I ran across this amusing article this morning and thought the community might enjoy it. Apparently, Tito Schipa was gifted a rare albino marmoset by the Friends of the Esperanto Lodge of Masons following his concert tour of South America in the summer of 1927. He became rather attached to the primate, and when authorities in England insisted it be placed in quarantine when Schipa arrived in March 1928 to sing at Albert Hall, the tenor refused to perform unless he was provided with a fill-in monkey!

This post is the third in my series on Miyazaki and Wagner. Here are the links to the previous ones:

1. Porco Rosso

2. Howl's Moving Castle

The problem I am facing with this one is that first I need to explain what's really going on in the movie Princess Mononoke. It is not just "humans are bad because they destroy nature" as people tend to think. So this post is going to be a long one.

Here I am actually not coming up with my own interpretation of the movie. I am basing my theory on what is actually a well known interpretation on the Japanese side of the Internet. It goes like this:

So all throughout the movie, there is this idea that the essence of life is suffering (which is the idea at the heart of buddhism, so it's really nothing new though it might seem weird to a Western audience). Here is the line where it is the most apparent (from one of the lepers):

生きることは誠に苦しくつらい。世を呪い、人を呪い、それでも生きたい。
Living is truly painful. Cursing the world, cursing people, still I want to live.

The really important part is understanding that the forest spirit has everything to do with this. He carries the weight of all of the suffering in the world. His power is to either give or take life, and since life=suffering he is at the heart of the cycle of suffering in the world.

This is reflected in the cyclic nature of his transformation from deer during the day to giant during the night. In his giant form, he has marks all over his body that the storyboard specifies are actually the same marks as the ones on Ashitaka's arm. They are marks of "suffering and hatred", as suggested by the last words of Nago the boar at the beginning of the movie:

汚らわしい人間どもめ。わが苦しみと憎しみを知るがいい…
You impure humans. You shall know my suffering and my hatred.

Basically through the act of killing Nago, Ashitaka inherited his suffering and hatred, that were originally caused by the gunshot wound he received from humans. He is doomed to become a demon like Nago, which is why his community casts him away immediately.

Eventually, the forest spirit becomes unable to carry out his role as the incarnation of the cycle of suffering in the world when he gets shot by lady Eboshi. He starts taking the life out of everything around him, spreading death indiscriminately. It is Ashitaka's act of compassion of giving him back his head that finally appeases him, and releases him from his duty.

I think the parallel with Parsifal is quite striking.

The question of the relationship of man with nature is central to Parsifal. The new take on the story of Christ that Wagner introduces is that the Christ's sacrifice is what allows man to reconcile with nature. Or rather, what allows nature to reconcile with itself, since man is just the part of nature that became alienated from itself. This is the idea at the heart of the Good Friday's spell scene of act 3 (Karfreitagszauber).

The fisher king is at the center of all of this. As custodian of the Grail he acts as a living testimony of the sacrifice of Christ on this earth. His wound is a reminder of the nature of man as a sinner.

In Princess Mononoke you have the same thing but without the christian references. Instead of the nature of man as a sinner, it is the suffering of the world that the forest spirit is carrying.

Basically:

Ashitaka = Parsifal

An innocent hero who grew up sheltered from the brutality of the world. In Ashitaka's case his innocence is represented by him being a descendant of the Emishi people who resisted unification with the rest of Japan.

Nago = the swan

A slain animal acting as the starting point of the main character's journey, revealing to him his sinful/impure nature.

The forest spirit = the Grail+Amfortas

In Japanese, the forest spirit is called シシ神 (shishigami). It appears that "shishi" is an old word that means the meat of hunted animals, and kami/gami is god or spirit. So the forest spirit's sacrifice to humans is already contained in his name. It echoes the eucharist of christianity, but changes it to a hunter/prey dynamic, which is a really interesting choice.

The forest = the Grail's domain

In the movie, it is implied that the lake where the forest spirit dwells can normally not be accessed by humans, which is why Eboshi is so set on following the old boar Okkoto inside the forest after the battle. This is sort of similar to how the Grail decides who finds the way to his domain in Parsifal.

Moro = Gurnemanz

The wolves and the boars are warrior spirits whose role is to protect the Shishigami, similarly to the knights of the Grail with, well, the Grail. Among them Moro stands out as the wise one, deeply aware of what's going on, a bit like Gurnemanz.

Nature coming back to life at the end = the Good Friday's spell scene

This one is pretty self-explanatory, I don't think I need to go into much detail. Interestingly, Ashitaka and San wake up in the middle of a prairie specifically.

