Welcome to Opera-Online!Welcome students and teachers for this edition of Opera Online! This week we start looking at our next production, the comedic double bill of Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges and Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.
The first thing I want to talk about this week is the pronunciation of both of these visually intimidating titles.
Both the vowels in "L'en" and "fant" of L'enfant sounds a bit like the "aw" sound in the English word lawn, but without the "n" at the end, like "lawfaw". "Et" sounds like ay, "les" sounds like "lay". The last syllable of sortilèges sounds sort of like the English word ledge, but replace the "d" with a soft g sound like in the word mirage: sore-tee-LEHZH.
The title is pronounced: law-FAW ay lay sore-tee-LEHZH.
Gianni Schicchi is much easier. Gianni sounds just like the name Johnny and Schicchi is just like combining the words ski and key. So, Gianni Schicchi sounds just like Johnny Ski-key.
Youtube Clip of the Week
Our Youtube clip of the week shows the opening scene of Ravel's masterpiece L'enfant et les sortilèges. It's a radically different kind of production than the Opera Company will produce, but it's a great introduction to the opera. This clip us unique in that it's from a ballet company. Their production is very over sized and fanciful, while the Opera Company's production is not realized in the same way. Next week, we'll look at a production that a little bit more similar to what OCP will produce.
Unfortunately, the subtitles in this clip are not in English, but the choreography is so clear you won't have any doubt as to what is going on.
Web Site of the Week
Over the next few weeks we'll guide you to websites pertaining to the upcoming production: opera singer websites, sites devoted to the composers, sites devoted to relevant topics, like Dante's Divine Comedy. This week we'll visit baritone Mark Stone's website. Mark stars in the title role of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. Mark sang with us a few years ago in the role of Ford in Verdi's Falstaff. Mark's got great pictures on his site and some examples of his wonderful singing and beautiful voice, too.
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Until next week...
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