Puccini's Tosca

We’ll be going to Puccini’s Tosca tomorrow night in Boston. It’s one in our series of Cross-Generation Concerts.

Opera occupies quite an interesting spot in the cultural world. It’s “high” culture in the sense that rich, sophisticated people attend operas and underwrite opera companies, and often wear very fancy clothes while they are at it. In Jim’s first look at opera, season opening night of the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1971, the fur coats and jewelry were as memorable as the music. Opera is a kind of exclusive club, with plenty of name dropping, jargon, and insider knowledge. Most people never go to an opera. And, in opera we find the elite of some of the hardest working and most talented musicians in the world.


On the other hand, opera’s roots sink deep into the emotions and experiences of all human beings—love and romance, jealousy, death, family bonds and conflicts, faith, victory, and defeat. In this sense opera is popular and accessible. The story is told that in the Italian countryside, workers in the fields would spontaneously sing opera excerpts to Giuseppe Verdi when they realized who he was. Verdi lived 1813-1901 and composed Aida, Don Carlo, Simon Boccanegra, La forza del destino, La traviata, and many more. In an earlier age, opera composers and performers were the rock stars. Even in our age, Paul Potts singing “Nessun dorma” has had 71 million views on You Tube. Look at the clip—it’s culture for everyone, not just an isolated elite http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA).

Separately, we're posting an introduction to Tosca. During the performance tomorrow, I’ll be especially waiting for four Tosca numbers I’ve listened to over and over on a CD of Puccini highlights. They are “Recondita harmonia,” “Tre sbirri,” “Vissi d’arte,” and “E lucevan le stelle.”

The 20 most performed operas are (Tosca is #8):
1. Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini
2. La bohème by Giacomo Puccini
3. La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
4. Carmen by Georges Bizet
5. The Barber of Seville by Gioacchino Rossini
6. The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
7. Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
8. Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
9. Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
10. The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
11. La Cenerentola by Gioacchino Rossini
12. Turandot by Giacomo Puccini
13. Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti
14. Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo
15. Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
16. Aida by Giuseppe Verdi
17. Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi
18. Faust by Charles Gounod
19. Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II
20. L'elisir d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti

Here's one person’s idea of the best opera singers of all time (from http://hubpages.com/hub/The10BestOperaSingersofallTimes):
12. Angela Gheorghiu -Though not as well known as many on this list, Angela has gentle pitch and a captivating voice.
11. Charlotte Church - An amazingly high pitched soft voice. Charlotte has no trouble hitting and holding the high notes. Her Christmas music is beautiful, and she is still very young!
10. Denyce Graves- She sings a little lower than most female singers, but hits her notes with such power. she makes you listen to the words as she sings.
9. Maria Callas-
8. Placido Domingo- As one of the 3 tenors, he has a commanding voice. Though not as strong as Pavoroti or as smooth as Lanza, he is a joy to listen also. His studio work is especially outstanding.
7. Rene Flemming-Listen to her version of Le Nozze de Figaro and Ave Maria. She could go as high as Charlotte Church and sound as beautiful, but has such strength in her voice and fluctuates it perfectly.
6.Andrea Bocelli- Out side of the tenors, he is an Italian favorite and legend.Listen to his duet with Sarah Brightman-Time to Say Goodbye.
5. Grace Bumbry- A real living legend. Though not as famous as the next 4, she had an unmistakable voice. She could bounce from note to note with such smoothness. Her falsetto ability was amazing in her prime. She made many musicals the classics they were.
4. Anthony Kearns- The Irish Tenor on my list. I saw him live and met him. He is an amazing live performer. If he preforms in a town near you, go see what I am talking about! His versions of Danny Boy, and Finiculi Finicula is about the best I have ever heard. He is only 38 and is taking the U.S. by storm.
3.Enrico Caruso- Many would have him higher, but I feel that Opera has changed since his era. One man was responsible for Opera's Evolution after the 90's. Caruso was awesome though.
2. Mario Lanza- What can I say about one that will NEVER be forgotten. His powerful yet smooth voice could master any opera song. He also has a museum in his name. http://www.mario-lanza-institute.org/ You will find that Balls, Dinners, and Masses, are still said in his name.
1.The Master-Luciano Pavarotti- There is one singer that everyone thinks of when they hear the word Opera. There will only ever be one Pavarotti. He is the Beatles, Elvis, and Michael Jackson of Opera. Many rock and pop legends wanted to sing duets with this man. Opera begins and ends here, with the man who took it to new levels, while making Opera mainstream music around the world, and bringing it to the MTV generation! Opera will never more be just for older white, upper class Americans, thanks to him.

Joseph Jongen Mass

Joseph Jongen was born in 1873 in Liege, Belgium and died in 1953. He was admitted to the Liege Conservatoire at the age of seven and graduated in honors in piano and organ. In 1897 he won the Grande Prix de Rome and travelled in Italy, France, and Germany. He was a prolific composer of symphonies, concertos, and chamber music. His Symphonie Concertante of 1926 was commissioned in the 1920s by Rodman Wanamaker for the rededication of the world's largest pipe organ in the Wanamaker department store in Philadelphia. Due to Mr. Wanamaker's untimely death in 1928, it was not performed on the Wanamaker organ until 2008. Many prominent organists have recorded this piece.

Paul Dredge is very enthusiastic about performing Jongen's Mass for choir, organ, and brass this Saturday with the Spectrum Singers. Their conductor, John W. Ehrlich has performed in the Boston area for over 30 years. He programs the Spectrum Singers to showcase music that is rarely heard, covering the whole spectrum of music, from Renaissance to the present day. www.spectrumsingers.org