Florida Grand Opera gratefully recognizes the following donors who have provided support of its education programs. Study Guide 2012 / 2013 Batchelor MIAMI BEACH Foundation Inc. Dear Friends, Welcome to our exciting 2012-2013 season! Florida Grand Opera is pleased to present the magical world of opera to the diverse audience of © FLORIDA GRAND OPERA © FLORIDA South Florida. We begin our season with a classic Italian production of Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème. We continue with a supernatural singspiel, Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Vincenzo Bellini’s famous opera La sonnam- bula, with music from the bel canto tradition. The main stage season is completed with a timeless opera with Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata. As our RHWIEWSRÁREPI[ILEZIEHHIHERI\XVESTIVEXSSYVWGLIHYPIMRSYV continuing efforts to be able to reach out to a newer and broader range of people in the community; a tango opera María de Buenoa Aires by Ástor Piazzolla. As a part of Florida Grand Opera’s Education Program and Stu- dent Dress Rehearsals, these informative and comprehensive study guides can help students better understand the opera through context and plot. )EGLSJXLIWIWXYH]KYMHIWEVIÁPPIH[MXLLMWXSVMGEPFEGOKVSYRHWWXSV]PMRI structures, a synopsis of the opera as well as a general history of Florida Grand Opera. Through this information, students can assess the plotline of each opera as well as gain an understanding of the why the librettos were written in their fashion. Florida Grand Opera believes that education for the arts is a vital enrich- QIRXXLEXQEOIWWXYHIRXW[IPPVSYRHIHERHLIPTWQEOIXLIMVPMZIWQSVI GYPXYVEPP]JYPÁPPMRK3RFILEPJSJXLI*PSVMHE+VERH3TIVE[ILSTIXLEX A message from these study guides will help students delve further into the opera. We Kevin Mynatt hope you enjoy the show! -PSSOJSV[EVHXSWIIMRK]SYEXXLI3TIVE Kevin G. Mynatt Managing Director Florida Grand Opera 2 Florida Grand Opera // Kevin Mynatt Study Guides // Magic Flute 3 Content 6-9 Attending an Opera 10-13 Florida Grand Opera 14-17 Roots and Development 18-21 On Broadway! 22-29 Close up with Jeanette Vecchione 30-35 The Operatic Voice 36-37 The Magic Flute 38-39 Cast & Characters 40-51 Synopsis 52-55 The Composer 56-59 Librettists So what is Singspiel ? 60-65 Freemasonry 66-71 Mozart’s Music 72-75 The Age of Enlightenment 76-81 Pamina 82-85 Gender in The Magic Flute 86-89 Class in The Magic Flute 90-91 Race in The Magic Flute 92-93 What else happened in that year? 94-97 References 98-101 Credits 102-103 4 Florida Grand Opera // Content Study Guides // Magic Flute 5 © FLORIDA GRAND OPERA © FLORIDA Attending Opera an FGO dress rehearsal 6 Florida Grand Opera // Attending an Opera Study Guides // Magic Flute 7 WHAT WILL YOU SEE IN AN OPERA? OPERA ETIQUETTE: Opera combines colorful sets and costumes, dynamic _Attending an opera is an exciting occasion! You staging, passionate stories, and poetic words with should dress comfortably, but presentably. Many audi- beautiful music. Richard Wagner referred to it as ence members use an opera as an opportunity to dress +IWEQOYRWX[IVOSVEµXSXEPEVX[SVO¶=SYQMKLX in formal attire. [EXGLHERGMRKW[SVHÁKLXMRKGLEVEGXIVWHVIWWMRKMR _Arrive early. Audience members who arrive after the disguises, the tenor wooing the soprano, or unfurling start of the performance are prevented from entering schemes against another character. Operas can be until there is a change of scene. romantic, comedic, tragic, dramatic, or all of the above. Primarily, opera is entertaining! _It is customary to show your appreciation at various times in the performance with applause. The audience will applaud at the beginning of each act as the con- WHAT WILL YOU HEAR IN AN OPERA? ductor enters the orchestra pit, at the ends of partic- Operas are sung in many different languages, the most ularly well-sung arias or choruses, at the close of each common of which are Italian, French, German, and WGIRISVEGXERHHYVMRKXLIÁREPGYVXEMRGEPPEWXLI English. The Magic Flute, however, is sung in German. performers bow. Florida Grand Opera provides supertitles (transla- _If you want to show your admiration even more, you tions of the text projected on a screen above the stage) can call out “Bravo!” for a male singer, “Brava!” for a in English and Spanish. Singers are accompanied by female singer, or “Bravi!” for an ensemble. If you en- the orchestra which can consist of string instruments joyed the entire production, stand and clap during the PMOI ZMSPMRW ZMSPEW GIPPSW ERH HSYFPI FEWWIW [SSH- curtain call to join in a standing ovation. [MRHWPMOIÂYXIWGPEVMRIXWSFSIWERHFEWWSSRWERH FVEWWMRWXVYQIRXWPMOIXVYQTIXWJVIRGLLSVRWXVSQ- _Audience members are expected to turn off all cell bones, and tubas. phones and refrain from using cameras with or with- SYXÂEWLHYVMRKXLITIVJSVQERGI _While concessions are sold in the lobby before the performance and during intermissions, no food or HVMROMWEPPS[IHMRWMHISJXLIXLIEXVI _Be respectful of the musicians and your fellow audience QIQFIVWERHHSRSXXEPOHYVMRKXLITIVJSVQERGI Most importantly, enjoy the opera! 