Faust:Gounod Charles Francois Gounod (1818-1893), composer Charles Francois Gounod was born in Paris, France. His father was a painter and his mother a pianist. As a result, Gounod was exposed to the arts from an early age. Gounod studied music with his mother at an early age and was admitted to the Paris Conservatory at the age of 18. In 1839, he won the Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata Fernande, which gave him the opportunity to further his studies in Italy at public expense. In Rome, Gounod was passionate about religious music. Upon his return to Italy, he worked as an organist and choir director in churches and organized the "Gounod Choir". He was trained for the religious priesthood, but he refused to accept the priesthood. However, out of his Catholic faith, he composed a great deal of religious music. From 1851, Gounod began to devote himself to the composition of operas. In his lifetime*** he wrote 12 operas, the most successful of which were Faust and Romeo and Juliet. The libretto of the opera Faust was adapted by Barbiera and Carré from Goethe's long poem of the same name, and premiered in Paris in 1859. The plot is as follows: Faust, an aging philosopher, envies the vigor of youth and prays to the Devil for help in rejuvenating him. The devil, Mephistopheles, says to Faustus, "If you sell your soul, you will not only be rejuvenated, but you will also get a girl named Marguerite. Faustus agreed and drank the devil's medicine, and was indeed transformed into a handsome young man. Later, the devil cast a spell to make Faustus cheat Margaret's love. However, when Marguerite became pregnant, she was abandoned by Faust. In a duel, Faustus stabbed Margaret's brother Valentine to death. Marguerite is so enraged that she kills her own child and is imprisoned. Faustus is shocked and enters the cell to escape with her. But the dying Marguerite does not recognize him. At this time, the devil seizes Faust and demands his soul, while the angel sings to guide Marguerite into the kingdom of heaven, which frees Faust. This opera is Gounod's masterpiece. The music of the opera successfully depicts the various personalities of the characters. The Soldier's March in Act IV, which was sung by Valentine and the soldiers when they returned from the expedition, is magnificent and majestic, rich in power and anger, reflecting the joy of the soldiers when they were victorious and triumphant, and is a popular and famous choral piece.
"Madama Butterfly": Puccini (Giacomo Puccini 1858-1924) Puccini was born in Lucca (Lucca), in 1880 he wrote a song of praise for the Lord Messa * (Messa di Gloria), so that his uncle was willing to support his musical studies. 1880 began to Milan Conservatory of Music to study in Milan in 1883, one year after graduation wrote the first opera witch (The Witch). In 1883, a year after his graduation, he wrote his first opera, The Witches, and in 1889 he was appointed to write his second opera, Edgar, and began a long collaboration with the publisher Ricordi. His 1893 work Manon Lescaut was hailed as a work of genius. One of his most famous operas, La Boheme, based on the novel Scenes from Bohemian Life by the French writer Murger, premiered in Turin in 1896 to an unpopular audience. The work was eventually accepted and is considered one of Puccini's finest works. Puccini's 1900 opera Tosca is a standard in the operatic repertoire, and his 1904 opera Madame Butterfly was also criticized when it premiered at Milan's Teatro alla Scilla, but Puccini's revisions made it a success. His other operas include La fanciulla del west, Sister Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, etc. He died in 1924 before he had finished Turandot, an opera set in China about Princess Turandot, in which a melody is taken from the Chinese music Jasmine. Turandot was premiered in 1926 with a continuation by Franco Alfano. Puccini once said, "I write music for children." Although his works are not as "great" as Verdi's, he is considered by many to be Italy's greatest musician after Rossini, with the exception of Verdi. The two-act opera Madama Butterfly is based on the novel by John Lang and the novel by David Brown. The two-act opera Madama Butterfly is based on a novel by John Lang and a play by David Belasco. The two-act Madama Butterfly, based on a novel by John Lang and a play by David Belasco, with music by Puccini and lyrics by Illica and Giacosa, premiered on February 17, 1904, at the Teatro La Scala in Milan. It was premiered on February 17, 1904 at the La Scala Theater in Milan. The plot of the play is as follows: The innocent Japanese girl Qiao Qiao San, known as the "Butterfly Girl", commits herself to Captain Pinkerton of the American Navy. Soon after their marriage, Pinkerton returns to his home country and no one has heard from him in three years. The original, Pinkerton has another new marriage, put Mrs. Butterfly in the back of the mind. When he returned to Nagasaki with Mrs. America, Mrs. Butterfly waited for three years of grief and anger, after handing over her son, cut her own throat. This opera has a strong lyrical style, beautiful and touching music, and has successfully portrayed the moving image of Mrs. Butterfly's purity, gentleness, affection, and fidelity.