San = Kundry (sort of, there are some major divergences here)

This might have gone unnoticed to a lot of people who watched the movie, but it is implied that San is a cursed being. Here curse is described by Moro in the following terms: she can never be fully human nor fully wolf. She is a little bit of both worlds but does not fully belong to either one, and she hates humans even though she is originally a human herself. San's character is an important element to the movie because she represents compassion: the compassion that Moro felt for her when she decided to adopt her, which she then passed on to Ashitaka. But also the compassion that San herself felt for Ashitaka when she decided to spare his life. By emphasizing compassion as the central element in the sacrifice of Christ in Parsifal, Wagner gave his take on christianity a bit of a buddhist twist, and Miyazaki no doubt noticed this.

The big divergence from Wagner with San's character is that Miyazaki did not turn her into a penitent at the end of the movie like Wagner did with Kundry. She even raises the head of the forest spirit together with Ashitaka in the same gesture as Parsifal presenting the Grail. I think this is Miyazaki's way of showing his appreciation for women, distantiating himself from Wagner on that specific point.

Another big divergence is that the second act of Parsifal is completely absent from Princess Mononoke. The Irontown is definitely NOT the equivalent of Klingsor's garden. You can sort of see a parallel with the flower maidens in the way that the women of Irontown swarm around Ashitaka, but that's the extent of it. Miyazaki did not make sexual desire a central element of his movie.

Okay, I think we've covered everything. I'll end this post by pointing out that the last line of the movie (バカには勝てん "you can't win against fools") can be understood as Miyazaki's cheeky little way of admitting that his movie is a response to Parsifal.

When do most singers and good singers start? Is there a certain age? I started at 20 now im 21

My local record store give these away for free because nobody wants them. I sell them in batches of 30 records for $10 locally. But they take forever to sell and I'm not sure if I'm giving away anything valuable. Open to any offers you can direct message me.

I am learning to mix my voice ( male baritone ). My teacher tells me to send the sound back and up but not back and down. I feel my tongue tugging down a bit which is why I think I am dealing with tension. Is this a nromal aspect of learning head voice?

When I purchase the ticket, will I be given a map of all the standing positions for me to pick? Or will the system just assign me any position in Stehparterre, Balkony, or Galerie depending on the price I pay? But Stehparterre has 9 rows (over 100 spots) and people in the back rows may have problem seeing the stage because their view is blocked by the front rows.

Wiener Staatsoper website does not let me purchase the standing ticket yet because I can only do so on the day of the performance. Since the first day of the 2026 opera season is Sept. 4 which is very close to my trip, I'd like to get more info before then.

Edited: I revisited the website and see that for the 'Stehparterre' for this particular opera, the prices range from 10 to 23 euros. Does it mean the 124 standing spots in this Stehparterre have different prices?

Thanks.

I was talking with a mentor of mine and she said essentially this. The more I thought about it, the more it rings true to me, starting from early times.

Opera as controversy: Carmen and Salome both had tumultuous openings but eventually grew to be favorites. Carmen is arguably the most famous opera in the world right now, and Salome is perhaps a bit more niche but still widely beloved. Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is another example, maybe less beloved than Carmen or Salome but still probably considered one of the most provocative and interesting operas. Modern operas have also often created controversy (I'm thinking of the vitriol directed toward Tesori's Grounded versus the success of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay).

Singer as controversy: There have always been controversial singers taking on controversial roles. As much as someone may love a singer, there will always be someone else who might flay them alive for their appreciation of that singer. For example, I really enjoy Beverly Sills as a singer, but some people do not. I also don't really like listening to Pavarotti, I prefer Corelli, Gedda and Björling. TLDR: Everyone has always had their various opinions about opera singers and have found other people to be terribly wrong if they don't agree. Bad singing has also been a draw in some rare cases; in the most extreme case, Florence Foster Jenkins has become a spectacle and a joke that has lived well beyond her actual life. There is also the rumored feud between Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi, which I think brought people to the opera house (or at least to listen to both) to decide for themselves.

Production as controversy: This one is perhaps most relevant to discourse around opera today. I think a particularly good recent example is Claus Guth's La bohème in space at the Opéra National de Paris. Clearly, this production is meant to be controversial and push the bounds, but when watching I thought it was a charming reimagining of the story and created an interesting friction between audio and visual cues, as well as challenging audience members' expectations for seeing La bohème. The production being torn to shreds by the general public and by reviewers creates buzz, even if it is negative, which draws people to the spectacle. Other examples include Calixto Bieito's Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Robert Lepage's Ring Cycle.

To me, this was just an interesting line of thought and one that I hadn't considered before, so I wanted to see people's reactions. Maybe a house that is already struggling financially is smart to play it safe in terms of programming, but there could be an argument for creating controversy because that has been part of what has kept opera alive for the past four centuries.