8 Florida Grand Opera // Attending an Opera Study Guides // Magic Flute 9 © FLORIDA GRAND OPERA © FLORIDA FloridaGrand Opera Dr. Arturo di Filippi Florida Grand Opera stands as one of the old- The Greater Miami Opera was founded by Dr. Ar- est performing arts organizations in Florida and turo di Filippi, a voice teacher at the University of in the nation. Florida Grand Opera is one of the 1MEQM8LIÁVWXTVSHYGXMSRLIPHEX1MEQM7IRMSV resident companies of The Adrienne Arsht Cen- High School in 1942, was a single performance of ter for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, performed in English, with where it presents its Miami performances in the Dr. di Filippi singing the role of Canio. In 1945, Dr. Ziff Ballet Opera House. Fort Lauderdale perfor- di Filippi appeared in a production of Il trovatore at mances are given at the Broward Center for the Ft. Lauderdale Central High School, representing Performing Arts. Florida Grand Opera was formed XLI ÁVWX TVSHYGXMSR SJ XLI8LI 3TIVE +YMPH -RG in June 1994 by the merger of Greater Miami Op- Florida Grand Opera has a rich history of present- era, founded in 1941, and The Opera Guild Inc. of ing internationally acclaimed artists such as Robert Fort Lauderdale, founded in 1945. 1IVVMPP (SVSXL] /MVWXIR 6MGLEVH 8YGOIV 6IREXE Tebaldi, Roberta Peters, Franco Corelli, Renata 10 Florida Grand Opera // Florida Grand Opera Study Guides // Magic Flute 11 7GSXXS 1SRXWIVVEX 'EFEPPI .SR :MGOIVW 7LIVVMPP At the core of Florida Grand Opera’s mission is a Milnes, Nicolai Gedda, Birgit Nilsson, Anna Moffo, commitment to training emerging opera profes- Plácido Domingo, Beverly Sills, Joan Sutherland, sionals and educating young people about opera Evelyn Lear, James Morris, Thomas Stewart, Diana while embracing the diverse cultural heritage of the Soviero, Justino Diaz, Simon Estes, Elizabeth Fu- South Florida community. Each year, established tral, Helen Donath, Deborah Voigt, and Fernando education programs, including the School Dress de la Mora. Luciano Pavarotti made his American Rehearsal Program and the company’s education debut in 1965 with the company’s production of festivals expose thousands of children and students Lucia di Lammermoor. to opera’s many facets. Florida Grand Opera’s re- nowned artist training program, the Young Artist In April, 2007, Florida Grand Opera presented the Studio, nurtures gifted young singers and provides critically acclaimed world premiere of David Carl- XLIQ [MXL XLI WOMPPW ERH I\TIVMIRGIW RIGIWWEV] son’s Anna Karenina with libretto by Colin Graham. to move beyond their training at universities and Anna Karenina was commissioned as a co-produc- music conservatories into successful careers in the tion by Florida Grand Opera, Michigan Opera The- professional opera world. atre, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. In May 1997, the Company presented the world premiere of Bal- seros, an opera by Robert Ashley with libretto by world renowned Cuban writer María Irene Fornés. Balseros was commissioned as a co-production by Florida Grand Opera, Miami-Dade Community College and the South Florida Composers Alliance. Another world premiere was Robert Ward’s Min- utes Till Midnight in 1982. American premieres in- clude Gioachino Rossini’s Bianca e Falliero and the ÁREPVIZMWIHZIVWMSRSJ%PFIVXS*VERGLIXXM¸W'VMWXS- foro Colombo. 12 Florida Grand Opera // Florida Grand Opera Study Guides // Magic Flute 13 ©NICKU Opera’s Roots & Development Mozart. Weber Wagner Where did opera come from? What prompted com- L’Orfeo. Following L’Orfeo’s success, the art form posers to create it? Poets, musicians, architects, art- spread rapidly amongst composers, artists, and po- ists, philosophers, mathematicians, and many other ets. The Baroque form consisted of sung recitatives XLMROIVWLEHFIGSQISFWIWWIH[MXLEVIGVIEXMSRSJ by soloists which would move the plot or story line, XLI+VIIOGYPXYVIHYVMRKXLI-XEPMER6IREMWWERGI arias in which the soloist would explore an emo- In the 1500’s, a certain group of composers from tion, and choruses where the rest of the characters the Camerata Fiorentina, or Florentine Academy, commented on the action. Composers began to FIKERXSJSGYWSRXLIVITVSHYGXMSRSJ+VIIO(VE- create duets, trios, and other ensemble numbers ma. The Camerata believed that several factors with multiple soloists, allowing for more character were extremely important in recreating these dra- interaction and more dynamic plot lines. As the mas: the sung text must be understood, the music Classical period began, the chorus of an opera be- WLSYPHVIÂIGXXLIGEHIRGIWSJWTIIGLVEXLIVXLER