Scene: Italian Opera, 1810-1915
Italian opera has always been an international affair. One of its greatest composers was the Austrian W.A. Mozart (Le nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte, and Don Giovanni). The genre has taken up residence in New York, Paris, and Beijing. And some of its finest interpreters have been American, Mexican, Peruvian, and Swedish.
Nevertheless, say the word “opera” to most non-specialists, and what they will think of first probably originated in the collection of city-states and principalities called Italy between the end of the 18th century and the early 20th, a period that spans Rossini’s rollicking comedies, the dazzling filigree of bel canto composers like Donizetti and Bellini, the dark grandeur of Verdi, and the emotional intensity of Puccini. For all their differences, these composers tapped a common vein of lyricism – a melodic mother lode that ran the whole length of this complex sliver of land.
During that period, opera was the most intricate, most spectacular, most ambitious, and most popular form of entertainment in the Western world, with none of the reputation for highfalutin’ exclusivity that afflicts the genre today. Its composers were showbiz men, rehashing other people’s ideas, cranking out new scores to the producer’s specifications, tailoring arias to their stars’ strengths and foibles, and adapting their styles to changing fashions. They were, by and large, not purists. They made a good deal of their money, after all, publishing sheet music excerpts for amateurs to sing and play at home.
Given opera’s flexibility and its need for the advanced technology of stagecraft (gas lights!) it’s not surprising that at the turn of the 20th century, singers were among the first to understand the potential of gramophones. Some of the very earliest recordings feature operatic excerpts, and from then on, the histories of the art and the technology were intertwined. LPs and CDs permitted opera lovers to listen to evening-length works with a minimum of interruption, DVDs brought theatrical productions into the well-equipped home, and high-definition broadcasts have extended the live theatrical experience – into movie theaters. It’s a big subject: What follows is an introductory anthology of highlights in the spirit of those sheet music “hit singles” that made opera profitable in 19th Century Milan.
