Guglielmo Tell

On March 2, 2013, At the Opera broadcast a recording of Rossini's Guglieilmo Tell, or as well call it in English, William Tell. It is a long but exciting opera, and of course, everybody knows the overture. And everyone knows the scene Lego'ed bellow, where Mr. Tell is made to shoot an apple off his son's head.

You can listen to the broadcast here.

You can read more about the opera here.

Lucia de Lammermoor

Pay no attention to the date above. This opera was broadcast on Saturday, February 23, 2013.

In this last scene of Lucia de Lammermoor, after the soprano has both gone insane and died (that's opera, folks), Edgardo takes his own life in the graveyard of the Lammermoors.

You can listen to the beautiful broadcast of this opera here.

You can read more about the opera here.

Pagliacci

In the final scene of Pagliacci, the on-stage audience applauds at the realism of a performance, unaware that the drama is real. The clown, Pagliacci, has killed his wife in a jealous rage. This is not an opera for anyone afraid of clowns.

You can learn more about the opera here.

You can listen to the recording here.

La Forza Del Destino

In the first act of La Forza Del Destino, Leonora spends time with her lover, Alvaro, when her disapproving father, the Marquis of Calatrava, surprises them. A fight ensues, but Alvaro decides to act honorably and drop his gun in surrender. But the force of destiny is strong - the gun goes off and kills the Marquis.




Click here to listen to the recording, which stars the inimitable Placido Domingo and Leontyne Price.

You can read more about the opera here.

Werther

Werther is my favorite opera. I love the music, the mezzo-soprano heroine, the changing of the seasons, and especially that it's based on a story by Goethe. The love story is dramatic, yes - but unlike many operas, it is entirely plausible. In fact, it could take place in 2004 in Amarillo, Texas just as easily as in Germany in 1780. So I have chosen to set it in 2004 in Amarillo, Texas. Here, the children's singing group has taken over the parking lot of Charlotte's apartment building, and Werther broods in his leather jacket.



You can read more about the story here.

You can listen to the broadcast here.

The Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchman has a special place in my heart, since it was the first opera I ever saw in the theater (at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles in 1995). Before that, I had only ever seen televised versions. And while broadcasts are great and Legos are fun, there is nothing quite like live opera.

So it was only fitting that this be my favorite opera to design so far, and also the opera on which I spent the most money. Opera is an expensive pastime, as all opera fans know.

I give you the cursed Flying Dutchman and his ghostly ship and crew.



You can read more about this opera here.

You can listen to the broadcast here.

Carmen

This amazing production of Carmen starred two of my favorites: Marilyn Horne and Joan Sutherland. Here, Carmen enchants the soldiers with her famous aria, "Habanera," during a break from her work at the cigarette factory.




You can learn more about the opera here.

You can listen to the historic production here.