Such magnetic charm and teaching skills and you make it all seem effortless too. Well done , perfect summary , so enticing to anyone discovering Mozart for the first time.

I LOVE the marriage of Figaro. Such bangers in the entire piece. L'ho Perduta was one of my favorite arias I have done!

As someone who likes opera, but hasn't really heard that much opera, I would definitely recommend a Mozart opera like The Marriage of Figaro or The Magic Flute for those who are getting into opera. My first ever opera exposure, like true opera exposure, not just isolated overtures(which in my experience, playing just the overture of an opera by itself as if it's a concert overture is way, way more common than full on opera performance), and also my only in person opera exposure was Wagner Das Rheingold. And then I didn't venture any further into opera apart from again, the overtures, for years. Until 2020 that is, when I watched a video of Beethoven's Fidelio for the first time on KZread. I hadn't even heard the overture to Fidelio before 2020, unlike the Mozart operas I'm about to mention, so this was a completely new opera for me, but somebody who knew that I like opera and knew just how much I love Beethoven's music in general recommended to me to listen to Fidelio, and let me tell you, the drama in Fidelio is on a completely different level from that of say the Fifth Symphony. The Fifth Symphony is all powerfully dramatic with the Fate Motif and all, sure, but nothing like the emotional rollercoaster that is Fidelio. And then we get to the Mozart operas, of which I've heard what I like to call "The Big 3" in their entirety along with the overtures of 2 others. What operas do I consider to be "The Big 3" you might be asking? The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, and Don Giovanni. I heard the overtures of "The Big 3" long before I heard the full operas. Just as an example, take The Marriage of Figaro. I heard the overture for the first time like way back, when I was a young child just getting into classical music and finding out that classical music was one of my passions. But it wasn't until 2021, just a couple years ago that I heard the full opera. Quite a time discrepancy. Now, for the reasons why I would or would not recommend the opera composers I've heard as a starter for opera. First up, Wagner. It's really the size of the operas that would make me not recommend this as a starter. Both in the sense that the orchestra is huge and thus it's hard to find like great Wagner recordings because it's easy for the balance to be off in Wagner and in the sense that the operas are very long, up to 4 or 5 hours long, for 1 opera. Next up, Beethoven. There aren't really that many memorable melodies in Fidelio in my opinion and I think Beethoven is one of those composers where you really have to put some score study in to understand and really appreciate the music for what it is. I certainly had to do that before I could say I even liked Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, actually looking at the symphony score in depth and seeing what was happening musically. Mozart on the other hand, his operas are full of very catchy melodies, and that catchiness of Mozart's melodies is why I would generally recommend Mozart as a starter composer for any classical music genre, but especially opera. From my experience, you'll be so caught up in the music and enjoying those catchy melodies that you don't even notice that the opera is 2 or 3 hours long. I know, when I heard The Marriage of Figaro in its entirety, after the opera was over, I had the Non piu andrai aria stuck in my head and, as a composer myself, decided to write a set of variations on it.

Thank you for this great video. I looked for something like this as my wife and I will go see the Figaro in October in Milano. We’ve heard it many times in CD (Harnoncourt being our favorite conductor / may he rest in peace) but this is the first time we will actually see it. Thank you again!

I’m going to see this opera in a few days for the first time. So glad I found your video!! Thank you!!

What a lovely gentle speaking style you have, I especially enjoyed the references to opera in general that came up whilst you were covering the subject opera. A carefully thought out explanation of the characters and appreciate no spoilers approach, knowing the interpersonal structures will allow me to concentrate on the music without distractions. I watched your presentation as I have tickets in the gods for the performance this year in Adelaide South Australia in November. I shall recommend this to others who will be attending. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.

Brilliant oration cait

Super smart! Well done, great insights

Thanks for this video! Hard to find useful information about this :) I have to point out that watching Il barbiere di Siviglia first helps a lot, you get to meet the characters in a simpler environment, and it's the prequel!. Also, the "Droit du seigneur" the right to sleep with your subordinate's wife before marriage is something that probably never existed in the actual middle ages.

Wonderful breakdown. Also, THANK YOU for that tempo for "Deh vieni non tardar". Too many conductors try to take it in an andante 2 instead of thinking the andante in 6 but beating a 2 beat. Your tempo was dead on. It's supposed to be seductive and there's no way to make seductive at an andante 2.

I just went to the La opera last night. I wish I would’ve seen your video before I went. I was definitely one of the last ones… 😅

❤❤❤love❤❤❤love❤❤❤love❤❤

What's your favorite song?

The "droit du Seigneur" never existed in Christendom.

2 minutes on this and you’re already too woke for my taste. Anyway, the rest wasn’t bad. Thanks for the info

@TheFunEnglishTeacher

7 ай бұрын

What are you talking about, what did I miss?

@inserttapehere276

3 ай бұрын

huh