29th Street Sax Saxophones and all the Jazz

Baritone Opera Singers

Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 26

 

Even though I had seen "La Boheme" several times, I still felt a sensation every time I saw it, maybe because its characters in many ways reminded me of myself and my friends; making it an impossibility for me to watch this opera and not think of how my friends and I were on the one hand so similar and on the other hand so different from the characters who graced the stage, in this beautiful opera by Giacomo Puccini. The similarities definitely existed. My friends and I, like Rodolfo and his friends were people who adored the arts above all other things. Another similarity between our two groups was that the members of my group shared in each others' joys, sorrows, triumphs and struggles to get to the top in our chosen fields; much in the way that Rodolfo and his friends did.

 

My friends and I once even had a long discussion which took up most of the night's hours, arguing weather or not we were the incarnation of these unforgettable characters whose names had gone into the pages opera history. Brad made it unambiguous to us that he felt that on the one hand he did agree with us; that we were a group like the one in "La Boheme" but on the other hand we when comparing ourselves to the characters in "La Boheme", should not overlook the fact that we were not people with such limited means as those characters in "La Boheme". Brad said that this detail made all the difference in the world between us and the characters in "La Boheme"; declaring that though we were dedicated to the arts as much as the characters in the opera, our parents' wealth would never allow us to know what it is like to have to make sacrifices for the sake of art, such as going a day without eating in order to have enough to get that opera ticket. Brad had a point but the rest of us did insist that perhaps we were an American version of these characters who had been moved up to the 21st century and enjoyed all the benefits of having families whose financial position could advance their ambitions in the world of opera. I even told him that I sometimes wondered if those characters in "La Boheme" would not have been doing the same things we were doing had they been born in our time in place and under our circumstances.

 

Attending the opera is a special part of my life and in a way every time I go to the opera the experience is the same but in a way it is also different because there is always something that goes on; at least in my mind that distinguishes one opera outing from another. There were many things that made this particular evening standout in my thoughts, one of which was that we (my opera friends and I were) were going to be seeing an opera with Gosia for the first time.

 

The night was also going to be one for us to rejoice with Amanda. As it was going to be her father Mr. Steven Johnson, who was going to be joining Carreras on stage; taking the part of Marcelo, the painter. It was this role which required his baritone voice and Mr. Johnson was a singer who was in his prime and tonight we would be seeing him trying to make a name for himself next to Carreras.

 

Amanda understandably was very proud of her father's merits, not only as a singer but as a stage performer; so she asked to be the one who got to tell Gosia that her father was going to be Marcelo and how important tonight's performance was going to be for his career.

 

All of us with the sole exception of Gosia had heard Mr. Johnson singing at the Metropolitan but this night was special; as he was going to be taking a support role to Carreras's lead. In opera there are not as many lead roles for baritones. This given that there are more for tenors, so he did not get so many chances to be the main star but from time to time he did. Next month's performance of "Gianni Schicchi" was going be his big chance to show the audience at the Met his ability to guide an opera. "Gianni Schicchi" is an opera by Giacomo Puccini where the main character, Gianni Schicchi; is a part written for a baritone which is exactly what Mr. Johnson was. Tonight's performance was significant, not to determine if he would get the main role in Gianni Schicchi; for he already had it but to create enthusiasm among the audience at the Met for his upcoming performance as Gianni Schichhi. It all depended on this night; if he turned in a great performance then there was sure to be a sell out crowd for Gianni Schicchi. So, as one can easily see the pressure was on Mr. Johnson to simply stand and deliver.

 

Another factor which fitted this particular opera outing with consequence to our group was the yearning we had to know Gosia's comments on the subject of our opera house. All of us were hoping our opera house would make a favorable impression on Gosia; her being the last member to join our group.

 

No performance by Jose Carreras can never be ignored; as he was a singer whom my mother held in high esteem; saying that he was the best in what is known in opera as "bel canto". This last expression meaning beautiful singing when translated into English and being a style of singing which is used in operas by composers such as Donizetti or Verdi, in his early works. Jose Carreras was a singer whose voice though equally or perhaps even more harmonious and melodious than any other singer was not as strong as some of the more thick necked singers such as Pavarotti or Domingo or Siegfried Jerusalem. The above statement should not be interpreted that I felt that Carreras had a week voice, just that his was not among the strongest voices in the world of opera. My mother and my friends were of the opinion that what made Jose Carreras such a joy, not only to listen to but to watch was his looks and charming personality which added much to the many roles he performed; such as "Don Jose" in Bizet's "Carmen". His stage presence being something that my mother had always admired, once declaring that his good looks were equaled only by his talent and gentlemanly ways.

 

There is something about the beginning of an opera. Any opera that electrifies the air, which people can feel as they hear musicians tuning up their instruments, while they see other spectators scurrying to get to their seats on time or perhaps telling those who are still talking that they would be well advised to save their thoughts to be expressed out loud during the intermission.

 

For myself personally; it is the moment in which the opening chords reach my ears that turns on a switch in my brain that shuts out the rest of the world, to the point where nothing else exists other than the performance I am bearing witness to. It is as if I were being pulled on to the stage through a porthole, capable of transporting me past time and distance to places such as Paris in the time of Mimi and Rodolfo in "La Boheme" or Venice in the time of "Othello" and Desdemona, which is no longer a stage but a place and time far away from the opera house. On some occasions I; at least in my visions become one of the characters in the libretto and not always the main one. When this happens this character's thoughts become mine and on that occasion with Gosia sitting closely by my side; I even felt by the time Rodolfo sang his first line that my emotions had been taken over Rodolfo's very being.

 

Puccini's operas were unique in the way that he did not give his operas overtures like other composers, therefore not giving the listener a chance to become acquainted with the motives that would be used through out the opera and it was this lack that almost tossed the opera on ones lap and one directly into the story.

 

"La Boheme" is a very poignant opera which is one of Puccini's most often performed operas through out the world. Its story being based on a group of friends who live together in a small apartment in Paris and who are bohemians in the truest sense of the word. The main character of this opera is Rodolfo, a writer who makes a meek living writing stories and articles and whose closest friends include Marcelo, a painter and his love interest Musetta, an opera singer as well as Mimi, a seamstress who lives in the apartment next door and is sick with consumption though this is never directly mentioned in the opera. Rodolfo's has two other friends, whom he lives with whose names are Shaunard, a musician and Colline a philosopher.

 

Act one of "La Boheme" takes place in a humble apartment, somewhere in Paris on what the Italians call "La Vigilia de Natale" (Christmas eve in English) and it begins with Marcelo (who is painting the biblical scene of Mosses closing the Red Sea) telling Rodolfo that the red sea he is painting is giving him trouble so in order to get revenge he is going to drawn himself a Pharaoh. This only to have Rodolfo break in by telling Marcelo that he can see all the chimneys of Paris puffing away while theirs is as idol as a lord. This declaration sets them to talking about how cold their apartment is and how they have nothing they can feed their stove with.

 

The cold reminds Marcelo of Museta's cold heart which he feels is the cause of his misery. Rodolfo agrees with him by saying that love is a stove that burns up too much fuel. This conversation though not much of an intellectual one allows us to see that these two characters can communicate so well with one another, given that they speak the same language; which is the one shared by those who live in a poverty which is enriched by their artistic lives.

 

About the Author

My name is Gianni Truvianni, author of many an article to be found on the internet along with the book "New York's Opera Society". My works also include the books "What Should Not Matter", "Love Your Sister" and several others which still remain unpublished though I am presently looking to change this.

Bat-Ochir Eugene Onegin Mongolian baritone opera singer

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