Sounds of Learning

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome to Opera Online! This week we focus on Puccini's comedic gem, Gianni Schicchi. Youtube Clip of the Week We start our look at Schicchi with the opera's hit tune, one of the most popular opera arias ever written, "O mio babbino caro." In the aria, Lauretta begs her babbino , or daddy, to let her marry her boyfriend, Rinuccio. If he doesn't she will fling herself into the Arno River. Before we hear the aria, review its text on page 30 of the student guide. If you don't have a guide handy, you can download it onto your computer by clicking on the image above. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of performances of this aria on youtube, featuring legendary singers like Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, and Leontyne Price , up and coming singers in conservatories, 9 year old girls, and more. We'll actually look at three different performances of this aria: two by legendary singers who were known for their acting ability, and...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome to Opera Online! This week we're still looking at Ravel's enchanted L'enfant et les sortilèges . Youtube Clip of the Week Have you ever been intimidated by word problems in your math class? Well, the Child in L'enfant et les sortilèges is definitely intimidated by them! In this clip, Mr. Arithmetic comes to life and starts shouting silly word problems that don't make any sense. It's a bit like a mini-nightmare for the Child. You can follow along with the text on page 20 of the workbook where you'll find the costume design for Arithmetic in the our production. This video comes from a performance at the Glyndebourne Festival in England and was filmed in 1987. How many years ago was that? This production uses animations, just like the Opera Company's production will. Web Site of the Week Our Web Site of the Week visit's the Maurice Ravel official homepage. While he died in 1937, this web site is run by Ravel enth...