la traviata

*Please note the opera glossary and links to audio below!

Laverne has a passion for divas - from Beyonce to Leontyne Price, and closer to home, Angel Blue, the history-making operatic soprano who has become a dear friend as well. Angel shares her road to the spotlight including her early years of artistic difficulty and personal tragedy. Angel is a two-time grammy winner and was the first Black diva to sing the leading role in Verdi’s “La Traviata” at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, Covent Garden in London, and - though it was said it could not be done - La Scala Opera House in Milan. Heads up, in Milan that makes you a rockstar.

Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal.

As always, stay in the love.

Links of Interest:

Sumptuous La Traviata Charms La Scala with Placido Domingo and Angel Blue (Euronews, YouTube)

AIDA: Royal Opera House (Angel Joy Blue YouTube Channel)

Every Operatic Soprano Voice Type, Explained

Emotion, Destiny’s Child, High C @3:29

Leontyne Price Sings Aida’s “O Patria Mia”, High C 

Opera Singers - High Note C (C6) Battle

Leontyne Price and Simon Estes Duet, Aida

The Iconic Shade of Aretha Franklin (Beautiful Gowns)

Grace Bumbry (Video)

Grace Bumbry (NPR)

Soprano Angel Blue Cancels Arena di Verona Debut in Response to Blackface (ClassicalMusic.com/BBC)

Glossary of Opera Terms:

Arena di Verona: an ancient Roman amphitheater in Verona, Italy built in 30 AD. It is still in use today and is famous for its large scale operatic performances

Aida: an opera by Giuseppe Verde. Premiere Cairo, 1871. Synopsis

Aria: A self-contained piece for a singer, or “solo.” In opera, arias mostly appear during a pause in dramatic action when a character is reflecting on their emotions. 

Bel Canto: An Italian vocal technique or “school” developed and popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries. It places emphasis on beauty of sound and brilliance of performance rather than dramatic expression and romantic emotion. 

Carmen: an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. Premiere Paris, 1875. Synopsis

Coloratura: Elaborate ornamentation of a vocal melody, especially in operatic singing by a soprano. 

Covent Garden & The Royal Opera: an internationally acclaimed opera house and company, the three-theatre physical structure dates back to 1858

Samson et Dalila: an opera in three acts by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns based on the biblical story of Samson and Delilah. Premiere Weimar, Germany, 1877. Synopsis

Falsetto: A method of singing used by male singers, especially tenors, to sing notes higher than their normal range. 

Forte: A musical direction that means “loud.” 

Il Trovatore: An opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verde. Premiere Rome,1853. Synopsis

La Scala or Teatro alla Scala is an opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on August 3, 1778.

Legato: (adj.) Smooth and flowing in manner, without breaks between notes. 

Libretto: The text of an opera (or other vocal work). 

Ornaments (ornamentation): Musical flourishes or embellishments (such as a trill or a slide) that are not essential to carry the overall line of the melody, but serve instead to decorate or “ornament” that line. 

Pianissimo: A soft performance, played or sung quietly. 

Rigoletto: an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. Premiere Venice, 1851. Synopsis

The Met: The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

Tosca: an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini. Premiere Rome, 1900. Synopsis

Traviata: Short for “La Traviata,” a famous opera by Giuseppe Verde. La Traviata also goes by the name “Camille” in English, which was derived from the title of the book (La Dame aux Camélias) that inspired it as well as the 2001 film Moulin Rouge.  Premiere Venice, 1853. Synopsis

Other Episodes of Interest:

Diva Worship and Opera w/ Ira Siff

The Intellectual Underpinnings of Beyonce's Awesomeness w/ Kevin Allred

Music Credits:

Audio from San Francisco Opera’s 2023 Il Trovatore is courtesy of Angel Blue.

Audio of Angel singing “D'amor sull'ali rosee” from Il Trovatore with The Philadelphia Orchestra September 2020 provided by TPO. Angel will be back on its stage June 8, 2024.

Audio of Angel Blue’s “Summertime” from her 2014 solo album Joy Alone is courtesy of Angel Blue.

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sandie Bailey, Alex Alcheh, Lauren Hohman, Tyler Klang & Gabrielle Collins

Producer & Editor: Brooke Peterson-Bell

Associate Producer: Akiya McKnight

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On March 20th, 2023, the world lost one of the most amazing opera singers of all time: Virginia Zeani, the mother of my voice.

In this episode, I share with you bits of the life story of this incredible person from what she told me during the time I lived and studied with her in 2011 and beyond.

Also: What did life with an 86-year old opera diva look like for me - I was 24 at the time - and what's the deal with voice teachers? What do they mean to us, singers?

Do check out recordings and images of the stunning Virginia Zeani. 

With all my heart
Friederike

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Connect with us:
Insta: @friederike.peters_official

Email:
friederike@thesoundofyou.me

Visit our website:
thesoundofyou.me

Let's chat about your dreams, goals and challenges:
Voice Activation Coaching with me is a unique experience of deep inner healing and in combination with voice and sound exercises. Daily practices and option to receive guidance via Telegram.
Sound Channeling for the Song of your Soul or Soul Sound Guidance!

Blessings and always keep singing!
Friederike

.....................

If you like to support this podcast, consider making a donation to buymeacoffee.com/thesoundofyou

As the ABC celebrates its 90th birthday, we delve into our archives to revisit key moments in Australian performing arts history. Highlights include Laurence Olivier on tour, Nureyev and Fonteyn dancing into Australian hearts and Indigenous theatre taking centre stage.

Also, Ian McKellen makes his Australian debut, Dorothy Hewett revolutionises Australian playwriting, Philip Glass writes a piece for organ and didgeridoo and Joan Sutherland records a stupendous La Traviata in a 17th-century Italian theatre.

Performer James Thiérrée takes audiences into surreal worlds that leave us pondering some big questions about life on Earth. As the son of two pioneers of contemporary circus and the grandson of Charlie Chaplin, it's no wonder James sees the world differently. His latest mind-bending work of physical theatre is called Room.

Also, Richard Jordan drops by to share the story of an actor who once starred in two productions simultaneously at London's National Theatre and we're joined by the author of Verdi, Opera, Women, Susan Rutherford, to discuss what women in the 19th century might have thought of La Traviata's ill-fated courtesan protagonist, Violetta.

As the ABC celebrates its 90th birthday, we delve into our archives to revisit key moments in Australian performing arts history. Highlights include Laurence Olivier on tour, Nureyev and Fonteyn dancing into Australian hearts and Indigenous theatre taking centre stage.

Also, Ian McKellen makes his Australian debut, Dorothy Hewett revolutionises Australian playwriting, Philip Glass writes a piece for organ and didgeridoo and Joan Sutherland records a stupendous La Traviata in a 17th-century Italian theatre.

Follow Maren on Instagram: @supermaren

And on Facebook: https://facebook.com/maren.montalbano

Dr. Kass’s article about La Traviata in the time of COVID: https://www.operaphila.org/virtual-learning/dress-rehearsal-program/la-traviata/public-health/

Sign up for the Bodice Ripper Project newsletter and get exclusive behind-the-scenes content: http://www.bodiceripperproject.com/

Purchase Maren's debut book, Pandemic Passion: A COVID-19 novella on Kindle: https://amzn.to/3guGck0

Transcript and Show Notes: http://www.bodiceripperproject.com/e027/

Bien sabía Verdi que provocaría un escándalo al presentar en el escenario un crudo reflejo de la sociedad de su tiempo, con su convencionalismo, su hipocresía y su doble moral, de la que él mismo era víctima. Sergio Vela nos habla de La traviata,  piedra angular del repertorio lírico, y de la trágica historia de la cortesana parisina Alphonsine Duplessis, que inspiró a Alexandre Dumas el personaje de “Marguerite Gautier” en La dama de las camelias, y a Verdi su “Violetta Valéry”.     

Maren finishes reading Parisian Pleasures, a romance she wrote during a production of Verdi’s La traviata. She also looks ahead to season two, and speaks about how she enjoys speaking with you, her audience.
The music played during this episode:· Excerpts from a public domain version of La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi.
Follow Maren on Instagram: @supermaren
Facebook: https://facebook.com/maren.montalbano
Replays of the livestream Bodice Ripper Project show (October 2, 3 & 4, 2020) are available for purchase: http://www.bodiceripperproject.com/
Purchase Maren's debut book, Pandemic Passion: A COVID-19 novella on Kindle: https://amzn.to/3guGck0
Transcript and Show Notes: https://www.bodiceripperproject.com/e010/

Maren begins reading Parisian Pleasures, a romance she wrote during a production of Verdi’s La traviata. She also talks about the history of the libretto, the role of women as sex workers throughout history, and how she uses the Bodice Ripper Project to smash the patriarchy.
The music played during this episode:· Excerpts from a public domain version of La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi.
Follow Maren on Instagram: @supermaren
Facebook: https://facebook.com/maren.montalbano
Replays of the livestream Bodice Ripper Project show (October 2, 3 & 4, 2020) are available for purchase: http://www.bodiceripperproject.com/
Purchase Maren's debut book, Pandemic Passion: A COVID-19 novella on Kindle: https://amzn.to/3guGck0
Transcript and Show Notes: http://www.bodiceripperproject.com/e009/

Giuseppe Verdi wurde am 10. Oktober 1813 in Roncole bei Bussetto in der Lombardei geboren und starb am 27. Jänner 1901 in Mailand. Richard Wagner wurde ebenfalls 1813, nämlich am 22. Mai in Leipzig in Sachsen, geboren. Er starb jedoch schon früher als Verdi, allerdings auch in Italien, am 13. Februar 1883. „Ernani“ war die erste Verdi-Oper, die zu Lebzeiten des Komponisten in Linz, am 25. Oktober 1848, in Linz aufgeführt wurde. Am 26. Oktober 1865 fand die mit stürmischem Beifall aufgenommene Linzer Erstaufführung der romantischen Wagner-Oper „Der fliegende Holländer“ statt. Im Buch „Das Linzer Landestheater 1803 bis 1958“ von Heinrich Wimmer wurden die Daten Erstaufführungen gefunden. Interessant war bei der Lektüre auch, welche Direktoren in diesen Jahren das Linzer Landestheater geleitet haben. Mit „Rigoletto“ hat man schon 2012 Verdi in Linz gefeiert. Mit „Das Rheingold“ und „Die Walküre“ feiert das Landestheater Linz 2013 Richard Wagner im neuen Musiktheater. Im 19. Jahrhundert wurden im Vergleich zu heute viel mehr zeitgenössische Opern, Operetten und Sprechstücke gespielt. Was für uns heute Klassik ist, war damals modern und neu. Daher ist es verständlich, wenn auch heute jeder Intendant bemüht ist, neben der Klassik dem Publikum auch Werke der Gegenwart vorzustellen. Musik: Giuseppe Verdi und Richard Wagner. Gestaltung der Sendung vom  31. März 2013 und Musikauswahl: Walter Ziehlinger