"Cavalleria Rusticana": Pietro Mascagni, (1863-1945)
Italian opera composer. He studied at the Conservatorio di Carabini and the Conservatorio di Milano, and was director of the Conservatorio di Rossini in Bessaro from 1895 to 1902. after 1902, he traveled in the Americas, conducting his own operatic works. he was elected a member of the Concertgebouw of Italy in 1929. He wrote fourteen operas and one light opera. The one-act opera "Cavalleria Rusticana" was premiered in Rome in 1890 and is his most famous work. The story takes place in a piazza in the Sicilian countryside, in front of the tavern of Luzia***. She is dismayed to see her son, Turiddu's daughter, Santuzza, and learns that her son has betrayed Santuzza and taken up with Lola, the wife of the caravanner Alfio. Lola had been Turiddu's lover. When he returned from military service, he had become the wife of the driver. Turiddu was indeed a beautiful young man, and he too came to the square. Santuzza advised him to change his ways, but he refused and still went into the church with the watery Lola. At this time, Lola's husband Alfio came to look for Lola and met Santuzza. She had to tell Alfio that Lola had hooked up with her husband. When Turiddu comes out of the church in high spirits, Alfio challenges him to a duel, which is agreed upon. Turiddu comes to say goodbye to his mother, Luzia, and asks her to treat Santuzza like a loving mother, and leaves. Afterwards, Santuzza came to Luzia and put his arms around the poor old woman and wept ....... At this time, there were whispers from the distance. A woman also shouted loudly, "They killed the townsman Turiddu!" Santuzza fainted at once. Luzia's strength failed her, and she was sadly assisted ...... by the people around her. The curtain fell sharply. In the movie "Raging Bull" (dir. Martin Kossuth), which reflects on Muhammad Ali, the interlude from Mastani's opera "Cavalleria Rusticana" is used in the opening and closing credits
Othello: Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), the great Italian composer, was the first to play the role of Othello, and he was the only one to do so.
Othello: Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was a great Italian opera composer. The four-act opera Othello, completed in 1887 and premiered in Milan in February of the same year, was a work of astonishing genius that Verdi composed more than a decade after he had laid aside his pen, when the author was seventy-three years old. The script of this work was written by the composer and poet Baudetto based on Shakespeare's famous tragedy, and in this opera, Verdi presented the magnificent and moving story of Shakespeare's original work with rich musical images. Othello" focuses on Verdi's decades of experience in creating operas, he drew on Wagner's "musical" some of the creative techniques, pay more attention to play the orchestra's performance function, so that the musical language and the plot more closely combined to strengthen the singing of the dramaturgy. At the same time, the melodic delineation is more profound and emotionally rich than in the middle period. Gioacchino Rossini (1792~1868) also wrote Othello, but it was not as well received as Verdi's opera, and Domingo's role as Othello was the most popular one
Carmen: Georges Bizet (1838-1875) was a famous French opera composer. Georges Bizet (1838-1875) was a famous French composer and pianist. The opera Carmen is the best and greatest work of his life. The musical language of this opera is vivid and distinctive, the harmonic orchestration is skillful, and the development of the dramatic plot is very touching. Bizet's music is simple, lucid and fluent, often displaying the conflicts in life in an optimistic spirit, with a strong sense of drama. Bizet only lived to be 37 years old, but the value of the rich musical heritage he left behind is indeed incalculable. The four-act opera Carmen was composed by Bizet on the basis of Mérimée's novel of the same name and premiered in Paris in 1875. Carmen, a tobacco factory worker, is a beautiful and charming Gypsy girl with a romantic and headstrong personality. At the end of her shift at the factory, she sees Don José, a sergeant on guard duty in the square, and falls in love with him at first sight, so Carmen uses her rare feminine charms to seduce Don José, causing José to forget about his former lover, Micaela, and fall into Carmen's love net. One day, in the square, Carmen is arrested and imprisoned for fighting with someone and injuring someone. Hosse, who is y in love with Carmen, is impressed by Carmen's beauty and sweet talk and lets Carmen go on her own, so Hosse loses his military post and joins Carmen's smuggling group. This leads to a duel between Hosse