Saturday, September 20, 2014

You don't know it, but your sensibilites are steeped in the music of opera.

This example is The Anvil Chorus from Verdi's superb Il Trovatore. The scene is dawn in a gypsy camp, and the men begin their day's work as they sing of the merits of hard work, good wine and their fine gypsy women. You've heard the chorus in commercials and films all your life, and now you know where it comes from.



Verdi can be ponderous, but Il Trovatore (The Troubadours) is sublime, and contains my personal favorite crazed heifer aria, Stride la Vampa, sung by unfortunate Azucena.

Here Viorica Cortez spanks this aria (1975) and puts it to bed without any supper.  It's an acquired taste, but it's a good kind of crazy, if you ask me. The clip is not her full scene, but you get the ideer anyway.



Notice how you don't see her singing - none of that Whitney Houston/pop music chin-wobbling antics-- proper (and healthy) voice production happens on the interior.

7 comments:

Chris said...

Love Acuzena! Great exit-line: Egli era tuo fratello!
Chris from Sweden

Old NFO said...

Yep, VERY different, and much more appropriate (my opinion).

SiGraybeard said...

I confess - that's the first time in my life I heard the anvil chorus and Bugs Bunny wasn't involved!

And I was drawn here across the intertubes by the power of your post's title...

phlegmfatale said...

Chris from Sweden - she is truly a wonderful character. When I was training as a singer, I was a little disappointed that this role set too low in my range.

phlegmfatale said...

Old NFO - yes- much more appropriate as well as more enjoyable for the listener.

phlegmfatale said...

Graybeard - thanks for passing through. The truth is that so much of this music endures because it is so brilliantly written! Even Bugs Bunny recognized that.

Vinogirl said...

Made my weekly pilgrimage to your blog to see your wonderful hounds, but the opera is delightful too :)