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IL POSTINO OPERA IN THREE ACTS

BY DANIEL CATÁN

Based on the novel by Antonio Skármeta, And the film by Michael Radford

Libretto by the composer

TABLE OF CONTENTS Thank you to our generous Season Sponsors 2 Cast of characters 3 Brief summary 4 Detailed synopsis with musical examples 5 About the composer 13 Historical background

Pablo Neruda 14 Antonio Skármeta’s Ardientes Paciencias 15 Il Postino: the film 16 The creation of the opera 16 Points of musical interest 18 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS Preface & Objectives 20 What is Opera Anyway? 21 Opera in Not Alone 21 Opera Terms 22 Where Did Opera Come From? 23 Why Do Opera Singers Sound Like That? 24 How Can I Become an Opera Singer? 24 Opera Singer Must-Haves 25 How to Make an Opera 26 Jobs in Opera 27 Opera Etiquette 28 Discussion Questions 29 Education and Outreach Program Sponsors 30

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IL POSTINO

Premiere

First performance on September 23, 2010 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA.

Cast of Characters

Mario Ruoppolo, a postman Tenor Mario’s Father Character Tenor Pablo Neruda , Chilean Poet Tenor Matilde Neruda, Neruda’s wife Soprano Giorgio, the island’s postmaster Bass Baritone Beatrice, Mario’s lover, later his wife Soprano Donna Rosa, Beatrice’s aunt Mezzo Soprano Di Cosimo, a politician Baritone Priest Character Tenor Pablito, Mario’s son Child Actor, mute 4 Thugs 2 Tenors, 2 Baritones 5 Patrons 3 Tenors, 2 Basses Chorus

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Brief Summary

The action takes place on a small Italian island during the 1950’s. Mario Ruoppolo leads a lonely life on the small Italian island Cala di Sotto. He takes a position as mail carrier, with a single customer: the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who is residing on the island as a political exile. As the poet receives a large volume of mail, within a short time he and Mario become friendly. Mario meets Beatrice, a beautiful barmaid at the village café. He falls deeply in love, but being uneducated and inarticulate, he is incapable of expressing his feelings to her. Mario enlists Neruda’s help in learning the language of poetry, hoping to win the heart of Beatrice. Despite initial resistance from Beatrice’s protective aunt, Mario and Beatrice are married. Neruda learns that his exile has been suspended, allowing his return to Chile. The politician Di Cosimo, having been elected, makes various promises to the villagers but departs without fulfilling any of them. When Mario protests, Di Cosimo accuses him of being a Communist. Beatrice reveals that she is pregnant. A letter arrives for Mario from Chile. Overjoyed to think that Neruda has not forgotten him, Mario is crushed to see that it is an impersonal note from Neruda’s secretary requesting shipment of the poet’s personal items. Mario makes a tape recording for Neruda as a nostalgic reminder of the sounds of Nature on the island. Years later, Neruda returns to the island, meeting Beatrice and her son in the café. Beatrice recounts Mario’s death; just before the birth of their son, Mario was asked to read his poetry, dedicated to Neruda, at a communist rally in Naples. Mario was shot by police before his reading could begin. Beatrice presents Neruda with the recording.

Other operas by Daniel Catán

Florencia en el Amazonas

Rappaccini's Daughter

Salsipuedes: a Tale of Love, War and Anchovies

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Detailed synopsis with musical examples

PROLOGUE. Di Cosimo, candidate of the Christian Democratic Party, visits the island of Cala di Sotto, campaigning over a loudspeaker. His extravagant praise of the island is sung to a banal tune, reminiscent of street-song in its simple rhythmic style (Ex. 1).

Ex. 1 This is followed by the voice of a radio announcer delivering a news bulletin: the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, known for his communist views, has arrived in Rome to begin a period of exile on Calla di Soto. ACT 1 Scene 1: the bedroom/kitchen of Mario’s house. Mario Ruoppolo, an unemployed resident of Calla di Sotto, turns off the radio, having heard the news of Neruda’s plans. His father, a fisherman, enters with fish he attempts to clean, but Mario tells him the water supply has run out. Mario dreams of going to America like his friends, but his father urges him to focus on getting a job at home. Proudly, Mario informs him that tomorrow he will begin a new job with the Post Office. Scene 2: the patio of Neruda’s house, the following day, very early morning. Neruda, seated at a table, writes in a notebook as Matilde arranges flowers in a vase. She admits not minding their exile, as now she has him all to herself. Neruda expresses impatience at wanting to build a better world; his wife responds that his poetry is doing so. Taking her in his arms, Neruda praises her beauty in the aria “Desnudo” (“Naked”) Ex. 2).

Ex. 2

Scene 3: Neruda’s house, immediately following. A bicycle bell announces Mario’s arrival with his first mail delivery. His only “customer” is Neruda, who daily receives a large volume of mail. Matilde enters, asking if there is any mail for her; Neruda teases her before handing over a letter while Mario watches in fascination. Neruda, noticing that Mario is still there, gives him a few coins as a tip. Mario pedals away.

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Scene 4: the island Post Office Mario is sorting letters while the Postmaster Giorgio works alongside. Mario notices with amusement and admiration that all the letters are from women. Mario shows Giorgio, who admires Neruda’s political affiliations, a book of Neruda’s poetry he has purchased. Mario plans to ask the poet to sign his copy in hopes that he can show it to girls in Naples and claim to be “a friend of Neruda, the poet of love”. An orchestral interlude accompanies Mario riding his bicycle with the day’s delivery. Scene 5: the patio of Neruda’s house, midday. Mario delivers the day’s mail to Neruda; when he remains even after receiving his tip, the poet inquires. Mario replies with some quotations from Neruda’s Odas Elementales, the book he has been reading. Mario is curious when Neruda refers to the metaphors in the quotations, asking him to define “metaphors”. Neruda gives him a simple example, then hands Mario a letter with instructions to open it for him – it’s a letter regarding his nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Shyly, Mario asks if the other letters are love letters, confessing that he now wants to be a poet himself. When he asks how one becomes a poet, Neruda suggests walking along the seashore until metaphors come to him. Remarking on the beauty of the island, Neruda spontaneously recites a portion of his poem “Oda al mar”. In this aria, the surging orchestral accompaniment depicts restless ocean movement (Ex. 3).

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When Mario, reacting to the poem, says he felt like “a boat tossing around on those words”, Neruda congratulates him on having invented a metaphor. Mario, now consumed with the concept, joins Neruda in a duet (“Metáforas” “Metaphors”) (Ex. 4) exploring all the elements of life that can serve as metaphors, ending in a sweepingly exultant conclusion.

Ex. 4

Scene 6: the village café, late afternoon. A lovely young barmaid sings a spirited song (Romanza – “Morenica me llaman”, “Morenica they call me”) (Ex. 5) as Mario stares at her longingly.

Ex. 5

The barmaid invites Mario to join her in a game of tabletop soccer. As the fishermen tease Mario, the barmaid wins point after point. Placing the little soccer ball provocatively between her lips, she spits it out before Mario can reach for it. As she returns to her work, Mario asks her name. Whispering, she replies “Beatrice Russo”. He pockets the soccer ball. Scene 7: Neruda’s house, very early morning. Mario arrives in a state of agitation, announcing that he is in love with Beatrice. Neruda immediately references Dante’s poem of Dante Alighieri, who also loved a Beatrice. Mario confesses that he was tongue-tied, unable to say anything to her. He begs Neruda to write a love poem for Beatrice; the poet protests that he cannot write a poem about a woman he’s never met. When Neruda offers the usual tip for the day’s delivery, Mario declines it.

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Scene 8: a beach on the island, afternoon. As Mario paces, still feeling agitated, fishermen on the beach gather their nets and sing of the sea. Mario opens a notebook and attempts to write, but no ideas come. He opens his copy of Neruda’s Odas Elementales and begins copying one of the poems, murmuring a few of the words as he writes. ACT 2 Scene 1: Beatrice’s bedroom, morning. Beatrice sits on her bed lost in thought. Her aunt, Donna Rosa, enters. Concerned about Mario’s interest in her niece, Donna Rosa questions her closely, suspicious that Mario has taken liberties. Beatrice tells her that Mario has only quoted poetry to her, but Donna Rosa is not reassured, claiming that words lead to trouble. Snatching a note from Beatrice, Donna Rosa exits hastily. Scene 2: A street outside the café, daytime. Di Cosimo instructs workers to deliver the contents of a water tanker truck to the village, pledging to provide running water if elected. Some onlookers are skeptical, but Donna Rosa is delighted, joining Di Cosimo in his campaign song. Scene 3: Outside the café. Approaching Beatrice as she leaves the tavern, Mario shyly speaks to her, uttering various poetic metaphors. Beatrice, despite claiming she can’t stay, is obviously impressed (Love duet No. 1). Scene 4: the living room in Neruda’s house, early morning. Mario makes his daily delivery, including the arrival of a tape from Chile. Before playing it, Neruda gives Mario the gift of a notebook for writing down metaphors. The tape plays a message from Neruda’s friends wishing him a happy birthday and announcing that the poet’s book Canto General has sold out and will have a second printing. Neruda records a response, thanking his friends and introducing them to Mario, who he invites to say something about Calla di Soto. Mario is tongue-tied as usual; when Neruda prompts him to describe one of the wonders of the island, the postman can only say “Beatrice Russo”. Scene 5: a street in the village, daytime. Donna Rosa, having handed the note she took from Beatrice to the village priest, demands that he read it to her. The priest, noting that the note is a poem, begins to read, but gets no further than the first word: “Naked”. Reeling in horror, Donna Rosa snatches the note from his hand and hurries away. Scene 6: Outside the café. Mario calls to Beatrice. He praises her eyes and her hair with poetic metaphors (Ex. 7 – “Love duet #2”). At the sound of her aunt’s voice within, Beatrice hurries inside.

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Scene 7: Neruda’s house, late afternoon. Neruda holds a letter from Chile that has brought news of a peaceful demonstration violently repressed by the government with many fatalities. Neruda expresses his despair in the aria “Chile, la sangre de tus hijos” (“Chile, the blood of your sons”) (Ex. 6), asking how much blood will be shed and how many tears will be wept.

