacked court jester & clown. The opera is based on Victor Hugo's play Le roi s'amuse (The King's Fool). Since it depicts some misdeeds of Francis I of France & got censored. Same thing happened to Verdi's work as it deemed politically incorrect under the rule of Austria at that time. So the setting of the play was changed to the palace of the Duke of Mantua, a petty Italian nobleman, and the opera was named Rigoletto, the name of the court jester. The aria 'La Donna e Mobile' is from the third act of Rigoletto when the Duke dressed as a soldier, comes to the inn calling loudly for a room and some wine. The aria's title in English is 'Woman is Fickle', which vividly characterizes the Duke as a gay philanderer. This aria was so popular that most audiences sang along when the tune shew up. So later Verdi introduced a three-second silence at the beginning of the song (0:15-0.18 and 1:09-1:12) before the tenor utters the first word. The following is the lyrics:
La donna è mobile
Qual piuma al vento,
Muta d'accento — e di pensiero.
Sempre un amabile,
Leggiadro viso,
In pianto o in riso, — è menzognero.
È sempre misero
Chi a lei s'affida,
Chi le confida — mal cauto il cuore!
Pur mai non sentesi
Felice appieno
Chi su quel seno — non liba amore!
English Translation:
Woman is flighty
Like a feather in the wind,
She changes her voice — and her mind.
Always sweet,
Pretty face,
In tears or in laughter, — she is always lying.
Always miserable
Is he who trusts her,
He who confides in her — his unwary heart!
Yet one never feels
Fully happy
Who on that bosom — does not drink love!
'Questa o Quella' is from the Act One of Rigoletto. The Duke of Mantua sums up his cynical philosophy about women in this graceful and carefree aria. One woman is as welcome to him as another. Fidelity has no appeal for the true lover, who cherishes his freedom to rove. The title of the aria translated into English literally is 'This or That'. If you have watched some DVDs from Questar's Rudy Maxa travel series before, you will not forget the introductory tune before each episode, that is Questa o Quella.
Some background information of Nabucco:
Nabucco is Nebuchadnezzar, king of Chaldeans. Around 600 BC, more than 1,000 years after Hammurabi had ruled there, the Chaldeans, after defeating the Assyrians, made Babylon their capital. Nabucco built the Hanging Garden of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Among the peoples that Nabucco conquered were the Jews. After a long siege, his armies captured Jerusalem in 586 BC. Nabucco captured about 15,000 Jews and sent them as slaves to Babylon. It was not until 538 BC, Cyrus, king of Persia, allowed the Jew to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild their city.
Nabucco is the opera about Nebuchadnessar and the Jews, the intrigue & love stories among Nabucco, his daughters ( Fenera and Abigaille) and Jew (Ismaele). The best known chorus is Va Pensiero (Fly Thought, on Golden Wings). The song is the longing voice of Jews to return to their homeland. It was reported that the performance of the opera caused some political problems in Milan because people in Italy were fighting for their independence from Austrians at that time. I have heard that in 1960's a group of people for Taiwan Independence sang this chorus in their meeting and gathering. This is really a very moving chorus. Ironically, this chorus is seldom heard in Taiwan while we were there.
茶花女是小仲馬 (Alexander Dumas, fils, 1824-1895) 最有名的一部小說,風行一時,後改編成戲劇. Verdi 把它搬上歌劇,第一次公演失敗,但一年後修改,大為成功. La Triviata is a love story between Violetta & Alfredo. It is dramatic, sad & tragic.
