OPERA PHILADELPHIA presents
BIZET
CARMEN
FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL A P R I L 2 5 , 2 018 | 2 : 0 0 P. M . ACADEMY OF MUSIC 1
W E H O P E T H AT YO U Accept the Challenge... ...to open this book and begin to explore the universal themes that you will find in opera with your teachers, classmates, and parents. This challenge is like an exploration in which you examine different issues that people have faced for centuries. It is like taking an adventure through time and space. This book is a guide that will connect you to an art form, opera, that may take you outside of your realm of experiences. The stories and problems in operas have always been part of the human condition. In an opera the story will be presented in a way that will be different from the way you are used to experiencing a story. Through the music and the libretto, we hope you will be able to connect with the plot, the storyline or themes that may have been written in the 18th, 19th, 20th, or 21st century but are still relevant today. During your time of study and preparation with these materials, there is the expectation that you will be able to connect something from your exploration of opera to your own personal stories. Accepting this challenge also provides an opportunity for you to apply what you know to present-day situations and draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the story presentation. As you work your way through this book, we hope you will be prepared to experience the opera with a new set of lenses that will afford you the opportunity to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate what you have learned or experienced during the challenge. Opera Philadelphia hopes you will take advantage of the opportunity to reflect on your experiences on our Sounds of Learning Dress Rehearsal Program blog. Through your reflections you will share with others your insights about your journey. Your reflections will also help us modify and adjust our program materials for future audiences and students. We hope you will accept this challenge, and join other students who are taking the journey to make connections between the past and the present in order to impact the future! I accept the challenge
G O A L S A N D O B J E C T I V E S of Sounds of Learning D ress Rehearsal P rog ram Connect with the plot or themes
Connect something from your exploration of opera to your own personal stories
Draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the story presentation
Experience the opera with an open mind
Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate what you have learned or experienced during the challenge
Use the Sounds of Learning blog to reflect on your experience and provide insights about your journey
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Best Practices in Arts Education is sponsored by Pennsylvania Alliance for Arts Education, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Department of Education
TA B L E O F Contents O P E R A 101 Defining Opera Throughout History 2 Philadelphia's Academy of Music 4 Opera Etiquette 5 Operatic Voice Types 6 So You Want to Sing Like an Opera Singer? 8 The Language of Opera 9
H I ST O R I C A L C O N T E X T The Man Behind the Music: Georges Bizet 10 What in the World?: Events During Bizet's Life 11 The Men Behind the Text: Mérimée, Halévy, and Meilhac 12 Carmen: Disaster to Triumph 14
L I B R E T T O & P R O D U C T I O N I N F O R M AT I O N Carmen: Cast and Creative Team 15 Carmen: Synopsis 16
ARTICLES & CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES The Danger and Drama of Bullfighting 18 Theme and Variation: Picasso's Bull 19 The Romani Life: Carmen's Gypsies 20 Create Your Own Habanera 21 The French-English Connection 22 Acting the Story Using Tableaus 23 Character Analysis Pyramid 24 Writing a Review of the Opera 25 Glossary 26
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DEFINING OPERA Throughout Histor y written by Steven Humes Opera has been called the greatest of all forms. Why? Operas like Georges Bizet's Carmen bring all the arts together to tell stories in incredibly moving ways. The oldest opera still performed today is Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, written in 1607. During the Baroque period from 1600-1750, Italian aristocracy wanted to recreate the great classical dramas from ancient Greece and Rome. Such stories provided the ruling elite with a strong connection to the supernatural. When asked to write an opera for Grand Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga of Mantua, Monteverdi thought that Orpheus, the Greek hero of music, would be of great interest to his audience. Monteverdi's opera brought to life Orpheus’s dramatic journey to the underworld in an effort to save his love, Euridice. The premiere of L'Orfeo was a great success, and Monteverdi emerged as someone who could use music to propel not only a narrative but also deeply affect an audience. While Monteverdi got his start composing opera for the ruling elite, he helped bring opera to the public. Opera’s emotional stories created a frenzy in Venice, Italy, towards the middle of the 17th century. No fewer than nine public opera houses opened during this period as the public wanted more opera that reflected the culture of the time. Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea (1642) is a great example of this change. Poppea tells the story of one of Rome’s most evil rulers, Emperor Nero, and his love affair with Poppea. Monteverdi’s opera premiered in Venice, and Poppea’s sensational and bawdy story perfectly matched Venetian interests while creating a gripping and emotional drama. The 18th century, known as the Age of Enlightenment, was the next great period of
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Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro shocked 18th century audiences when the servants Figaro and Susanna (pictured above) turn the tables on the aristocracy. Photo: Kelly & Massa Photography
political and cultural change in Europe. People were talking about new forms of government and organization in society, especially the developing middle class. As society changed, so did opera. Composers felt the need to reform opera and move away from the complexity of the Baroque style and wanted to instead write music that was simpler and more focused on pure, raw emotion. Christoph Willibald Gluck was one of the first to achieve this with his opera Orfeo and Euridice (1762). Gluck’s music had a freedom that evoked the unaffected expression of human feelings. While Gluck's opera told the same story as Monteverdi's L’Orfeo, his music brought new life to the narrative that better reflected audiences’ tastes at the time. The later part of the 18th century marked a period of great revolt. In 1776, the American Revolution changed the world. A few years later, the French had their own revolution (1789) and the first modern democracies were born. Reflecting this new way of thinking, audiences wanted to see characters like themselves on stage. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of
The Marriage of Figaro
The Barber of Seville
1786
1816
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
bit.ly/phigaro
Gioacchino Rossini
bit.ly/phibarber
Figaro (1786) did just that. It told a story about aristocratic class struggle that had both servants and nobility in leading roles. With the characters of Figaro and Susanna, Mozart gave opera relatable human beings. Mozart’s operas embody the tenets of the Enlightenment such as equality, freedom, and the importance of the lower classes. In the 1800s Italian opera developed further with the bel canto movement, which means “beautiful singing.” Opera continued to be about real stories and achieving honesty in expression. The most famous bel canto composers were Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868), Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848), and Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835). The success of these composers can be measured in their ability to withstand the test of time. Rossini’s popular comedies, The Barber of Seville (1816) and Cinderella (1817), are still some of the most popular operas performed today. By the middle of the 19th century, the Romantic Movement led many composers to champion their own national identities. Composers and librettists created operas for the audiences they knew best. Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi continued to develop the bel canto style of his predecessors and became a national hero by using nationalism in his operas like Nabucco (1842) to promote the cause of Italian unification. German operas like Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz (1821), Russian operas like Mikhail Glinka's A Life for the Tsar (1836), and French operas like Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots (1836) were performed frequently in their native countries. In Germany, Richard Wagner brought the Romantic period to its peak by exploiting the grand potential of opera. How could all of the elements - orchestra, set, chorus, soloists, and more - be elevated to transform a story and deeply affect an audience? In The Ring of the Nibelung (1876), a series of four operas taking over 15 hours to perform, Wagner created one of opera’s greatest masterpieces.
Opera in the 20th century emerged as a period of great experimentation. Composers like Giacomo Puccini (La bohéme, 1896), Richard Strauss (Salome, 1905) and Benjamin Britten (Peter Grimes, 1945) continued to evolve their national styles. Others, horrified by the destruction of World War I (1914-1918) and other aspects of modern life, created music that was new and drastically inharmonious. Meanwhile, American opera had a huge hit with George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (1935) which included the musical styles of jazz and blues.
Five Philadelphia youth are portrayed in Daniel Bernard Roumain's 2017 opera We Shall Not Be Moved. Photo: Dave DiRentis
Today, opera continues to grow and expand. Opera Philadelphia helps to shape the future of opera by producing important new works like Daniel Bernard Roumain and Marc Bamuthi Joseph's 2017 opera, We Shall Not Be Moved, a story about Philadelphia youth and many of the issues facing society today. In October 2017, the opera went on to be performed at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem. In 2018, it will make its European premiere.
Porgy and Bess
We Shall Not Be Moved
1935
2017
George and Ira Gershwin
bit.ly/phiporgy
Daniel Bernard Roumain
bit.ly/phimoved
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P H I L A D E L P H I A’S AC A D E M Y O F M U S I C A place for you
Photo: George Widman
Opera Philadelphia's home, the Academy of Music, opened in 1857. Opera is only one type of performance shown in the Academy. There are also ballets, concerts, and galas. The building is a historical monument and the oldest grand opera house in America still used for its original purpose. The Academy of Music is sometimes called the "The Grand Old Lady of Locust Street." The opera house was initially built with a plain white exterior as the architects wanted the beauty to be on the interior, as it was at the famous opera house, La Scala, in Italy. Later, the exterior was revised to look as it does today. Unlike other performance houses, the Academy of Music's seating was a 'U' shape. This was for the audience to have the best view from every angle possible. The first opera presented in the brand new opera house was Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore on February 25, 1857. The basement of the Academy of Music has a history, too. It was used as a dining hall because of its beautiful interior decoration. During World War II the hall was transformed into the Stage Door Canteen, serving refreshments and featuring appearances by entertainers performing 4
at the Academy of Music, such as Abbott and Costello, Duke Ellington, and Frank Sinatra. Today, The Academy of Music continues to entertain people through concerts, operas, ballets, and more. The wondrous hall dedicated to the arts has blossomed into the perfect place for a performance of any kind. Academy of Music Facts: The auditorium seats 2,509; 14 columns support the Academy’s tiers • The red and gold pattern on the Academy’s stage curtain simulates a pineapple, a Victorian-era symbol for “welcome.” • The first-ever indoor football game was held on the Academy’s Parquet level on March 7, 1889, between the University of Pennsylvania and Riverton Club of Princeton. • 1,600 people attended the first-ever public motion picture screening on February 5, 1870. •
OPERA Etiquette AT T E N DI NG T H E OPE R A There’s nothing as exciting as seeing a performance in Philadelphia’s beautiful Academy of Music. If this is your first time at the opera, there are a few things for which you should prepare: You are attending the opera’s final dress rehearsal, the last chance for performers to run through the show before opening night. The goal is to treat this rehearsal exactly like a performance and perform the opera straight through without a pause. You may notice several computer monitors and large tables spread out over the seats in the center of the first f loor of the auditorium. Seated in this area is the production team: Director, Assistant Director, Costume Designer, Lighting Designer, Set Designer, and others. They’ll take notes and communicate via headsets with the many people backstage who help make all of the operatic magic happen: Stage Managers, Master Carpenter, Lighting Technicians, Stagehands, and others. They’ll be able to give notes so that changes can be instantly made. Should things go awry, they may stop and repeat a section to make sure that it is perfect. OPER A E T IQU E T T E 101 Opera singers are unique because they are trained not to use microphones when singing. As a result, it is important to remain quiet, listen carefully, and not interfere with the music and the story being told. With this in mind, remember that at the heart of opera is a story rooted in deep emotion. So, when the time is right, don't be afraid to laugh or extend your appreciation through applause! Performers need to know how their work is being appreciated. In addition to showing respect to the people around you, it is important to appreciate the physical theater. Many opera houses or theaters are designated today as historic monuments. So that we can continue to use these cherished spaces, we must remember to leave them the way they were
found. This means keeping your feet on the f loor as opposed to on the back of the seat in front of you. In addition, any food or beverage must remain outside of the theater. Finally, you may be asking yourself what to wear to an opera. This answer can vary from person to person. Ultimately, you should not feel as if you will be turned away because of your attire. However, dressing up for the opera is a classic tradition, so don't hesitate to show off your best new tie or your favorite dress. The way you dress and carry yourself can only add to the opera experience. Please Do… • Applaud after the arias; you can shout “Bravo!” for men and “Brava!” for the women. • Use the bathrooms before the rehearsal begins or at intermission. • Be careful in the auditorium! Theaters can sometimes be old and difficult to navigate. • Turn off your cell phones and all electronic devices. • Obey all directions given by theater ushers and staff. Please Don't... • No food, gum, or beverages are permitted inside the theater. • No photographs or videos may be taken during the performance. • No talking or whispering during the performance.
For a fun video of what’s expected at the opera, visit: tinyurl.com/OperaEtiquette
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O P E R AT I C Vo i c e Ty p e s Have you ever wondered why every person's voice sounds slightly different? The human voice is a fascinating and complex instrument with many factors that make each one of us sound unique. The length and strength of the vocal chords, how thick the vocal chords are, the shape of the nasal passages, mouth, and throat all help to determine whether a voice will be high or low, bright or warm. In opera, voices are classified into seven main categories (from highest to lowest): soprano, mezzosoprano, contralto, countertenor, tenor, baritone, and bass. It is important to know that a person can only know their true voice type when they become an adult. The following people have distinguished themselves as past and present leaders of their voice type. Choose one opera singer to research and share your discoveries with your friends. Use the QR Codes to hear each voice type.
S O P R A N O is the highest female voice type with a traditional range of A below middle C to the C two octaves above that. The soprano usually plays the heroine of the story and is often the center of the romantic storyline. bit.ly/yingfang
Angela Brown soprano
Ying Fang soprano
M E Z Z O - S O P R A N O is slightly lower than soprano, with a range usually G below middle C to the Bb two octaves above. Mezzos are often supporting roles of motherly types or villains. They also will often sing trouser roles in which they portray boys or young men.
Daniela Mack mezzo-soprano
bit.ly/phimarian
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bit.ly/phicree
Denyce Graves mezzo-soprano
C O N T R A L T O is the lowest female voice, with a range of the F below middle C to the second G above middle C. It is a rare voice type, so the roles can often be sung by mezzo-sopranos. It is the darkest in timbre and is reserved for specialty roles, such as grandmothers, noble witches, and goddesses.
Marian Anderson contralto
Meredith Arwady contralto
David Daniels countertenor
John Holiday countertenor
C O U N T E R T E N O R is the highest male voice, with a range that is similar to the contralto: a below middle C to the F an octave and a half above middle C. Frequently these men achieve their high range through bridging their chest voice with their head voice (falsetto). While this voice type was less popular from 1800-1940, composers today utilize countertenors more often.
bit.ly/phidaniels
T E N O R is considered the highest “natural” male voice, with a range of D below middle C to the C above middle C. Beginning in the Classical era (1775-1825), the tenor has been assigned the role of the hero or the love interest of the story. bit.ly/lbrownlee
Lawrence Brownlee tenor
Jarrett Ott baritone
Will Liverman baritone
Bryan Hymel tenor
B A R I T O N E is the most common male voice type, with a range midway between tenor and bass, from A an octave below middle C to the G above middle C. The baritone is often the comical leader, but can also be the villain who stands in the way of the soprano and tenor’s love.
bit.ly/jarrettott
B A S S is the lowest and darkest of the male voices, with a range of E almost two octaves below middle C to the F above middle C. Basses can portray characters who convey wisdom or nobility, but also comedic characters. bit.ly/morrisrobinson
Samuel Ramey bass
Photo Credit: Angela Brown - Roni Ely; Ying Fang, Denyce Graves, Jarrett Ott, Bryan Hymel - Dario Acosta; Meredith Arwady, David Daniels - Simon Pauly; John Holiday - Fay Fox; Will Liverman - Larrynx Photography Lawrence Brownlee - Ken Howard; Samuel Ramey - Christian Steiner; Morris Robinson - Ron Cadiz
Morris Robinson bass
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S O Y O U WA N T T O S I N G Like an Opera Singer?
Soprano Christine Goerke leads Opera Philadelphia Emerging Artist Thomas Shivone in a master class at the Perelman Theater. Photo: Kelly & Massa Photography
Singing on the opera stage is very hard work! Singers are like athletes, constantly training to perfect their voices. They ask their voices and bodies to do what most of us without training can’t do: sing incredibly intricate and difficult music and project their voices to be heard over a 60-piece orchestra without microphones or amplification. Singing begins with the human voice, a very versatile instrument. It can produce sounds that present a wide range of frequencies that we call pitches. Our voices are able to change in volume as a result of the air we exhale from our lungs and control with our diaphragm, a muscle right behind our stomach that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen. When we inhale deeply, the diaphragm lowers and the ribs and stomach expand as the lungs fill with air. Then the diaphragm guides the air out when it contracts, causing our vocal folds to vibrate. Vocal folds are fibrous bands that are stretched along the two sides of our larynx, or our sound instrument, just below the ‘Adam’s apple.’ When we hum, talk, 8
or sing, air passes through the larynx causing the vocal folds to vibrate, creating a sound that is then shaped by the other parts of our bodies including the mouth, tongue, teeth, and lips. To sing different pitches and volumes, singers must control the flow of air, through the vocal folds in our larynx. They practice vocal exercises daily so that they can quickly adjust to the demands of the music without thinking about it.
To see the vocal folds in action, visit tinyurl.com/cords-in-action To see how the diaphragm works, visit tinyurl.com/diaphragmatic-demo
THE LANGUAGE OF Opera AC T ARIA BALLET BLOCKING CHORUS CON DUC TOR DUET DR A M AT U RG LIBRET TO ORCH E S T R A OV E R T U R E R E C I TAT I V E SCENE
main sections of a play or opera a solo song sung in an opera dance set to music action on stage usic composed for a group of singers; the name of a group of m singers in an opera person who rehearses and leads the orchestra a song performed by two singers a specialist in drama, especially one who acts as a consultant to a theater company, advising them on possible repertory the text or words in an opera; an opera’s script a group of musicians who play together on various musical instruments a piece of instrumental music played at the beginning of an opera words that are sung in the rhythm of natural speech a sequence of continuous actions
Lawrence Brownlee, tenor, performs the title role in Charlie Parker's YARDBIRD. After its 2015 World Premiere with Opera Philadelphia, the opera traveled to Harlem and graced the stage of the historic Apollo Theater. It has since been performed at Madison Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Hackney Empire in London. Photo: Sof ia Negron
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THE MAN BEHIND THE MUSIC Georges Bizet set in Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), and shows Bizet’s gift for writing operas with exotic backgrounds, dramatic story lines, and brilliantly colorful orchestrations. The opera was also not a huge success and would not be performed again until after his death.
Carmen’s composer, Georges Alexandre Bizet, was born in Paris on October 25, 1838. His father was an amateur composer and singer and his mother was the sister of a famous singing teacher. He entered the Paris Conservatoire in October 1848 just before his tenth birthday and became an outstanding pianist, organist, and score-reader while there. Bizet would use those skills working as a rehearsal pianist and musical arranger to earn extra money. In the process, he learned about musical trends in Paris, knowledge that would shape his own music, like the Symphony in C, composed at the age of 17. He wrote his very first opera, a one-act comedy, The Doctor’s House, in 1855 as a homework assignment. His second opera, The Miracle Doctor, was a light one-act operetta written in 1856 for a competition sponsored by the king of that style, composer Jacques Offenbach. Bizet’s work tied for first place and was performed at Offenbach’s theater, the Bouffes-Parisiens. It was Bizet’s professional debut, but the piece didn't catch public interest. Bizet won the Prix de Rome composition competition and went to study in Italy for three years. There he learned much about the Italian style and was influenced by Gaetano Donizetti’s operas. A few years later, Bizet would return to Paris when offered by the Théâtre Lyrique the libretto to The Pearl Fishers. Premiered on September 30, 1863, this romantic opera is 10
Despite that disappointment, Bizet found an ally in Leon Carvalho, director of the Théâtre Lyrique, who continued to offer Bizet work throughout the 1860’s. Despite often postponing or burying the works Bizet created, Carvalho was convinced of Bizet’s talents. In July 1866, he offered Bizet La jolie f ille de Perth, based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Fair Maid of Perth. Premiered in December 1867, this was also a flop, even with several arias that the audience liked. The Opéra-Comique offered Bizet a chance to work with two of France’s leading librettists, Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Bizet suggested basing an opera on the short novella Carmen written by Prosper Mérimée in 1845. Work began in late 1873, but was interrupted twice by the Opéra-Comique who wanted Bizet to work on other material. He finally completed Carmen in the summer of 1874. While in rehearsal the opera was subjected to edits that did not meet with Bizet’s approval. Nonetheless, he created a work that reflected everything he had learned throughout his life. It premiered March 3, 1875 and received a hostile reception from audiences and critics. Bizet died three months later, at the age of 36, from an infected lymph node. It was only after his death that Carmen traveled the world, returned to Paris in triumph, and became one of the most beloved operas in history.
W H AT I N T H E W O R L D ? E v e n t s d u r i n g B i z e t ’s L i f e Listed below are some historic and cultural events that took place during Georges Bizet's lifetime. Events in boldface type are things that happened to Bizet; an asterisk (*) indicates events of local interest. 18 3 8
Georges Alexandre Bizet was born on October 25th.
18 4 2
Bizet learned the names of musical notes at the same time he learned the alphabet.
18 4 5
Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven" was first published. The Irish Potato Famine destroyed the potato crop in Ireland.
18 4 6
Bizet's father began formal music lessons with his son.
18 4 7
The first doughnut with a hole in it was created.
18 4 8
Bizet entered the Paris Conservatoire to study music.
18 4 9
California's Gold Rush began.
Prosper Mérimée
French writer Prosper Mérimée wrote the novella Carmen.
18 5 0
* The first women's medical school, the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania, opened.
18 5 5
Bizet was recommended by his teacher, Fromental Halévy, to the director of the OpéraComique as a composer, pianist, and accompanist. While at the Conservatoire, Bizet won first prizes in organ and fugue. Bizet wrote his first symphony, the Symphony in C, at the age of 17 as part of a homework assignment.
18 5 7
Bizet won the Prix de Rome music scholarship which required him to study in Rome for three years.
18 5 8
* Philadelphia's Academy of Music opened with a concert conducted by Tchaikovsky. In preparation for the Prix de Rome, Bizet visited Florence on January 12 and then continued to Rome on the 28th.
18 6 0
Bizet's mother became seriously ill and he left Italy to immediately return to Paris.
18 61
The American Civil War began.
18 6 2
United States paper money was first issued in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50, and greater.
18 6 3
Bizet began composition of his opera The Pearl Fishers for the Théâtre Lyrique.
18 6 5
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery throughout the United States, ending the Civil War.
18 6 9
Bizet married Geneviève Halévy, the daughter of his late teacher Fromental Halévy.
18 7 0
* The first section of the famous boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ opened to the public.
18 7 2
* The Republican National Convention, the first such to include African Americans, was held in Philadelphia's Academy of Music.
18 74
Bizet and his wife separated for two months, causing a delay in the composition of Carmen.
18 74
* The first United States zoo opened in Philadelphia.
18 7 5
Carmen premiered on March 3rd at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. While not well-received, it ran for 37 performances over three months. Bizet did not live to see Carmen's success. He died from a heart attack at the age of 36. 11
THE MEN BEHIND THE TEXT Mérimée, Halévy, and Meilhac
Prosper Mérimée
(1803-1870)
Ludovic Halévy
(1834-1908)
Carmen's libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy and was inspired by the French novella by Prosper Mérimée. Ludovic Halévy was born in Paris on New Year’s Day of 1834. He belonged to a distinguished Jewish family. His uncle was the composer Fromental Halévy and his father, Léon, was respected in literary circles. Despite an unimpressive academic performance, he had little difficulty in obtaining civil appointments due to his writing ability and the benefits of political favors. His interests, however, lay in the theater. For his early work, he used a pseudonym, and occasionally declined to accept either authorship credit or royalties for his collaborative work, fearing that his reputation and prospects as an administrator would be destroyed by his association with the theater world. Halévy and Meilhac first worked together in 1864. Their libretto for Jacques Offenbach’s opera La belle Hélène was a huge success, and in 1865 Halévy decided to leave his career in Jacques Offenbach 12
(1819-1880)
Henri Meilhac
(1831-1897)
the public service to concentrate on the partnership with Meilhac. Henri Meilhac was born in Paris on February 21, 1831. He was a good student, and later worked as a bookseller, but his prime interests lay in writing and illustrating. After working for a French literary journal for three years, he was drawn to the theater, and began collaborative work on plays and librettos. Once he began his partnership with Halévy, he was able to give free expression to his rich comic imagination. Their partnership lasted until Meilhac’s death in 1897. As a team, they produced a series of works that mocked elements of French society, which they thought took itself too seriously. They poked fun at the government, the military, the church, moneymaking, fast living, and the habits of foreign visitors to Paris. The satire was tempered by the festive and even carnival-like atmosphere of the stage settings. Their criticisms were presented as impertinent humor rather than subversive challenge. The opera Carmen is the most famous product of their collaboration. The story of the fiery Spanish gypsy was first published in 1845. Its author, Prosper Mérimée (1803-1870), was a French novelist and short story writer. His imprint on
Carmen. The two smugglers, Le Dancaïre and Le Remendado, both have more extensive roles in the overall story than is shown in their somewhat comical appearance in the opera. Carmen even has a one-eyed husband, Garcia, who commits a murder before being killed by José in a knife fight! These and other plot elements made Mérimée’s novella a prime literary attraction. The transition from novel to opera libretto is always a fascinating study. La belle Hélène was a three-act opera parodying a critical relationship that set off the Trojan War.
French literature was achieved through his use of strong, strange situations, exotic settings, and fiery emotions in his work. His first major short story, or nouvelle, was published in 1829. His writing featured unflinching realism. He was drafted into the National Guard, and later served in a series of minor government positions, including a stint as Inspector General of Historical Monuments. He developed a sharp bureaucratic mind and became a first class administrator. Several of Mérimée’s novels were transformed into operas, including The Carriage of the Holy Sacrament (1829), which ultimately became Offenbach’s La Périchole (1868). Mérimée’s story of Carmen, the fiery Spanish gypsy, is the work which has kept his literary reputation alive in today’s literary marketplace. The novel underwent a few changes on its way to becoming an opera. Mérimée’s Carmen is a captivating gypsy woman lacking any sense of morality. The only law she knows is her own appetite. She is capable of love, but wearies easily of men. (This characterization is toned down for most of the opera). Other changes reflect the dramatic necessities of operatic construction. The opera's character Micaëla is not in the original novella. She was added to offer a contrast of voices and to help the audience sympathize with Don José, a son longing for the simple life of his hometown.
The Setting for Carmen Seville, Spain Basque
Andalusia Seville
Fun Facts: •
Seville is the city with the most orange trees in the entire world.
•
When you visit Seville, you will undoubtedly go out for tapas. These small, tasty dishes, now found all over the world, originated in Seville.
•
The final burial place of Christopher Columbus is at the Seville Cathedral.
•
Seville has its own motto or ‘secret code’: NO8DO. You will catch glimpses of it all around the city and it is said to translate to ‘it has not abandoned me’.
There is no Escamillo; this character is an expansion of a picador who has a brief fling with 13
CARMEN Disaster to Triumph Carmen is a French opera by a French composer. It’s based on a French story which was based on a Spanish subject inspired by native Spanish folklore and music. Sounds confusing, right? Yet after a false start, Carmen would become one of the three most popular operas in the world. With Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida and Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème, Georges Bizet’s Carmen helps make up the "A-B-C" of opera. Carmen had a scandalous premiere and the audience’s reaction was even hostile! First produced in Paris, France, on March 3, 1875, it was one of the first operas to show real-life situations and characters on the opera stage. Most operas up to that point celebrated the victories and romances of their noble heroes and heroines. With its horrible opening night, there were only 47 more performances until the opera closed on January 1876. Ticket sales were so bad that the theater gave away tickets to fill the house. So why all of the hullabaloo about the opera? Early audiences weren’t used to the realistic portrayal of the lives, loves, and problems of average and lowerclass people. Yet in Carmen, gypsies, cigarette makers, smugglers, and soldiers were the stars of the show. To make matters worse, the opera was performed at the Opera-Comique, a theater known for its wholesome family entertainment. Parisians were shocked to see these seedy characters on the stage of the theater.
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Even more shocking was how a gypsy, smoking onstage no less, used her womanly charms to lead an upstanding member of the social upper class to his downfall. Don José, our non-hero, is a lowranking army corporal, but the title “Don” refers to a Spanish nobleman. That such a high-brow person is portrayed as a low-ranking, hot-headed soldier disturbed the audience. Don José and Carmen aren’t really in love; their attraction is strictly physical and even animalistic. Their relationship is doomed from the moment they meet.
Original set sketch for Act I of the 1875 production.
Bizet died of a heart attack on June 3, 1875, on the night of Carmen’s thirty-third performance in Paris. After his death, the opera was reworked. Some of the music cut during rehearsals was put back and the original spoken dialogue was set to music by Bizet’s friend Ernest Guiraud. The version with Guiraud’s sung dialogue was found in every published score from 1875 until 1964. The opera first achieved public acceptance during a run of performances in Vienna in October 1875, and did not become a true “hit” in France until 1883. Carmen was first produced in America in New York City on October 23, 1878 and was seen in Philadelphia for the first time at the Academy of Music just one day later. Critics’ comments for both presentations were quite harsh. Today, most opera lovers and critics agree that Carmen is a masterpiece. There have been several film versions, including a 1954 all-black-cast modernization, Carmen Jones, and the MTV update for Beyoncé, Carmen: A Hip Hopera. The opera’s music is instantly recognizable everywhere; various sections are highly popular fixtures as program music for Olympic figure skating competitions. Célestine Galli-Marié was the f irst woman to sing Carmen.
CARMEN C a s t a n d C r e a t i v e Te a m Final Dress Rehearsal – Wednesday, April 25, 2018, 2:00 p.m. at the Academy of Music. Music by George Bizet. Libretto by Ludovic Halévy and Henri Meilhac. Performed in French with English supertitles.
CARMEN
Daniela Mack mezzo-soprano
MICA ËL A
Kirsten MacKinnon soprano
DON JOSÉ
Evan LeRoy Johnson* tenor
Z U NIGA
Musa Ngqungwana bass-baritone
ESCAMILLO
Adrian Timpau* baritone
MOR A LÈS
Johnathan McCullough baritone CR E AT I V E T E A M
Paul Curran, Director Yves Abel*, Conductor Seth Hoff, Assistant Director MERCÉDÈS
Anastasiia Sidorova mezzo-soprano
LE R E MEN DA DO
Daniel Taylor tenor
*Opera Philadelphia debut
F R A SQU I TA
Emily Pogorelc soprano
Gary McCann, Costume Design Paul Hackenmueller, Lighting Design Elizabeth Braden, Chorus Master
LE DA NCA ÏR E
Doğukan Kuran* baritone 15
CARMEN Synopsis ACT I It’s a blistering hot day in sunny Seville, Spain. Hot and tired, a group of soldiers hangs out watching people go by. The shy, pretty Micaëla comes looking for Corporal Don José, but he’s not there. The soldiers try to get Micaëla to stay by flirting with her, but she leaves. Soon after, Don José arrives as the guards change shifts. A bell from the cigarette factory chimes, and the women come out for their smoke break. The men flirt with the factory girls, too. Carmen comes in last, and everyone is drawn to her, except Don José. Seeing a challenge, the gypsy sets her eyes on him and sings, "Love is a rebellious bird that no one can tame” and throws a flower at Don José. Laughing, she and the other women return to the factory. He hides the flower in his uniform. Micaëla returns with a letter from Don José’s mother, who begs him to marry Micaëla. As he reads the letter to himself, Micaëla leaves. Suddenly, horrible screams come from the factory. Carmen has gotten into a fight with another girl and slashed her face with a knife. Lieutenant Zuniga questions Carmen, but her only reply is the mocking response “tra-la-la.” Don José is ordered to guard Carmen while Zuniga gets a warrant for her arrest. Alone with Don José, Carmen seduces him into making a plan that will let her escape. Zuniga returns with Carmen’s formal arrest orders. As she’s being led away to prison, Carmen pushes Don José and escapes through the confused crowd.
ACT II A few months later, Carmen and her friends Frasquita and Mercédès have fun singing and dancing for the soldiers late at night in Lillas Pastia’s tavern. Carmen hears that Don José, who was sent to prison because he let her escape, got out the day before. The famous bullfighter Escamillo arrives, and everyone is star struck. He sings about his adventures in the bullring and flirts with Carmen, but she’s not interested. The soldiers and Escamillo leave as the smugglers Dancaïre and Remendado join Carmen, Frasquita, and Mercédès. They need to deliver their smuggled loot and want the three women to join them. Carmen says she can’t go because she’s in love. Nobody believes her as Don José’s voice is heard outside. They leave Carmen and Don José alone. He tells her how much he loves her. A trumpet signals that the soldiers must report back to the barracks. Don José says he must leave, but Carmen mocks his loyalty to the military. Don José proves his love by pulling out the flower she threw at him at their first meeting. That’s not enough for Carmen; she wants him to ditch the army and join her gypsy life. Don José tells her he could never leave the military. Zuniga shows up to see Carmen and orders Don José to leave. José refuses and draws his sword. Before their fight progresses, the smugglers burst in and tie up Zuniga. Don José has no choice but to flee with the gypsies.
ACT III Late at night in a deserted place outside of Seville, the smugglers carry their goods through the mountains. Carmen’s love for Don José is fading and the two bicker. She tells him to go home to his mother. Frasquita and Mercédès read their fortunes in cards, but when Carmen tries, she only sees her own death and Don José’s. The women join the smugglers on their trip to the city to distract any guards. Don José stays behind to watch the camp. Micaëla has found her way to the smugglers’ site. She is determined take Don José away from Carmen. Afraid, she hides after seeing Don José shoot his gun. The bullet has barely missed Escamillo who is there to see Carmen. The Toreador claims the two of them are in love. Don José challenges him to a duel, but the fight is cut short when the smugglers return. After Escamillo leaves, Remendado finds Micaëla hiding. She tells Don José that his mother is dying. As Don José rushes off with Micaëla, Escamillo’s voice is heard in the distance. 16
ARTIST SP OTLIGHT : Daniela Mack Daniela Mack is one of the fastest-rising young opera stars on the scene today - Opera News put it best when they described her as “devastating and magnificent...[with] a voice like polished onyx: strong, dark, deep and gleaming.” Daniela has brought her unique blend of talent, charm, charisma, and elegance to the top opera stages around the world, including recent engagements with the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House in London, as well as several concert performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the New York Philharmonic and Alan Gilbert. Originally from Argentina, Daniela travels the world with her husband - and star tenor - Alek Schrader and their baby daughter. Opera Philadelphia is thrilled to be able to welcome Daniela Mack back to Philadelphia after her triumph in the title role in Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's opera Elizabeth Cree. The opera was just one of three that made its world premiere in Opera Philadelphia's inaugural festival - O17.
Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack takes the stage as Carmen after recent successes in the role with Santa Fe Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Arizona Opera. Photo: Simon Pauly
Watch Daniela Mack perform an aria from Elizabeth Cree with composer Kevin Puts.
bit.ly/ecree
ACT IV Outside the bullfighting ring in Seville, the street sellers are busy hawking their wares. Zuniga tells Frasquita that an order has been issued for Don José’s arrest, although he has yet to be found. The crowd cheers Escamillo as he enters, and he and Carmen express their love for each other. As the throng enters the arena, Frasquita warns Carmen that Don José is somewhere in the crowd. Carmen says that she is not afraid and stays behind to confront him. Disheveled and crazed, he comes out of the shadows and begs Carmen to start a new life with him. Carmen says everything is over between them. Carmen tries to go into the arena and Don José blocks her way. Carmen says she’s in love with Escamillo. Enraged, Don José stabs Carmen and she falls to the ground dead. The crowd exits the arena with a victorious Escamillo to find Don José standing over Carmen’s lifeless body.
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THE DANGER AND DRAMA of Bullf ighting Bullfighting is one of the best known of popular Spanish customs. It is also one of the most controversial. Most Spanish festivals (f iestas) could not exist today without the inclusion of a bullfight among the events. However, this practice and tradition has come upon much public outrage and opposition in recent years. Since prehistoric times, bulls have played an important part in the cultures of many civilizations. Bull cults existed on the Greek island Crete. The Bible tells of sacrifices of bulls in honor of divine justice. Bulls also played an important role in the religious ceremonies of the Iberian tribes of Spain. The origins of the bullring have been traced to the Celtic-Iberian temples where bulls were sacrificed to the gods. Greek and Roman influences converted the bullfight into a glorious but gory spectacle. The Roman amphitheatre influenced the design of the bullring. During the Middle Ages, Roman aristocracy would amuse itself by circling the bulls while riding on horseback – a custom known as toreadoring. In the eighteenth century, this practice was abandoned; the lower classes, however, retained bullfighting as a ground-based sport, and developed rules of conduct. The bullfight was an adventure in which you could lose your life or win glory. The rewards were fame, wealth, and popular admiration for the best of the bullfighters. They lived the lives of heroes. Today, however, this romantic aura is much diminished. The bullfighter is looked upon as the relic of a bygone age and dying sport. A corrida de toros (bullfight) starts with the grand entrance, the paseillo, in which everyone involved in the bullfight enters the ring and presents themselves to the spectators. Two alguacilillos on horseback look up to the “president’s box” and symbolically ask for the keys to the puerta de los toriles. Behind this door, the bulls stand waiting. The door opens, and the first bull enters the ring. 18
The spectacle consists of three tercios, or parts, signaled by bugle calls. There are three toreros, the correct term for bullfighter. (The term toreador, used in our opera, is no longer a part of the modern Spanish vocabulary). Each torero is allotted two bulls. In the first tercio, the bullfighter uses a capote, a large cape colored pink on one side and yellow on the other. The bull and bullfighter engage in a sort of ballet, the bull passing the torero who gingerly side-steps his charging companion. Two picadros enter on horseback, each armed with a wooden lance. They are followed by three banderilleros, whose task it is to stick a pair of banderillas into the charging bull’s back. The sight of the metallic objects sticking out of the bull's neck may be gruesome for some. Now comes the finale, the suerta suprema. The torero use a muleta, a small red cloth draped from a stick. He shows his masterful domination of the bull, and establishes a symbolic union of man and beast. Then, he plunges his sword into the bull’s neck, killing the animal. The bullfight’s appeal is based largely on the danger and thrill of man versus bull. The bulls are raised for their roles from the moment they are born. They are symbols of the quest for human domination over the beasts of the earth. The spectacle of man against bull is mirrored in Carmen as men seek sexual domination over the female of the human species.
T H E M E A N D VA R I A T I O N Picasso's Bull
Pablo Picasso Bull. Paris, December 5, 1945 - January 17, 1946 Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) created Bull (La Taureau) around the Christmas of 1945. Bull is a suite of eleven lithographs, or prints, that have become a masterclass in how to develop an artwork from academic to abstract. In this series of images, all printed from a single stone, Picasso visually dissects the image of a bull to discover its essential presence through an analysis of its form. Each lithograph is a successive stage in an investigation to find the absolute 'spirit' of the animal. In essence, how simply could one draw a bull without preventing an audience from understanding what it is supposed to be. Bull is seen today as a modern artistic masterpiece. In fact, many companies have been inspired by Picasso's process and have used it to develop their very own logo.
Classroom Activity 1. Think of your favorite animal. 2. Fold a piece of paper horizontally and vertically to give you four equal quadrants. 3. In the upper left hand quadrant, draw the animal to the best of your ability including as many details as you can. 4. Redraw the animal in the lower left quadrant and choose to simplify up to 4 features from your original drawing. 5. Repeat Step four two more times in the remaining quadrants on your page.
Learn more about how lithographs are made visit: bit.ly/lithographmaking 19
THE ROMANI LIFE: Carmen's Gypsies In our opera, Carmen is a gypsy. The origin of these wanderers is shrouded in mystery. Historians, like detectives, have pieced together clues, like their language and history, to trace them back to India. It appears that the gypsies roamed to the Persian countries (modern-day Iran) in the 5th century CE. They made a name for themselves as excellent musicians, entertainers, and metalworkers. After passing through Egypt they found their way to Europe, first to Greece and the Balkans in the 1200s, and then Eastern and Western Europe in the following centuries. They followed their traditions and continued to entertain and do metalwork as they traveled around Europe. Some historians have thought that they wandered to get work; however, the gypsies may have simply liked the excitement of a nomadic, wandering life. Although their valuable and various talents helped make European culture even better, people began to be suspicious of them and accused them of robbery, sorcery, and fraud. In order to flee these charges, they restarted their old tradition of moving from place to place. It was a difficult life, filled with stress and uncertainty. Because of this, the band members were extremely close and had a very strong bond between them. The gypsy language and culture held these extended family units together. Gypsies’ widespread reputation for mischief is a combination of misunderstanding and reality. It could have been that a few of the gypsies, in order to earn much needed money, were small scale thieves; however, their involvement in witchcraft, of which they were often accused, is pretty farfetched. In the opera, Carmen casts a spell on Don José with a cassia flower; “the witch’s flower.” In Spain, at that time, there were many accusations of witchcraft and heresy that had little or no factual bases. Whatever petty crimes were committed by the gypsies, the sentences handed down reflected the anti-gypsy prejudices of the time. Judges abused their powers and the punishments levied 20
An 1853 painting by Yevgraf depicting the Romani people. against the gypsies reflected their prejudices. As a result, the gypsies as a group, were forced to fight for their own survival daily. In spite of persecution, the gypsy culture has made many contributions to several cultures around the world. Through their travels the gypsies would pass different ideas and goods from one country to another. This cultural diffusion often gave birth to new traditions and ideas across cultures. For example, the gypsies of Spain gave the country one of its most respected dance forms, the flamenco. This dance uses castanets, which the gypsies brought into Europe from Egypt. During World War II, the Nazis persecuted the gypsies as they did the Jews. It is important for us in the 21st century to recognize the injustices that have been perpetrated in the name of difference. Throughout history a lack of tolerance and acceptance of people who were different still continues, despite the fact, that many cultures and people benefited from shared ideas and experiences. By being aware of our own prejudices we have an opportunity to examine our opinions. If you dislike someone because of their race, religion, language, or culture, you are denying yourself the opportunity to learn from that person. Each of us has a rich ethnic culture of which to be proud. Escaping the cycle of prejudice enables us to enjoy the many wondrous ways people are alike and different.
C R E AT E YO U R OW N Habanera The term "habanera" comes from "contradanza" which is an internationally popular style of music and dance in the 18th and 19th century. The habanera was brought from Spain to the Americas and there took on folkloric forms that still exist in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and more. The defining feature of the habanera is its accented upbeat rhythms (pictured below). The Habanera aria in Carmen might be one of the most recognizable tunes in all of opera. It is Carmen's opening aria when she emerges singing about how love is just like a rebellious bird. Listen to the aria and for the distinct rhythm. Follow along with the translated text of the aria below to see how Carmen makes this comparison. Is she successful?
Habanera Rhythms
Practice reading your poem or rap over Bizet's Habanera.
bit.ly/habanerarhythm CARMEN Love is a rebellious bird that no one can tame, and it's quite useless to call him if it suits him to refuse. Nothing moves him, neither threat nor plea, one man speaks freely, the other keeps mum; and it's the other one I prefer: he's said nothing, but I like him. Love! Love is a gypsy child, who has never heard of law. If you don't love me, I love you; if I love you, look out for yourself ! If you don't love me, I love you. The bird you thought to catch unawares beats its wings and away it flew love's far away, and you can wait for it: you wait for it no longer - and there it is. All around you, quickly, quickly, it comes, it goes, then it returns you think you can hold it, it evades you, you think to evade it, it holds you fast. Love!
Classroom Activity Choose an emotion (love, pain, fear, etc.) to write about. Think about three metaphors that could be used to alternatively describe this emotion. On a separate piece of paper compose a poem using these metaphors. Perform your piece for the class with the habanera rhythm underneath. EMOTION:
METAPHOR 1:
METAPHOR 2:
METAPHOR 3:
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THE FRENCH-ENGLISH CONNECTION Similarities of Language The English language is influenced by many languages, including French. We find many words in the English language, like abandon, mannequin, massage, chef, garden, idiot, elegance, and president that are derived from French. Look through the French portions of the libretto below. You might be able to spot some French words that look a lot like English words because both have the same Latin or Greek origin. They are called cognates. Some French-English cognates include. FRENCH Caractère Famille Dîner Professeur
ENGLISH Character Family Dinner Professor
Look at the text and translation for Don José’s famous aria “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée”. Match the English bold words on the right with a French word on the left with the same meaning.
Listen to tenor Plácido Domingo perform Don José’s aria.
bit.ly/donjosefleur
La fleur que tu m’avais jetée
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La fleur que tu m’avais jetée, dans ma prison m’était restée. Flétrie et sèche, cette fleur gardait toujours sa douce odeur; et pendant des heures entières, sur mes yeux, fermant mes paupières, de cette odeur je m’enivrais et dans la nuit je te voyais! Je me prenais à te maudire, à te détester, à me dire: pourquoi faut-il que le destin l’ait mise là sur mon chemin? Puis je m’accusais de blasphème, et je ne sentais en moi-même, je ne sentais qu’un seul désir, un seul désir, un seul espoir: te revoir, ô Carmen, oui, te revoir! Car tu n’avais eu qu’à paraître, qu’à jeter un regard sur moi, pour t’emparer de tout mon être, ô ma Carmen! et j’étais une chose à toi! Carmen, je t’aime !
The flower that you threw to me stayed with me in my prison. Withered and dried up, that flower always kept its sweet perfume*; and for hours at a time, with my eyes closed, I became drunk with its smell and in the night I used to see you! I took to cursing you, detesting you, asking myself why did destiny have to throw her across my path? Then I accused myself of blasphemy, and felt within myself, I felt but one desire, one desire, one hope; to see you again, Carmen, to see you again! For you had only to appear, only to throw a glance my way, to take possession of my whole being, O my Carmen, and I was the only thing in the world to you! Carmen, I love you!
AC T I N G T H E STO RY U s i n g Ta b l e a u s After reading Carmen, choose one of your favorite scenes and act it out with a few of your classmates. W H AT I S A TA BL E AU ? In a tableau, participants make still images with their bodies to represent a scene. A tableau can be used to quickly establish a scene that involves a large number of characters.
A DDITIONA L IDE A S The tableau doesn’t just have to be a mute frozen image. Students can be told in advance that they will be video taped during the presentation, and that they will need to provide a clue as to who or what they represent in the tableau. As an alternate the teacher or a student could act as a reporter and conduct short interviews with individuals acting in the tableau. The teacher might choose to facilitate a discussion with the audience by highlighting certain tableau details through questioning. For example, you could ask, “Why might this character be smiling?” or “What do you think this character is thinking?”
The cast of The Barber of Seville strikes a pose in this example of a tableau. Photo: Kelly & Massa Photography, 2014
HOW DO YOU M A K E A TA BL E AU ? To begin, give each group an excerpt from the synopsis (like one scene), and ask the groups to create a frozen image that somehow captures the essence of what is going on in the scene. Students must then collaborate to decide how to represent the scene in the form of a tableau. No matter what they do, students should carefully craft their gestures, facial expressions, and physical poses. Give groups enough time to plan and rehearse and, when they are ready, have students present their scenes while the rest of the class discusses what they think is going on in the tableau. Additionally, one of the members of the group can read the scene while the other members act it out in tableau. Finally, have the class discuss the choices that went into making that particular tableau.
Tableau can also be a series of frozen images that, together, tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Or, the tableau might be more effective with the music from the opera playing. Groups also might want to use slow motion to transition from one tableau to the next. After the students create the tableau, encourage them to describe how they think music could enhance the scene that they created. Then ask students to use sounds to describe the music and back up their ideas with evidence. For a more detailed lesson plan from Opera America, visit tinyurl.com/OATableaus. For a video to reference of how to create a tableau using an opera scene, visit tinyurl.com/OperaTableaus. Sources cited: learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/scenes-in-tableaudrama-strategies-to-use-with-any-days-times-part-2/?_r=0 dramaresource.com/tableaux/
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CHARACTER ANALYSIS Pyramid After reading the libretto of Carmen, fill out this graphic organizer for one of the opera’s characters, either individually or in groups. After filling out the form, take 10 minutes to discuss the characters and their interactions.
NAME/TITLE
PH YSICA L A PPE A R A NCE
CH A R AC T ER’ S ROL E
C H A R AC T ER’ S PROBL E M S/C H A L L E NGE S
M AJOR ACCOM PLISH M E N T S
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WRITING A REVIEW of the Opera A review is an opinionated piece of writing. It is an opportunity for someone to communicate their likes and dislikes about a particular event. A good theater review takes into consideration all of the things that happened on stage. Before writing a review, it is good to organize your thoughts. Use the following template to create a review of Carmen. JOIN OUR BLOG! - When you finish writing your review, consider submitting it online! Opera Philadelphia would love to hear your thoughts about the production. Just remember to include your first name, school, and grade. Visit: operaphillysol.blogspot.com. PL O T & CH A R AC T ER S Did the performance tell the story dramatically, and were you engaged in the plot? Summarize the main characters and conflict briefly in this opening paragraph.
M USIC & VOICES Did the music carry the characters and action forward? Were there particular voices, arias, or duets that added to your involvement in the conflict?
S TAGI NG How did the sets, costumes, and staging enhance or undermine the plot?
SET TING Make note of the time and location where the opera takes place. Is it the same setting the composer imagined, or has it been updated? If it has been updated, does the change add to the power of the piece, or is it a distraction?
Y O U R O P I N I O N (After the performance) Would you recommend this performance to your friends or family? Explain why or why not.
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GLOSSARY B A N D E R I L L A - ( b a n - d u h - R E E - u h ) N . a decorated dart thrust into a bull's neck or shoulder during
a bullfight.
B A N D O L I E R - ( b a n - d l - E E R ) N . a belt worn over the shoulder and across the chest. B R A Z E N - ( B R E Y - z u h n ) A D J . marked by contemptuous boldness. C H A T T E L - ( C H A T - l ) N . slave; an item of tangible property that is not related to real estate. C O N S O L E - ( k u h n - S O H L ) V. to alleviate the grief, sense of loss, or trouble of; comfort. C O N T R A B A N D - ( K O N - t r u h - b a n d ) N . goods or merchandise whose importation, exportation, or
possession is forbidden.
C O R T E G E - ( k a w r - T E Z H ) N . a train of attendants; procession. D E I G N - ( d e y n ) V. to descend to a less formal level reluctantly and with a sense of being insulted. D E M E A N ( d i h - M E E N ) V. to lower in character, status, or reputation. D R A G O O N ( d r u h - G O O N ) N . a member of a European military unit. D U C K Y - ( D U H K - e e ) A D J . fine; excellent; wonderful. G A L L A N T - ( g u h - L A H N T ) A D J . spirited, brave. I M P U D E N T - ( I M - p y u h - d u h n t ) A D J . lacking modesty marked by disregard of others. I N T O X I C A T E - ( i n - T O K - s i - k e y t ) V. to excite or elate to the point of enthusiasm or frenzy. L A C K E Y - ( L A K - e e ) N . someone who does menial tasks or runs errands for another; servant. P A R A P E T - ( P A R - u h - p e t ) N . a wall, rampart, or elevation of earth or stone to protect soldiers. P A R R Y - ( P A R - e e ) V. to ward off a weapon or blow. P A S T I M E - ( P A S - t a h y m ) N . something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably. P E R S I S T E N T - ( p e r - S I S - t u h n t ) A D J . continuing without change in function or structure. P I C A D O R - ( P I K - u h - d a w r ) N . a horseman in a bullfight who jabs the bull with a lance. R A M P A R T - ( R A M - p a r t ) N . a defensive wall of a castle or walled city, having a broad top or walkway. R A P T U R E - ( R A P - c h u r ) N . a state or experience of being carried away by overwhelming emotion. R E V E R E ( r i - V E E R ) V. to regard with respect tinged with awe; venerate. S A U C Y - ( S A W - s e e ) A D J . rude, impudent, fresh, brazen. S E G U I D I L L A - ( s e y - g e e - D E E L - y u h ) N . a Spanish dance in triple meter for two persons. S E N T R Y - ( S E N - t r e e ) N . a soldier stationed to keep guard or to control access to a place. S I S T R U M - ( S I S - t r u h m ) N . a musical instrument of ancient Egypt consisting of a metal frame with
horizontal metal rods that rattled when the instrument was shaken.
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W I L E - ( w a h y l ) N . a trick, artifice, or stratagem meant to fool, trap, or entice; device.
OPERA PHILADELPHIA David B. Devan General Director & President
Corrado Rovaris Jack Mulroney Music Director
Michael Bolton Vice President of Community Initiatives
Sounds of Learning™ was established by a
generous grant from The Annenberg Foundation. Dedicated funding for the Sounds of Learning™ program has been provided by:
THE WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION WALLY LOEB Wells Fargo Hamilton Family Foundation Universal Health Services Eugene Garfield Foundation The Hirsig Family Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation The McLean Contributionship Louis N. Cassett Foundation Victory Foundation
Written and produced by: Opera Philadelphia Community Initiatives Department © 2018 1420 Locust Street, Suite 210 Philadelphia, PA, 19102 Tel: 215.893.5925 operaphila.org/learn Michael Bolton Vice President of Community Initiatives bolton@operaphila.org Steven Humes Education Manager humes@operaphila.org Veronica Chapman-Smith Community Initiatives Administrator chapman-smith@operaphila.org Katie Kelley Graphic Designer dune@operaphila.org Special thanks to: Frank Machos Executive Officer, Office of Arts & Academic Enrichment School District of Philadelphia The Office of Strategic Partnerships School District of Philadelphia Dr. Bettie Joyner Kleckley Dr. Nanci Ritter Program Evaluators Maureen Lynch Operations Manager, Academy of Music
Opera Philadelphia is supported by major grants from The William Penn Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Additional support is provided by the Independence Foundation and the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. Opera Philadelphia receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Support provided in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.
Frank Flood Assistant Operations Manager, Academy of Music Cornell Wood Head Usher, Academy of Music Academy of Music Ushers
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