intro needed for THE Clemenza di Tito

March 10, 2011

intro needed for THE Clemenza di Tito

where is Purity’s blog when i need resources, aaaaa. I’ve been citing many things from her blog in the past when it comes to introducing new people to The La Clemenza di Tito. The school LGBT group is happy to host a queer opera night after hearing me talking nonstop about it at the last social gathering :-). Now comes the part i’d love a bit of help from you-who-know-how-to-write:

Would you be willing to put together a few sentence description that I can send out to invite people to attend?

So, how would you write a few sentence description about the event / this Clemenza di Tito to attract new queer audience who might not know anything about opera? I think I can include a few images and have already grabbed a couple from Anik’s and old Purity’s sites (and even newly pressed Eyes’ site)

salzburg-tito1 — grabbed from Purity's who grabbed from screen

tito-kasarova-roschmann-act-1 — grabbed from Anik's who grabbed from screen

tito12 — grabbed from Eyes' who grabbed from screen

update: Moving my first take here, which already included Smorgy’s suggestions. Inputs to make it more concise and enticing are most welcomed. The audience ranges from undergraduates to school staff, faculties, and allies.

Do you know this couple? Come join us for a night of Mozart’s gender bending opera “La Clemenza di Tito” and discover why the magnificent mezzo in the white shirt is a. having a splendid time with the soprano in red, b. about to assassinate the emperor (Titus) to win her approval and love, and c. forgiven by the emperor himself after the fail attempted murder! Many people can not understand why Tito granted clemency to his betrayers in Mozart’s last opera until the Salzburg 2003 staging where the chemistry between the lovers is so erotically exothermic than even the straightest emperor is compelled to pardon his attempted killer repeatedly just to keep the pair of gender-confused lovers scheming on ad infinitum. Adding another pair of cross-dressed love birds to the mix, and this DVD is a LGBT overkill of operatic proportion.

life

Posted by:

thả diều

writing-challenged opera-addict

29 responses to “intro needed for THE Clemenza di Tito”

Eyesometric

March 10, 2011 at 5:35 pm

Can’t help with words but more grabs up for grabs in tomorrow’s post 😉

Reply
1. Eyesometric
  
  March 10, 2011 at 5:48 pm
  
  PS. There’s also the lyrics and score to Deh per questo istante solo. I’ve been preparing the post all week, what a coincidence!
  
  Reply
Smorg

March 10, 2011 at 6:22 pm

Hey, good idea, An! I’ll have a go: 😉

A lot of people – opera lovers included – couldn’t understand why Tito should show so much clemency to his betrayers (Sesto and Vitellia) until this staging in Salzburg where the chemistry between Dorothea Roeschmann (as Vitellia) and Vesselina Kasarova (as Sesto) is so erotically exothermic that even the straightest of Tito (and this one surely isn’t) would pardon his attempted killer over and over again just to keep the pair of gender-confused lovers scheming (and whatever else they do) on ad infinitum. Adding to it another pair of cross-dressed love birds (Elina Garanca as Annio and Barbara Bonney as Servilia) to the mix, and this DVD is a GLBT overkill of operatic proportion. 😛

Hope you’re having fun spreading the joy of opera around Boston!

Reply
1. Eyesometric
  
  March 10, 2011 at 6:46 pm
  
  Hey Smorgy, I had to look up exothermic ( peasant that I am ) and as well as exothermic reaction it brought up exothermic welding! – interesting pastime 🙂
  
  Reply
2. thả diều
  
  March 10, 2011 at 7:04 pm
  
  smooorgggie!
  THis is the first time the audience is introduced to (queerly) opera. So I’d like to make it much more general. So let me attempt my totally first draft here relying on some of your input:
  
  “Do you know this couple? Come join us for a night of Mozart’s gender bending opera “La Clemenza di Tito” and discover why the magnificent mezzo in the white shirt is a. having a splendid time with the soprano in red, b. about to assassinate the emperor (Titus) to win her approval and love, and c. forgiven by the emperor himself after the fail attempted murder! Many people can not understand why Tito granted clemency to his betrayers in Mozart’s last opera until the Salzburg 2003 staging where the chemistry between the lovers is so erotically exothermic than even the straightest emperor is compelled to pardon his attempted killer repeatedly just to keep the pair of gender-confused lovers scheming on ad infinitum. Adding another pair of cross-dressed love birds to the mix, and this DVD is a LGBT overkill of operatic proportion.
  
