Die Fledermaus

For New Year's Eve, Sean played Die Fledermaus (The Bat). This special gala production included an extended scene where special guests sang arias for those attending an on-stage ball. I have depicted one such aria.



You can listen to this special broadcast here. Read more about Die Fledermaus here.

Happy new year!

My Apologies

Lego Opera appears to have taken an unplanned hiatus. I assure you it is only temporary. I am in my final year of work to achieve my Masters Degree in Public Health, which (much to my chagrin) takes precedence over Legos. But not over opera. I am still listening to Friday Night at the Opera and will begin to Lego again as soon as my academic load lightens.

La Juive

La Juive is a grand opera, seldom performed but amazing to hear. You can read the story here. The scene below is the opening of the opera, as an angry mob threatens to attack a Jew for working on Sunday.








The broadcast can be heard here.

Die Tote Stadt

Here is a scene from the second act of Die Tote Stadt - The Dead City - as Paul chases the vision of his deceased wife down the cobbled streets of Bruges.




You can learn more about this opera here.

It is currently being broadcast live at capradio.org.

Madame Butterfly

The pictures below are snapshots of the first act of Madame Butterfly. It does not do justice to the opera itself - when it is played again, I can try again.

The American, Pinkerton, sings with his bride, Cio-Cio (Madame Butterfly), in his house overlooking the bay.







You can learn more about this opera here.

Semele

On Friday, August 13, Mr. Bianco broadcast Handel's Semele. Set in Ancient Roman times, I was unable to picture it taking place in buildings, since all I know of Ancient Rome is ruins. So I kept the set simple. Enjoy!



You can read about the opera here.

You can listen to the broadcast here.

Author's note: I am running late with posts this month as I prepare for Burning Man. Please bear with me.

The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny

The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny is an opera by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. The story concerns a city, Mahagonny, that is centered around whiskey, women, and money. There are two pictures below. One is of the city in full-swing, with women being bartered over. The other is of the city after a major hurricane.






You can listen to the recording of the opera here. You can read more about the opera here.

L'Orfeo

L'Orfeo is a retelling of the classic story of Orpheus, and is one of the earliest known operas. The scene below is the hallmark of the story - Orpheus leading Euridice out of the Underworld, not (yet) looking back.




You can learn more about the opera here.

You can listen to the recording here.

The Queen of Spades

This Tchaikovsky opera opens with a scene in a park where children pretend to be soldiers before the actual soldiers walk in. Here it is in Legos.




You can learn more about this opera here.

You can listen to the broadcast here.

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: