Skip to main content

Phaedra- Epilogue


Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! This week we are concluding our look at the Opera Company of Philadelphia's production of Hans Werner Henze's Phaedra. For those of you who were able to see the production we would love to have your feedback! Tell us what you think and post your reviews here! Did you like the opera? Why or why not? Which was your favorite character and why? Did you like the costumes and sets? Who was your favorite singer? Which singer had the best and most impressive singing voice? Please include your first name and school in your post.

Video Clip of the Week!!
This week's video clips feature other works by Hans Werner Henze. If you enjoyed Phaedra be sure to check out these operas too!

The first clip is from Henze's comic opera Der Junge Lord. This German opera tells the tale of a mysterious English nobleman who comes to visit a small town in Germany and ends up tricking the village into believing a dressed up trained ape is his son. The clip shows part of the ballroom scene, where Sir Edgar reveals Lord Barrett, his son, to the town. The villagers accept Lord Barrett's strange behavior as upperclass eccentricity. One of the town maidens even falls in love with the strange young lord! If you want to see the whole opera the is a film version of a 1968 production.

If you enjoyed the Opera Company of Philadelphia production, be sure to see the Curtis Opera Theater's production of Henze's Elegy for Young Lovers in March 2012. This English opera takes a look at the human nature behind artistic greatness and shows that not all artistic inspiration comes from good. Gregor Mittenhofer, a poet, takes a retreat to the Alps to find artistic inspiration for his next great poem. His ruthless manipulation of the characters around him create result is as dramatic as the deadly snowstorm that swirls around the Alpine inn. The clip is a preview of the opera from a 2010 production in England.


Der Junge Lord, 1968 movie production



Elegy fro Young Lovers preview



Website of the Week!!
If you enjoyed the story of Phaedra check out the 1962 movie. The movie adapts the story of Phaedra into a modern day setting.




Opera on the Air!
On Saturday, June 4th at 1 PM radio station WRTI will be broadcasting the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Georges Bizet's Carmen. What could make a man cheat on his fiancee, drive his mother to tears, and ditch a good job? One woman... Carmen! She's the gypsy seductress who loves them and leaves them--tossing egos and hearts in the dust. Conducted by Alain Altinoglu the cast stars mezzo-soprano Nadia Krasteva as Carmen, tenor Brandon Jovanovich as the smitten Don Jose, soprano Nicole Cabell as the spruned Micaela, and baritone Kyle Ketelson as the famous Toreador!


Next week we will begin our summer webisode series "The ABCs of Opera"!


Until Next Week!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Carmen Blog

WRITE A REVIEW:   Having had the opportunity to see  Carmen  at Opera Philadelphia, tell us what you thought. Be as detailed in your response as possible. Consider using "Wring a Review of the Opera" found of p.51 of your student guide to help organize your thoughts. We will accept all reviews, positive or negative! We simply ask that you thoroughly defend your opinion. In your response consider commenting on the story, the sets, the characters, the music, and more.  With  both options  we ask that you include your:               FIRST NAME:              SCHOOL:              GRADE: You never know, if your blog entry is well written, we may just have to put it on Opera Philadelphia's official blog page. We look forward reading your entry! Happy writing.  ...
202 comments
Read more

Tosca Student Reviews

Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning program saw the final dress rehearsal of Puccini's Tosca on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at the Academy of Music. Now that you've studied the opera and seen it, what were your impressions? Tell us what you think and post your reviews here! Did you like the opera? Why or why not? Which was your favorite character and why? Did you like the costumes and sets? Who was your favorite singer? Which singer had the best and most im pressive singing voice? Your review should be at least 50 words or more. Please include your first name, school and grade in your post. Don't forget to support your opinion! Click here if you want to learn more about these operas, the singers in the production, and more! Messag e from the Production Staff: We want to thank all participating schools for their wonderful behavior during the dress rehearsal! You were the best Co-Producers the Opera Company of Philadelphia has ever seen! A...
162 comments
Read more

Otello Student Reviews

Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning program saw the final dress rehearsal of Verdi's Otello on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at the Academy of Music. Inspired by Shakespeare, Otello tells the story of a slave who overcomes great obstacles to become a noble general, but is then driven to unspeakable jealousy by a scheming, envious officer in his army. Passion, political intrigue and a fatal flaw are at the center of this intense musical drama that stands at the pinnacle of grand opera experiences. Now that you've studied the opera and seen it, what were your impressions? Tell us what you think and post your reviews here! Did you like the opera and why? Which was your favorite character and why? Did you like the costumes and sets? What did you think of Mark Delavan, who sang Iago from a wheelchair? Who had the best and most impressive singing voice? Your review should be at least 50 words or more. Please include your first name, school and ...
117 comments
Read more