  Reply
Definitely the Opera

March 10, 2011 at 9:35 pm

You will lose people with “exothermic”! Why not “charged” or “heated” or something? I bet you you’ll have a few non-English-speaking people present there.

OK, let me play member of the audience.

*raised hand*

“Miss thả diều , Miss thả diều! Was Mozart pro-lesbian? Did he compose these four roles for four women? That puts him way ahead of most of my family! And most people I know!”

thả diều answers:

Reply
1. thả diều
  
  March 11, 2011 at 12:45 am
  
  (whipping out eurout.org post for reference):
  Good question! hmm, for sure i think Mozart was pro-feminine! he gave the female roles some of the most fantastic music. In addition, he must have been way ahead of his time for knowing that the practice of chop chop would end and these lovely low-voice roles will be interpreted by these incredible ~~sexy-in-white-shirts~~ mezzos and contraltos!
  
  ps- i first thought about it, but intentionally left “exothermic” in. If there exists a school you could use these words freely, this is it 🙂
  
  Reply
Definitely the Opera

March 10, 2011 at 9:43 pm

Another innocent member of the audience in the meantime has another question:

“Miss! But where are the powdered wigs and breeches and all that? And why are they singing in Eye-talian when you just said Mozart was Austrian?”

Reply
1. thả diều
  
  March 11, 2011 at 2:07 am
  
  ah, we’re the young audience! keep an open mind youngsters for new interpretations! but vhy indeed it’s in italiano??
  
  Reply
  1. Definitely the Opera
    
    March 11, 2011 at 10:01 am
    
    I think Italian was lingua franca of opera seria. Now, I didn’t explain anything with this to an opera-newbie. So I think it’d be fair to say: “Most operas were written in Italian at that time. Most sought-after librettists were Italian”. Something like that. “Later, in the next century, German, Russian and French traditions develop much more.”
    
    Reply
Definitely the Opera

March 10, 2011 at 11:24 pm

OH SHIT
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/10/soprano-anja-harteros-cancels-san-diego-opera-appe/

Reply
1. thả diều
  
  March 11, 2011 at 12:36 am
  
  yes, just got informed by smorgy, i soooo sad 😦 😦 woooaahhhh woooooahhhhh, whhy does she do that oh whhhyyyyy 😦
  
  But, it’s not the end of life. Let’s focus on Ms. Ciofi’s Sofie and discover a couple of new singers for me. Then i’ll get to see my family and cute nephews and nieces. See when u put things in perspective…
  !#$$Q%# woooahhhhhh woooooaaaahhhhhh
  
  Reply
Smorg

March 11, 2011 at 12:05 am

I hear ya’, DtO (but that press release was supposedly embargoed until Friday!). 😦 Very sad I won’t get to hear Frau Harteros in April, but hope she is recovering well from whatever it is she is having. Thanks for the tip about exothermic, too. I get carried away like that sometimes. 😀 Once a nerd always a nerd! 😉

Hey, I like your version, An. And heya to Eyes, too!

Reply
Definitely the Opera

March 11, 2011 at 9:36 am

Smorgy, have you heard anything about why Harteros keeps cancelling on San Diego? I didn’t know Furlanetto canceled, which is always a bad signal. The thing was marketed as ‘two stars debuting the roles’ and so on.

Really disappointing. I don’t think Harteros performed in a North American house yet. Or am I out to lunch?

Reply
1. thả diều
  
  March 11, 2011 at 9:51 am
  
  North America? She made her Traviata debut w/ SD opera and had done 3 roles with the MET. I think she had done another role before w/ SD opera as well. argh arrrrgh
  
  Reply
2. Definitely the Opera
  
  March 11, 2011 at 9:54 am
  
  Oh good. Then it’s not like she’s *allergic to this continent*.
  
