A UNIQUE GUIDE TO THE MOST POPULAR OPERAS, WITH

TOP-QUALITY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS ON

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 INTRODUCTION ON STAGE
The spectacle and drama of live opera is recreated with a lively
account of some of the most acclaimed and controversial
eee fortnight Discovering Opera focuses on
productions and performances from around the world. Here we
one of the world’s great operas. Inside the
compare and contrast the contempory and past interpretations
magazine, five finely written and of the major roles in each opera and
illustrated articles introduce catalogue the many different forms in
you to the drama and passion which the opera has been played - from
film to jazz to dance.
of the featured opera. Here we
unfold the story, introduce the
great operatic performers and
conductors, reveal the life and
times of the composer and recre-
ate the famous and even infamous
productions of the work. An A-Z
builds into a complete encyclope-
dia of opera. The magazine is the
essential companion to the
enjoyment and understanding <A model of the & Ascene from Verdi‘s
spectacular set for the Aida, staged at the
of the top-quality EMI record- Earl‘s Court production Royai Opera House,
of Tosca, with three London in 1994.
ings each fortnight. stages combined into
one.

THE STORY
The action and plot are described clearly and concisely in an act-by-act
Photographs of
summary. The motivations of the main characters are explained as the story recent productions
unfolds and the dramatic moments are highlighted by specially commissioned bring the opera to
life.
illustrations. Extracts of the songs on the CD or cassette are pinpointed as they
appear in the opera. For easy recognition, the first line is given in the language
of the recording, followed by an English translation of the entire verse.
gs ToRY
Artworks
highlight the
key dramatic
moments of
the opera.

Each scene _sof iS. ef

the opera is SCENES “hpte
described in e t ie
detail for a full
understanding
of the story.

The first line of

the songs is
given in the
language of the Numbers refer
recording, directly to the tracks
followed by the on the recording.
translation.
THE GREAT PERFORMERS THE COMPOSERS
1750 1800 1850 1900 1950
Profiles and portraits of the world’s greatest singers and the
insights and techniques that they have brought to create their Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-1791
very own roles in the featured opera. Discovering Opera brings Ludwig van Beethoven 1770-1827

together such great performers as Placido Domingo, José Gioacchino Rossini

Carreras, Maria Callas, Montserrat Caballé, Victoria de los Gaetano Donizetti 1797-1848

Angeles, and conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Otto Sluagape Nate! 1813 120!
. Richard W. 1813-1883
Klemperer and Sir Thomas Beecham, who all appear on the alr tila
. . Charles Gounod 1818-1899
especially selected recordings.
Jaques Offenbach 1819-1880

Johan 1825-1899

1 1891

Bizet 1838-1875

Ruggero -1919

Giacomo Puccini 1858-1924

Pietro Mascagni 1863-1945

Richard Strauss 1864-1949

Umberto Giordano

An insight into the triumphs and

disappointments of the composer's life and
musical career, and how these help us to
understand his work. Easy-to-follow text
places each composer’s life in the times in which
he lived and shows how different times and
events shaped the music that he produced.

Discover everything
that you need to know
about opera. Short
articles and illustrations
build up into a
comprehensive guide
to operatic terms,
synopses, opera stars,
opera houses and
operas themselves.
 THE COLLECTION She goes to live in the country with Alfredo but, unknown to him, his
father persuades Violetta to leave. After fighting Violetta’s ‘protector’
Douphol in a duel, Alfredo learns too late that she has sacrificed her
Complete in 24 fortnightly issues, Discovering happiness. By now, Violetta is dying of consumption and the lovers are
briefly reunited before she dies in Alfredo’s arms.
Opera builds into a comprehensive collection of
the best-loved and most-performed operas. The
high-quality CD and cassette recordings feature
the very best performers and conductors.

CARMEN Georges Bizet

Victoria de los Angeles, Nicolai Gedda, Janine Micheau, Ernest
Blanc. Conductor: Sir Thomas Beecham
Carmen,aa tempestuous gypsy, works in a cigarette factory in Seville.
Don José, a soldier, becomes infatuated with her and leaves the army
to live with her and a band of smugglers. When she falls for the bull-
fighter Escamillo, Don José is overcome with jealousy. As the crowds
cheer Escamillo in the bullring, Don José stabs Carmen to death.

