OPERA FOR ALL

"In Jules Massenet's opera THERESE, in the throes of the French Revolution, an exiled nobleman reappears to woo his now married lover with tragic consequences ending with the guillotine"

In Strauss' opera, SALOME could not kiss the lips of the prophet John the Baptist when he was alive, so she kissed the lips of his decapitated head.

In Luigi Cherubini's opera, Medea had two children by Jason, who abandons her to marry Glauce. Medea takes revenge killing Glauce and their two sons.

An innkeeper during the Protestant Reformation becomes convinced he is God's messenger with tragic consequences for himself, his mother and his fiancee. A good example of Parisian Grand Opera, from 1830-1870. Now known best for its skater's waltz. 

 In Verdi's opera, there is a confrontation between a Roman General and Attila, where the general proposes giving up the entire empire, with the exception of Italy, in a dramatic duo that highlights the opera

In the plot of Donizetti's opera GEMMA DI GERVY, the heroine is barren, and her husband the Count gets an annulment of his marriage so he can get married to another woman with the hopes of getting an heir.

OPERA FOR ALL presents Giuseppe Verdi's first opera: OBERTO, CONTI DI SAN BONIFACIO, where we first hear the father-daughter exchanges that Verdi would use in many of his operas.

Our program presents Giacomo Puccini's second opera, EDGAR where the main character Edgar alternates between the pure love of an innocent village woman, and the sensual temptations of another.

In LA FORZA DEL DESTINO, Destiny or Fate plays a role in the loves of Leonora and Alvaro. When they tried to elope, Leonora's father confronts Alvaro who throws his pistol to the floor to avoid confrontation, but the gun accidentally mortally hits the father. This is one of the many situations in this Beautiful Opera.

" THE PEARL FISHERS" is the first opera composed by Georges Bizet, the author of "CARMEN". Set in an exotic land, the drama deals with a male friendship disrupted by a beautiful virgin priestess"

In Bellini's opera, Amina is ready to marry Elvino, but when she finds herself in another man's bedroom, the marriage is cancelled until we all find that Adina is a sleepwalker and all ends well in a delightful ending.

In Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth, the emphasis is on Lady Macbeth with great interpretations by sopranos Shirley Verrett and Maria Callas.

Besides The Merry Widow, Franz Lehar composed many operettas. OPERA FOR ALL presents the beautiful LAND OF SMILES, with beautiful tunes for the tenor, the main character in the operetta. A Chinese diplomat falls in love with a European woman, but the cultural differences do not allow them to fulfill their love.

In Donizetti's opera MARIA STUARDA, there is a non-historical confrontation of the two queen rivals: Elizabeth I and Maria Stuarda, the best dramatic moment of the opera, in a wonderful interpretation by Montserrat Caballe and Bianca Berini

Francesco Cilea's opera "ADRIANA LECOUVREUR" is based on the life of an actress at the Comedie Francaise, a diva that all sopranos want to interpret.  This presentation will feature soprano Montserrat Caballe accompanied by tenor Jose Carreras in one of their most successful interpretations

Anna Bolena is another of the Donizetti Queens. The opera was very successful at its premiere, and also in the revival by Maria Callas, which marked the beginning of her career. In this program, we will hear the soprano in a re-mastering of the 1947 recording at La Scala.

"ROBERTO DEVEREUX was a presumed lover of Queen Elizabeth Ist, who was really infatuated with him and had to sign his execution for treasury, although she suffered more the loss of his love. Listen to Beverly Sills, in her acclaimed portrayal of the Queen, one of the best accomplishments of her career"

Pergolesi: La Serva Padrona ( Maid into Mistress of the House). The first Baroque comic opera whose arias and duets delight to this day. A saucy maid schemes to get her rich old master to marry her. 

n this version of the story of Joan of Arc by Verdi, Joan does not die on the pyre, and there is a hint of love between Joan and the King.

Catalani: La Wally. A verismo opera with all the requisites of jealousy, attempted murder, forgiveness and a tragic death scene for the 2 lovers. Noted most for a famous soprano aria, featured prominently in the French cult movie "Diva" and ever since known as the Diva Aria.  

