Notice of First Elixir Meeting

Dear Cast of Elixir,

Next Wednesday, September 1^st, we will meet during opera time (3:35-5:30) in order to give everyone an opportunity to discuss their first impressions of their characters, and begin the process of exploration of this work.

Please begin by reading through the entire libretto at least twice, and bring to the table your thoughts and impressions about your own character and your relationships/interactions with other characters. 

While any quality translation of the libretto will be suitable for these purposes, you will be expected to have a word-for-word translation as we work through this piece.  For your information, our School of Music library does have the Nico Castel collections in its Reference section.  The libretto can be found in Volume 1 of “Italian bel canto opera libretti”,  ML48  .I83 2000.

In addition, preliminary coachings will begin on Friday, September 3^rd, so begin looking over your material immediately.

A specific coaching schedule will follow shortly.

Best wishes

Kevin Class

Music Director/Conductor

UT Opera Theatre

Information for Pianists enrolled in Music 551

Information for Pianists

Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love)

Recommended process for learning this score:

There are several steps necessary to gain a thorough knowledge of a work before setting foot in the rehearsal room.  While you may find your own method more suitable,  the following is intended as one suggestion for learning an opera score for those that may have little or no experience.

Materials needed:

·      Piano/Vocal score (Ricordi edition is preferred)

·      Full Score, if possible (Ricordi publishes an affordable edition)

·      CD Recordings

·      Libretto which includes both the original Italian text and a good (preferably literal) translation of the text.  The best source is Nico Castel’s literal, word-for-word translation which is available in the UT Music Library reference section:  Castel, Nico.  Italian bel canto opera libretti.  Vol. 1  ML48 .I83 2000

Steps for score study/preparation:

1)    Read through the entire libretto first to acquaint yourself with the story and the characters.

2)    Start from the beginning, and read through the translation of the text for each section (ie. Chorus, aria, trio, etc.)

3)    Write the word-for-word literal translation into your score.

4)  Speak, out loud, the Italian text for this section

5)    Listen to a recording of this section

6)    Work through the piano part, learning all notes, rhythms, fingerings, etc.

7)    Play through the vocal part(s), singing along, making sure to learn the Italian text as you go.

8)    Listen to the recording once again, this time following along with the full orchestra score (if you have one).  Pay particular attention to the sounds of the orchestra, noticing as much detail as you can about the sounds of different instruments, etc..

9)    Play through the section again at the piano, trying to imitate the sounds of the orchestra as much as possible while also trying to sing/”hear” the vocal part as you play.

10)    Listen to the recording once more while again following along with the score.