Thursday, July 14, 2005
Unlike many of the indulgences of Puccini and Verdi, Mozart’s operas require an introduction: Not only are they long, but they are musically complex. Now, as the world celebrates the 250th anniversary of his birth, I feel compelled to understand his music and its plots, but also the times in which they were written and why they are great.
So I’ve started taking this on-line course about Mozart’s operas. I’m finding that though he wrote music for a plethora of venues, opera was his preferred and the inspiration for his greatest music.
What I’m also realizing is that nobody, but nobody, in the history of music, could use aria to move a story forward like he did. Who else can set into motion the complex plot of “The Magic Flute” with one short aria – the queen of the night demanding he rescue of her daughter. Portraying a seemingly sweet, then neurotic and obsessive compulsive control freq, the Queen of the Night - in the span of 5 minutes – convinces two rather disparate personalities to embark on a tortured journey to save her daughter. (Apparently, his cousin was the reigning diva of the day – during the times of opera seria – and wrote many of his most famous roles for her; including runs requiring the singer to hit 5 high Fs in the Magic Flute.)
So he is one of the only surviving opera composers of his time. Opera seria, by historical standards, was shit. Music was written for the moment, and infamously bowed to the whims of the divas, who were so bold as to interrupt a composers piece with their favorite aria.
But Mozart survived, despite this. His music became the standard for future composers. History kept him beside her.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m learning more and more about his genius (and his great comedies) and what has come to be some of the most oft-performed music in history.
More to come. . . . (God help you – forgive me, we all have to have our passions, you know)
So I’ve started taking this on-line course about Mozart’s operas. I’m finding that though he wrote music for a plethora of venues, opera was his preferred and the inspiration for his greatest music.
What I’m also realizing is that nobody, but nobody, in the history of music, could use aria to move a story forward like he did. Who else can set into motion the complex plot of “The Magic Flute” with one short aria – the queen of the night demanding he rescue of her daughter. Portraying a seemingly sweet, then neurotic and obsessive compulsive control freq, the Queen of the Night - in the span of 5 minutes – convinces two rather disparate personalities to embark on a tortured journey to save her daughter. (Apparently, his cousin was the reigning diva of the day – during the times of opera seria – and wrote many of his most famous roles for her; including runs requiring the singer to hit 5 high Fs in the Magic Flute.)
So he is one of the only surviving opera composers of his time. Opera seria, by historical standards, was shit. Music was written for the moment, and infamously bowed to the whims of the divas, who were so bold as to interrupt a composers piece with their favorite aria.
But Mozart survived, despite this. His music became the standard for future composers. History kept him beside her.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m learning more and more about his genius (and his great comedies) and what has come to be some of the most oft-performed music in history.
More to come. . . . (God help you – forgive me, we all have to have our passions, you know)
# posted by otas : 4:33 PM
