This opera which is not very long is usually performed with Il Pagliacci. I have seen them a couple of times and reccomend them highly to opera novices and afficianados.

I would love to see an opera in Italy. My brother and mom went to the opera while in Verona a few years ago. They saw Aida, and it was magnificent.

Aside from Cavalleria, I think I love La Traviata best.

I've been fortunate enough to see operas performed at the Teatro Musicale in Florence, La Scala in Milano, The old Opera House in Paris, Covent Garden in London and at the Met and NYC Opera in Lincoln Center. I must say the translation subtitles on the back of the chairs at the Met have totally spoiled me, so I guess i can no longer say I am a purist.

Traviata is a great opera, but my all time favorite is Nabucco.

Very, very impressive Don T.

Any good opera houses in the Tampa area?

There is a jewel of a place in Sarasota called the Asolo Theatre.
It is an old Italian theatre which was literally taken apart and moved here and reconstructed, restored, etc. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is a barn too big for opera. The real problem here is there is no one who can sing or play instruments, so there is no decent opera scene here. They do have some good strip clubs though.

The Pagliacci Bing.

Madam Butterfly's, Club Carmen, and of course The Magic Flute

I know a topless oyster bar in the Keys. Islamorada, I think.

It's name? EAT ME RAW

I AM NOT making this up.

Va', pensiero, sull'ali dorate.
Va', ti posa sui clivi, sui coll.

Played by that little band when Michael shows up at Bagheria in Sicily in GFIII.

I get chills when I hear it. There's a DVD of the Met performing this....Levine conducting...audience goes totally nuts and they do an encore of it....

Yes, I always love it when that band strikes up the tune.
Supposedly, Nabucco was a veiled protest against the control the Austrian Empire had over Italy at the time, and the Jews in Nabucco were suffering the same opression as the Italians. It was Vittorio Emmanuale who united Italy as a country and Verdi was supposedly quite a partisan. It is amazing, but Italy did not become a "country" until the mid 1800's. Italian partisans would write "VERDI" on walls, which they would tell authorities was a tribute to the composer, but it was also an acronym for
Vittorio Emmanuale Re d' Italia (Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy).

I have never seen Nabucco, and have never seen an opera performed outside of Lincoln Center. The Met to me is just a magical experience, which is so perfectly captured in Moonstruck. My dad loved opera, and used to take me to the Met when I was only 9 or 10. Back then, the women all wore evening dresses, which only added to the magic.

I actually shared this story with TB and DC, but I'll share it with you guys. Mr. Babe never wanted to go to the opera, but he surprised me with orchestra seats at the Met for Cavelleria and Pagliacci for our anniversary a few years ago. I ordered a glass of the house champagne before the performance, and must have had an allergic reaction to the sulfides or something. Well, my nose was running, I was sneezing, my eyes swelled up, and everyone sitting around us wanted to KILL me. Between operas, I went to the ladies room and splashed ice cold water on my face, but it didn't seem to help, so I took an allergy pill.

Needless to say, in the middle of Vesti La Giubba, the famous aria, Mr. Babe turns to me, and I was snoring away, sound asleep! That poor man has the patience of a saint!

"Hanno ammazzato compara Sicilian Babe!"

You sure it wasn't because of the Canolli that you ate during the opera?

SB you should look at some of the Met trips to opera houses abroad. The up side is the older opera houses are much smaller than the Met, and the coustics are far superior.


I am thinking about going out to Sante Fe this summer for a long weekend with Mrs. Dontomasso and catching an opera there.

I don't think anyone knows what Cavalleria Rusticana is in our language!

Yes. It is not a long opera and usually it is double billed with Pagliacci. If you are not an opera buff this double header is a good one to start with.

Cavalleria Rusticana is Rustic Chivalry.

Proof: Chapter near beginning of Cosa Nostra, by John Dickie.

are you laughing at yourself now?

Nope.

No. I think that he was just amused that he taught himself what Cavalleria Rusticana means.

oooh, ok

I was amazed that no one might have known what this is, considering that Cavalleria Rusticana is non sensational, unless the other stuff I've read in other posts.

Do you really love replying, quoting and talking too yourself?

Sure, I'm a strange person me!

No argument here.

Here you go, have a beer!!

SO THAT'S YOUR GAME EH??? GET EVERYONE DRUNK ON CYBER-BEER AND TAKE OVER THE SITE

you

I have recently gotten Cav. and it is GREAT I love it