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November 2008
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Hover over a date in the calendar above to see the days event(s) listed here.
Saturday 11/01/08

12:30PM - 2:30PM
TDO Encore Performance - SALOME on WRR 101.1 FM
Listen to WRR 101.1 FM

Sunday 11/02/08

2:00PM - 3:00PM
Nasher Performing Arts Series: Overtures with The Dallas Opera
Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora Street, Dallas, Texas 75201

Friday 11/07/08

6:30PM - 8:00PM
AMICI Educational Series - THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
One Arts Plaza - 1722 Routh Street, Dallas TX 75201

Saturday 11/08/08

10:30AM - 4:30PM
Season Preview Weekend - Educational Opera Adventures
Commercial Lobby/Plaza at One Arts Plaza - 1722 Routh Street, Dallas, TX 75201

Saturday 11/08/08

12:30PM - 4:00PM
TDO Encore Performance - PORGY AND BESS on WRR 101.1 FM
Listen to WRR 101.1 FM

Sunday 11/09/08

4:00PM - 6:30PM
GUILD presents Opera Insights - THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
Gooch Auditorium at UT Southwestern Medical Center 5323 Harry Hines Blvd.

Sunday 11/09/08

6:00PM - 7:30PM
Tapas and Spanish Wine Tasting - Cafe Madrid (encore performance)
Cafe Madrid - 4501 Travis St Dallas, Texas 75205

Tuesday 11/11/08

6:45PM - 9:00PM
WOMEN'S BOARD - Founders Lecture Series - THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
Dallas Country Club - 4100 Beverly Dr Dallas, TX 75205

Friday 11/14/08

6:00PM - 6:00PM
Opening Night Celebration
The Music Hall at Fair Park

Friday 11/14/08

7:30PM - 10:30PM
MARRIAGE OF FIGARO - Opening Night Performance
Music Hall at Fair Park

Saturday 11/15/08

12:00PM - 12:30PM
Inside The Dallas Opera on WRR 101.1 FM
Listen to WRR 101.1 FM

Saturday 11/15/08

12:30PM - 3:30PM
TDO Encore Performance - TOSCA on WRR 101.1 FM
Listen to WRR 101.1 FM

Sunday 11/16/08

2:00PM - 5:00PM
MARRIAGE OF FIGARO - Sunday Matinee
Music Hall at Fair Park

Wednesday 11/19/08

6:30PM - 7:30PM
Amici di Opera Pre-performance Cocktail Reception
Music Hall at Fair Park

Wednesday 11/19/08

7:30PM - 10:30PM
MARRIAGE OF FIGARO - Midweek Performance
Music Hall at Fair Park

Saturday 11/22/08

7:30PM - 10:30PM
MARRIAGE OF FIGARO - Weekend Performance
Music Hall at Fair Park

BREAKING NEWS:

Don't miss a classic interview with Maestro Nicola Rescigno on WRR 101.1 FM

WHEN:
Thurs, Aug 14- 6:30PM
Tickets
Opera 101
   Home > Learn > Opera 101
 
 

Outrageous.
There’s nothing tame or timid about stupendously talented artists performing spellbinding stories in glorious costumes and settings. Add thrilling stagecraft and you begin to experience the magic of world-class opera.

Passionate.
Never a dull moment. Opera is filled with hot-blooded men and women who live, love, and lust with extraordinary feeling and abandon. And some of them even live to tell the tale.

Entertaining.
Unforgettable singing, sweeping orchestral interludes, and genuinely touching performances spell entertainment with a capital “E.” Opera is not musical spinach. It’s genuine “Soul-Food,” filling and utterly delicious – but without the carbs!

Riveting.
Opera is the story of us, and what could be more interesting? Real people – highborn and low – contending with real-life problems and situations or sharing their exhilarating highs. Opera tackles it all with tremendous gusto. Boredom is not an option.

Awesome.
Entertainment choices can stimulate your eye, ear, or mind. Others are made to lift your spirit and a few are capable of inspiring your most heartfelt emotions. Only one does it all. An unforgettable night at the opera will always rank as one of the greatest experiences a roomful of people can share. Are your friends still missing out?

 
 
It takes hundreds of people to produce the performance you are about to enjoy, from administrators to carpenters to cellists. Here are just a few of the titles you may encounter in your opera program book, with a brief explanation of what they do.

The buck stops here, at the desk of the GENERAL DIRECTOR. Fund-raising, balancing budgets, negotiating union contracts, strategic planning, public speaking and casting the final vote on nearly every aspect of company business is the arduous and exhilarating lot of the head of The Dallas Opera.