Ex. 6

Matilde comforts her husband with words of hope. Playing a recording of the song “Comprendo” (Ex. 7), she and Neruda dance to the music, singing along and embracing each other.

Ex. 7

Mario arrives unseen, watching them without interrupting. A knock at the door announces the appearance of Donna Rosa; Mario conceals himself. Neruda admits Donna Rosa, who is armed with a shotgun. Handing Mario’s note to Neruda, she complains that Mario is using metaphors to seduce her niece. As Neruda reads, Donna Rosa instructs the poet to warn Mario that if she sees him again, she will shoot him. She storms out of the house. Scene 9: Neruda’s house, immediately following. Mario comes out of hiding and collapses into a chair, asking Neruda for guidance; Neruda replies that only Mario can decide what to do. Scene 10: Outside the café under Beatrice’s window, later that night. Softly, Mario calls to Beatrice; she comes out to meet him. They whisper poetic metaphors to one another (“Love duet No. 3”) (Ex. 8).

Ex. 8

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As Donna Rosa’s voice is heard calling for her niece, Mario declares his eternal love; Beatrice pledges hers in return. They wander off together. Donna Rosa, realizing what has happened, screams in anger, brandishing her shotgun and cursing. Scene 11: The café, daytime. During an orchestral interlude, the priest tries to comfort Donna Rosa while the café is being decorated to celebrate the wedding of Mario and Beatrice. With the entire village gathered, Mario’s father gives a short speech wishing that Mario’s mother had lived to see this day. Neruda enlists an accordion player to assist him in dedicating a song to the newlyweds (“Para volar”) (Ex. 9).

Ex. 9

Asked to make a speech himself, Mario at first doesn’t know what to say, settling at last on his wife’s new name: “Beatrice Ruoppolo”. After toasting the couple, everyone begins to dance to the music of Neruda’s song. As the celebration continues, a telegram arrives for Neruda containing the news that his exile has been lifted; he and Matilde may return to Chile. Giorgio advises the poet not to announce this news so as not to spoil Mario’s happy day; Neruda agrees. The scene concludes with a concerted ensemble in which all save Donna Rosa express their joy at the wedding. ACT 3 During an orchestral prelude of nostalgic and bittersweet character, Neruda is seen preparing to depart the island; furniture is covered with sheets and packed bags are gathered. Mario is present, lending a hand. Scene 1: the living room of Neruda’s house, late afternoon. Neruda offers Mario a final tip, but the postman declines to accept, asking Neruda to write him now and then. Neruda asks Mario to watch over the remainder of his personal items until they are to be shipped to Chile. Mario mentions he might deliver them personally; Neruda says it’s a brilliant idea. Mario remarks that another poet, D’Annunzio, also wrote of a woman called Beatrice; in mock-reproach he observes that Neruda could have written a poem about Beatrice. They say their good-byes. Scene 2: a street on the island. A brief orchestral interlude depicts Mario wandering somewhat aimlessly, once again unemployed.

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Scene 3: outside the café, evening. Some time has passed. Giorgio meets Mario, holding a newspaper clipping. Mario reads that Neruda is in Russia awarding a prize to a young poet. Excitedly, Mario wonders if Neruda might pay them a visit but Giorgio remarks that the poet is a busy man and won’t have time to come to the island. Scene 4: a street on the island. With the Italian election at hand, Di Cosimo’s workers shout propaganda, claiming that he will bring fresh water to Calla di Sotto. Scene 5: The café; evening. Mario enters to find Giorgio, Beatrice and Donna Rosa seated at a table with another news clipping, an interview of Neruda in Paris. As Giorgio begins to read, we hear Neruda’s voice recalling his exile in Italy as a happy time. Asked what he misses most, Neruda mentions the flowers and the Italian sea, but not Mario or his other island friends. Donna Rosa, offended, claims that Neruda has forgotten them, but Mario defends the poet. Outside the café, a group of drunken men are loudly celebrating the victory of Di Cosimo and the Christian Democratic Party throughout Italy. Giorgio and Mario are aghast. Donna Rosa confronts Di Cosimo, whose men are leaving without having brought running water to the island. Di Cosimo speaks vaguely of returning in the future. When Mario responds with anger, Di Cosimo, calling him a Communist, makes a threatening gesture. Alone with Mario, Beatrice announces that she is pregnant with their child. Mario resolves to leave the island forever, hoping for a better life in Chile for their son, whom Mario refers to as “Pablito”. Scene 6: The café, later. Giorgio enters, excitedly announcing a letter for Mario from Chile. Beatrice and her aunt gather around as Mario reads it aloud. Rather than a personal letter from Neruda, it is simply a formal note from his secretary requesting that the poet’s personal items be shipped to him. Beatrice and Donna Rosa remark bitterly that Neruda only pretended to be kind as long as he needed Mario’s service. Mario, his spirits crushed, replies that Neruda never really needed him; that in reality he was a bother to him (Ex. 10).

Ex. 10

Worse, he continues, Neruda recognized that Mario had no talent in poetry – after all, he has never actually written any poems. Despite Beatrice’s protests, Mario concludes he not only has failed as a poet, but as a postman and a Communist.

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Scene 7: The living room of Neruda’s house, sometime soon after. Mario, in low spirits, looks over the packed boxes. Spotting Neruda’s phonograph, he plays a record; the song “Comprendo” plays. Mario listens briefly, then turns it off. He sees the tape recorder and microphone. Playing a tape, he hears the recording made by Neruda in answer to the message from Chile about the publication of his poems. Mario hears his own voice, stammering out the words “Beatrice Russo” in response to Neruda’s request to tell of the wonders of the island. Scene 8: various locations on the island. Mario and Giorgio, having connected the tape recorder to a battery, record various sounds of the island: ocean waves, the wind, the sea against rocks, church bells, and other sounds of nature, including the heartbeat of Beatrice’s unborn child. When Mario delightedly cries “Pablito’s heart!”, Beatrice replies she will not call him by that name. Scene 9: The café, a few years later. Neruda and Matilde, returning to Cala di Sotto, anticipate a happy reunion with Mario. As they enter the café, a boy chases after a bouncing foosball. Beatrice calls the boy, who is named Pablito. Seeing Neruda and his wife, she sends the boy away to speak with them alone. Beatrice brings the news of Mario’s death. She recalls his happiness at her pregnancy, but also his awakening concern for injustice and the plight of the fishermen on the island. He was invited to read a poem at a Communist demonstration, an invitation he accepted over Beatrice’s reluctance. As Beatrice describes the tumult and violence of the demonstration, the scene is played out on stage as if on a newsreel. A speaker introduces Mario to the crowd; the people chant slogans opposing repression. As the police move in, Mario is trapped; a gunshot is heard and Mario falls. Neruda is devasted as Beatrice hands him a letter Mario wrote him. In the letter, heard in Mario’s voice, he tells Neruda of the tape he made of the sounds of the island. Mario confesses that when Neruda left the island, he felt that everything beautiful left with him in a poignant solo, “Mario’s Farewell” (Ex. 11). He adds that he has written a poem about the sea of Italy, though he is too embarrassed to include it in the letter. Mario concludes by expressing his gratitude for all that Neruda brought to his life as the curtain falls.

Ex. 11

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About the composer

Daniel Catán (1949-2011) was born in Mexico City. Originally trained as a pianist, he received an international education; studies in philosophy and music at the Universities of Sussex and Southampton culminated in a Ph.D. from Princeton University, where his teachers included Milton Babbitt. His published compositions include works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, voice and piano, as well as solo instrumental and choral music. He has also composed film and television scores. His chief interest, however, lay in the field of opera in which his expressed goal was to help create a Spanish tradition in international opera apart from the zarzuela repertoire. As a result, his stage works are landmarks in the history of Spanish-language opera. These include:

La hija de Rappaccini (Rappaccini’s daughter), 1989: the first Mexican opera to be produced in the United States by a professional company;

Florencia en el Amazonas (Florence in the Amazon), 1996, the first Spanish-language opera to be commissioned by a United States opera company; and

Salsipuedes: A Tale of Love, War and Anchovies, 1999, first produced by the Houston Grand Opera.

Florencia en el Amazonas has proven to be unusually successful for an opera written in the late twentieth century. With many productions to its credit, it can claim a growing place in the standard repertoire. At the time of his death, Catán was at work on an opera commissioned by the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin where he was a Visiting Professor. Entitled Meet John Doe, it remains unfinished. Catán’s awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Plácido Domingo award in recognition of his contributions to the field of music. Catán’s musical style is unapologetically conservative, with harmonic procedures and orchestral colors often compared to those of Puccini, Debussy and Richard Strauss. Upon his death, an obituary published in Opera News included the composer’s own assessment of his musical language for the stage: "I have inherited a very rich operatic tradition. In my work, I am proud to say, one can detect the enormous debt I owe to composers from Monteverdi to Alban Berg. But perhaps the greatest of my debts is having learnt that the originality of an opera need not involve the rejection of our tradition—which would be like blindly embracing the condition of an orphan—but rather the profound assimilation of it, so as to achieve the closest union between a text and its music."

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Historical Background

Il Postino is a fictional story about the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. It is adapted from two sources:

