The premiere of this opera, based on Alexandrs Duma's play "La Dame aux Camélias", which Verdi saw in Paris, was a failure. This is mainly due to the fact that on the night of the premiere in Venice, the protagonist was so fat that when "dying" on stage of tuberculosis, the audience erupted into uncontrollable laughter. Much to Verdi's delight, it was triumplahntly played again in the same city 14 months later, after international acclaim.
In this opera, the courtesan Violetta kindly sacrifices her love for Alfredo by obeying his father's desire, and die of tuberculosis, the moment Alfredo turns to her.
- Libiamo
The curtain opens with a celebration in Violetta's house and Alfredo in a lively mood begins the famous song of the drinking, Libiamo (Let's drink), in which Violetta joins her voice with enthusiasm and then with all the guests.
- Di Provenza il mar, il suoi
However, the couple's happiness is brief. Alfredo's father, worried about his son's reputation, is calling on Violett to abandon him. She retreats and leaves for Paris, while the father comforts his som with memories of their home in Provence in Di Provenza il mar, il suol (The land and sea of Provence).
- Addio del passato
The opera ends with Violett in the bed of death, where in one of Verdi's most moving arias, Addio del passato (Goodbye Dreams of the Past), abandons every dream of happiness.
- Parigi, o cara, noi lasce remo
Then Alfredro appears and after a touching reunion, the couple sings the polite, Parigi, o cara, noi lasce remo (We will live in Paris, my love). But Violett is helpless from the disease even to dress up and dies in Alfredo's arms.
Johann Strauss II composed "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka" in 1858 after a successful tour of Russia where he performed in the summer concert season at Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg. It was first performed in a concert in Vienna on 24 November 1858. The German word "trarch" means gossip, while the word "tritsch" has no meaning. The title is a sample of Johann Strauss II's habit of creating puns. In this case he wanted to imitate sonically the English expression "chit-chat" (drizzle, gossip). The music is lively and Strauss hypothesized that many dancers could wait while chatting until a waltz is played. The composer wrote in his diary that at the time he was conducting a series of concerts in London, the audience asked for this polka 38 times! It is a lively, rhythmic work, in A major, which uses brilliant brass and percussion instruments and is widely decorated with trills and a multitude of musical ornaments. Interpretively it is a demanding work, ...
'The Woodman's Child' painting of Arthur Hughes, expresses wonderfully the dreamy quality of "Dreaming" from Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood". For Robert Schumann , music was almost always a personal expression of contemplation, feelings and poetic contemplation and that is exactly what makes him one of the most important romantic composers. The piano was Schumann's first love and his compositions for this instrument are among the most resistant through the passage of time. Schumann composed "Scenes from Childhood" album, the best-known of all his pianistic circles, in 1838. It consists of 13 "peculiarly small works", as described by the composer, each with its own title, which expresses a specific childhood memory. These works are all simple and charming, but Dreaming ( Träumerei) is the most popular and best known of all. It is often included in musical collections for solo piano and often the virtuoso performers includ...
Johann Strauss II , celebrated for his waltzes and lively dance music, followed a distinctive creative approach. He consistently sought contemporary and recognizable themes as the inspiration for his compositions, ensuring that his music remained fresh and closely connected to the everyday experiences of his audiences. A characteristic example of this approach can be found in Vergnügungszug (Pleasure Train), a fast polka ( Polka schnell ) composed in 1864. The work was written for one of the famous summer concerts Strauss conducted in Pavlovsk, near St. Petersburg, where he spent several seasons presenting new compositions. For this particular piece, Strauss drew inspiration from a symbol of modern progress at the time: the steam locomotive. The composition vividly captures the energy and motion of a train in full operation. Its driving rhythm evokes the steady chugging of a steam engine, while short, repeated figures suggest the mechanical movement of the wheels along the tracks. Str...
Comments
Post a Comment