Sounds of Learning

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! Last week we looked at the opening scenes of the opera and were introduced to Spanish nobleman Belmonte and the Bassa Selim's servant Osmin. Video Clips of the Week This week we'll introduce our heroine, Konstanze and her opening aria, "Ach, ich liebte" ("Ah, I was in love"). You can find the text for this aria on page 19 of the student guide in the gray box, or use the "Inside the Music" passage in the teacher guide. Konstanze's music is decidedly different from Belmonte and Osmin's scene. It's significantly more serious, but in what other ways would you describe it? As you watch the video clips below, keep a list of adjectives describing your reaction to the performance or the emotions you see the singers portraying. How is each of the singers' different from one another? First we'll see a performance by Danish soprano Inga Nielsen in a performance from the Royal Opera Cove...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! What happens when you combine a Mozart, Turkey, a rescue mission, and German dialogue? You get Mozart's musical gem, The Abduction from the Seraglio. Welcome to week one of our online look at the opera. The opera has lots of topics to discuss: - How does Mozart set the scene? - How do men treat women? - How do women show their independence? - How do the themes in the opera relate to those of the Age of Enlightenment? Video Clips of the Week We'll look at two different interpretations of the first scene from the opera, which can be found on pages 16-18 in the Sounds of Learning guide. It's the opening aria of the Spanish nobleman Belmonte and the introduction of Bassa Selim's servant Osmin and the following duet between the two. Does Mozart catch Belmonte's nobility in his music? How? Based on the text of Osmin's aria, what are his opinions of women? How does the music express this? The first clip comes from a fi...