The novel Ardientes Paciencias (1985) by Chilean writer Antonio Skármeta; and

Il Postino (1994), an Oscar-winning film adaptation directed by Michael Radford Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) Born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto but known the world over by the pen name that became his legal name, Pablo Neruda achieved distinction as a Chilean diplomat, politician, and his country’s greatest poet. A prolific writer, there are some two dozen volumes of his poetry in print; notable collections include Canto General (1950), Odas Elementales (1954), Cien sonetos de amor (1959) and many others. Although translation to English is often said to be problematic, much of his output has been published in English. Veinte poemas de amor y una cancion desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and a Desperate Song), an early work first published in 1924, has sold millions of copies in many languages. It remains the best-selling poetry collection in Spanish. Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1971. Neruda’s diplomatic career began following a post in Rangoon, one he accepted out of financial necessity. After returning to Chile he took a succession of diplomatic posts in Brazil, Spain and the Dutch East Indies. It was during his time in Spain that Neruda, witness to the Spanish Civil War, had a political awakening. Franco’s execution of the writer Garcia Lorca was among the influences that led Neruda to embrace the radical Left and become an avowed Communist for the rest of his life. He not only praised figures like Lenin and Stalin, but wrote pro-Stalinist poetry, making him a controversial and divisive figure in political and literary circles alike. His election as a Senator of the Communist Party in 1945 began a period of turbulence climaxed by an arrest warrant issued in 1948. When the Communist Party was outlawed later that year, Neruda and his wife went underground, eventually escaping to Europe with the assistance of Pablo Picasso. This began a three-year period of exile during which Neruda traveled the world. His travels included a brief stay of the Isle of Capri off the Western coast of Italy, an event fictionalized in the film Il Postino and its operatic version. By 1952 the political scene had evolved in Chile with the nomination of Salvador Allende to run for President as the candidate of the Chilean Socialist Party, enabling Neruda to return to his homeland. The 1960’s simultaneously saw his popularity as a beloved poet reach its peak even as he became an even more notorious figure, particularly in the United States, whose actions in the Cuban Missile Crisis Neruda vehemently condemned. Initially denied entry into the U.S., the Johnson Administration reluctantly agreed to issue the poet a visa at the urging of literary

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figures including playwright Arthur Miller, thus allowing Neruda to attend an international conference. Neruda was nominated for the presidency of Chile in 1970 but preferred to lend his support to Allende. By 1973 Neruda, by then suffering from prostate cancer, saw Augusto Pinochet rise to power, thus ending his personal hopes for Chile’s future. Antonio Skármeta’s Ardientes Paciencias Like Pablo Neruda, the career of Antonio Skármeta (b. 1940) has involved both literature and diplomacy. The author of fifteen novels, he also served as Chile’s ambassador to Germany from 2000-2003. Born in Chile but of Croatian descent, Skármeta emigrated to West Germany upon the onset of Pinochet’s dictatorship in 1973, returning to Chile in 1989. He was awarded the National Literature Prize of Chile in 2014. Ardientes Paciencias weaves actual events of Neruda’s life with fictional elements in a short novel combining humor with pathos. The setting is Isla Negra, a coastal area of Chile where Neruda owned one of his homes; the time is 1969, when the poet was living in exile. Mario Jiménez, a teenager uninterested in the local industry of fishing, is hired to deliver mail to Neruda. Mario falls in love with Beatriz, a local barmaid whose protective mother Rosa proves a formidable obstacle to Mario’s amorous plans. Though ambivalent about his postman’s plight, Neruda gradually becomes Mario’s mentor in learning the language of poetry and summoning up the will to win Beatriz’s heart. The novel depicts the death of Neruda when he had returned to Isla Negra, his home surrounded by military personnel. Shortly after, Mario is taken in for questioning as a radio reports that the publication of “subversive magazines” has been halted by the government; the reader infers that he was imprisoned or killed. The title Ardientes Paciencias is a reference to Neruda’s acceptance speech upon winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, a portion of which is quoted here: Exactly one hundred years ago today, a poor and splendid poet, the most profoundly despairing of all, wrote this prophecy: “A l’aurore, armés d’une ardente patience, nous entrerons aux splendides villes.” (At dawn, armed with burning patience, we shall enter the splendid cities.) I believe in that prophecy of Rimbaud, the clairvoyant. I come from a faraway province in a country separated from all other countries in the world by its sharply defined geography. I was the most obscure poet and my poetry was regional, painful, and pluvial. But I always believed in mankind. I never lost hope. As a result, I have arrived here today with my poetry and my flag. To conclude, I wat to say to all men of good faith, by the workers, and to the poets, that the entire future was expressed by Rimbaud in that one sentence: only with burning patience shall we conquer the splendid city that will give light, justice, and dignity to all men. Thus poetry will not have sung in vain. Seen through the prism of this quote, the reader understands that Mario’s difficult and prolonged wooing of Beatriz, desiring her love intensely but facing the obstruction of her mother, is intended to be a metaphor for the pursuit of justice in Chile and the world at large; a pursuit as intensely desired as Mario’s. That he achieves it fleetingly, only to be taken down by

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hostile politics, likely mirrors the author’s summation of the ephemeral nature of achieving human justice. A film was made of Ardiente Paciencias in 1983, directed by Skármeta himself. Il Postino: the film Ardientes Paciencias was made into another film in 1994. Directed by Michael Radford and starring Massimo Troisi as Mario and Philippe Noiret as Neruda, the film achieved commercial success and won an Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score. Substantial changes were made in adapting Skármeta’s novel:

Setting: the action is transferred to the fictional island of Cala di Sotto off the coast of Italy. There is historical basis for this decision, as Pablo Neruda did spend some time on the Island of Capri during his period of exile, in addition to other locales. Cala di Sotto is clearly meant as a proxy for Capri. Mario Jiménez is now Mario Ruoppolo; Beatriz is now Beatrice Russo.

