| Vol.
I, No. 5 | Cabin
Fever / Town Meeting | Feb.
19th, 2001 |
Links
to Music & Sound On-Line
Opera on the Web
The amount of info on the web is enormous, as anyone who's ever tried to run a
search can attest to. And, to put it all in context, best estimates say
that only a fraction, maybe 20 - 40 % of what's out there is actually making its
way to the search engines.
Well ...
Here at DownStreet, we'd like to try to help. So each issue, we
post a few links in Music & Sound to sites that might interest you.
Sometimes the links will be related to one another ... sometimes
we'll just offer up a somewhat random sampling. In either case, we think
we might be able to help you find the kind of site you've been looking for.
Of course, while we can't vouch for the fact that every link we provide will be
of interest to everyone, we do our best to filter out the noise and the
bustle. ...
We hope you enjoy the following sites. . Links
to Opera Sites on the Web  | The
Met before its move to Lincoln Center
Front View on Broadway |
When
I was growing up, my grandfather used to listen to Met Radio Broadcasts, which
began with a Christmas Day, Friday afternoon broadcast of Hansel and Gretel
in 1931. The very next day, Acts III & IV of Norma were
broadcast, and a week later, during the evening of New Year's Day 1932, Acts I
& II of La Bohème. ... In his
memory, and in connection with this month's Sounds
Around feature on the Bizet opera, Carmen, we thought we'd
provide you with some links to some great opera sites on the internet.
... . The
Met How could we not begin an opera
listing without bowing to The Metropolitan Opera. ...
.
For
117 years, The Met has been staging the best of what opera has to
offer. At their site, you'll find info, not only on the grand history
of this great venue, but synopses of the operas, as well as a schedule of
performances, and more. There's also an Information Desk, with ticket
info, seating charts, and more. ... The fact is, we would have hoped
for more from The Met's on-line offering -- like some of the gorgeous sets
or even some sound clips. But The Archives provide some nice photos
and interesting historical documents. And we suppose they can't be
expected to do everything equally well.
.
As
The Met Archives note, "Carmen with 836 performances ranks as
the third most popular opera at the Met, behind La Bohème with 1,036
and Aida with 1,000." We can't rate The Met site that
highly, but we can give it ...
Rating: **** [4 stars] OperaGlass
Index Operated out of Stanford U., the OperaGlass
Index is a potpourri of opera info. ...
.
Here,
you'll find, though not exhaustive, nonetheless extensive lists of opera
Synopses, Libretti, Translations, Sources, Performance Histories,
Discographies, Background Information, and Role Creators. The fullest
sections are those for Synopses, Libretti and Performance Histories.
But all of the sections are being added to continuously. Be aware,
however, that the libretti are in the original language -- Italian, French,
German, etc. There are a few libretti in translation at this point --
Donizetti's Belisario, Massenet's Le jongleur de Nôtre Dame,
and Puccini's Madama Butterfly in English ... and Puccini's Turandot
in Portugese, with the pormise of Lucia di Lammermoor {in English} on
the way.
.
Despite these limits, the
OperaGlass Index is probably the best of its breed.
Rating: ****1/2
[4-1/2 stars]
OperaWeb While
not terribly extensive, at least at first blush, the Opera Web is
nonetheless a delightful site. ...
.
The
main links from the homepage appear to be limited to a slim selection of
Operas ... a Reference section, with a focus on singers and links to other
resources ... a Fun Zone, including an opera quiz, some history, and Opera
on the Air, and a Misc. section, with basic info about the web and its
creators. But the fact is, once you begin to explore OperaWeb, you're
in for some treats and surprises. ... For the opera enthusiast,
we heartily recommend you go to the Misc. section and click on The Virtual
Opera House. When you do, you'll find your way to nothing less than a
lighthearted but fascinating tour of the world of opera, including
histories, sound clips, and much more.
.
Finally,
for the closet singers out there, OperaWeb also has {ready?} an opera
karaoke page, with MIDI file accompaniment and lyrics to 23 pieces, from Aida
and La Bohème to Tosca, La Traviata, and Turandot.
It's a must stop for opera buffs or those who want a light and easy intro.
Rating:
***** [5 stars]
. Teatro
alla Scala
This is a must add-on to our usual three links.
After all, if The Met has been at it since 1883, La Scala has been at it
just a bit longer. {One-hundred-five years longer, to be
precise.} ...
.
The opening page
{to the English, of course, though Italian is also available} is itself
something of a La Scala production, so you may have to wait a bit for it to
load. But once there, you'll find lost of info and archival material,
similar to The Met site, although you must register {for free} in order to
use the Research archives.
.
La Scala is
certainly the premiere opera venue in the world, even if their site, like
The Met's, lags behind a bit.
Rating: **** [4 stars]
. *******
******* If you know of any
links that you think are worthwhile, why not send them along to ...
links@downstreetmagazine.com
... If we agree, we'll be happy to include
them in an upcoming issue to pass the word along. ...
Thanks. *******
******* .
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