Night at the Opera

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an opera by composer Benjamin Britten with a ‘libretto’ (text or words of an opera) adapted by Britton and Peter Pears from William Shakespeare’s popular stage play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  The opera was first performed in 1960, and has become one of the most frequently performed operas written since WWII.  You’ll find a synopsis as well as history and recordings → Here

If you missed the June 25 live stream broadcast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream from the Music Theater at University Mozarteum Salzburg, Austria, there’s still time to watch a video recording.  Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button on the media player below ↓

Otello is an opera in four acts by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) with Arrigo Boito (1842-1918) providing the ‘libretto’ (text or words of an opera) which was based on William Shakespeare’s play Othello (The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice).  First performed in 1887 at the Teatro alla Scala opera house in Milan, Italy, Otello was an immediate success with performances continuing 130 years later throughout the world.  Click/Tap here to read →  Otello Synopsis

Have a listen to an opera expert:  Naomi Barretara of the Metropolitan Opera Guild will take you through the history and music of Otello in her podcast, and you’ll get a good understanding of Giuseppe Verdi, his creative genius, and the beauty and power of Otello.

Information/Resources:
Learn About Opera, The National Opera Center America (A free go-to guide to history and technical aspects of opera with online resources and interactive learning, including in-depth information on specific operas and advice on how to prepare for an opera performance and make the most of your experience.)

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Photos:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by John Simmons (1873), PD

Othello and Desdemona (1880) by Antonio Muñoz Degrain, Public Domain (Degrain’s painting takes inspiration from Shakespeare’s play Othello.  It’s currently located at the Chiado Museum, Lisbon, Portugal.)

Feature photo is courtesy of Via Dumitru/Unsplash CC0