TOSCA Giacomo Puccini

Maria Callas, Carlo Bergonzi, Tito Gobbi, Renato Ercolani, 4 The Marriage of Figaro at the English National Opera in 1991. On our
uge Trama. Conductor Georges Prétre celebrated 1971 recording Sir Geraint Evans plays the title role with Gabriel
A dramatic love story and dramatic thriller, Tosca tells the fateful story Bacquier as Count Almaviva and Elisabeth Sédestrém as Countess Almaviva.
Otto Klemperer conducts the New Philharmonia Orchestra.
of the Republican artist Cavaradossi and his lover, the singer Floria
Tosca. The sadistic chief of police, Scarpia, arrests Cavaradossi for THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
helping a political prisoner escape. Scarpia lusts after Tosca and tells _ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
her that if she gives herself to him, Cavaradossi will be saved. But Giuvaiint Evans, Reri Grist, Gabriel Bacquier, Elisabeth Sédestrém,
seeming to succumb to Scarpia’s advances, Tosca stabs him. Excited- Michael Langdon, Annelies Burmeister, Teresa Berganza, Werner
ly, she watches what she thinks is her beloved’s mock execution - to Hollweg, Willi Brokmeier. Conductor: Otto Klemperer
discover, too late, that Scarpia has tricked Mozart’s comic masterpiece has a complicated plot in which Figaro,
them. Her lover dead, she leaps to her death. the servant, plots to outwit his master, the Count, who wishes to
seduce Susanna, another servant, whom Figaro wishes to marry. Weav-
LA TRAVIATA ing a web of intrigue, mistaken identities, impersonations and
Giuseppe Verdi disguise, the story ends in happiness and security in the future.
Renata Scotto, Alfredo Krauss,
Renato Bruson, Sarah Walker, ») MADAM BUTTERFLY Giacomo Puccini
Cynthia Buchan, Henry Newman. " Renata Scotto, Carlo Bergonzi, Rolando Panerai, Anna Di Stasio,
Conductor: Riccardo Muti Silvana Padoan, Paolo Montarsolo. Conductor: Sir John Barbirolli
La Traviata tells the poignant story of First performed in Milan in 1904, this opera revolves around the love
a Parisian high-society courtesan, Violetta of a Japanese Geisha girl, Butterfly, and an American naval officer
and her doomed love for Alfredo Germont. called Pinkerton. They marry and Pinkerton sails off, vowing to
return. A baby boy is born while he is away and Butterfly patient-
ly waits for Pinkerton to return, but when he does he brings
an American wife. In the last scene Butterfly commits
hari-kiri with her father’s sword.

The Performers
© DIE FLEDERMAUS © LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Gaetano Donizetti
Johan Strauss Maria Callas, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Piero Cappuccilli, Bernard
Placido Domingo, Peter Seiffert, Ladysz, Leonardo del Ferro, Margreta Elkins, Renzo Casellato.
Lucia Popp, Kurt Rydl, Agnes Baltsa, u Conductor: Tullio Serafin
Wolfgang Brendel, Heinz Zednik, Eva Lind. When Lucia falls in love with Edgardo, an enemy of her family, her
Conductor: Placido Domingo ambitious brother Enrico pressurises her to marry Arturo to save the
Die Fledermaus is a musical comedy, pre- family fortune. When Edgardo returns from abroad the wedding is in
miered in Vienna in 1874, with a complex full swing and Lucia shows signs of increasing madness - finally stab-
plot. Falke plans revenge against his friend bing her husband on the wedding night. Edgardo is distraught at his
Eisenstein, who has tricked him into walking betrayal by the woman he loves, and in the finale is told of Lucia’s
through Vienna dressed as a bat - the Fleder- death. Despairingly he stabs himself.
maus of the title. Falke arranges for Eisenstein
to attempt to seduce his own wife, who is in dis- The Performers
guise as a Hungarian Countess at a masked ball.
But all’s well that ends well and the final scene
sees the company reconciled as friends, singing
the praises of King Champagne.

