How Mozart Changed Opera Forever

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 พ.ค. 2024
  • Mozart's collaboration with Lorenzo Da Ponte was legendary. Here is how Mozart's two great operatic achievements, The Marriage of Figaro (La Nozze di Figaro) and Don Giovanni revolutionised the genre of opera.
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    0:00 - Introduction
    1:34 - Mozart's Operatic Ambitions
    2:53 - The Marriage of Figaro
    9:08 - Don Giovanni

ความคิดเห็น • 184

  • @InsidetheScore
    @InsidetheScore  ปีที่แล้ว +53

    This video came with another copyright strike, of course! But if you'd like to support this channel, you can start by checking out my program, Musicality - a training program for mastering your musicianship. Check it out here:
    www.insidethescore.com/musicality
    Thanks everyone - enjoy the video, and I'm hoping here'll be another one out before Christmas!

    • @IRLSuperb
      @IRLSuperb ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Mozart wouldn’t have given you a strike

    • @djordjematic5894
      @djordjematic5894 ปีที่แล้ว

      Cc. "Porgi", It's pronounced "por-gee", not "por-ghi". Just as (Là ci) darÉm" rather than "dàrem".
      But that's a minor glitch, considering.
      Otherwise, well done.

    • @matheusmartinispier2541
      @matheusmartinispier2541 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Anybody knows a place where one can use classical music for one’s videos without copyright infringement?

    • @sathish98654
      @sathish98654 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You have to listen to Ilayaraja India, you will be really feeling well... explain us how knowledge he has in music

  • @idraote
    @idraote ปีที่แล้ว +102

    Truth to be told, Mozart composed operas throughout his life and most of them are remarkable pieces.
    What sets Le Nozze Di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così Fan Tutte aside is that just for these three operas, the genius of Mozart meets the underestimated genius of da Ponte. The sublime music and the marvelous simplicity of the verses feed each other allowing those three works to soar high above any other opera of the time.
    This is why I get angry every time I hear singers butchering the Italian of the librettos: in these three operas, words are just as important as music and one cannot exist without the others. This is also why I hate directors who take too many liberties: these three operas are so rich that they don't need any added gimmick to shine.

    • @brentmeistergeneral2813
      @brentmeistergeneral2813 5 ชั่วโมงที่ผ่านมา

      I dont remember Zaide having Da Ponte as the libretto ? ! Which was an unfinished masterpiece. Fools will always think that a libretto writer is on the same artistic level as the writer of the music.

  • @pennyroyalcoffee9257
    @pennyroyalcoffee9257 ปีที่แล้ว +68

    I think it’s interesting too that Mozart and Da Ponte changed how the Don Juan tale is perceived. Before the opera, Don Juan was a largely comic figure and all his exploits were played for laughs. It’s great that Mozart gave the story a darker edge.

    • @heinedietiker4943
      @heinedietiker4943 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      In fact, this tragic version was taken from Molière's play, and he was forced by the French king to write a punishing ending for Don Juan so that the play could be staged. A seducer who goes on and on with impunity would have been a false example in the eyes of the king.

    • @kaloarepo288
      @kaloarepo288 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      There was a Don Giovanni opera before Mozart by Gazzaniga.

    • @janwilson9485
      @janwilson9485 ปีที่แล้ว

      The original spanish story of Don Juan was very similar to Mozart/da Pontes version. It had comedy and tragedy. Don Juan was described as a trickster who liked getting the better of others and who was a privelidged noble which protected him from getting the earthly punishment he deserved. He was a seducer, a rapist and also happily set up his 'friend' to be executed after attempting or successfully raping 'donna Anna' (?) While dressed like his friend. He is finally punished via a non earthly finale.

    • @DressyCrooner
      @DressyCrooner ปีที่แล้ว

      @@heinedietiker4943 Ironic considering Louis XIV's own womanising habits.

    • @JaneXemylixa
      @JaneXemylixa 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      But predictable. The harshest moralizers are rarely moral themselves. @@DressyCrooner

  • @ingvarhallstrom2306
    @ingvarhallstrom2306 ปีที่แล้ว +89

    Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart may be the three single best composers the world has ever seen. But none had the apparent lightness and humour and cleverness that Mozart had. He was probably too smart for his own good, but being that clever also made him eternally modern and fresh. Figaro is as fresh today as it was two hundred years ago, and there will always be endless possibilities of modern interpretations.

    • @mrknesiah
      @mrknesiah ปีที่แล้ว +4

      You forgot Handel. Many great composers out there. Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Zelenka, Vivaldi, etc.

    • @ingvarhallstrom2306
      @ingvarhallstrom2306 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@mrknesiah But you understood my point, yes? Even though I didn't mention "all of the great composers" out there?

    • @mrknesiah
      @mrknesiah ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@ingvarhallstrom2306 Yes, but saying this is the best or whatever isn't really valid. Various composers composed for different reasons and to different audiences. If they only composed for themselves, we may or may not like it and we'll never know what they would have created. Same with most art. In the end all that matters is did it move you or make you feel something and that's hopefully where we'd leave it instead of getting into classification and ranking like eggs or manufactured products.

    • @ingvarhallstrom2306
      @ingvarhallstrom2306 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@mrknesiah Yeah, but that wasn't what my post was about? You're discussing a completely different issue.

    • @donna30044
      @donna30044 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @ingvarhallstrom2306
      Bach gave us visons of how
      the Universe is put together..
      Beethoven opened our eyes to the beauty and chaos of the world around and within us.
      Mozart taught us the meanings of heaven and heII, of damnation and redemption.

  • @BAShireSATAX
    @BAShireSATAX ปีที่แล้ว +24

    I fell in love with opera because of Mozart

  • @amadeus5889
    @amadeus5889 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    What’s remarkable to me about Mozart’s operas is that you can hear the dichotomy in them between “writing pretty pleasing music for the nobility and the masses” and “writing music that propels emotional expression into the future.” For every “la ci darem la mano,” you get a “mi tradi quell’alma ingrata,” and in those moments, something opens up in his music. We either get a glimpse into the abyss or into the heavens.

    • @ldhdjzjjaklzjdbd6610
      @ldhdjzjjaklzjdbd6610 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      La ci Darem la Mano is beautiful tho

    • @amadeus5889
      @amadeus5889 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ldhdjzjjaklzjdbd6610 Oh it absolutely is! Not saying it isn’t. I’m just saying, it’s the pop hit of the opera (that and “Deh vieni alla finestra”), whereas “Mi tradi quell’alma ingrata” is more of a deep cut. And it has a much deeper emotional significance to the plot, whereas “la ci darem” is a straight love song.

  • @Ivan_1791
    @Ivan_1791 ปีที่แล้ว +186

    To some extent Mozart's operas are the equivalent of Beethoven's contributions to symphonies.

    • @chessematics
      @chessematics ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Very true. To the next level of matchless reign.

  • @scottmunson2917
    @scottmunson2917 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    The comment below about Mozart and Shakespeare I think is right on the money. They both had the power to communicate that "nothing human is alien to them". Vividly remember seeing both Figaro and Don Giovanni when I was 12-13 years ago as the PBS station in Los Angeles would show classical music shows from time to time. Was utterly transfixed. Now it's 60 years later and I still find myself awestruck by their sublime greatness.

    • @kaloarepo288
      @kaloarepo288 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I'm also awestruck by the operas and oratorios of Handel -he is the equal of both Mozart and Shakespeare as far as being able to express so wonderfully every human emotion-just give you one example from possibly hundreds -the aria "Dove sei? -"Where are you my beloved?" from the opera "Rodelinda" especially in the version sung by Andreas Scholl.I'm so totally moved by the intensity of the emotion of loss that happens in this work -and there are so many others in Handel's works either to Italian words or to English ones.The oratorio "Theodora" to English words is also an absolute favourite-I believe the Glyndebourne production of about 20 years ago had such an emotional impact that 3 ambulances were needed for each performance of the Peter Sellars interpretation.I have the video and every time I watch I'm totally overwhelmed

    • @scottmunson2917
      @scottmunson2917 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@kaloarepo288 I don't know Handel's operas at all (except perhaps for a "greatest hit" here and there). I will have to check them out. For example, I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I've never heard of "Rodelinda" before. Sincerely and ignorantly yours, Still Learning at 72!

    • @kaloarepo288
      @kaloarepo288 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@scottmunson2917 A caution about Handel operas -because castrated male singers were all the rage in Handel's time the modern equivalent is to either use female voices for male roles or to use counter tenors and male sopranos(falsetto voices)Some people can't stomach these voices!I'm surprised you haven't heard the so called the famous Largo from "Xerxes" which was the first "song" ever broadcast when the inventor of radio broadcasting (Fessenden I think)played the vocal version of it "Ombra mai fu" that opens this wonderful opera.Three other wonderful Handel operas are "Orlando","Julius Caesar" and "Tamerlano" -the last is about the Mongol conqueror who defeated and imprisoned the sultan of the Ottomans.I suggest you watch "Theodora" on You Tube in the Peter Sellars version -Sellars set it in contemporary times and his treatment absolutely works as it allows the singers to act and not be weighed down by ancient costumes!

    • @scottmunson2917
      @scottmunson2917 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@kaloarepo288 Oh, I'm aware of the tradition. Can't say it's my absolute favorite either. But fashions/tastes change so much in music and opera in particular. I try not to get too high on my high horse and try to appreciate different tastes/eras/cultures. Sometimes a challenge though!

  • @dangaines405
    @dangaines405 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I think that Mozart’s instrument concertos are some of the best pieces of music ever written (clarinet, flute, piano concertos).
    And then, Mozart’s operas are music for the gods! So divine, so deep, so inspired that humans will try in vain (and forever) to replicate them…
    And I agree that Bach and Beethoven were in the same very small group of geniuses with Mozart.

  • @hoangkimviet8545
    @hoangkimviet8545 ปีที่แล้ว +26

    Unfortunately, you didn’t talk about two singspiele of Mozart “The Abduction from the Seraglio” and “The Magic Flute”. They were more revolutionary than his Italian ones because they pushed the German opera to a new level, equal to the Italian one.

    • @Alix777.
      @Alix777. ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Didn't talk about Idomeneo neither

  • @akechijubeimitsuhide
    @akechijubeimitsuhide ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Don Giovanni is one of my favourites. Probably Mozart's darkest opera, but there is still a lot of humor, too. I wonder how an 18th century audience reacted to the Commendatore Scene because musically, it's nothing like what was typical for the era or even for Mozart.

    • @crazycat482
      @crazycat482 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      It would have been weird to use your average classical music to represent a scene where a statue takes a man to hell.If I was a 18th century person watching that live I would have freaked out lmao. In the good way ofc

  • @tomebarrios
    @tomebarrios ปีที่แล้ว +6

    8:50 A photograph of the premier of The Marriage of Figaro in 1786, but wasn't the first photograph only taken 41 years later by Nicéphore Niépce?

  • @chessematics
    @chessematics ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Was waiting with literally my mouth open

  • @mdrakic
    @mdrakic ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I've been into opera's since I've listened to classical music, some 20+ years now. Unfortunately for me, but also fortune to me, after I really fell in love with opera's I have betrayed my non-operatic classical collection (300+ CD's). But there's nothing I can do about it 🤷🏻‍♂️
    The culprit, the One And Only Don! Have almost 20 recordings (CD, DVD and Blu-ray), and I sincerely believe it's the best opera ever composed. Cesare Siepi stands firm on the Throne, but with Ramey dangerously close (clip shown in the video is with Karajan from Salzburger Festspiele in 1987). This is the reason why my son bares the Serbian version of Giovanni, Jovan.
    As someone wrote, opera's to Mozart are what symphonies are to Beethoven. But, do give other opera's of Mozart a chance.
    P.S.: When you are ready to move onwards after Don Giovanni, try Semiramide, by Rossini. Thank me later.

  • @Trazom488
    @Trazom488 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Please sir make a video on Mozarts Piano Concertos! They are his only works that rival his operas in my eyes. The first movement of the 20th and the 2nd of the 23rd will live on for me as two of the greatest movements ever written in music. For me they are beyond just genius.

    • @Trazom488
      @Trazom488 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Maybe also explain how they we’re basically opera pieces as the Piano being the voice. This truly allowing the pieces to become utter masterpieces.

    • @gaboh296
      @gaboh296 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      That was the hook that made me a deep admirer of Mozart and of classical music in general. I remember hearing his 24th for the first time through an iPod a friend of mine gave me. I’ve never listened to modern music the same since

    • @FrostDirt
      @FrostDirt ปีที่แล้ว +5

      His late piano concertos, starting from the 20th in D Minor are monumental pieces that basically sets an immortal model for piano concertos of later eras. His earlier ones are wonderful too, but to me there are some works that are not as significant in those range.

    • @omegads3862
      @omegads3862 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      There is no difference between earlier and later Mozart. In both periods there is a combination of "serious works" and works required for particular circumstances. But both kinds have masterpieces. kV 160 is an example of his earlier masterpiece.

    • @murrayeaston2359
      @murrayeaston2359 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yessir, couldn't agree more, the standout movements of those concertos where every movement is just breathtaking. The 1st movement of the 20th is some kind of miracle, and I particularly love that the the cadenza played on it is usually Beethoven's wild, beautiful and perfect condensation of the themes, so you get a mashup of a Mozart and Beethoven 2 in 1! Nice. And the 2nd movement of the 23rd? That a man wrote that with a quill, paper and maybe a harpsichord and violin to hand? Just miraculous.

  • @samcotten2416
    @samcotten2416 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I’m so glad you made this video - been waiting for something on this subject for a long time. I myself have always wanted to compose a work for the stage, and your musicality course sounds like something fantastic for learning how to do it.

  • @juanloaezaviadas500
    @juanloaezaviadas500 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Great video, but I missed Cosi fan tutte. I have no doubt Cosi deserves the same admiration as its two more famous sisters and is too frequently overlooked. Its music is just as wonderful. Think about moments as Soave sia il vento or Per pietà, ben mio perdona… every ensemble and aria form that opera is just perfect. Most are among the very best Mozart ever composed. The plot, on the other hand, is a brutal, (too) crude exploration of romantic young love and loss of innocence. It is probably the darkest of the three. I hope you find the time to talk about it.

  • @87linceed
    @87linceed ปีที่แล้ว +14

    my favourite composer, and truly one of the great geniuse to ever live. You should do a video about his greatest contribution in my mind... the piano concerto... i mean common, the guy was on another level.

    • @beachcomber4141
      @beachcomber4141 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Here here brother. Possibly the greatest musical journey I have ever taken was discovering Mozart's piano concertos. It started with the 20th. That is where it 'clicked' for me. Probably the greatest musical paradigm shift of my life.

    • @Alix777.
      @Alix777. ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Mozart best music is not well known . Quartets, quintets, isolated piano pieces like Adagio k.540 or Rondo k.511, most of his sacred music etc.

    • @wastedmercyband8691
      @wastedmercyband8691 หลายเดือนก่อน

      piano concerto 24 c minor Beethoven loved that piece,20 d minor, PINAO CONCERTO 23 2ND MV STALIN (RUSSIA) LEADER EVIL MAN AS HE WAS DYING SKED TO HEAR THIS MVT DURING HIS LAST BREATHS 16, piano 4 hands 521 3rd mvt. you hear Mozart play spanish music, OR SPANISH MUSIC STARTED FROM THIS 3RD MOVENT, 20:36 th-cam.com/video/Yxx3XPhM8lM/w-d-xo.html LISTEN SPAIN OLA

  • @josephkitchens1644
    @josephkitchens1644 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Excellent video!! Mozart’s Opera’s are truly timeless and beautiful works of art!

  • @WetaMantis
    @WetaMantis ปีที่แล้ว +14

    15:10 Please stop over editing and putting music tracks on top of each other. It becomes noise in the end.

  • @rishi_mahendran
    @rishi_mahendran ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Again, another amazing script by Ricardo Santos! Incredibly moving. I have heard teachers say: 'if you want to begin to understand Mozart, you have to listen to his opera's.' Thanks for giving me the extra nudge to follow through with that advice.

  • @MutantsInDisguise
    @MutantsInDisguise ปีที่แล้ว +7

    With the exception of Henry Purcell's King Arthur, never have I tried to listen to an opera before. I hope to check out Mozart's operas.

    • @saltburner2
      @saltburner2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Start with Figaro!

    • @oxoelfoxo
      @oxoelfoxo ปีที่แล้ว

      I like the ENO's production of Barber of Seville. I love that I can understand the lyrics.

    • @khaledgueddim7807
      @khaledgueddim7807 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Check out Puccini's la boheme. This is a piece that is impossible not to fall in love with!

  • @monicacall7532
    @monicacall7532 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Mozart was my gateway to opera. Without him I would have been stuck in an orchestra pit playing operas that didn’t interest in any way. Thanks, especially to Marriage of Figaro and Don G I decided to give the opera form another try and have been greatly musically rewarded for doing so.

  • @CountryMozart
    @CountryMozart ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Heck of an intro. Less than 2 minutes in and I am totally invested. Excellent job hooking the viewer in

  • @fredrodriguez3913
    @fredrodriguez3913 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for this excellent summary and assessment of the significance of these amazing works!

  • @PensadorProfundo42
    @PensadorProfundo42 ปีที่แล้ว

    This video is perfect. Thank you!

  • @aquelpibe
    @aquelpibe ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Excellent video! Just one detail that must have slipped unnoticed at 8:50 - a "photo of the première"? in 1786?

  • @wodthehunter8145
    @wodthehunter8145 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    At a certain point I realized i'm not much of a classical fan, but fuck do I love Mozart. Die Zauberflote is chef's kiss too.

  • @ash-fb3tc
    @ash-fb3tc ปีที่แล้ว

    I love this channel so much!!

  • @radualexa1356
    @radualexa1356 ปีที่แล้ว

    I've seen both of them this summer. I absolutely agree with your points.

  • @VRed224
    @VRed224 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wonderfully presented 🔥

  • @georgeharteman4083
    @georgeharteman4083 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great piece of work thanks.

  • @JJoeisCooking
    @JJoeisCooking ปีที่แล้ว

    Beautifully done presentation.

  • @horaciomillan4181
    @horaciomillan4181 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Your comments are very insightful, as ever, but the portrait you show as Louis XVI is actually Louis XV. All in all, luminous observations, thank you!

  • @mishmashbyElmanAli
    @mishmashbyElmanAli ปีที่แล้ว

    great work, thanks a lot

  • @jachymbalas4260
    @jachymbalas4260 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    You can still watch Don Giovanni in the Ständeteater/Stavovské divadlo in Prague where it premiered in 1787.

  • @ericleiter6179
    @ericleiter6179 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I really enjoyed the video...however in the pre-1786 period, you didn't mention Idomeneo or The Abduction from the Seraglio, of course neither were as influential or ultimately as important as the Da Ponte operas and beyond, but they both have same brilliant music in them that point the way to the more mature opera composer he would become, and I just thought I would make a case for them in passing

  • @victornoagbodji
    @victornoagbodji ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Hans Zimmer re-orchestrated that final scene of Don Giovanni in Games of Shadow 😄It's truly one of Hans's masterpieces. I wonder what Mozart would have done if he had all the tech we had today 😊

    • @rainyday6430
      @rainyday6430 ปีที่แล้ว

      Probably a lot of cool shit!

    • @manuel.roesler
      @manuel.roesler 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You mean: one of Mozarts Masterpieces. Hans Zimmer is not in the same league. I'd compare him to Eybler or Ries 😉

  • @Steve-yh8vr
    @Steve-yh8vr 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That was Brilliant

  • @MichaelOrtega
    @MichaelOrtega ปีที่แล้ว +15

    After Lacrimosa dropped, the art of music composing was never the same.

  • @Herman6507
    @Herman6507 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great and interesting doc which works for the intro and interpretation of Mozarts importance to (classical) music. May I add the more neglected opera Midridate which I regards as his earlier but already mature showcase.

  • @NovumEboraci
    @NovumEboraci ปีที่แล้ว +5

    2:50 That’s Louis XV

  • @joshgrumiaux6820
    @joshgrumiaux6820 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Why is the background music so needlessly chopped up? That's what they do in commercials and movies; I wouldn't expect it in a video about music literacy.

  • @erichodge567
    @erichodge567 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Director Milos Forman's rendering of the finale of Don Giovanni in the film "Amadeus" is amazing.

  • @TheseusTitan
    @TheseusTitan ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Why do you have insects running around your image? I thought they were on my display at first but soon realized they were recorded with the video. Good content, thank you!

  • @redpoemsformywife9945
    @redpoemsformywife9945 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video.

  • @khaledgueddim7807
    @khaledgueddim7807 ปีที่แล้ว

    MORE OPERA VIDEOS PLEASE!!!

  • @davidaraujo927
    @davidaraujo927 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    To this day Losey's D. Giovanni is the high watermark. The best version of what I feel is the best opera ever created.

  • @TimothyCHenderson
    @TimothyCHenderson ปีที่แล้ว

    Der Schauspieldirektor has a great terzet in it that foreshadows Mozart's greatest comedic moments in Figaro and Don Giovanni, worth a listen.

  • @ingvarhallstrom2306
    @ingvarhallstrom2306 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Also, opera becomes much more attainable if you think of Figaro as a slapstick farce on the subject of sex. It is up there with the best comedies Hollywood has ever offered.

  • @williamsackelariou1860
    @williamsackelariou1860 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Totally Agree with you😊😊😊😊

  • @johnchessant3012
    @johnchessant3012 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    1:34 Mozart - Symphony No. 40, mvmt. 2

  • @pnl4660
    @pnl4660 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I believe that after this video, I will finally find the opportunity to get to know these operas closely. But for many years and nowadays my heart belongs to the "The Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky.

  • @Ziad3195
    @Ziad3195 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    This is a gorgeous, gorgeous video that urged me to want to listen to these operas.
    Btw, Can you please make one focusing on just Debussy?

  • @Augustus_Imperator
    @Augustus_Imperator ปีที่แล้ว +4

    BriIIiant briIiant video and expIanations, but I have to put die entführung aus dem seraiI and die zuberfIote into the story to, as first and Iast step; seraiI being the first reaIIy concerted opera in which interesting, exotic and joyous meIodies are tied with many voices and in-story drama, martern aIIer arten is my favorite aria in aII of opera history, on the other hand zauberfIote bring out aII that obscure, mysterious, pagan, magic mystery, with its symboIism, its characters and stories, its exoteric nature, and possibIy one of the best overtures ever in music history

  • @BluntStop
    @BluntStop 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I always thought the last scene was giovanni having a dinner by himself while leporello steals some food with an orchestra playing music just for him.

  • @jerryjalava4022
    @jerryjalava4022 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Nice video! Could you also Make one on Jean Sibelius?

  • @outtabubblegum7034
    @outtabubblegum7034 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Don't underestimate The Magic Flute!

  • @redlab3488
    @redlab3488 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Considering my case I think that exposition to a style of music is of great importance for its adoption and comprehension. Let's face it, the pop music is less demanding to the ears than more elaborated music. You need repeated experience with classical music to get more susceptible to embrace it. But still, you can find a piece of music that can enchant you and makes you eager to learn more about a style of music. In China, the average age for classical audience is about 30 ! When asked how come this young generation is so thrilled with classical music, the answer is from a Chinese is : "From primary school onwards, children receive a great deal of education in music. We organize nearly 600 concerts a year for school children. The young audience of 15/30 year olds therefore naturally comes to attend our concerts."

  • @edmundpankau1061
    @edmundpankau1061 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Zauberfloete doesn't get the credit it deserves these days, despite being Beethoven's favorite Mozart opera.

  • @janwilson9485
    @janwilson9485 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What about Cosi Fan Tutte? It was the 3rd and last Mozart Da Ponte collaboration and is a glorious, intelligent and heart wrenching opera.

  • @sybcnoops7527
    @sybcnoops7527 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Love your content, though could you maybe make a video on Bruckner?

    • @VisiblyJacked
      @VisiblyJacked ปีที่แล้ว +2

      It's amazing how popular Bruckner is these days (well deserved). I can remember back in the 80s/90s when he was not in the top 20 classical composers that would be name-dropped, now he almost certainly is.

    • @sybcnoops7527
      @sybcnoops7527 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@VisiblyJacked indeed, he is by far my favourite composer. Though I’m quite new to classical music. But when I heard his 7th symphony for the first time (recommended by my dad), I could not believe what I was hearing. Also, I heard his 9th live from the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and I almost was into tears.

    • @VisiblyJacked
      @VisiblyJacked ปีที่แล้ว

      @@sybcnoops7527 I know what you mean. I had similar experiences discovering Beethoven and Mozart at around 10, then Bruckner as a teenager. For me it was a Karajan LP of the 4th, and Jochum's 9th. Absolutely life-changing. I love many composers but there is something special about Bruckner.

  • @manco828
    @manco828 12 วันที่ผ่านมา

    "The restored third act was bold, brilliant. The fourth was astounding. l saw a woman disguised in her maid's clothes, hear her husband speak the first tender words he'd offered her in years, simply because he thinks she is someone else. l heard the music of true forgiveness filling the theatre, conferring on all who sat there perfect absolution. God was singing through this little man, to all the world, unstoppable".

  • @nyusa74
    @nyusa74 ปีที่แล้ว

    Why do people who are talented in music are also very powerful in their linguistic expressions? I usually read these comments for the beauty of the words and the way they are “ composed”.

  • @DRaymore44
    @DRaymore44 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I have seen most of Mozart's operas done by the Seattle Opera. Once, they used an updated English translation from the Italian of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro." Everybody of all ages enjoyed this opera immensely. Even though this opera has four acts, the music, singing, and storyline flowed so well. There were so many comic moments in the storyline that it made this opera so entertaining. It is also one of those operas that used a woman dressed as a man, called a "trouser role." Mozart may have intended to use a castrati singer for that role instead of a woman soprano voice. A castrati singer was a young man castrated before puberty to retain his child-like high voice.
    Another time, Seattle Opera performed Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutti," which was set in the modern era. For example, during the first act, the two women characters use cell phones to admire their boyfriend's picture instead of using small 18th-century images in a handheld frame. The two leading men characters are told by a friend that their girlfriends cannot be trusted, and they try to prove the antagonist wrong by dressing as different people. One singer was dressed in a long trenchcoat with no shirt, and he had six-pack abs with a sizeable hand-drawn tattoo done by a Sharpie marker on his midriff. In another act, one character faints on stage, and they bring out a doctor and a nurse while rolling in a crash cart with paddles to revive him. It was such an enjoyable experience, and I would love to see that production again. In the end, each woman fell in love with the opposite man.
    I also saw Mozart's darkest opera, "Don Giovanni." This opera retells the story of the gigolo Don Juan, who tries to sleep with multiple women. His servant carries a book of all the names of women he conquered, and he does not care about them or their feelings. During one of the acts, Don Giovanni has a swordfight with a commander who was the father of one of the women he used for his sexual pleasures. In the end, Don Giovanni kills the commander, but the man he killed will return to haunt him to repent for his many indiscretions with all those women.
    Finally, I saw Mozart's last opera, "The Magic Flute." It's a fantasy story about a man who has many adventures, such as meeting and killing a ten-foot serpent. Later, he meets a birdman named Papageno, who tells many fibs. As a result, three women show up and put a lock on his mouth as punishment for telling so many lies. The most famous aria is done by the Queen of the Night. She is asking her daughter to kill her father, Sarastro. However, if she does not do this task, she will be banished from the Queen's palace and no longer be her daughter. Mozart was a member of the Freemasons, and he used a secret ceremony for a part of the story during the second act. As I mentioned, this is Mozart's last opera because he died unexpectedly from a lousy illness at age 35. Some historians believe he may have died from food poisoning, such as improperly cooked pork at a local Vienna, Austria restaurant. By his death, Mozart had written over 600 pieces, such as piano sonatas, concertos, symphonies, and operas. One could imagine the number of other pieces of music he could have written for all to enjoy listening to. Besides completing that last opera, Mozart finished composing his famous Clarinet in A minor Concerto. His other notable piece of music was his "Requiem Mass in D minor." Yet, he only finished some fragments of music. One of his students finished it by copying Mozart's style of music. We will never know what Mozart intended for it after he died because he did not leave any notes about how he wanted it to be composed and performed.
    I highly recommend seeing any of Mozart's operas because each one has such good music and great stories.

    • @tomaszsosnowski9279
      @tomaszsosnowski9279 ปีที่แล้ว

      A wonderful comment. I had the opportunity to listen to a live performance of his Requiem. It was sublime and magnificent. Performed in a cathedral on a catholic holiday. I own a Karajan edition of his 40th and 41th symphonies. They are played with an opera like passion, frantic, fast, forceful. Thank you for posting this comment, it was a great read.

  • @HandattheHelm
    @HandattheHelm ปีที่แล้ว

    What is the piano song playing at the very end of the video? It sounds familiar but I can't remember the name.

  • @lawrencetaylor4101
    @lawrencetaylor4101 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You've said that I should try to watch this in my lifetime?
    No, I want to return from the depths of hell to really appreciate Don Giovanni.
    I mean, ya'gotta live it to love it, n'est-ce pas?

  • @patrickdrazen2031
    @patrickdrazen2031 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Of course you had to speak of "Figaro" and "Giovanni"; yet for my tastes "Magic Flute" is equal to, if not greater than, both. So much great music, from Papageno's opening song to the Revenge aria of the Queen of the Night, which is immediately offset by Sarastro's "Within These Sacred Halls": two verses rather than one long aria, major instead of minor, a simple melody instead of vocal fireworks--the two numbers work individually AND paired off against each other! The Flute is as great as any of Mozat's other operas!

  • @gumbycat5226
    @gumbycat5226 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Don Giovanni was written in 1787, the year of the American constitutional convention and the year the French monarchy finally lost control of its finances. The difference in one year from Figaro to Giovanni is that in the earlier the nobility can repent and be forgiven for their crimes, while in the later they are damned. I have seen Don in the small theatre in Prague where it was premiered but the most dramatic occasion was in Melbourne where before the opera began there was a great white screen covering the whole enormous stage and written on it was "1787". It might as well have been written in blood.

  • @neorich59
    @neorich59 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Already a massive Mozart fan, having grown up, playing his sonatas and one of his concertos. I studied "Figaro," at University and fell in love with the music, but didn't really "get it," until I watched a wonderful production of it by the Kent Opera, in the 1980's.
    I'm not (sacrilege, according to some) a fan of watching Opera in a language I don't understand, having spent many years struggling to read the synopses of a number of Italian Operas, in the dark and still ending up not really getting the plots, nor the fact that, a lot of the time, the singers (often totally miscast, you know, overweight 60 year olds, singing parts written for 20 year olds) often just stood about, singing with very little in the way of action.
    And no, for me, "surtitles," are no substitute. I struggle to watch foreign language films, for the same reason, although, for me, subtitles are a better option than awful dubbing!
    What was wonderful about the Kent, was, not only did they sing in English, so that the, drama, intricacies of the verbal exchanges between the chracters and the humour of the plot (especially, in the case of Figaro) were fully realized, but they "acted" as well as just sang.
    Their production of Figaro was great. One "twist" they added to the plot, was that The Count, often played as a lecherous, unattractive, old man, was played by an absolute hunk, far more attractive than they guy who played Figaro and who drew gasps from the audience when he entered and I'm sure that some people were left wondering (even though you know she wouldn't be) whether she might be tempted and who would blame her, if she were! 😉😉
    Re the music, well, it's a total joy and so often, for me, with Mozart, it's not the moments of instrumental/vocal acrobatics that stir.
    The Countess's aria, at the beginning of Act II is a thing of pure beauty and every bit as moving as some of the more histrionic ballads you hear in Opera, and in Pop/Rock music, for that matter!

    • @FrostDirt
      @FrostDirt ปีที่แล้ว

      "I'm not (sacrilege, according to some) a fan of watching Opera in a language I don't understand"
      This sentiment is not entirely uncommon! I'm not an opera person myself but that's because I don't like the timbre of soprano voices.

    • @oxoelfoxo
      @oxoelfoxo ปีที่แล้ว

      I love translated opera. Wish there are any/more of them to watch online.

  • @jonasjohansen8287
    @jonasjohansen8287 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice content! Abbey Road reaction - or just a few words at least, when it comes to melody and harmony in "modern music".

  • @Man-xf4jv
    @Man-xf4jv ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video, but the clips you showed didn’t actually synch up to what you were talking about. When you recap the figaro act 2 finale the clips are from the act 3 finale.

  • @marceloseixas895
    @marceloseixas895 ปีที่แล้ว

    Pretty brutal that Giovani's end hah

  • @sergei-prokofiev
    @sergei-prokofiev ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Please please please make a: why listen to video about Prokofjev!!!

  • @marceloseixas895
    @marceloseixas895 ปีที่แล้ว

    16:00 whats the name of this music? I cant remember it's name damnn

  • @sanuku535
    @sanuku535 ปีที่แล้ว

    6:07
    Huh.
    I thought of it as a typically Italian sound.

  • @ujincicero1564
    @ujincicero1564 ปีที่แล้ว

    Pretty sure 1:23 is Tristan und Isolde

  • @yon8378
    @yon8378 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A minor point, but I really prefer to have "Giovanni" pronounced as Italians would, i.e., as "Jovanni." Btw, while considering these two operas as mankind's greatest acievements, I slightly prefer Figaro because its characters are more human, more relatable to, more worthy of sympathy.

  • @Blaqjaqshellaq
    @Blaqjaqshellaq ปีที่แล้ว

    Lorenzo di Ponte had met Giacomo Casanova, and there's probably a lot of him in Don Giovanni!
    Despite the hero's infernal fate, DON GIOVANNI is basically a comedy! (It was more popular in Prague than in Vienna--Czechs like a comedy with a tragic ending...)

  • @OlgaRykov
    @OlgaRykov 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I think that more than anything it's that technology has rewired how our brains work. You talked about it: it's the short form content and the inability of our brains at this point to exert the effort it takes to consume longer works. Youngsters of today are unable to watch LOTR for God's sake! I think everything you mentioned is a part of it, but nothing is going to beat mental reprogramming. At the end of the day it is just something that each person will have to come to realize on their own and will have to make a choice between being a short form content addict, who has no say in what is consumed, or putting the effort into quitting screen dependency and opening infinite doors into worlds of imagination, pleasure, adventure, and sometimes even wisdom. Music is only the second step in this tragedy. The first step is to regain ownership of the human brain that has been hijacked. And yes, I deliberately write long sentences.

  • @mgconlan
    @mgconlan ปีที่แล้ว

    I remember seeing Verdi's opera "La Forza del Destino" and being struck by both the similarities and the differences between its first scene and that of "Don Giovanni." In both, a young rake breaks into the bedroom of a woman he intends to seduce, is surprised by her father, and he dies. Only in "Forza" the death is an accident: the young man threw down his gun and it went off. In the world of Mozart and da Ponte, actions have consequences and individuals are responsible for what they do. In the world of Verdi and his librettist, Piave, it is all "the force of destiny."

  • @SaltyBoogers0918
    @SaltyBoogers0918 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Le GOAT

  • @EduNauram
    @EduNauram ปีที่แล้ว +2

    8:53 i don't get him saying the image is a photo of the premiere, photography wasn't invented at that time. Great video otherwise

  • @hyeonwooyang4805
    @hyeonwooyang4805 ปีที่แล้ว

    5:19 what is this piece?

    • @FrostDirt
      @FrostDirt ปีที่แล้ว

      Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466, second movement (Romance)

  • @MonkeyBars1
    @MonkeyBars1 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    uh oh, the beginning got cut off

  • @leonardhebert1377
    @leonardhebert1377 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The portrait was of king Louis the XV, not XVI

  • @janwilson9485
    @janwilson9485 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You haven't seen Don Giovanni have you. You got the story wrong jumping from the end of the 2nd act to the very end of the opera missing out the whole of the post interval content until the final scene where he is drawn down to hell. Unforgivable.

  • @josedolcefarniente5635
    @josedolcefarniente5635 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    There is an awkward and confusing cut between 12:45 and 12:50, a jump from the “Finale” of Act I (the costume party in Don Giovanni’s house, where he tries to rape Zerlina) and the Finale of Act II (The private dinner to which the Commendatore is invited). I suppose it is because of editing problems, but it can have a very puzzling effect in audience.

  • @cesarmarolla1602
    @cesarmarolla1602 ปีที่แล้ว

    Enjoyable description of Mozart's wk. Interesting to know Haydn "gave up" writing Operas....Now, I don't see any contemporary composer giving up writing specific genre just because someone else is simply brilliant as it is described here. Even mediocre musicians in any style will record/post anything as they are surrounded by virtuosos. Just an observation.

  • @Cancoillotteman
    @Cancoillotteman ปีที่แล้ว

    "Might" root for him ?! The guy stands up to a supernatural statue of a living-dead ! Don Juan is a humanist hero in my book

  • @sathish98654
    @sathish98654 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You have to listen to Ilayaraja India, you will be really feeling well... explain us how knowledge he has in music

  • @Kraflyn
    @Kraflyn ปีที่แล้ว

    9:21 dude...

  • @Fumozart
    @Fumozart ปีที่แล้ว

    Opera Recapped

  • @MANGOES1ARE1AWESOME1
    @MANGOES1ARE1AWESOME1 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    First! 🎶 🎶

  • @captainnemo1080
    @captainnemo1080 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Why is it only two? You can't rank Die Zauberflöte lower than these two. The best opera ever written is one of these three, probably the one I have just listened to.

  • @hoot2416
    @hoot2416 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I have always wondered if Mozart had intended to use music from the Commendatore scene for the overture from the beginning or was he like: "Meh, I'll use the Commendatore music for the overture." because he didn't feel like composing a whole new thing.

  • @Trombonemusic765
    @Trombonemusic765 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I think Don Giovanni would be canceled if it was written today 🤔

  • @Mercure250
    @Mercure250 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    8:53 I'm guessing this is a joke, because this premiere happened in 1786 and photography was invented in 1822. Not to mention, the way people are dressed here seems more 19th century than 18th century to me.
    Honestly, the more I'm looking at it, the more it looks like AI art.

    • @Ziad3195
      @Ziad3195 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I think it's a mistake and yeah looks like the 19th century.

  • @carlosmanueldelgadonule2313
    @carlosmanueldelgadonule2313 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    2065 is the actual number of women in Don G's list lol

  • @hori166
    @hori166 ปีที่แล้ว

    @ 2:47 is NOT a picture of Louis XVI but Louis XV. Credibility is eroded when "educational" documentaries are not accurate, although here, the damage is minimal. One has to wonder why with all this painstaking analysis a picture of Louis XVI could not be found.