Control of what you see and hear onstage is the combined task of the CONDUCTOR, who directs the orchestra, chorus and singers in their musical performance and the STAGE DIRECTOR, who supervises the blocking, staging and dramatic aspects of the presentation. However, it is the CHORUS MASTER who does the work of preparing the members of the chorus for their important contribution to the overall performance. MUSICAL PREPARATION coaches the principal singers on their roles (from the piano) during the early rehearsal stage.

SUPERNUMERARIES or “Supers” as they are commonly known, are the non-singing performers on stage who make individual cameo appearances or are part of a crowd. Supers may be selected on their ability to fit into a particular costume!

The CHOREOGRAPHER creates dances and movement for a production. DESIGNERS are largely responsible for the look of the entire production, from the sets and costumes to the lighting design.

 
 
What’s the difference between an opera and a musical?
The key difference is, in a typical musical dialogue is spoken by the characters who occasionally burst into song. In most operas, the singing never stops. Even instructions as mundane as, “Open the door,” are sung rather than spoken. A solo in an opera is known as an aria. When two people sing together, it’s called a duet, and more than two singers form a trio, quartet, quintet, or ensemble. The themes of opera tend to be more sweeping or grand than the plot of the typical musical and the human drama, decidedly more passionate and intense.

Where do the ideas for an opera come from?
From ancient mythology to today’s headlines and everything in between. Giuseppe Verdi used to travel with three books constantly in his possession: The Bible, the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, and the poetry of Schiller. Nearly all his operas were inspired by one of these three volumes. However, today’s operas come from a wide variety of source materials, both fictional and historical. Whether the subject is Nixon in China, Dead Man Walking, An American Tragedy or The Little Prince, opera has shown an uncanny ability to spark dialogue and touch hearts from one generation to the next.

What are the most famous operas today?
Start with the “ABC’s” Aida (the Egyptian opera, elephants are optional), Boheme (or, to be precise, La bohème, a tale of starving artists that continues to inspire works like Rent and the movie musical Moulin Rouge), and Carmen, the opera that proves that smoking isn’t the only thing bad for your health! Add Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Wagner’s Ring Cycle and Puccini’s Madame Butterfly to begin a modest list of today’s most popular operas.

Do opera singers wear microphones?
No, and this points out another difference between opera and today’s Broadway musicals. While a few opera companies permit microphones, most – including The Dallas Opera – do not, which means the singers must have the talent and training to compete, unaided, against the sound of a full-scale orchestra. It’s an extraordinary feat designed to create a spine-tingling musical experience that cannot be duplicated in any of the other performing arts.

If I don’t see a production this time, can I catch the same show later on?
Contrary to popular belief, these are NOT touring shows. When a Dallas Opera production ends, it goes back to the warehouse. It may be rented to another opera company in another part of the world or it could be revived by The Dallas Opera in a later season. However, it’s best to assume that this may be your only chance to see a given production, which is what keeps our season subscribers coming back, year after year.

Why are so many opera singers fat?
You’ve been watching too many old movies! Today’s opera singer is more likely to be a calorie-counting athlete than a couch potato. Improved physical conditioning has led to more theatrical opera stagings than in the past, and much longer, healthier, and impressive international careers.

 
 
 
GRAND OPERA
can mean either a serious opera with no spoken dialogue or a particularly lavish, large-scale opera based on a mythological or historical theme. Most opera is grand, but not all operas are grand operas.

COMPRIMARIO
is a 19th century Italian term for a singer who plays a supporting role.

DIVA
means “goddess,” and was once used to describe the supreme female singers of an era. Nowadays, it has acquired the connotation of great temperament as well as talent.

LEITMOTIF
is a signature musical passage or theme used as a dramatic device to underline character motivations and actions.

COLORATURA
is an ornamental section in an aria that consists of rapid runs and trills that display the singer’s exceptional virtuosity, agility and range.

DRAMMA GIOCOSO
means “jocular drama,” an Italian term for a comic opera with tragic overtones. Mozart’s Don Giovanni is a perfect example of the form.

HELDENTENOR
is a “heroic tenor” with a voice of great stamina and size needed for long and demanding operas, particularly those by Richard Wagner.

LIBRETTO,
or “little book,” contains the words of an opera or operetta.

IMPRESARIO
is the Italian title of the manager of an opera company. The German term is INTENDANT.

TEMPO
means “time” and indicates the preferred pace of the music.

ADAGIO
is music played (or sung) at a slow tempo.

BEL CANTO
means “beautiful singing” and describes an ornate style of writing designed to show off the splendors of the human voice. Lucia di Lammermoor and Norma are representative of the form.

INTERMEZZO
is a musical interlude between scenes, normally featuring the orchestra performing alone.

DA CAPO
means “from the top” and refers to repeating material in arias from the Baroque and Classical period.

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