Sounds of Learning

Welcome to Opera Online! This is the last week for us to look at Giacomo Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly . Many of you attended the final dress rehearsal of the opera on Wednesday, October 7th. We hope you had a great time! Let us know what you thought of the opera by posting your review here . Good or bad, we'll publish your review as long as you include your first name, school, and grade level. Our Clip of the Week looks at a Broadway play that was inspired by Madama Butterfly : Miss Saigon . The musical is set during the Vietnam War. Chris, an American soldier stationed in Vietnam, falls in love with Kim, a young Vietnamese woman. He returns to America andKim gives birth to thier son. Back in America, Chris marries Ellen. In this sequence, Kim sings of her love for Chris while Ellen sings of her concern over Chris' disturbing dreams. How does this scene remind you of Madame Butterfly ? Website of the Week Now that you know everything there is to know about Ma...

Madama Butterfly - Student Reviews Sounds of Learning Puccini's Madama Butterfly Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning program saw the final dress rehearsal of Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly , on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at the Academy of Music. Madama Butterfly teaches great lessons about love, faith, honor, and respect. Jun Kaneko's production vividly brought the opera to life it's geometric patterns and string use of color and projections. 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 projections, costumes and sets? Your review should be at least 50 words or more. Please include your first name, school and grade in your post. Click here if you want to learn more about these operas, the singers in the production, an...

Welcome to Opera Online! This is the last week for us to look at Giacomo Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly . Many of you will be attending the final dress rehearsal of the opera on Wednesday, October 7th at 2 PM. We hope you enjoy the experience! Our Clip of the Week features the final moments of the opera. Butterfly has lost everything - her mother and relatives, her husband, her child, and even her honor. She has only one option left for her: hari-kari. In this scene Butterfly urges her son, Trouble, to forgive her for abandoning him. She helps restore her honor by doing this dramatic act. For the complete text to the scene, see page 34 of the Sounds of Learning guide. Don't forget to invite your friends to sign up to receive these alerts by emailing their name, school, and age to us at outreach@operaphila.org. Again, if you have suggestions of things you'd like to see, please let me know and I'll find a few clips as well. Enjoy!

What Are Your Thoughts? Pinkerton and Sharpless present two completely different characters. Pinkerton thinks of himself more and Sharpless is compassionate. Both are Americans living in Japan. What does it mean to be an American? Which one of these men show those American qualities more? Why do you think Sharpless didn't do more to prevent the marriage or to make Butterfly realize from the start that the marriage was only temporary? Log your thoughts below by clicking on the "Post a Comment" link below. You don't need to register and can click the Anonymous button, but please include your first name and the school you attend. Thanks!

Welcome to Opera Online! We continue our look at Giacomo Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly , the first opera in our Sounds of Learning program for the 2009-2010 Season. In our Clip of the Week , we'll skip to the last act of the opera to hear a gorgeous trio and Pinkerton's remorseful aria, Addio fiorito asil. These clips are taken from a film interpretation starring the famous tenor Plá cido Domingo as Lt. Pinkerton with German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig as Suzuki and American baritone Robert Kerns as Sharpless. In the opera at this point, Pinkerton has returned to Japan and has brought his new American wife Kate. They stop by Butterfly's home with the consul, Sharpless. After seeing the how Butterfly has decorated the home for his return, he finally realizes how real Butterfly thought the marriage was. He is filled with remorse and runs out of the home. For the complete text to the scene, see page 32 of the Sounds of Learning guide. Just so you know, the v...

Welcome to Opera Online! We continue our look at Giacomo Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly , the first opera in our Sounds of Learning program for the 2009-2010 Season. In our Clip of the Week , we'll take a look at Cio-Cio San's aria, Un bel dì, one of the most famous arias ever written. We'll compare two videos. The first is from the theatrical film version of the opera that we've already seen excerpts from with Chinese soprano Ying Huang as Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly). The second is a television performance by the legendary soprano Renata Tebaldi who was well known for her performances as the geisha. In the opera at this point, Pinkerton returned to America three years ago, but has promised to come back to Butterfly. She dreams of the day that her husband will return to her. Butterfly clings to this belief with all her life. She tells her maid Suzuki what will happen on the day her husband returns - from seeing the smoke from his ship and the cannon s...

Welcome to Opera Online! We continue our look at Giacomo Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly , the first opera in our Sounds of Learning program for the 2009-2010 Season. In our Clip of the Week , we'll see another excerpt from a theatrical film version of the opera that we saw last week. Chinese soprano Ying Huang as Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly) and tenor Richard Troxell as Lieutenant Pinkerton. Butterfly's uncle, a Buddhist monk, interrupts Butterfly's wedding to Pinkerton and tells her family that she has converted to Christianity. Her family scorns and rejects her. Pinkerton orders the family to leave. Pinkerton is the only family Butterfly has now. In this scene Butterfly and Pinkerton have just been married. They are alone and declare their love for each other. Before you watch this clip, you'll want to read pages 16-19 in the Sounds of Learning student guide. Our Website of the week is that of internationally renowned ceramic artist Jun Kaneko . If you...

