The Rake's Progress

In Act 2 of this opera by Stravinsky, the hero, Tom Rakewell, throws his wig at his wife, a bearded lady. I couldn't make this stuff up.




Learn more about the opera here.

Listen to the recording here.

I Puritani

On Friday, May 21, Mr. Bianco played Bellini's I Puritani. The opera is set in a fort during the English Civil War in the 1640s. Here is a recreation from the second act, where Giorgio talks about Elvira having gone mad. NOTE: In all dramatic operas, if the soprano does not die, she will certainly go mad.


You can listen to the broadcast here. You can learn more about the opera here.

Pagliacci

The Lego recreation below echoes (palely) my memory of Placido Domingo singing Pagliacci at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion in Los Angeles in the 1990s. He sang in front of his caravan, dressed as a clown, with a heartbreaking aria of pain and betrayal.



You can read about the opera here.

You can listen to the Friday night broadcast here.

Martha

This was one of the operas broadcast on April 2, 2010. You can listen to the recording here. You can read about the opera here. Below is my lego rendition of Martha and Julia complaining about their work on the farm, as the brothers Plunkett and Lyonel look on. I was glad to be able to use my lego cattle in an opera.

Macbeth

Macbeth, yet another Shakespearean play turned into an opera, was played on March 5, 2010. You can listen to the opera broadcast here, and read about the opera here.

This is my rendition of Act 2, when Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo at the dinner table. Macbeth is in the background and Banquo is second from the right.

Otello

I legoed the final act of Otello last year. So when we heard the opera again, I legoed something from the beginning: the soldiers returning home, triumphant, with Otello.















You can read more about this opera here.

You can listen to the recorded broadcast here.

The Consul

The Consul is an opera set in an unspecified European country in 1950. I enjoyed creating a Communist apartment from the 50s so much that I am going to give you three views of it. This is my depiction of Act 1, Scene 1, where John is hiding from the police as his wife and mother try to cover for him.

The Orchestra view:


The view for those in the balcony:


And the view for the people watching the HD broadcast: