I like the simple (well sometimes) but passionate stories told in most of the classic operas. I plan to put a short synopsis of each one as I read/watch same. Hope you like the stories. Maybe you'll be bitten too.......
Music By Giacomo Puccini
Libretto By Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
La Boheme is the story of a poet Rodolfo, his neighbor Mimi, his painter roommate Marcello, and friends Musetta, Colline, and Schaunard. The first Act takes place in Rodolfo and Marcello's room in the attic of a building near the Latin Quarter of Paris. The two artists are poor, frustrated, and cold. It is Christmas eve. Here, Rodolfo meets Mimi, who is very sickly, and immediately they fall in love. After Colline and Schaunard arrive with food, they decide to go shopping.
In the second Act, after making some purchases at small shops, they all meet at a Cafe in the square. There, they amuse themselves at the on-again-off- again romance between Marcello and Musetta. At this point, Musetta is flaunting herself for Marcello's sake with an older gentleman (Alcindoro). Rodolfo and Mimi are focused more on themselves. Finally, Musetta sends Alcindoro off on a pretext to get her new shoes and she and Marcello embrace passionately. All of them sneak off amidst a crowd, leaving Alcindoro with the restaurant bill.
The next Act finds Rodolfo living with Marcello at an inn where he and Musetta have found employment. It is now February and Rodolfo has left Mimi. Mimi tells Marcello that he left her because of jealousy. Actually, it is his inability to handle the reality of her illness that caused it. Not knowing that Mimi is there, Rodolfo tells Marcello his heart is broken over it. He then discovers she is listening from behind a tree and they reunite. Marcello and Musetta are fighting again.
In the final Act, Rodolfo and Marcello are living in the attic again. While they are having great fun with Colline and Schaunard, Musetta arrives and says that Mimi is outside and very ill. Rodolfo brings her in and they all try to make her comfortable. Rodolfo and Mimi are together alone for a short time while the others go out to get medicine and a doctor. They talk of when they first met. When Marcello and Musetta return, Mimi is nearly dead. They give her a drink and a muff to warm her hands. Colline arrives and asks Rodolfo how Mimi is. He says she is sleeping but the others know better. Once he realizes she is dead, Rodolfo runs to her bed crying out her name.
THE END
Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano
There must have been a lot of killing in the 15th century...?... In this story, is seems everyone is either killing, or plotting to kill, someone.
Il Trovatore is set in 15th century Spain. It is another convoluted story of love, death, revenge, and of course, mistaken identities. The main characters are Count di Luna, Manrico the troubadour, Leonora (the woman they both love), and Azucena, a gypsy woman who is supposedly the mother of Manrico.
In Act I, at the Aliaferia Palace, the Count first relates the story of how his brother was kidnapped as an infant by a gypsy whom he burned at the stake in revenge. His brother was then supposedly killed by the gypsy's daughter. The Count then goes to Leonora's garden to see his love. Manrico arrives to sing his nightly serenade to Leonora. The Count and Manrico each vow to vanquish the other for her love. But Leonora claims her undying love for Manrico.
Act II opens in a gypsy camp. Azucena tells the same story to Manrico and reveals some of the truth to the old story: that her mother was the gypsy who kidnapped the Count's brother and that her son, not the Count's brother, was killed (mistakenly) at her own hand. Then, Manrico tells how he was in a battle with the Count and was stopped from killing him by some strange unknown force -- unknowingly hinting at the truth of his own identity. Later, Manrico goes to the convent that Leonora has entered to take her with him as he is ordered to battle again. The count has planned to kidnap Leonora from the convent also, but is foiled by Manrico.
Act III is where the story takes its final turn: the count takes Azucena prisoner, discovers her identity, and plans to kill her as revenge for his brother's death and to force Manrico to give up Leonora. When Manrico hears this news, he leaves Leonora to rescue Azucena.
In Act IV, we are back at Aliaferia Palace where Count di Luna is now holding Manrico and Azucena prisoner. Leonora sings of her love and makes a passionate plea to the Count for her lover's life only to be refused. Finally, she offers herself in exchange for his life. Secretly she takes a fatal dose of poison. The Count allows Leonora to go to Manrico with the vow that she is his only. When Leonora tells Manrico to go, he denounces her for giving herself to the Count, only to find out that she is dying for him. The Count enters, and when he realizes he has been tricked, he orders Manrico beheaded. Azucena wakes up at this point and tries, unsuccessfully, to stop the Count from killing Manrico.
The truth is revealed at the last moment: the Count has just killed his own brother. As the Count cries out in despair, Azucena claims her revenge for her mother's death.
THE END
Music by Jules Massenet
Libretto by Alfred Blau and Lois de Gramont
This story reminds me that it is not so much the story that makes the opera, but more the music, singing, and to some degree, the costumes and sets. Esclarmonde is a typical story of love, betrayal, power, and death. Only in this one, magical powers are also incorporated in the story.
This opera has some very moving musical pieces and some really great singing. It would be a real treat for me to see a performance in person.
Esclarmonde is the daughter of the emporer Phorcas, ruler of the Byzantium empire. When the story opens, Phorcas tells his subjects that he abdicates the throne and his magical powers in favor of his daughter .... but only if she does not reveal herself to any man until the age of 20. Of course, this is hard to do ... Esclarmonde loves Roland. Wouldn't you know it, he has to go off and fight the empire's enemies and, in the end, must prove himself worthy of Esclarmonde in battle.
As the story progresses, various twists and some trickery (by a bishop no less) causes Rolande to unknowingly betray Esclarmonde. At first she is hurt, but forgives him. However, she still must denounce him to satisfy her father, who has taken back the throne and his magical powers.
It has a happy ending though, and amazingly, none of the principals die. Rolande, in despair and in disquise, wins the tournament that Phorcas has set for determining his daughter's husband. Only at the very end does Rolande realize that his lost love is Esclarmonde and triumphantly accepts her hand. It has an up beat all around really, the king's enemies are defeated, the people are jubilant, the emporer is back in charge, his daughter gets her knight, and he gets the very lovely Esclarmonde.
THE END
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