Libiamo is a drinking song (Brindisi in Italian). To be exact, Libiamo ne' lieti calici is 'Drink from the joyful cup'. This is from the Act One, when guests crowd into the drawing room, they sing this song and drink happily. Alfredo's eyes are on Violetta as he sings, and she joyously takes up the melody in response. Then the entire chorus joins in to bring the song to a rousing conclusion. If you are interesting to see the rendition from Andre Lieu, visit the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be9KYx-w_m0
'Follie, Sempre Libera' is the famous aria, one of the top three arias for coloratura soparano. This aria reflects Violetta's determination to abandon herself solely to pleasure. She will forget Alfredo's love by pursuing new joys, each wilder and fiercer than the last. You can hear her song is interrupted by the sound of Alfredo's voice outside. He repeats the passionate melody in which he declared his love earlier. Violetta stands as if hypnotized, then bursts forth again into the glittering phrases of her aria. This brilliant climax brings the first act to a close.
PS: The other two top arias for 花腔女高音歌手 are Queen of the Night (Magic Flute) and Una voce poco fa ("A voice a little while ago", The Barber of Seville).
Aida is a love story between an Ethiopian princess (captured and brought into slavery in Egypt) and a military commander, Radamès. He struggles to choose between his love for her and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. To make love a triangle,
Radamès is also loved by the Pharaoh's daughter Amneris, though he does not return her favor.
In the opera, they quarrel (mix with love) with each other most of the time. The most well-known tune is the Grand March (Triumphal March). In the video clip from 3:49-5:25, you will see the main theme played by four long instruments. They are longer than truimpet & more than normal horn. They are Post Horn, silvery and brilliant with unmatched brass quality.
The other famous aria in Aida is 'Celeste Aida' (聖潔的 Aida). If you are interested, please visit the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9zpUKbLXsM to see the Mario Lanza's performance from the movie 'The Great Caruso'.
PS: 'Giuseppe Verdi' is 'Joe Green' in English translation literally.
In the western world, the Bridal Chorus usually is played at the entrance of the wedding processing. At the exit of the wedding ceremony, the wedding march by Felix Mendelssohn is usually played. The main reason is that the wedding march by Mendelssohn is a faster melody full of gay, happy feeling & ready for the merry gathering & partying. In contrast, the bridal chorus of Wagner is much more solemn & dignified with ethereal feeling suitable for the union of a couple. Ironically, this chorus is sung in Lohengrin by the women of the party after the ceremony, not before the ceremony as they accompany the bride to the bridal chamber.
Some people think it may not be appropriate to play this chorus as the marriage between Elsa (heroine) & Lohengrin is an almost immediate failure. However, it doesn't matter. This is the case that music is so celestial, heavenly and influential that trumps any other inappropriate reason. The Bridal Chorus becomes one of the most popular & frequently played classical music in the world.
The 'Ride of the Valkyries' is the popular name for the beginning of Act III of 'Die Walkure', the second of the four operas by Richard Wagner that comprise 'Der Ring des Nibelungen'. Together with the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin, the 'Ride of the Valkyries' is one of Wagner's best-known pieces.
In the opera, the eight Valkyries greet each other and sing their battle-cry in preparation for the transportation of fallen heroes to Valhalla. The tune was used in the movie 'Apocalypse Now' in 1979 and later used in Macintosh game, Airborne. I still have a good old Mac and every once in a while I get it out to try this game. The tune was also used in German wartime newsreel and the regimental quick march of the British Parachute Regiment.
The Ring Cycle of 'Der Ring des Nibelungen' is a hot ticket in Bayreuth Festival each year. It takes several days to finish the performance. Most people can't stand it. However, there are still a lot of die-hard Wagner's fan in this world to keep the festival going. The Ring Cycle consists of Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung. The most well-known hero & heroine in the Ring are Siegfried and Brünnhilde.
Tannhauser is a story of love (profane and sacred), repent and redemption. The Overture consists of three sections: the pilgrims procession, profane love in Venusberg and finally the reappearance of the pilgrims procession conveying the redemption of Tannhauser. The music of pilgrims procession is one of the most serene piece in classical music, ethereal & eternal.
The Fest March is played in the Act II during the entrance of knights, nobles, ladies and attendants, an inspiring scene of pageantry and ceremony before the song contest. It is one of the most grand & splendid march Wagner has ever written.
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