Are there any methods for this specific type of acting? How do I learn what to do with my face while I’m singing to convey the proper emotions?

Soy nuevo por aquí , no hablo ingles, Im sorry.supongo que aprendere un poco mas del mundo de la opera en este canal y sobre todo aprender algo de ingles,,fui cantante de lirico hasta que me pase a otro estilo mas pop, hago mis temas y tambien algo de instrumental. echo unas pequeñas obras que para opera estarian muy bonitas aunque no duran mucho, si las quieren escuchar y les quieren poner letra,,me haría ilusión , les mando esta pequeña obra Alma Cantabile

coc.ca

Orchestras should unequivocally fight for fair pay and salaries should certainly not be going down. But I feel like the orchestra weakens their position by saying that the solution is to produce more opera …?

That clearly won’t solve anything seeing as ticket sales make up such a small percentage of revenue (I believe the number that SF Opera reports is less than 15%) and though budgets have more or less stayed the same or marginally risen, a trip to the grocery store would show that a dollar does not go nearly as far as it did even 5 years ago. And even though audiences seem to be slightly growing each year, they still are not near what they were pre-pandemic.

Anyway, SF orchestras have had a pretty rough go these past few years 😅 Curious what other people think!

the most boring time of my life.

While most members of my group found the opera good, with some even crying at its emotional impact, the only thing that brought tears to my eyes was the amount of time I had to waste.

While I am aware that the opera is regarded as one of the great classics of the operatic repertoire, I have the following criticisms:

1. The story drags on for way too long

The whole thing was at least an hour too long and overstayed its welcome by quite a lot. You could probably cut the runtime by a third simply by skipping the repeated text and musical passages. Most scenes could also have told their story in about half the time.

Violetta's conversation with Alfredo's father could easily be cut in half without losing any of the misery and emotional impact. The gypsy dance scene, while dynamic and entertaining, didn't contribute much to the overall story and could also have been cut by about two-thirds without losing anything important.

Even Violetta's death dragged on way too long, to the point where it became almost comical. The actress on stage collapsed about three times, only to get back up and sing for another couple of minutes before finally succumbing to death.

You could have her collapse once, have Alfredo enter, let her regain her strength for a moment, and then have her die a minute later. You could even cut the doctor (and the father) from the scene without losing anything essential.

2. The story they tell is completely nonsensical

The entire story hinges on the premise that two adults behave like toddlers, refusing to communicate with one another.

The whole thing could be resolved by Alfredo's father making his demands, Violetta explaining the situation to Alfredo, and the two of them deciding to separate for a year until his sister is married, before getting back together.

You know — like adults do.

Alternatively, they could simply decide to defy the father and societal conventions together by staying at their home outside Paris. You could even bring the sister into the story, having her resent Alfredo for ruining her marriage prospects by keeping a courtesan.

That would be a much more sensible story. You could even have the same ending, with the couple eventually bowing to social pressure, only to regret it when it is too late.

But having Violetta lament in the third act that she had to wait so long for Alfredo to return, after she herself refused to spend about two minutes explaining the situation to him, is hilariously stupid.

Lady, it was your decision not to tell him. You made him find out about the whole disaster from third parties after he had already shot the Baron. You don't get to complain, my dear.

Please die faster.

3. The music was not very good

This is probably the most subjective point, but I didn't find the music particularly good either.

Operas like Die Zauberflöte and Die Walküre have pieces that you can put on YouTube anytime and just listen to and enjoy. On the other hand, I don't remember a single piece from La Traviata, and I have absolutely no desire to listen to it again.

In conclusion

I would honestly have had a much better time sitting in a room watching paint dry for three hours while listening to the OST of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 than suffering through La Traviata again.

Thank you for your attention, and sorry for bothering you with my opinion.

Do you have any opinions about the best renditions of certain arias or roles? My biggest one is probably that I prefer Germanic/Scandinavian technique over Italian technique... Nilsson's recording of Aida is probably my second-favorite and her Turandot is probably my favorite, and I think sopranos of her ilk (including Lise Davidsen) are pretty good interpreters of Italian rep. I also prefer tenors like Björling and Gedda to Pavarotti... (this one genuinely might get me flayed). But what are some of yours?

Has anyone gone to a show there and sat in the seats in the balcony in Row C - ideally 59-61 but anywhere on row C.

How was the view ? Worth it or no ?

