This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Earnest: I want to get a good picture for this article. My own sci-fi predilections incline me to use this picture
or one similiar from the Battlestar Galactica operahouse scenes. But, something more conventional like Aida [1]
◊ or La Traviata might be more appropriate. Anyhoo, if someone has a better pick or suggestion, I'm all ears and waiting to upload a pic.
Clarabell: Haha. I uploaded a picture, and then looked at the discussion. I put up a pic of Maria Callas because, well, she's Maria effing Callas. I looked for a Traviata production pic, but I didn't really like any of them. Aida is definitely a good idea — opera as spectacle. If you find a better one, feel free to put it up. I'm just slightly biased in favor of divas.
Earnest: Ooh, good call. I'm a novice when it comes to opera, so this was a better choice than what I came up with. Anyhoo, I liked the idea of the Aida pic because no one really associates ancient Egypt with opera. ^_^
Clarabell: Hoo boy, I've been gone for too long — I hadn't even seen the new "famous operas" section, which was in desperate need of editing. My my, was someone ever a Janacek fan! Unfortunately, none of his operas are actually in the standard repertoire except in some places in eastern Europe (like the Czech Republic). Leaving Jenufa in is generous. (Don't get me wrong — he's a fabulous composer; this just isn't the place for discovering sexy exciting new rep.) The alphabetization was horrific, and someone forgot Strauss!
Clarabell: Just a reminder to check facts. I corrected Thomas & Martha Wayne - as well as young Bruce - see Der Fledermaus - literally "The Bat." Ironically, this is a comedy after Batman Begins. Irony fail — the opera is actually Mefistofele, which is very much not a comedy. The only bat you'll usually ever see in Fledermaus will look something like this
◊. Here's a bit more on Batman and Mefistofele. Actually, I'm glad this edit was made, as I'd thought it was just some fictional opera. Now we know!
Clarabell: Also, I've removed Cowboy Bebop for now (Faye finds Mao Yenrai at the opera), as it's not actually an opera, but a concert; the tenor is singing "Ave Maria," which uses a text generally set as sacred music. He's not wearing a costume, either, so it's not a staged production. Am I taking this too seriously? Perhaps. Am I right? You bet I am.
Blue Byrd: Much as I'd hate to start an unnecessary controversy, I took the liberty of rephrasing the Top Five in terms that I felt were more inclusive. Do we even need such a specific list? A slippery slope seems inevitable: "If Richard Strauss gets to be on there, so should Britten, and where's Janacek? Or Gluck, for that matter? Or Rameau?" I'd suggest we treat composers on an opus-by-opus basis, and keep from stratifying altogether.
Scorpio3002: A top five is technically justifiable based on frequency of performances (although it would require Strauss to be removed, and Bizet to be included). Still, I agree; such a list on a wiki is asking for trouble.
Clarabell: I'm probably speaking mostly from a musician's standpoint — those five are nearly canon. But I suppose it's not 100% necessary for this context. Also, I don't think I know any musician who thinks Britten was as great an opera composer as Strauss. I'd say the same for Janacek, but I don't think enough people know enough of his works. I only really know Jenufa at all. I guess what I'm saying is, you really can't leave out Strauss.
Clarabell: Thanks for adding the umlauts, Tannhäuser. I think the rest of us were just too lazy to do it.
Blue Byrd: I'm loving how this section of TV Tropes has grown (or even that it's here in the first place, following the Great Server Crash of '08), but I'm taking out
- Write Who You Know: Mozart (with the help of his librettist) wrote himself into two of his operas: The Marriage Of Figaro as Cherubino, and The Magic Flute as Papageno
Clarabell: I think I'm going to clean up the "Famous Operas" section, which is getting a bit unwieldy, especially considering the purpose of this wiki. Handel, Janáček, and Wagner, in particular, are getting trimmed. How many people can hum "Venti, Turbini" on command? So, we don't need:
- Alcina (Venti, Turbini)
- Ariodante (Scherza Infida)
- Semele (a "secular oratorio", originally performed without a full staging due to budgetary restrictions, but frequently performed as an opera nowadays)
- Hercules (ditto)
- Prihody Lisky Bystrousky (The Cunning Little Vixen)
- Vec Makropulos (The Makropoulos Case)
- L'incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea)
- La Cenerentola (Cinderella)
- Simon Boccanegra
- Tannhäuser
- Parsifal
Clarabell: Also, I've added a whole mess of You Tube links to the most famous parts of operas.
Almaviva: Well, I'd like to make a case for la Cenerentola. Yes, it's not known as an Opera outside circles, but it is considered one of Rossini's best, and I think it's always pleasant for the reader to wander upon "Cinderella: the Opera". I understand that it might be coined "obscure", but not outside a context that would trim this list down to Verdi, the William Tell and Barber Overtures, the Magic Flute, Turandot and HMS Pinfaore... It's one of the ten most performed Operas right now, and it's one thing to say it's unknown, but it's quite another to say it's unknown as opposed to ANY work of Janacek, Adam or Glass -which with all due respect I've never even heard of-. I would therefore humbly like to put the poor girls back on the list. I was going to make a similar case when I saw "Venti, Turbini", which I might hum, on the deleted list but then I realized there was no need. Someone made a mistake: it's from Rinaldo, which still is on the list, not Alcina so all's well!