and Escamino. In the duel, Carmen is clearly in favor of Escamino, which makes it even more unbearable for Hosse. In the midst of a great and passionate bullfight, while Carmen is cheering for Escamino's victory, Hosse finds Carmen in a corner of the bullfighting ring. He begs Carmen to come back to him, but the stubborn Carmen has already fallen in love with the heroic bullfighter Escamino, and under the threat of Hosse's sword, she still refuses his love, and finally dies under Hosse's sword. This is an opera characterized by chorus, with more than ten choruses*** of various genres and styles. There are more than ten choruses of various genres and styles***. The chorus of the quarrels of the female workers in the tobacco factory is realistic and fascinating; the chorus of the festive celebrations of the masses is joyful, warm and colorful. The opera portrays the distinctive and complex character of the heroine Carmen. Carmen's dominant motive, also known as the "fate motive", which is characteristic of the Hungarian or Gypsy scale (containing two augmented seconds), is depicted throughout the opera, and constantly foreshadows or points to the tragic end of the opera at key points. The Habanera "Love is like an untamed bird" sung by Carmen in Act I is a song that expresses Carmen's character. It expresses Carmen's passionate and seductive image through the repetition of continuous downward gliding phrases, tonal shifts between the major and minor keys of the same name, and a melody that always hovers within an octave of the middle and lower registers. Another Spanish Segidia in Act I is of an aria nature, which further demonstrates Carmen's spirited character with its distinctive and lively rhythms and passionate, yet somewhat wild melody. The Matador's Song in Act II is a song sung by Escamino to thank and welcome the crowd that worships him. It adopts a single two-part form (main and chorus form) and the combination of sectional songs, with majestic tones and powerful rhythms like a triumphal march. In the third act, the trio of Carmen and her two female companions in the divining scene makes a deep psychological characterization of Carmen. The song is in the form of a rondo, with several contrasting interludes, modes, temperaments and beats forming a sharp contrast with the main part, while Carmen sings "No matter how many times I shuffle these heartless cards, they always tell you to die! This deep and sorrowful inner solo further reveals Carmen's tragic fate (the duet in the final scene of Act IV, with Carmen's cold and firm tone, contrasts sharply with Hosse's melody which is passionate at first, then begging for help, and finally despairing, and it has the power of tragedy and strong and tense dramaturgy that pulls at one's heartstrings. The opera is one of the most staged classics in the last hundred years.
"Aida": Giuseppe Fortunino F. Verdi (1813-1901), the great Italian opera composer. Verdi gave a new light to Italian opera, and he was a remarkable personality, one of those who should be offered to new generations as a model. At the request of the Egyptian governor, for the opening ceremony of the Suez Canal in 1870, four acts and seven scenes of the opera "Aida" "Aida" recounts an ancient oriental legend, the story took place in the era of the Egyptian pharaohs, at that time, Northeast Africa by the Egyptian and Ethiopian continent of the two power confrontation, a long period of time each other's wars and grievances are very deep. The two Egyptian war again, Egypt won a great victory, the king of Essex failed to return to his own country to gather the rest of the troops again to violate the border, the king of Egypt to worship the young warrior Radames as commander-in-chief, commanding the army to meet the attack, at this time the Radames is with the Egyptian princess Anelis slave girl of the king of Essex love Aida quietly in love, the Radames went on the battlefield after a great victory and will be the king of Essex captured alive. At this time, Radames had long been secretly in love with Anelis realized his love with the slave girl, but could not help but burn with jealousy, and designed to trap Aida's true love for Radames. In order to reward him for his war service, the King of Egypt betrothed Princess Anelis to him, causing Radames to be in extreme pain. In order to prevent the two countries from being at loggerheads for a long time, he let Aida and her daughter escape, but was discovered by Anneliese, who was secretly watching, and sent her fiancé to death row for treason. The execution date is approaching, Aida is not willing to steal life alone, quietly sneaked into the death row, a pair of lovers with the beautiful vision of love, peacefully on the poke.