Welcome to Opera Online! This week we start our look at Giacomo Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly , the first opera in our Sounds of Learning program for the 2009-2010 Season. In our Clip of the Week , we'll see an excerpt from a theatrical film version of the opera which stars Chinese soprano Ying Huang as Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly) and tenor Richard Troxell (who happens to live in New Jersey) as Lieutenant Pinkerton. The mariage broker Goro enters to tell Pinkerton and his friend Sharpless that Madame Butterfly has arrived for her wedding to Pinkerton. The two have never met and they fall in love instantly. There are several other moments from the first act shown in this clip that are well worth viewing. Before you watch this clip, you'll want to read pages 16-19 in the Sounds of Learning student guide. Our Website of the week is that of Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho . Ermonela will sing the role of Cio-Cio San in our production of Madama Butterfly . Opera on th...

Welcome to Opera Online! We're back from a little summer break. This week we'll finish up the summer edition by seeing a few clips from a few Italian opera giants: Giuseppe Verdi , Giacomo Puccini , Pietro Mascagni , and Ruggero Leoncavallo . We'll start with Verdi's popular Aida . An Ethiopian princess is enslaved by her Egyptian conquerors and falls in love with the Egyptian general. In "O patria mia," she sings of her beloved homeland and fears that she will never see it again. Here American soprano Leontyne Price sings the role that made her famous. It's taken from her final operatic performance ever. Puccini's La Boheme is one of the most popular operas ever written. It's the story of two young lovers with a stormy relationship, but a love that will never die. This clip is actually a trailer for a movie version of the opera starring Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon . This film will be screened at the Br...

Welcome to Opera Online! This week we'll look at one of the most imporant operas of the bel canto (or beautiful singing) school, Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor . Based on Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor , the opera tells the story of a doomed love between a young couple from rival families, which makes it a bit like Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story . Lucy is forced to marry Lord Arturo despite that she is in love with Edgardo. When Edgardo finds out about the marriage, Edgardo curses her. Lucia goes mad, kills Arturo, and dies. Hearing of his beloved's death, Edgardo visits Lucia's grave and kills himself. Here we'll see Lucia's famous mad scene. it's a long excerpt, so it will be the only itme this week. It features the gorgeous Anna Moffo , who was born in Wayne, PA. In the early 1970's she made a film version of the opera. We'll see her mad scene from that film. LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR with Anna Moffo Oper...

Welcome to Opera Online! Last week we looked at music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . This week, the opera timeline progresses with excertps from Beethoven's only opera, one of Rossini's comic masterpieces, and the dawn of the Germanic romatic age. Beethoven's Fidelio Ludwig van Beethoven had long wanted to write an opera, and despite a few tries at it, didn't complete his first and only opera, Fidelio , until 1805. The opera was based on a French text by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used an opera by another composer. It is supposedly based on a true story of a woman disguised herself as a man to rescue her husband from death in a political prison during the French Revolution. The themes of freedom and the common man resonated with Beethoven. The Age of Enlightenment was an era culminating with the French Revolution (1789) in which people started to rethink the roles of the aristocracy and of class. It expanded people's thinking about equality and power. ...

Welcome to Opera Online! Last week we looked at music by Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . We'll devote this week to the four of the Austrian master Mozart's most popular operas, Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte (So are they all), and Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute). Le nozze di Figaro Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro, 1786) is thought by many scholars and critics to be one of the funniest and most perfect operas ever written. The opera is based on a 1784 play by Pierre Beaumarchais , La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro . The play was scandalous at the time because it made fun of the upper class. Some say that the play mirrored the thoughts of the lower classes and helped plant the seeds of resentment that saw the lower classes overthrow the aristocracy during the French Revolution . The text that Mozart used was written by the Italian poet and playwright Lorenzo da Ponte . Da Ponte is an ...

Welcome to Opera Online! Last week we looked at music for Independence Day. This week we'll resume our operatic timeline and look a one piece by Antonio Salieri and two early pieces by Mozart. We'll also hear some very, very high notes in a soprano aria, and some very, very low notes in a bass aria. Youtube Clip of the Week Italian composer Antonio Salieri is mainly known today as one of Mozart's rivals. Legend has it that he even helped cause Mozart's early death at the age of 35. Actually, Salieri was a one of the most famous and respected composers of his day. In fact he was commissioned to write the opera Europa Riconosciuta (Europa Revealed) for the grand opening the new La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy in 1778. The opera was performed at La Scala in 2004 to celebrate the reopening of La Scala as it had been closed for almost three years because of renovations. The opera hadn't been performed in so long that the whole score had to be reprinted based ...

