Probably one of the most recognizable pieces in opera, this particular version was performed at the Real Teatre in Madrid. The music uses a strong timbre that makes the music more intense. The conjunct notes as the singer moves up and down the scale with his singing helps guide the music along and the ornamentation provided by the singer makes the performance unique to him. This is an aria so it is a solo performance by the character of Figaro which as a result brings all the focus to only Figaro. Even though there is a lot going on on stage, the viewer tends to only focus on Figaro because that is where the music is coming from. The quick tempo of this aria parallels the vibrato used by Figaro when singing. The orchestral music is very strong. The strings guide most of music along as it bounces along the beat. The whole orchestra provides the background for each accented note. This would be considered a cabaletta aria. The set is all black and white which which creates a contrast in the opera that isn't normally seen in operas. The set was designed with added symbolism as opposed to the stage normally just serving as an area for performance.
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Earlier this week I wrote a post about one of Gioachino Rossini's other operas, "The Thieving Magpie." I decided it would be interesting to watch another piece by him to find some kind of comparison. Both pieces are filled with conjunct notes that go back and forth up the scale. This piece is very intense because of the very loud instruments in the background. The melody sung is able to add a lot to the texture and ornamentation to the song. Everyone, including the other performers, keeps there focus on the main character, Figaro. The setting on the stage was much better than ones in other plays. In other plays there is usually just a background but in this play they even brought out a carriage for Figaro to ride around on. The background music included many ideophones as well as membranophones. After Figaros loud high notes the instruments would begin to play very loud notes as if they were echoing the singer.
ReplyDeleteThe author whom I am commenting on is Mohammad Abotteen. The composer he had chosen to write about was Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville”. I feel that the repetition of the “Figaro” keeps help reinforce the point that the main character is barber for the song. I do agree with Mo that since he is the main character is the only one singing all the lines even though there are other characters in the scene. One thing I noticed from the song was that the tempo of the music increases and decreases as different stanzas start. I feel this is done to gradually increase the tension as the song progresses. Since Mohammad had covered all the things that can be said about the play I can only agree or disagree with his statements. One thing I also noticed that the actors where dressed as poor during the time frame it is set. This shows the audience that the barber is talking to a certain class of people. Agreeing with Mohammad this performance was unique compared to others since there were only two colors that were used: Black and White. Sorry Did not know we have to comment here i buy mistake did it on my own blog post page.
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