ARTIST

"Art is a higher type of knowledge than experience" - Aristotle 2024

  "The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance"- Aristotle 2024

The aria "Dove Sono i bei momenti" from W.A.Mozart's opera "Le Nozze di Figaro" which translates to " Where are those happy moments " is sung by the Countess (soprano), during  Act 3, Scene 8 ( The Aria Database ).  Countess Rossina Almaviva is the young Rosina form Gioachino Rossibi's opera The Barber of Seville (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), who is now married to the Count she fell in love with.  ( Oxford Reference ) In this aria, the Countess is sitting in her room, waiting for her maid Susanna to arrive. She is expecting an update on their plan to teach a lesson to her husband, the Count. While waiting, the countess is thinking about the plan, whether she would like to proceed with it or not, while at the same time thinking of the happy moments she spent with the husband, but are now gone. ( Madison Opera ) Musically, the recitativo before the aria creates a dramatic atmosphere as her anger for the Count grows stronger. During the aria however, the...

  Roles: Count Almaviva - Baritone Countess Rosina - Count Almaviva's wife - Soprano Figaro - The Count's servant - Baritone Susanna - Figaro's fiance and Countess Rosina's maid - Soprano Cherubino - A page boy - Mezzo Soprano Doctor Bartolo - Doctor - Bass Marcellina  - Doctor Bartolo's housekeeper - Mezzo Soprano Don Basilio  - Music Teacher - Tenor Antonio  - Gardener - Bass Barbarina  - The Gardener's daughter - Soprano Don Curzio  - Lawyer - Tenor Villagers, peasants, servants, wedding guests - Chorus ACT 1 In Seville, Figaro and Sussana are getting ready for their wedding and  Susanna admits to Figaro that the Count tried to seduce her. Figaro wants to take revenge.  In the meantime, Dr. Bartolo and Marcellina run into Susanna.  Marcellina and Susanna are rude to each other since they both know that  Marcellina wants to marry Figaro. She keeps on reminding Figaro of their contract, by which he is obliged to return the money he had ...

What does Le Nozze di Figaro  mean? Le Nozze di Figaro  is translated as "The Marriage of Figaro". Who composed the opera  Le Nozze di Figaro ? The opera was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and set to the libretto (words/text) by Lorenzo Da Ponte. The opera is based on the play "Le Marriage of  Figaro" written by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais in 1784. When was the opera first performed? The opera was first performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna on the 1st of May 1786. Who were the lead singers of the first production? The lead singers of the first production of Le Nozze di Figaro were very young. Susanna was performed by 21 year old Nancy Storace, Cherubino was sung by a 23 years old, Basilio was performed by a 24 years old and the Countess was performed by a singer in her 20's. Barbarina, was performed by a 12 year old singer, who later performed as Pamina in Mozart's  Die  Zauberflöte.  Figaro and the other basses were performed by 40 yea...

  Kostios, A., 2007, From "Greek Melodrama" to the Greek National Opera, in Anna Karapanou (ed.) Maria Callas: 30 Years after (Athens: The Hellenic Parliament Foundation for Parliamentarism and Democracy) Maria Callas work ethic was very strong. She was very serious about practicing and getting prepared for her roles. She did not only memorize her roles but the whole opera, including her colleagues' roles and the orchestral part. Her voice was unique. She could use her voice as a Dramatic Soprano Lyric Soprano Coloratura Soprano accordingly with the needs of the roles. In addition, she was an amazing actress. She knew how to move on stage, use her hands and communicate to the audience her character's emotions.  Her dramatic presence on stage along with her voice, were able to change the strict perspective of the times, where opera singers could not move on stage. She was studying every musical note, every word, every move and was able to combine them in order to be a...