Remember in the movie Moonstruck when Nic Cage, besotted with love, wants to take Cher to an opera (La Bohème) at the Met? (She agrees to meet him there and then sticks her head back in his apartment and asks, “Where’s the Met?”)
Or in Pretty Woman when tycoon/perfect hair avatar Richard Gere wants to swank it up for his call girl/princess in a tower, Julia Roberts? What does he do? He private jets her to San Francisco and takes her to – the opera. (La Traviata- about another call girl/princess. The original Pretty Woman, in fact.)
Well all that opera-going back then whetted my appetite for some tenor, soprano, mezzo, coloratura, baritone and basso action myself. But try as hard as I could, I could never find anyone to go to the opera with me.
And to make matters worse, lately every week, I found myself walking right past the regal Lyric Opera house in Chicago, and my thoughts would turn to arias and runs and glissandi and Italian.
Sigh.
My twin loves- music and Italian.
Of course, I wanted to go to the opera.
And so I kept at it.
Asking everyone I knew if they had any desire to see Aida or Tosca or Madama Butterfly con me.
The answer was sempre “no.”
Poverina.***
(***”Poor little me” in Florentine dialect. Somehow opera just calls for subtitles, don’t you think?)
And then one day, as I was leaving the Northwestern University campus, I was struck by La Forza del Destino. (An opera by Giuseppe Verdi. And conveniently- for the purposes of this post- “The Force of Destiny.”)
I met a guy in a crosswalk. Yep, a crosswalk (!?!) and we started talking, and before we had made it to the other side of the street, I had found myself…wait for it…
A tenor in the Main Street Opera Company.
Ta da.
His name was Evan and he had been taking a lesson with his voice coach at the university’s music department. One thing led to another, a flyer was proffered, and quicker than you could say “Rigoletto,” I had promised to show up at the final performance of the twi-night double header- Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica by the maestro, Giacomo Puccini.
(And the fact that he was tall, dark and “Rodolfo” handsome had niente to do with it, ti giuro. Translation: “I swear to you.”)
True to its name and its mission, the Main Street Opera wants to bring grand opera to the street. These two one-acters were being performed at various locales around Chicagoland. And though the ensemble was made up of “Diamond Horseshoe” voices, the audience wasn’t going to have to don white tie, tiaras and fork over a kidney to hear them.
My chosen performance was held at St. John Cantius, a dazzling Chicago church built in high style in 1893. I wandered into a service looking for the stage but soon realized that the performance was going to be down below in its cavernous basement.
So down I went. Now accompanied by Javier- a charming English major at DePaul University with a love of French, good food, and an eye to a great seat.
Courtly Javier led the way and soon we were all ready to go. The house lights dimmed….
The first short opera was Suor Angelica. An all-female cast singing about the the trials and tribulations of a nun- who just happens to be an unwed mother.
Back in the day of il convento (and not Jerry Springer and the Kardashians) this was a BIG peccato. (Trans: sin) The fates- and a mean, rich relative- decreed that poor Angelica be told that the child she was forced to abandon years before- if that wasn’t harsh enough- was now DEAD. Except that he really wasn’t. A cruel fake-out for Sister Angelica.
Poor Angelica did what any grief-crazed mother/nun would do and drank poison- shrieking and dying and acting the heck out of the part.
It sounds awful to hear me tell it.
It was awesome.
As soon as the ladies opened their mouths, the church basement faded away and glory came unto the land.
Oh, their voices. Angelic, demonic, crystal clear, beautiful, terrible, thrilling.
And you didn’t have to be Italian to understand the tragic goings-on. All you had to be was human.
Wild applause and a standing O for all the players.
Then intermezzo. (I needed it. Those chairs were harder than Angelica’s punishment.)
And then on to the scherzo- (translation: joke) Gianni Schicchi.
This was Puccini’s last work and it’s fun. The story revolves around the greedy family of a dying Florentine nobleman who has threatened to disinherit them all and leave his estate, the mills, his house and his best mule to the good friars of Firenze.
Each family member takes umbrage at this unwelcome idea of disinheritance and they collude to bring in a big-time conniver, Signor Schicchi, to pose as their dying rich relative and leave them the loot instead.
But before the dictation of the false will, comes the most bellissima aria in all of opera- “O mio babbino caro.”
In this aria, Gianni’s daughter pleads with her father to help her land the scion of the house. And she begs- and threatens him in turn- that if she can’t go buy a wedding ring presto, she will throw herself off the Ponte Vecchio.
(It may sound overly dramatic, but trust me. I saw worse histrionics out of my then-sixteen year old daughter, Natasha, when a hurricane threatened to close off Bermuda and cancel her long-planned summer reunion rendezvous with her prep school Romeo.)
And the music of that aria…
So hauntingly beautiful that Merchant-Ivory productions used the Kiri De Kanawa version as its leit motif in their dazzling A Room with a View.
And the voices- now female and male.
OMG.
Opera singers are the Olympic athletes of the vocal chords. They’re the heavy lifters of the singing world. Remember that these vocalists are NOT miked and yet they filled that hall with such mighty, soaring sound that I was overcome.
It was glorious.
And fitting that it all happened in a church.
Their gorgeous voices combined with Puccini’s heavenly music?
A gift from God.
Grazie, Evan. That was one fortuitous crosswalk. (And just listened to Jussi Björling’s “Nessun dorma.” Whoa. It’s a real barn-burner.)
And to the ladies and gentlemen of the Main Street company- on the stage, behind the podium, in the pit, and wherever the magic was made- Bravo!
And grazie tanto to all of you for coming to the opera with me.
(And if you want a transformative musical experience, just go to the Main Street Opera Company for further info.)
Now you’ll have to excuse me.
I feel an aria coming on.
I had the honor and pleasure of getting to know Kiri Te Kanawa years ago. So lovely. So talented. The productions at our Lyric are second to none. A cultural experience like no other. Brava, Ellen.
How thrilling! She was the wedding singer when Prince Charles married Diana, and I’m guessing he could have booked anyone. Seriously, you are right on all counts. And thank you, ML. Love to the birthday boy and see you later. Mrs. Domingo
…tall, dark and “Rodolfo” handsome…A tenor couldn’t ask for a better crosswalk review. I’m keeping that in my back-pocket for later. I’m so glad you were able to make that Saturday performance, and thank you for taking time to write about our opera and the wonders of opera in general. Grazie, grazie.
Glad you approve. And I hear there is an encore performance coming up in Downer’s Grove next month. Who do I have to know to get a good seat?
I’ll try to pull some strings.
Grazie a Lei!
I felt as if I was in the seat next to you! Your divine description of the opera makes me want to sign up for season tickets. What a soaringly grand review! And who doesn’t love to swoon over a tall, dark, and “Rodolfo” handsome tenor? Keep me in mind the next time you go – I love the opera – and swooning!!
Ellen, your writing is and continues to be authentic, educational, emotional, excrutiatingly honest and funny. Thank you for sharing your wit and wisdom every Thurs. and Sunday. Grazie.
Grazie tanto, Bellisima! Yes, next time let’s go together. You will adorn any opera house.
Dear Ellen:
Your letter from Elba this week was a page from past adventures to opera everywhere. From the early days of Gilbert and Sullivan (does that count) to travels around the world which included Aida at La Scala, and many visits to Lyric Opera’s amazing repertoire plus occasional nights at the Ravinia Festival, I have enjoyed it all. But especially, to re-quote, last Sunday afternoon I was lucky enough to enjoy a “transformative musical experience”. Ricardo Muti, amazing soloists with brilliant voices, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performing Verdi’s Macbeth, and the audience appropriately cheered with multi Bravos. Yes I am always ready to go … so call me next time you need company.
You bet Gilbert and Sullivan count! I LOVE them. The first operetta I ever saw when I was six was “H.M.S. Pinafore.’ Then I tried out for Cousin Hebe in the same operetta when I was in eighth grade. (Didn’t get the part, though.). And I had the thrill of seeing “The Mikado” at the Savoy in London. So special.
Bravo,you – and Maestro Muti. You were a very lucky duck (an arcane opera phrase) to have seen that Macbeth. And hear his post-performance speech. And spot him later with his entourage.
Thank you for this, and SI SI, Andiamo!
Years ago, she stayed at Lake Shore C.C. One morning, she watched our tennis game!
She sat next to me at the pool. Her bathing suit had a skirt on it and I was perplexed. Then I found out that it was the great Kiri! I felt stupid for judging her based on her pool attire! I am an idiot. Thanks, Herbie. Ciao!
Dear Ellen,
LOVED TODAYS blog,
Our opera company, Florida Grand Opera, paired Suor Angelica with Pagliacci about 2 years ago.
My husband Ted’s mother was a professional opera singer. She sang with Beverly Sills with the traveling Wagner Opera company. Ted’s dad was in the opera chorus while going to law school in Phili. Ted senior was marked down because he didn’t take the law seriously enough not to sing.
So, you have some opera loving friends in Miami. Fortunately for me, they do English subtitles here so I understand the dialog. I (unfortunately) do not know Italian, French, Spanish, or German well enough to follow during the performance.
Happy Sunday!
Holly
Thanks, Holly. I’m coming down there and going to an opera with you guys! Love to Libby. Your friend from Eagle River.
Enjoyed your blog. “History of Opera” was my favorite course at Penn. This past winter, we heard “The Force of Destiny” at the Sydney Opera House. What an experience! Sounds like your recent experience at the church was a wonderful evening.
Thanks, Doc. And what a dream – to have been able to go to Sydney and hear Verdi in that grand place. (His birthday was Thursday, btw. I just missed it.). But you’re right. The evening was magical. And I only had to take a cab.
I am one of seven women who have formed an opera group…We call ourselves “Opera for Dummies”. We have been going together for several years now. The group is open to new members and I think you would really enjoy the women. It is a very interesting and diverse group of women. Sometimes one drops out for a year and comes back. We do Wednesday matinees. We pick four or five operas each season and it is a very joyful experience.
FYI, Turandot was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. David Hockney did the sets and costumes. It was so beautiful that I cried all the way through Nessun Dorma.
If you are interested in joining us, let me know.
And I hope we ae going to get together soon. I would love to have you come over. I think about you every morning as I walk by your apartment building with my dogs. more in person…it is crazy to write this on your blog.
Yes, I am molto interested. And yes, we should talk in person. And give me a call and I’ll walk with you and the dogs! Grazie, neighbor.