The Glenview Public Library is happy to present the following Lyric Opera lectures moderated by former Lyric Opera docents. All lectures begin at 7:00 pm and are in the Multipurpose Room.
On one side of a love triangle is the Hebrew priest Zaccaria, battling to lead his people from oppression. On the other, Nabucco, the Babylonian king and his adopted daughter Abigaille, who will stop at nothing to get her father's throne and her sister's lover.
Nabucco lay dormant for many years after its premier until after World War II in Italy and only within the last generation for the rest of the world.
The famous chorus of Hebrew slaves, "Va, pensiero," was so stirring that during the first rehearsal, everyone around the building became silent when it was sung and broke into a spontaneous bravo when it was over. (Opera for Dummies)
Thursday, January 21 - Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss
Can Marschallin find lasting happiness with her lover Octavian, who's half her age? Does the Baron really think his position guarantees that young Sophie will be his wife? All bets are off when Sophie receives an engagement rose from the Baron - delivered by Octavian.
Set in baroque Vienna, Der Rosenkavalier, also is Romantic as well as modern all at the same time. There is the beautiful love scene "The Presentation of the Rose," and the final trio. Some of the lasting popularity comes from the Viennese waltzes that are heard throughout the score. Although the opera takes place long before the Viennese waltz had been invented.
Thursday, February 11 - Romeo and Juliet by Charles Gounod
He's a Montague and she's a Capulet - families who have hated each other for centuries. Yet when Romeo meets Juliet, they fall instantly and rapturously in love. Secretly, they marry - but Shakespeare's famed young couple is ultimately doomed. Everything that could have been is lost as they die tragically in each other's arms.
In the opera, we hear the coloratura soprano aria "Je veux vivre" and the tenor "Ah! Leve-toi soleil," along with the ensemble "Ce jour de deuil."
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