The time setting has been moved back several years from 1969 to approximately a decade earlier. Thus, Neruda’s death is omitted; when the poet returns to the island in the final scene, he is in perfect health.

Massimo Troisi was in critically poor health during filming, having opted to delay needed surgery to complete the job. His condition was so dire during the shoot that doubles were used whenever possible; he was unable to work more than an hour or two each day. He passed away from his ailment some twenty-four hours after the filming was finished. The dialogue is in Italian; this necessitated dubbing all of Noiret’s lines, as he was French and spoke little Italian. The film, intended as a light-hearted romantic comedy, downplays the Communism of Neruda and Mario. The omission of any reference to “ardientes paciencias” (see above) means that Mario’s “patient” pursuit of Beatrice loses the function of metaphor for the patient pursuit of human justice, instead being reduced to a simple love story. The creation of the opera Recognizing the operatic potential in the screenplay for the film Il Postino, Daniel Catán went to considerable lengths to acquire the rights to the material, traveling to Italy for meetings with the heirs to the estate of the late actor Massimo Troisi. The opera was commissioned by the Los Angeles Opera. The role of Pablo Neruda was created for tenor Plácido Domingo; with whom Catán consulted in crafting the vocal writing. Indeed, in the recording made of the opera, Domingo frequently sings lines that differ from the printed score, with the composer’s blessings. The libretto, adapted from the screenplay by the composer himself, follows the outline of the film rather than that of the novel. Just as in the film, there are quotations from actual

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poetry of Neruda, used by Mario to woo Beatrice. The opera, however, expands on this device by using particular poems as the basis for arias. Examples include:

Neruda’s aria “Desnudo” (Act 1, scene2), taken from Neruda’s “Sonnet XXVII” from 100 Love Sonnets.

Neruda’s aria “Aquí en la Isla” (Act 1, scene 5), taken from the poem “Oda al mar”. It is of interest to note that in the dialogue following the aria, Neruda and Mario discuss it only in terms of the rhythm of the words evincing the motion of the sea; the religious metaphors of the complete poem recognized by several commentators are not referred to. This is in keeping with the naïve character of Mario, who is new to poetic language and only capable of visceral reactions at this point in his journey.

The aria “Chile, la sangre de tus hijos” (Act 2, scene 7), adapted from “Elegía”, No. 26 in Neruda’s Canto General.

The quote “Tu sonrisa se extiende en tu rostro como mariposa” is from Neruda’s De Crepusculario a Las uvas y el tiempvol. 1 of his complete works.

In the wedding scene of Act 2, Neruda sings a song to honor Mario and Beatrice called “Para volar”. This text is a portion of a poem by Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío (1867-1916) called “Canción de carnaval”. Neruda appears to choose it because it uses the imagery of a butterfly, calling to mind the above quote, a key metaphor shared by Mario with Beatrice.

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Points of musical interest

The Prologue opens with the campaign song of Di Cosimo (see Ex. 1 above). In its folk-like tune, diatonic tonality and crude instrumentation, it calls to mind the street-band tradition of Italy. In this regard, Daniel Catán follows the example of Verdi, who often inserted band music of a popular, even vulgar style in his operas; examples include:

King Duncan’s processional music in Macbeth;

The band in the opening scene of Rigoletto at the Duke’s ball;

The ballroom music of Un ballo in Maschera;

And other works such as I Lombardi and Nabucco Verdi often employed such music for characterization: the vulgar tunes in Rigoletto match the low character of the Duke. They can also create irony, such as the Macbeth processional, the prosaic nature of which stands in contrast to the dark, brooding nature of Macbeth’s plotting. In a similar way, Di Cosimo’s sing-song propaganda tune signals his shallowness of character, to be revealed in his actions during the course of the opera. In a joint public appearance with Antonio Skármeta at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles in September, 2010, Catán stated that in writing vocal lines for Mario, he deliberately chose fragmented, halting phrases to suggest the inarticulateness of the character. The vocal writing evolves into more sustained, lyrical phrases as the character matures and develops. The music of Il Postino is firmly tonal at all times, though key signatures are used only when popular songs are being sung such as Di Cosimo’s jingle, the songs “Comprendo” and “Para volar”. The overall sonority is the result of secundal harmony: both major and minor seconds and, in inversion, sevenths. Act 1, scene 1 opens with a theme associated with Mario:

Ex. 12

In addition to the characteristic secundal sonorities, the theme has a gentle, wistful quality highly appropriate for Mario’s shy but aspirational character. A variation of the theme opens Act 1, scene 4, as Mario sorts Neruda’s mail. Other variations recur throughout, such as the in the orchestral accompaniment to the first love duet between Mario and Beatrice (Act 2, scene 3):

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Ex. 13

and in the third love duet (Act 2, scene 10) as well. The final appearance of the theme, in its original form, introduces “Mario’s Farewell” in the opera’s finale. Orchestration varies from colorful depictions of nature, including Neruda’s “Aquí en la Isla”, in which there is an impressionistic depiction of surging ocean movement, and the various natural phenomena recorded by Mario in Act 3. When accompanying voices, in contrast, the orchestral texture is often spare, playing staccato secundal chords in syncopated rhythm, thus lending a Latin tint to the texture. Even in Neruda’s arias, the prevailing harmonic scheme remains based in seconds and sevenths, as does much of the melodic motion of the vocal line. The range of Neruda’s role, being tailored for Domingo, is moderate in vocal range, never exceeding the G sharp below High C, or C6. In contrast, Mario, a younger character played by a younger artist, is assigned a range extending to the B natural below C6. The Romanza sung by Beatrice in Act 1, is an example of a stylistic anachronism. Beatrice is an Italian woman, yet the opening bars of her vocal line feature ornamentation of a distinctly Hispanic character (Ex. 16):

Ex. 14

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Preface TOSCA was written in Italian. The Virginia Opera will perform TOSCA in the original language, Italian, but an English translation will be projected on a screen above the stage. With these Supertitles, audiences can experience the beauty of opera in the original language, yet still understand the meaning of all that is being sung.

Objectives

1. To understand how opera, as an art form, reflects and comments on society and the world in which we live.

2. To develop an awareness of how the study of certain art forms such as opera can communicate ideas of the past and present.

3. To develop a basic understanding of what opera is. Students should be able to identify

the many elements (musical, visual, and dramatic) of an opera and understand how they work together to produce a unified, exciting, and emotional work.

4. To understand the process of adapting a story for the stage; what changes need to be

made and why. Incorporated in this objective is a basic understanding of what makes a good opera.

5. To know the basic plot/story line of TOSCA.

6. To understand how music serves as a mode of communication in opera and the effect

music has on characteristics and mood.

7. To develop some sense of appreciation for opera as a timeless art form that brings real characters, emotions, and situations to life.

8. To understand the working relationship between words and music in an opera. Students

should understand how a composer and librettist work together to create significant, dramatic, and unified meaning.

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What is opera anyway?

● An opera is a musical drama or comedy where the actors sing rather than speak their lines. Today opera singers are often referred to as “singing actors.”

● The word “opera” is the plural form of the Latin word opus, which means “a work of art”. We use the plural form because of the many different art forms that combine to create an operatic performance like singing, dancing, orchestral music, visual arts, acting, and more.

● An opera tells a story. It can come from many sources, including history, current events, religious texts, fairy tales, legends, literature, poetry, and mythology. Opera can be funny, scary, sad, dramatic, mysterious, imaginary, or a combination of all these things. Opera has something for everyone!

Opera is not alone! Opera is not the only type of classical vocal music. The other genres of classical vocal music, which use an operatic style of singing, are:

Oratorio

Cantata

Art song

Chamber vocal music

Orchestral song

An oratorio is a lot like an opera. It tells a story through song and is a large work comprised of solo arias, duets, trios, ensembles, etc., all accompanied by an orchestra. Unlike opera however, the stories for oratorios tend to stem from sacred (religious) sources, and there are no sets, props, or costumes. The choir generally plays an important role, and there is little interaction between the characters. A cantata is effectively a short oratorio, but it can also be secular. For example, the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a comic cantata about being addicted to coffee, appropriately entitled the Coffee Cantata. Art songs are musical settings of poems or other shorter texts for solo voice and piano that are not part of a staged work but performed instead in a concert or recital. Folksongs, spirituals, and other traditional songs are generally not considered art songs since they stem more from the popular music tradition than classical; however, if a composer arranges such a traditional song as a concert piece for voice and piano, it may be considered an art song. A group of art songs intended to be performed together as a set is called a song cycle. A similar work written for solo voice (or a small group of singers) and an instrument(s) other than piano is referred to as chamber vocal music. Songs that were originally written for voice with orchestral accompaniment are called orchestral songs.

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Opera terms Act - the main sections of a play or opera Aria - a song sung by only one person Bass - the lowest male singing voice Baritone - the middle range male singing voice, between tenor and bass Blocking - the actors’ movements on stage, determined during rehearsals by the stage director Character - the people in a story, also called a role or part Chorus - a group of singers who function as a unit onstage, representing townspeople, crowds, etc. Composer - a person who writes music Conductor - the person who leads the orchestra and is in charge of the musical interpretation of an opera Contralto - the lowest female voice Costume - the clothing a singer wears to portray a character Crew - group of people who operate behind the scenes, controlling the curtain, changing scenery, managing props, running sound effects, and more Duet - a song sung by 2 performers Ensemble - a musical passage sung by multiple characters, usually occurs at pivotal points in the drama or at the end of an act Libretto - literally means “little book” in Italian, the words to an opera Librettist - the person who writes the words to an opera (the libretto) Melody - a musically satisfying sequence of single notes Mezzo-soprano - the middle range female singing voice, between soprano and contralto Orchestra - a group of musicians who play together on various musical instruments Overture - the piece of music played by the orchestra at the beginning of an opera, often introduces music that will be heard later in the opera and sets the emotional tone for the audience Prop - an object used or brought onstage by the performers Quartet - a song sung by 4 performers Recitative - words that are sung in the rhythm of natural speech, similar to rap, and propel the story’s action forward Rehearsal - time when performers practice before a show, either with piano or the full orchestra Scene - segment of action within an act Score - written form of a musical composition, containing all instrumental and voice parts as well as any words Set - the scenery on stage which indicates where the action takes place Solo - only one voice singing at a time Soprano - the highest female voice Stage Director - the person who tells the performers where and how to move on stage and who determines the story’s interpretation and overall look or concept Supertitles - the meaning, in English, of the words in an opera projected on a small screen above the stage Tempo - the speed at which music is performed Tenor - the highest male voice Trio - a song sung by 3 performers