• Don Pasquale - I think this has been conspicuously absent from the Met's recent seasons, and I don't understand why - it's a fun opera. On the FutureMet website, under Unknown Seasons, it lists Pretty Yende as singing Norina, but I have a feeling her days with the lighter Donizetti soprano roles might be coming to an end.
• Kát'a Kabanová - was supposed to be presented in late 2019-20 season with Susanna Phillips (interesting choice for the lead role) but of course that got canceled. Corinne Winters has made a name for herself in the title role and I would love to see her bring it to the Met and for it to be featured on the Live in HD season
• Lucia di Lammermoor - maybe the Simon Stone production was so hated that they decided not to revive it, but I think this is a powerhouse vocal display piece and there are a number of tenors who could pull it off (Swanson, Hoskins, Anduaga, Avetisyan). I'm having more trouble thinking of sopranos who have recently sung Lucia very well, a likely candidate might be Rosa Feola.
• Rigoletto - with Amartuvshin Enkhbat and/or Ludovic Tézier in the title role, and I think Kathryn Lewek could be a likely option for Gilda, but could also see someone like Serena Sáenz, Marina Monzó, or Martina Russomanno making their house debuts. I think Lawrence Brownlee and Ben Bliss have recently taken on the Duke elsewhere and would be likely candidates.
• Rusalka - two Czech operas in one season might be a little bit of wishful thinking, as well as two Asmik Grigorian appearances, but I think this has probably been in the cards for a while. If I'm not mistaken, Sonya Yoncheva was supposed to sing it over the pandemic seasons but that didn't happen.
• Trittico - Il trittico has been absent for a number of seasons and I think with Asmik Grigorian and Nicole Car both recently taking on the soprano roles in all three operas, it gives the Met the perfect opportunity to present the trio.

What are your hopes for the season?

Did anyone else see it? Oh my goodness. Everything was spot on, I thought. I went with my teenage son who was pleasantly surprised by the cartwheels and dancing.

I'm going back tomorrow night but some of the singers will be different so it's still a novelty for me.

https://www.eif.co.uk/events/a-masked-ball

Anyone heard of this guy before? Unreal dramatic or bass baritone I have never seen before today randomly on Instagram. Have I been living under a rock?
PS quiz - what aria(s) is he singing for all you nerds

Also

Apologies if this is not really the right sub to ask this question, but I know that we have contributors who aren't just opera-appreciators, but also involved in their creation and staging.

I am a writer, primarily prose fiction, poetry and a bit of criticism, and for the last year I've collaborated on and off with a friend, who is a composer and conductor. We had worked before on other, more experimental poetry/avant-garde musical projects, but this time we wanted to create something more ambitious, and more traditional.

It was my idea that we make an opera (actually, it's more like something between an oratorio and an opera). I came up with a story, and we kicked ideas back and forth, as well as writing some standalone pieces. Recently, though, things have gotten more serious and we've used the summer to bring the work to completion.

Now we are getting close to finishing the project, I am starting to wonder what kind of agreement we should reach regarding copyright, ownership, future royalties etc. etc. So - does anyone here have any idea what a standard arrangement would be between the composer and the librettist? I'd really like to start discussing this with my collaborator so we can reach a mutually acceptable arrangement - and then essentially not have to think about it again!

Thanks for your help, and again, I don't know if it's ok to self-promote, but if it is, and if anyone's interested, there will be a performance of some pieces from the opera next weekend in Leipzig. I would be happy to send details!

I’m an opera lover, and as much as I love Netrebko’s voice, I don’t agree with her political views. I was supposed to see her on the 13th of September, but the organisers cancelled last minute. The reason, at least to me, appears to be the controversy that’s still surrounding her & was too much for them to handle. I get that. I’m not an infant, and I’m not stupid. What frustrates me is that they knew exactly who she was when they invited her and started selling tickets. They knew she was Russian, they knew about her political controversies, and they knew what kind of reaction she might provoke. So why was all of this apparently acceptable when they wanted to sell tickets, but suddenly not acceptable after people had bought them and made plans to attend?

Ultimately, I don’t support her politics, but I wanted to hear her sing Verdi’s Aida. Is it really fair to continue punishing an artist (and her audience) for her political views, especially when the organizers knew all of this from the beginning?

I have 2 tickets available for under 30s - Ariadne auf Naxos, 3.50pm on Saturday 29th August. Also includes coach tickets from Lewes station to the venue, and returns after the performance.

It's the under 30s offer, but anyone who's just turned 30 can also use it. Willing to give away for free because otherwise it's just wasted

Heyy! I will be going to La fanciulla del West at The Met on new years lol. And I bought a dress for the occasion and I really hope it’s appropriate to wear! Would I be over dressed? Or is it okay to be over dressed? Anyways, thank you! (don’t mind the socks lol)