AIDA Giuseppe Verdi

Birgit Nilsson, Grace Bumbry,
Franco Corelli, Ferruccio Mazzoli, Mario Sereni,
Bonaldo Giaiotti. Conductor: Zubin Mehta
This opera is set in Memphis, Egypt during the
time of the Pharoahs. Aida is the Ethiopian
slave of the Egyptian Princess Amneris. Both
are in love with Radameés, the leader of the 4 Die Fledermaus with
Egyptian army fighting the Ethiopians. Lesley Garrett at the
English National Opera.
Before his wedding to Amneris, Radameés
On the recording Placido
agrees to flee with Aida and reveals the Domingo both sings and
whereabouts of the Egyptian army. Accused conducts. @ THE BARBER OF SEVILLE Gioacchino Rossini
and convicted of treason by Amneris, he is placed in a sealed dungeon Maria Callas, Luigi Alva, Tito Gobbi, Fritz Ollendorff, Nicola
to die. Just as he thinks he will die alone, Aida reveals herself and they Zaccaria, Gabriella Carturan. Conductor: Alceo Galliera
perish together. A racy story of how the barber Figaro helps Count Almaviva to elope
with the beautiful Rosina is perfectly matched by the mercurial bril-
cp TRISTAN UND ISOLDE Richard Wagner liance of Rossini’s music.
Helga Dernesch, Jon Vickers, Christa Ludwig, Walter Berry.
Conductor: Herbert Von Karajan @ RIGOLETTO Giuseppe Verdi
One of the greatest musical expressions Giorgio Zancanaro, Daniela Dessi, Vincenzo La Scola, Paata
of sexual love, Tristan und Isolde tells Burchuladze, Martha Senn. Conductor: Riccardo Muti
the story of the Cornish knight Tristan, When the Duke of Mantua seduces the wives and daughters of his
who is taking the Irish princess Isolde to courtiers, Rigoletto, the court jester, mocks them. They avenge them-
King Marke as a bride. Isolde loves Tris- selves by taking Rigoletto’s ‘mistress’ to the Duke, unaware that she is
tan, but orders her servant Brangane to really his daughter, Gilda. Rigoletto hires an assassin to kill the Duke,
prepare poison for herself and Tristan. but things go tragically wrong and when Rigoletto opens the corpse-
But Brangine gives them a love potion filled sack expecting to find the Duke, he finds instead a dying Gilda.
instead. After Isolde marries King Marke,
she and Tristan embark upon a passion- ® LA BOHEME Giacomo Puccini
ate affair. When they are discovered, Nicolai Gedda, Mirella Freni, Mario
Tristan is mortally wounded and leaves Sereni, Mario Basiola, Paola Montarsolo,
for his castle in France. Eventually, the Mariella Adani, Ferrucio Mazzoli.
& Isolde, desperate to be lovers are reunited, but Tristan dies. As Conductor: Thomas Schippers
reunited with Tristan, sings Isolde sings her exultant ‘Love-death’ Set in Paris in 1830, La Bohbéme consists of
of her desire for death.
song, she falls dead beside his corpse. a series of sketches, like impressionistic
paintings. on the lives of penniless Parisian
COSI FAN TUTTE Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart student Bohemians who share a garret. It
Margaret Marshall, Agnes Baltsa, James Morris, Francisco centres on the love of Rudolfo and his love
Araiza, Kathleen Battle, José Van Dam. Conductor: Riccardo Muti for Mimi, who is dying of consumption.
Composed for the Emperor of Austria - who asked Mozart to set a She leaves Rudolfo for a rich lover who
real-life court scandal to music - this comedy involves two army offi- can protect her - but she returns just in
cers who disguise themselves to test their fiancées’ fidelity. When time to be forgiven by her beloved poet,
their fiancées fall in love with the two mysterious ‘Albanians’ the offi- and dies in his arms.
cers are disappointed. In the final scene the couples are reconciled & The highlight of La Bohéme is the aria Che
and sing Cos? fan tutti - Women are all the same. gelida manina! - Your tiny little hand is frozen.
® FIDELIO Ludwig van Beethoven
Helga Dernesch, Jon Vickers, Karl Riddersbusch, Zoltan
Kéléman, José van Dam, Helen Donath, Horst R. Laubenthal.
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
This is Beethoven’s only opera. Fidelio is the male name assumed by
Leonore when she disguises herself in order to rescue her husband,
Florestan, from death at the hands of the evil prison governor, Piz-
zaro. She thwarts Pizzaro at the last minute before the arrival of Don
Fernando, the Minister of State, and in the final scene Florestan and all
the prisoners are freed.

ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD Jacques Offenbach

Mady Mesplé, Michel Sénéchal, Charles Burles, Michel
Trempont, Michéle Command, Michéle Pena, Daniéle Castaing, Jane
Berbié. Conductor: Michel Plasson & Orpheus in the Underworld performed at the English National Opera in
1985. On our famous 1979 recording Mady Mesple is Eurydice and the French
A witty operatic romp and parody of the legend of Orpheus and Eury-
tenor Michel Sénéchal sings the role of Orpheus.
dice featuring the famous Can-Can. Eurydice falls in love with Pluto,
god of the Underworld, and follows him to Hades. Orpheus searches fishing fleet. Nadir recognises her and rekindles his love. Caught
for Eurydice and Jupiter orders Pluto to return her or he will go look- secretly leaving the temple by the high priest Nourabad, Nadir and
ing for her. In Hades Jupiter falls in love with Eurydice and Orpheus Leila are accused of sacrilege and condemned to death. Zurga later
arrives. He is told his wife will be returned to him if he walks in front realises that Leila had once saved his life and helps the lovers escape
of her and never looks back. Tricked by Jupiter’s thunderbolt, he the wrath of the villagers.
glances at Eurydice and loses her for ever.
& SALOME Richard Strauss
oe ee Hildegard Behrens, Karl-Walter Bohm, Agnes Baltsa, José Van
Dam, Wieslaw Ochman. Conductor: Herbert Von Karajan
Salome, Herod’s beautiful step-daughter, tries to seduce the impris-
oned John the Baptist, but he rejects her advances. Overcome with
desire to kiss his mouth, she agrees to dance the Dance of the Seven
Veils for Herod - a dance in which she removes one veil after another
until she is naked - if he will grant her any wish. Herod so longs tor
Salome that he agrees. When she has danced, she demands the head
of John on a plate. Reluctantly Herod agrees, but when he witnesses
her kissing the dead head, he orders his soldiers to kill her.

TURANDOT Giacomo Puccini

© Birgit Nilsson, Franco Corelli, Renata Scotto, Angelo Mercuriali,
Bonaldo Giaiotti, Guido Mazzini, Franco Ricciardi, Piero de Palma,
Giuseppe Morresi. Conductor: Francesco Molinari-Pradelli
In this fairy-tale story, a cruel Chinese Princess, Turandot, sets her
LAKME Léo Delibes suitors three riddles. If they can guess them, they can take her as their
Mady Mesplé, Danielle Millet, Charles Burles, Roger Soyer. bride - if not she has them executed. Prince Calaf answers the riddles,
Conductor: Alain Lombard but allows Turandot to escape her part of the bargain by challenging
Lakmé is the story of Gerald, a British officer in India, who innocent- her to discover his name before dawn. If she can, he will forfeit his
ly breaks into the secret garden of Lakmé, a Brahmin priestess. They life. Turandot tortures Calaf’s father’s slave girl Liu, but Lit kills her-
become strongly attracted, but her father, Nilakantha, swears revenge self rather than reveal Calaf’s secret. In the morning Turandot realises
for the intrusion. Stabbed while attending a local festival, Gerald is that his name is ‘Love’ and agrees to become his bride.
nursed by Lakmé, but Gerald is remind-
ed of his duty as a soldier by his brother OTELLO Giuseppe Verdi
officer, Frederick. Sensing that Gerald ® Placido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Diaz, Ezio di Cesare,
will soon leave her, Lakmé eats a poi- Constantin Zaharia, John Macurdy, Petra Malakova, Edward
soned loaf and dies. Toumajian. Conductor: Lorin Maazel
and THE PEARL FISHERS Georges Based on Shakespeare’s play, Ofello is often regarded as the greatest