In "I CAPULETI E I MONTECCHI", Bellini explores the story of Romeo and Juliette in a slightly different version than the well known from Shakespeare"

When Verdi was asked to produce a new work for the PARIS OPERA, he did not want to fail, so he reworked his previous opera I LOMBARDI, changing and adding a few things, with great success this story of the First Crusade, with an added love triangle between two men and a woman"

When Verdi was asked to produce a new work for the PARIS OPERA, he did not want to fail, so he reworked his previous opera I LOMBARDI, changing and adding a few things, with great success this story of the First Crusade, with an added love triangle between two men and a woman"

OFA 51 I Lombardi. (Italians in the first Crusade.) A complicated plot with many conspiracies, leading to final redemption. Good arias (it is by Verdi after all) ,rousing choruses and marches with a stage band. The chorus "O Signore, dal tetto natio" is deservedly popular.

"In Donizetti's opera, Lucrezia follows a young man, while her husband spies on her and eventually kills him, without realizing the young man was Lucrezia's son"

Verdi's Otello Shakespeare's tragedy set to music equal to words. One of opera's great love duets and Desdemona's Ave Maria are among the highlights.

Vincenzo Bellini's Norma is considered to be the most taxing roles in the soprano repertoire, lending satisfaction and prestige to those who achieved its rendition.In the 1950's, the role of Norma was the calling card of the great soprano MARIA CALLAS, followed by the interpretation of others like Joan Sutherland, Monserrat Caballe, Beverly Sills and others more recently.

Franz Lehar: The Merry Widow. An operetta about a rich widow who wants to rekindle an old love affair with a handsome guards officer. After the usually bumps in the road, love conquers all against a background of some very familiar waltzes and the guardsman/s famous salute to all dancing girls at Maxim's cafe.

"In Verdi's Ernani, the beautiful Elvira is being forced to marry her uncle, but she loves Ernani. The plot thickens when Carlo, the King of Spain is also in love with her."

Idomeneo. Mozart's first mature opera about the travails of a Greek ruler who Neptune saves in a storm at sea. In exchange the God demands the sacrifice of the first person he encounters upon landing who turns out to be his son. Performed in English.

Opera for all presents the splendor of Viena and its waltzes with the opera DER ROSENKAVALIER, {The night of the Rose} by Richard STRAUSS

A mysterious stranger must answer three riddles to win the Princess of China in marriage. Should he fail, the penalty is death. Puccini's last opera, featuring the famous aria Nessun Dorma,Luciano Pavarotti's calling-card.

XAVIER MONTSALVAGE'S opera EL GATO CON BOTAS, in English PUSS'N BOOTS is a delightful children's opera based in the famous children book.

The Golden Cockerel. A satire about a stupid Czar and his downfall. Filled with gorgeous Rimsky-Korsakov oriental music, like his Scherhazade. Highlights include a famous coloratura aria (Hymn to the Sun) and a scary wedding march.

In Massenet's opera "THAIS", the monk Athanael tries to convert the courtesan Thais. While she repents her sinful life and accepts God in the famous "Meditation", Athanael sinfully begins to lust for her."

Two officers are engaged to two sisters. The boys take a bet that their fiancées will remain faithful. They pretend to leave on assignment, assume disguises and pay court to each other's intended. Will the girls give in? Performed in English, you maybe surprised and even disturbed by the outcome, but Mozart's music is hard to resist

Rossini's comic opera "L'Italiana in Algieri" presents Isabella, the Italian girl who travels to Algiers to look for her boyfriend Lindoro who has been kidnapped by theTurkish Bey Mustafa

Set during the French Revolution, Umberto Giordano's opera ANDREA CHENIER presents a love triangle in the verismo style. The most famous aria of this opera "LA MAMMA MORTA" was inmortalized by Maria Callas in the film PHILADELPHIA with Tom Hanks

In Rossini's version of Cinderella, the evil stepmother becomes an evil stepfather; the fairy godmother is a real man, and the lost shoe is a bracelet, but the most important changeis that the opera is really a comic opera.