  Really inexplicable. I wish we had an inside (wo)man in San Diego.
  
  Reply
3. Smorg
  
  March 12, 2011 at 9:39 am
  
  The SDO says the cancellation is due to medical reason. So I guess it’s a seasonal flu or bronchitis of some sort. 😦 If it’s something non-medical they’d have said she is indisposed, I think. Frau H has a good relation with the SDO, so I don’t think she would cancel the run on this short a notice if she really doesn’t have to. Hopefully she is recovering well and speedily and can sing again soon. 😦
  
  Reply
puritymccall

March 14, 2011 at 10:30 pm

Purity asked me to pass on a message from ‘parts far away’:

Ah the sweet delight of introducing an innocent to the motherlode of white-shirtery… such good work T!

If I might be so bold however, I do think a slightly better grab of BB’s clinch with EG might be in order… perhaps something around 4:37 on this…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6kAf0h5DO0

Reply
1. thả diều
  
  March 14, 2011 at 10:37 pm
  
  ah, please send my thanks to Purity dear messenger, and that i did follow her lead from her post waaay back (i remember her posts well 😉 ).
  
  Edit: oops, i was in such a haste, now i see your point. Let me try that new grab again…
  
  Edit2: hmm, i don’t manage anything around 4.37! am i blind?? i found many things around 4.35, 4.36, 4.39 for example…
  
  Reply
  1. Purity
    
    March 15, 2011 at 6:05 am
    
    Hmm, I suspect a video rendering timing issue, I am quite sure your 4.35 et al are around my 4.37, I cannot imagine we differ greatly in our appreciation of, err, dramatic intensity 😉
    
    Reply
  2. Eyesometric
    
    March 16, 2011 at 5:44 am
    
    Dear Dr. Thadieu
    I am a research student preparing a paper entitled ” Dramatic intensity in the operas of Handel and the quantifiable effects on certain groups in society” I have studied this subject in depth for the last six months with particular reference to the tomes of Drs. Anik and Purity.
    I would like to offer my humble services as a research assistant should you need one as I know how trying and time consuming research tasks can be.
    
    Reply
  3. Definitely the Opera
    
    March 16, 2011 at 9:39 am
    
    Now you even have a naughty assistant. What else can a grrrl want from life?
    
    Reply
  4. thả diều
    
    March 17, 2011 at 4:31 am
    
    mrrrrrraaao
    
    dear young student, your research subject is highly relevant and I feel strongly that many people in a certain community would benefit greatly from reading your manuscript. As a young researcher myself, I do not yet have the efficient funding to support you. Would you be willing to accept alternative payments for your offered service?
    
    Reply
Eyesometric

March 16, 2011 at 11:57 am

Were those Glennie rolled Rrrrrrr’s ?

Reply
1. Definitely the Opera
  
  March 16, 2011 at 12:16 pm
  
  Naturrrrally
  
  Reply
  1. thả diều
    
    March 17, 2011 at 4:32 am
    
    someone arrived at my blog via search “mozart gender bending clemenza di tito”…
    
    Reply
Eyesometric

March 17, 2011 at 5:59 am

Dear Dr. Thadieu
I understand too well the funding issue and would certainly think about alternative payments. I understand that you soon have an important research trip to Europe. I am quite a small person and would consider stowing away in your luggage if that were possible.

Reply
purity

March 18, 2011 at 8:10 pm

Dr T (and your women)

Your creativity in the current era of fiscal rectitude in the Sciences has been recogised by the Dame Purity McCall Trust for Dissolute White Shirt Scientists. An award will be made to set-up a new lab to study “Neuronal Arousal Patterns in Lesser Booted White Shirts”. Please contact the Trust Administrator Miss Mildred Mildred at your earliest convinience.

Yours

Lady Petronella Whimsy
Acting Trust ChairShirt

Reply
Definitely the Opera

March 19, 2011 at 2:45 pm

Perfect! Thadieu will now be Dr. T (with the women).

(I’ll never understand why Altman did that film. The name Dr T was ripe for appropriation. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205271/)

Reply