Bizet 19th-century opera. Set in Cyprus, the Governor Otello is tricked into
Illeana Cotrubas, Alain Vanzo, Guillermo a jealous rage by his servant Jago. Believing his wife, Desdemona, to
Sarabia, Roger Soyer. Conductor: have been unfaithful, he smothers her while she sleeps then stabs
Georges Prétre himself with his sword.
The Pearl Fishers is set in Ceylon
where Zurga is made king and re-united &) CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA Pietro Mascagni
with his friend from their youth, Nadir. José Carreras, Montserrat Caballé, Matteo
They were both in love with Leila, a & The funeral pyre prepared Manuguerra, Astrid Varnay. Conductor: Riccardo Muti
for the condemned lovers
priestess, who now visits the pearl fish- Cavalleria Rusticana is set in a Sicilian village on
Leila and Nadir in Bizet’s The
ers as the symbolic virgin to protect the Pearl Fishers. Easter Morning. Turiddu deserts his pregnant mistress
Santuzza for a former love Lola, now the wife of the drover Alfio. Alfio eee ee ey
challenges Turiddu to a duel and kills him.
and | PAGLIACCI Ruggero Leoncavallo JOSE CARRERAS
José Carreras, Renata Scotto, Kari Nurmela, Ugo Benelli, Thomas Allen. Along with Placido Domingo and
Conductor: Riccardo Muti Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras
I Pagliacci tells the story of strolling players whose play has tragic is one of the most well-known
echoes of their ‘real lives’. Canio discovers that his wife Nedda plans and popular operatic stars of the
to elope. On stage he plays the role of Pagliaccio, whose unfaithful day. With his beautiful resonant
wife Columbine (played by Nedda) plans to elope with her lover Har- voice and stunning good leaks,
lequin. In mid-performance, Canio is overcome with jealous rage and he soon became established asa
stabs Nedda to death. leading romantic lyric tenor. He
made his debut
in his native
FAUST Charles Gounod Barcelona at the age of 10 in
ey Nicolai Gedda, Victoria de los Manuel de Fallas Retabio de
Angeles, Liliane Berton, Boris Maese Pedro,
Christoff, Ernest Blanc, Victor Autran.
Conductor: André Cluytens
An opera that combines romance &) THE MAGIC FLUTE Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
with powerful visions of heaven and Nicolai Gedda, Gundula Janowitz, Walter Berry, Lucia Popp,
hell. When old Faust wishes to seduce Gottlob Frick, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Marga Héffgen,
Marguerite, he barters his soul with Ruth-Margret Pitz. Conductor: Otto Klemperer
Mephistopheles in exchange for A combination of comic pantomime and serious story, The Magic
youth and sexual pleasure. In the Flute expresses Masonic ideals. Prince Tamino is rescued from a ser-
final scene Faust is condemned to pent by the three attendants of the Queen of the Night, who show
Hell and Marguerite ascends to Heav- him a picture of the Queen’s daughter Pamina, a captive of the evil
en, accompanied by an angelic choir. Sarastro. Tamino falls in love with her portrait, and aided by the bird-
catcher Papageno and his magic flute, he sets out to save her. But he
QB ANDREA CHENIER Umberto Giordano discovers that Sarastro is in fact a wise priest, while the Queen of the
Franco Corelli, Mario Sereni, Antonietta Stella, Luciana Night is evil. He and Pamina undergo a series of trials of endurance
Moneta, Giuseppe Modesti, Piero de Palma, Paolo Pedani. before they can be together. Eventually, Good (Sarastro) overcomes
Conductor: Gabriele Santini Evil (The Queen) and the lovers are blessed by Sarastro.
Set during the Reign of Terror in revolutionary France, this is the dra-
matic tale of the poet Chénicr, who supported the Revolution. He LOHENGRIN Richard Wagner
faces capture in Paris because of his passionate love for Madeleine, @ Jess Thomas, Elisabeth Grimmer, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,
who is also loved by her former servant, Gérard, now an important Christa Ludwig, Gottlob Frick, Otto Wiener.
political figure. With Chénier condemned to death, and awaiting the Conductor: Rudolf Kempe
guillotine, Madeleine decides she would rather die than live without Telramund has claimed the dukedom and
him. She changes places with a woman who is due to be executed and accused Elsa of killing her brother Gottfried
the two lovers are united in death. in order to gain the dukedom herself. She
protests her innocence, which must be
tested by single combat. A mysteri-
ous knight appears in a boat drawn
by a white swan. He will champion
Elsa, and marry her, if she does not ask
his name. Fears are sown in Elsa's
mind, and she cannot stop herself from
asking his name. Lohengrin reveals that
he is a knight of the Holy Grail, who
must now return whence he came.
As he leaves, the swan is released
from the spell cast by Telramund’s
wife Ortrud, and is turned back
into Elsa’s brother Gott-
A In Lohengrin the mysterious
fried, rightful heir to unnamed knight arrives in a boat
the dukedom. pulled by a swan to champion Elsa.

eEn lish National Opera. On our

remastered recording José
Canio to Renata Scotto's Nedda.
conducts the Philharmonia
with the Ambrosian Opera Chorus.
 > TOSCA Giacomo Puccini
A vivid drama of passion and oppression
WITH Maria CALLAS, TITO GOBBI
AND THE ORCHESTRE DE LA SOCIETE DES CONCERTS DU
CONSERVATOIRE CONDUCTED BY GEORGES PRETRE.
Callas and Gobbi had a particularly close artistic relationship .
which allowed them to conjure spine-tingling performances
from each other.

2
J
A Parisian courtesan’s tragic love
WITH RENATA SCOTTO, ALFREDO KRAUS AND
THE PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY RICCARDO MUTI
Kraus is the ideal foil to the dominant performance of Scotto,
giving a sensitive and supportive male partnership to the
sheer intensity and charismatic expression of her voice.

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ty: cover bc, 5tl, 6br, 7bl. Phil Dent/Optimum Exposure: 2tl.

© Fabbri Publishing 1994