Welcome to Opera Online! This week, a very different Opera Online, in honor of Independence Day. This week we'll hear several opera singers in traditional American songs and in patriot music, too. Youtube Clip of the Week First baritone Eric Green, who sang in our recent production of Turandot , sings the National Anthem in Virginia. Leontyne Price, from Laurel, Mississippi, was one of the most important opera singers of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Here she came out of retirement at the age of 74 to sing God Bless America. Philadelphia native, Marian Anderson, had one of the most striking voices ever recorded. The famous conductor Arturo Toscanini said that a voice like her's only comes around once in a lifetime. Here she sings the spiritual Deep River. Next, legendary American mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne sings Aaron Copland's arrangement of the folk song Simple Gifts. Baritone Thomas Hampson appeared on ABC's Good Morning America program and championed American song. H...

Welcome to Opera Online! Last week we looked at three excerpts from the dawn of opera. This week, we'll travel down the operatic time line a bit further to see three excerpts from one of the greatest early operas ever written: Gluck 's Orfeo ed Euridice . Youtube Clip of the Week We'll start off with a clip from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice . During the mid 20th Century, this opera was performed quite frequently for famous mezzo-sopranos like Rise Stevens , Kathleen Ferrier , Grace Bumbry , Marilyn Horne , and Janet Baker . While less frequently performed today, Orfeo has had a resurgence in the past few years and will be performed by the Opera Company of Philadelphia in June, 2010. Orfeo is a legend from Greek mythology. It is the story of a man who goes to the underworld and pleads to the gods to bring his dead wife back to life. The gods are so moved by Orfeo's song that they agree, but on one condition! I won't tell you what that is, so you'll have to ...

Welcome to Opera Online! After looking at the vocal chords in action and soprano Simone Kermes having a ball singing Vivaldi last week, this week we'll visit three of the earliest operas that were written within 40 years of each other. And we'll take a look at what's on the radio this weekend, too. Youtube Clip of the Week The first opera ever performed is generally regarded to be Jacopo Peri's Dafne , an opera based on Greek legend. The opera was premiered in 1597 but no written music survives for us to know what it sounded like. But there are several surviving operas from around the same period. We'll look at one from Italy, one from England, and one from France. The earliest surviving operas that are still performed today are those of Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi . His opera L'incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea) was premiered in 1642 and is the story of a Roman noblewoman, Poppea , who manages to wrap the Emperor Nero around her fin...

Welcome to Opera Online! The Opera Company season officially ends this weekend as the last production of the season, Britten's The Rape of Lucretia closes. Over the summer as we wait for the new season to start, we'll be looking at a lot of different things, including a little bit of information on vocal technique, how the voice works, the bel-canto style, and a walk through opera's time line. We'll see some clips from comic and serious operas, legendary singers and some you may not know, and even singers in Broadway and popular music, too. Also, during the summer we'll let you know what opera will be aired on the radio each Saturday afternoon on WRTI, 90.1 FM. If you have suggestions of things you'd like to see, please let me know and I'll find a few clips as well. Youtube Clip of the Week Have you ever wondered what your vocal chords look like? Have you ever seen them as they produce sound? Here's a clip that was filmed during a stroboscopy (pronou...

What did you think of Lucretia? Sounds of Learning TM Britten's The Rape of Lucretia Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 6:15 p.m. Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning TM program saw the final dress rehearsal of Britten's dramatic The Rape of Lucretia on Wednesday, June 3rd. 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 performer and why? What was your favorite part of the opera and why? Did the opera meet your expectations? Your review should be at least 50 words or more. Please include your first name, school and grade in your post. Click here if you want to learn more about these operas, the singers in the production, and more! JOIN OUR OPERA EMAIL LIST! Email education@operaphila.org and we'll deliver free opera right into your inbox once a week. Each week there will be a youtube "Clip of the Week...

Welcome to Opera-Online! After a break for a few weeks, we're back with Opera-Online! We begin our look at Benjamin Britten's fascinating The Rape of Lucretia . You may be going through the items in the student guide with your teacher. If not, this source has opportunities for you to do your own preparation for the opera with plenty of online content, including the complete student guide, and almost 100 online links within the Lucretia portion of the Sounds of Learning web pages. Youtube Clip of the Week Our first clip contains some of the most famous music in the opera. It's Tarquinius's ride over the Tiber on his way to Lucretia's home. He's racing on his way there. As the Male Chorus comments regarding Tarquinius, "Now who rides? Who’s ridden? Tarquinius, the stallion? Or the beast, Tarquinius?" When the clip opens, listen for the cricket theme that is repeated by the harp before the Male Chorus begins to sing. While the Male Chorus sings Lucretia...

Sounds of Learning TM Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges and Puccini's Gianni Schicchi Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at 6:15 p.m. Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning TM program saw the final dress rehearsal of Ravel's enchanting L'enfant et les sortilèges and Puccini's wickedly comic, Gianni Schicchi, on Wednesday, April 22nd. The operas are both comedic and teach great lessons about morality and love. The production for L'enfant is whimsical and filled with monumental projections, while Gianni Schicchi, could have stepped out of a 1920s art-deco painting. 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 projections, costumes and sets? Your review should be at least 50 words or more. Please include your first name, school and grade in your post. Click he...