Writing Love Letters

Detail of Young Girl Writing a Love Letter (1755) by Pietro Antonio Rotari

This week, we've got a bunch of holidays crowded together. When celebrating Mardi Gras, two days ago, I posted up an appropriate work of art from the local art collection. I figured that would be a fun thing to do again with today's Valentine's Day post.

Therefore, here's Pietro Rotari's Young Girl Writing a Love Letter, one of my favorite paintings from the Norton Simon Museum. I adore her coquettish, sidelong glance and confident, almost saucy, demeanor. Her actions indicate that she's daydreaming about the object of her adoration, but her pose implies that this object is actually the viewer!!! It's a playful piece that I enjoy visiting time and again, both to appreciate the work and to observe how other viewers react to it.

It's especially fun to see the difference in reaction between women and men. ;-)

Anyways, we can't have a holiday post without Barbie.

Queen of Hearts Barbie (1994, designed by Bob Mackie) says "Happy Valentine's Day!!!"

Likewise, whether you have a sweetheart or are currently going solo, this day, like every other, can be as good as you can make it. So, seek out that which makes you happy and have a wonderful time!!!

Amongst the Clouds of Gold

Detail from Avalance in the Alps (1803) by Philip James de Loutherbourg

Even for those familiar with operatic repertoire, the name of Alfredo Catalani draws a momentary blank; it sounds familiar, but what did he write? As the mental list of titles runs through the mind, a sweet and haunting song rises from the unconscious.

"Ebben? Ne andrò lontana"

The famous aria from La Wally!!! The one-hit wonder of Italian opera! That's Catalani. If YouTube had existed back in the 1890s, people would have been Catalani-rolled.

Well, that's not really fair. Given his short life, he produced a respectable body of work. They aren't "works of genius" but they're enjoyable bits of music, charming and graceful. The rise of modernism and experimental operatic concepts resulted in an already obscure composer falling into even greater obscurity. But the music remains beautiful, a ghostly echo of traditional opera, a style that was fading away even as Catalani was penning these notes.

Detail from The Dance (1856) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

But we don't have to let his music fade away. Instead, let's celebrate it tonight, marking his birth date, June 19, 1854.

Behold, I Teach You the Overman!

Promotional image for the Los Angeles Opera's 2005 production of Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier featuring Adrianne Pieczonka and Alice Coote, with designs by Gottfried Helnwein

It's been a while since we last celebrated the birth date of a classical composer. Since Richard Strauss was born on this date in 1864, we'll enjoy a few of his works. I'm not the biggest fan of late Romanticism; it's often too overblown for my tastes, loud and long, heavy and bombastic. But, whereas Mahler or Bruckner might make my eyes glaze over, Strauss keeps me engaged.

Moreover, I'm an opera enthusiast and Strauss writes some fine pieces. From the charming homoeroticism of Der Rosenkavalier (no, really, one of those ladies is supposed to be a man) to the passionate depravity of Salome, these are compelling works of musical narrative.

Detail of Salome Dancing Before Herod (1876) by Gustave Moreau

So, let's listen to a few classic tales, expressed in luscious music.

The Arena Is Full of Blood!!!

Detail of Bullfight, Suerte de Varas (1824) by Francisco Goya


Georges Bizet's opera, Carmen, premiered on March 3, 1875.

In operatic history, it is one of the most influential works, bringing into vogue an interest in realism as a viable subject matter for the stage. The music became a staple of the repertoire, breaking the Italian and German dominance of the genre. Sadly, it was Bizet's last opera, but it certainly was a masterful way in which to punctuate the life of a composer.

So, let's celebrate this classic work. And what of the Goya paintings? Well, the opera is about beauty, passion, and death in 1820s Spain. I figured the Goya's would make a nice visual accompaniment. ;-)

Detail of Young Woman with a Letter (1819) by Francisco Goya

Let's listen to some music.

Cosi Fan Tutte

Posthumous Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1819) by Barbara Krafft

In my youth, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was second-to-none my favorite composer. From his great choral works, such as the Requiem, to his operas, especially Don Giovanni, and across his instrumental repertoire, I could not get enough of his music. It was an inspiration.

Over the years, my adoration for Mozart's music has remained steady, although I've gone through fads where another composer would become my favorite. And, to this day, I am still enthralled by certain pieces, though familiar, seemingly ever fresh, graceful, and gallant.

Through music, Mozart takes us on a grand tour of human emotion, from playful irreverence to prideful damnation, from courtly elegance to profound religiosity.

Unfinished Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1789) by Josef Lange

So, on the occasion of his birth date, born in 1756, let's listen to some music.

La Bellissima

Anna Netrebko was born on September 18, 1971.

I know that this blog may be giving you all musical whiplash, but I can't let the day pass without wishing a Happy Birthday to one of my favorite contemporary operatic vocalists, Anna Netrebko. Her sweet soprano voice has a celestial perfection. Her ability to convey emotion through her gentle or impassioned vocal nuances is enough to melt a man.

I know older opera fans will quibble, but Netrebko is one of the greatest sopranos of all time. And, as for now, she's certainly the greatest soprano of the 21st century. It ain't open to debate. ;-)

La Bellissima!!! The reigning new diva of the 21st century!!!

Happy Birthday, Anna!!!

Voice of Light and Darkness

It is our tradition here at Paideia to wish Happy Birthday to the great classical female vocalists of our age. So, let's offer up best wishes to soprano Dawn Upshaw for her 51st Birthday.

Upshaw has a rich, soulful voice. It would stand out in performance of any work of the standard rep. However, we've been blessed by her championing of 20th century and contemporary pieces. Eschewing the temptation to cover the familiar, Upshaw has become the defining voice for numerous modern works. Championing these new compositions hasn't been the sharpest career decision for the pocketbook, but it has certainly earned the respect and admiration of classical music enthusiasts.

Let's get to the music.

Se Tu M'Ami

Today we're sending out a Happy 45th Birthday to Cecilia Bartoli, an Italian mezzo-soprano and one of my favorite singers. (Yeah, I have a thing for mezzos.)

I have been a fan of Cecilia's since the beginning of her career. I remember when she wasn't an operatic superstar. This was back in the late '80s and early 90s. Her early recordings were of the then under appreciated works of Rossini. (It's funny, but, when Cecilia became the operatic "It Girl" in the mid 90s, Rossini's music experienced a notable revival in both recordings and live performances.)

Anyways, there is a lot to say about Cecilia. First, I delight in contrasting her image as portrayed on album covers or in her publicity photos with her image on stage. The publicity stuff depicts her as a dark, youthful Italian hottie. Well, she is dark and relatively youthful for an operatic star of her calibre. Whether or not she is a "hottie" depends on one's disposition to very prominent noses, strong eyebrows, and abundant feminine curvaceousness. ;-)

Second, I have never seen an operatic singer that makes such goofy facial expressions in performance. She's smoothed out over the years, but, when I first saw her, I was charmed by the way she would get so deep into the music that she would lose her sense of self image. This is something you see with instrumentalists all the time, but vocalists usually train away from this.

That's enough of my words, let's get to the music: