Role Preparation:
Preparing an opera role requires much more than just learning notes and words and singing the music well. The world of opera has change a lot in recent years, and audiences around the world demand much more than beautiful voices. For that reason, more stage directors from theatre and film are being asked to stage operas because audiences want to see characters that can move and act in a believable way. The days when a singer could just stand in place and sing an aria are of the past. So, in order to fit into the future of the opera world, singers must develop their acting abilities and learn to develop their characters with a lot of detail.
There are many things that must be studied to fully understand an opera character and be able to perform that character in a way that will be believable to an audience. It is the singer’s job to understand how the music and the words are related. Also, it is important to be aware of any historical aspects that may influence the way you present your character, as these may influence the musical decisions you make.
Materials needed:
Piano/Vocal score (Ricordi edition is preferred)
Full Score (any affordable edition such as Dover or Ricordi study score)
CD Recordings
Libretto which includes both the original Italian text and a good (preferably literal) translation of the text. (Many CD recordings include a complete libretto with good translation).
Steps to Preparing Your Role:
1) Read the libretto (not just a synopsis) in its entirety at least twice. Do this before doing ANYTHING else!
2) Translate the entire score
--word for word (which you will write underneath each word of the original). Translate everything your character says AS WELL AS everything your character would overhear other characters saying on stage. (In other words, don’t translate only half of a conversation!)
--in a loose translation of all that is said when you are not on stage: even if it is not your material, you MUST understand the whole opera to be able to know your character’s place in the story and relationship to other characters.
3) Listen to recordings (always listen to more than one recording!!!)
--NOT TO LEARN THE ROLE but to get an overview of the opera.
--Follow along with your score. Pay attention to the orchestration and how it will influence/impact your vocal performance (e.g., thick orchestra vs. light orchestral color;pizzicato vs. legato playing from the strings, etc.)
--Listen/watch videos of the opera in the original language.
4) Historical Research
--social situation: Understand the place your character holds in society and what that means with respect to the way you interact with social superiors, equals or underlings. (For example, if your character is a servant, does he/she bow to others? does he/she look a superior in the eyes?)
--literary influences: Is this work based on a book, a legend or some other kind of story? If so, how is it similar, or how does it differ from the original or different versions?
--composer: Who was Donizetti? What do you know about him, his personality, his life? What is his musical “style” and what is characteristic about his music?
--librettist: Likewise, who was the Felice Romani? Did he write this story? If not, how did he change the original story? What was his relationship with the composer?
5) Style
--music: What is the appropriate musical style for this work (for example, do we sing using portamenti, ornamentation,cupa, etc.)? How do you sing Donizetti differently than Puccini or Massenet?
--physicality: what are the physical demands required to safely and effectively sing your role? (For example, does your character often have to sing while fighting, or crawling on the ground?)
--costumes of the period: How might your character be dressed on stage and how might this affect your movement/physicality. (For example, are the ladies wearing corsets? If so, how will this affect the way you breathe? Men: Will you have heavy costumes that require extra strength or breath control?)
--artwork of the period: A helpful way to learn the aesthetic of the Classical period is to look at artwork (paintings, sculptures, architecture) from that period. Often that can tell us some things about the style, people and music.
*Questions to answer about your Character:
Sometimes the libretto/story tells us many things about our characters. However, sometimes it does not tell us everything we need to know. When you cannot find information in the libretto, you may be required to either find the answers somewhere else OR to make up the answers for yourself. While a big part of this program will be helping you to do this, it is important that you already begin to understand your characters as much as possible by asking yourself many of the following questions and finding the answers. Read through the libretto, maybe the answer is there. If not, sometimes that historical research will tell us. If that doesn't work, then just think about your character and decide for yourself. This will all be very important to how you move on stage, how you act and even how you will sing!
--Where did he/she come from?
--How old is he/she?
--What is he/she like?
--How does he/she differ from “original” character (if the work is based on pre-existing story)?
--How does he/she change during the opera?
--Where is he/she going?
--Where/when does he/she live?
--What are the social structures, standards, expectations of the period?
--What are you based on? (a fictional character? a legend? an actual person?)
--What do the other characters think about you?
--What do you learn as the character develops?
--What does the audience know that you don’t?
--Who are some of the past great interpreters of the role?
--What was their contribution to the role and what special qualities of voice did they have to help the character?.
Editions:
Ricordi preferred
Suggested Readings (in Engish):
--The 10th Muse: A Historical Study of the Opera Libretto by Patrick Smith
--Power Performance for Singers by Shirlee Emmons and Alma Thomas
--Opera as Drama by Joseph Kerman
--The Third Line by Daniel Helfgott
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