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The Elements of Horror:
Opera That Will Keep You Up at Night
What is really scary in entertainment? Rather what makes something scary? Opera’s history from day one always used music, words and plots that make you gasp. I always explain these elements in my opera talk series: Halloween at the Opera where I use plots that showcase horror and suspense to the core. Sometimes opera related horror to relationships and the negative affect of something going wrong. Here are my top operas that I like to watch during the Halloween season with my favorite productions you can buy for your collection.
A rather ghostly tale about a charlatan who just can’t get it together. Don Giovanni’s sexual appetite continues to spiral out of control especially when he messes with the wrong daughter.
Verdi’s Il Trovatore
The opera is special to me because it was my first full opera I listened to when I was in high school. What’s spooky about this opera is all a case of misunderstanding that costs the lives of lovers because of a vendetta gone wrong. Azucena is the mysterious gypsy who is an outcast and branded evil by the Count. But will he catch his own judgment?
While Tosca is in the regular canon of top operas performed around the world, it has a Halloween element too. Italian diva Floria Tosca is caught between a rock and a hard place when her boyfriend, Cavaradossi is jailed by Baron Scarpia. Although Scarpia is correct about Cavaradossi’s illegal activity in favor of Napoleon, he only wants one thing from Tosca. That “one thing” drives Tosca to do the unthinkable. Maria Callas's rendition of Tosca is quite memorable-especially her indelible performance in 1964.
Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor
Blood, blood and more blood-not until you get to the wedding ceremony. How horror filled is that? Lucia di Lammermoor is in love with Edgardo but is forced to marry Arturo. Poor Arturo is in the wrong place at the wrong time because he was chosen by Lucia’s brother, Enrico as revenge against Edgardo. Lucia’s madness causes her to commit murder and the evidence is all over her white dress.
Now this is a chilling tale about redemption. Dutchman is quite infamous for his unfortunate circumstance. He's cursed to roam the seas for seven years and is given a chance to be free by finding true love. Just when the opera opens in the first act, we see he's given a chance to find true love through a sailor's daughter in exchange for a huge treasure. But the real question is: what is really redemption? Is it freedom to love or freedom to die? Is Dutchman really a ghost or just a lost human being trying to find love? Nope, there are no spoiler alerts here. Find out yourself.
Happy watching and tell me which one you liked best!
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