Opera for the Millions

When you think of opera what comes to mind? 'Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music.' ...or, as George Bernard Shaw put it: '[Opera is when] a tenor and soprano want to make love, but are prevented from doing so by a baritone.'

All operas have interesting facts beyond their stories. Take for instance, Tosca. At the end of the opera, Tosca is supposed to leap to her death from the roof of the prison and fall on a mattress or trampoline. But did you know that in more than one production, a misclaculation involving the bounciness of the trampoline, has sent poor Tosca, after leaping to her death, bouncing back into view above the prison wall. Opera for Dummies by David Pogue

Did you also know that Faust was so popular in the United States that in New York the opera season began with a performance of it every year for decades? In the late nineteenth century and within 3 1/2 years of its premier, The Merry Widow was performed more than 18,000 times in German, English, and American theaters.

Come hear the stories, music and more in the library this Fall, given by the Chicago Lyric Opera Corps.

Tosca by Puccini - Thursday, 9/17/09

Faust by Gounod - Thursday, 9/24/09

Ernani by Verdi - Thursday, 10/22/09

Katya Kabanova by Janacek - Thursday, 11/12/09

The Merry Widow by Lehar - Wednesday, 11/18/09