"Turandot" Puccini (Giacomo Puccini 1858-1924) The beautiful Chinese princess Turandot leaves three riddles for every suitor, and the one who guesses can become the side of a team of horse harnessed by the side of a team, and the one who fails to guess will be put to death. Tatar Prince Karaf did not listen to the deposed father Timur and deposed slave girl Liu'er's discouragement, despite the court three ugly minister's warning, resolutely incognito, hit the gong to accept the test. When he guesses the riddle, the proud Turandot still refuses to marry him. Calaf proposed that if the princess could guess his name before dawn, he was willing to suffer death, otherwise he should marry him. After a few weeks, the princess's heart was melted by Calaf's true love, and she finally announced to her father at dawn that his name was Love.
Tosca opera in three acts. Based on the French libretto by Victorian . Sardou, with music by Puccini and libretto by Illica and Giacosa, Costanzi premiered on January 14, 1900, at the Teatro Romano Costanzi. The plot is based on the story of Tosca, an opera singer who saves her lover, the Roman painter Mario Cavaradossi, by pretending to save him from the death of the Inspector General of the Police. To save her lover, the Roman painter Mario Cavaradossi, the opera singer Tosca agrees. After obtaining an exit permit from the Superintendent of Police, Tosca stabs the Superintendent to death, but she is also fooled by the Superintendent's "fake execution" ploy, and Mario is actually executed. Tosca is exposed for stabbing the Superintendent and eventually commits suicide by jumping over the wall. The music in the play is emotionally powerful and gritty, and many of the dramatic scenes are played to great effect, thus becoming a powerful means of advancing the plot.
The Career of the Artist: also known as La Bohème and The Embroidered Lady. Opera in four acts. Based on the French Henri Murger's novel The Poor Man. Murger's novel "poor artist's life scene", by the Italian Giacomo Puccini (Giacomo Puccini). Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), Italy, Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Puccini. Giacosa and Luigi Illica. The libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica was premiered on February 1, 1896 in Turin, Italy, conducted by Toscanini. The plot is as follows: Rudolph, a poor poet, meets Mimi, an embroiderer, and falls in love at first sight. Later, their love is on the verge of breaking up. When Mimi falls ill with a serious lung disease, she meets with Rudolph for the last time and makes up with him, planning everything for the future. When Mimi finally becomes seriously ill and dies, Rudolph is devastated. The music of this opera is so original and charming that it has stood the test of time again and again, and still never tires of being seen, making it the most beloved opera of all time. Pavarotti, the king of the world's singers, and the Italian Opera Company of Genoa staged this opera during their visit to China in 1986, and it was warmly welcomed and highly praised by our audience.
The Lady of the Camellias: an opera in three acts, based on the French libretto "The Lady of the Camellias" by Alexandre Dumas, composed by Verdi, with libretto by Piave, premiered on March 6, 1853 at the Teatro del Fenice in Venice. The plot describes how the famous *Violetta was touched by the sincere love of the young Alfred, and resolutely abandoned the life of paper and gold. However, Alfred's father, Giorgio, is fiercely opposed. In order to protect Alfred's family and happiness, Violetta is determined to sacrifice her love and return to the world of pleasure. Alfred mistakenly thinks that she has changed her heart and humiliates her in public. Violetta, who suffers from a lung disease, finally cannot bear this fatal blow and becomes bedridden. Soon after, Georgiou has a revelation of conscience and tells his son the whole truth. When Alfred returns to Violetta's side, she is already dying, illness and an unjust society have taken away her love and life. The music, with its nuanced psychological descriptions, sincere and beautiful lyrics and heartfelt tragic power, focuses on the basic characteristics of Verdi's opera in the middle of its creation.