Vibrato - a naturally pulsating tone that wavers from slightly above to slightly below the actual musical pitch and has a rich, emotional quality

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Where did opera come from? Opera as an art form began with the inclusion of incidental music that was performed during the tragedies and comedies popular during ancient Greek times. The tradition of including music as an integral part of theatrical activities expanded in the Roman Empire and continued throughout the Middle Ages. Surviving examples of liturgical dramas and vernacular plays from the Medieval times show the use of music as an insignificant part of the action as do the vast mystery and morality plays of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Traditional view holds that the first completely sung musical drama (now recognized as opera) developed as a result of discussions held in Florence in the 1570s. An informal group of men, known as the Florentine Camerata, routinely got together to talk about music and the arts, and their meetings led to the musical setting of Rinuccini’s drama, Dafne, by composer Jacopo Peri in 1597. The work of such early Italian masters as Giulio Caccini and Claudio Monteverdi led to the development of a through-composed musical entertainment comprised of recitative sections which revealed the plot of the drama, followed by da capo arias which provided the soloist an opportunity to develop the emotions of the character. The function of the chorus in these early works mirrored the choruses found in Greek drama.

The new musical “form” was greeted favorably by the public and quickly became a popular source of entertainment. Opera has since flourished throughout the world as a vehicle for the expression of the full range of human emotions.

Italians claim the art form as their own, retaining dominance in the field through the death of famed composer Giacomo Puccini in 1924. Other Italian composers Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, and Leoncavallo developed the art form through clearly defined periods that produced opera buffa, opera seria, bel canto, and verismo. The Austrian composer Mozart also wrote operas in Italian and championed the singspiel (sing play), which combined the spoken word with music, a form also used by Beethoven in his only opera, Fidelio. Bizet (Carmen), Offenbach (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Gounod (Faust), and Meyerbeer (Les Huguenots) led adaptations by the French which ranged from opera comique to the grand, full-scale tragedie lyrique. German composers von Weber (Der Freischütz), Richard Strauss (Ariadne auf Naxos), and Wagner (Der Ring des Nibelungen) developed diverse forms from singspiel to through-composed spectacles unified through the use of the leitmotif. The English ballad opera, Spanish zarzuela, and Viennese operetta helped further establish opera as a form of entertainment throughout the world.

With the beginning of the 20th century, composers in America diverged from European traditions in order to focus on their own roots while exploring and developing the vast body of the country’s folk music and legends. Composers such as Aaron Copland, Douglas Moore, Carlisle Floyd, Howard Hanson, and Robert Ward have all crafted operas that have been presented throughout the world to great success. Today, composers John Adams, Philip Glass, John Corigliano, and Ricky Ian Gordon enjoy success both at home and abroad and are credited with the infusion of new life into an aging art form, which continues to evolve even as it approaches its fifth century.

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Why do opera singers sound like that? Singing in an opera is completely different from singing popular music, or what you hear on the radio. The style of singing in classical music developed along with the operatic art form, so people have been singing this way for hundreds of years. Some characteristics of a classical, or operatic, voice are:

● A large range (the ability to sing extremely high as well as extremely low) ● Breath control to sustain long musical phrases ● Strong resonance that projects over a full orchestra and into a large space without

amplification ● Varying levels of volume (the ability to sing both loudly and softly)

When a singer uses the above techniques most effectively, a natural “vibrato” occurs. This is the slight alteration of pitch that you hear when a singer sustains a note. It is caused by air (breath) passing through our voice box, or larynx, and generating vibration of the vocal folds, or cords, to create pitch. Therefore, even the straightest sound, if produced in a healthy way, still has some vibrato in it. For opera singers, vibrato serves several purposes, helping the voice stay in tune and carry over the orchestra as well as warming it up to sound more human, emotional, and visceral. String players liked the sound of vibrato so much that, in the 16th century, they adopted the technique as well.

How can I become an opera singer?

Is a singer “born” with natural talent or are their voices “trained”? Most voice professionals agree that, while innate talent must be present, most of what makes an operatic voice is learned through rigorous and on-going training. Each singer’s career path is different, but for many opera singers, it looks like this:

1. Begin learning general musicianship, often at a young age through piano lessons, choir, band, or other musical experience. Some singers might take private voice lessons as well.

2. Study music, vocal performance in particular, at the university level and earn a Bachelor’s of Music degree.

3. Continue studying intensely in graduate school, earning a Master’s of Music degree. 4. Begin working as a Young Artist (sometimes called Emerging Artist), the intern of the

opera world, singing in outreach programs, opera choruses, covering lead roles, performing smaller supporting roles, and anything else that offers experience.

a. Some singers go back to school at this point to earn their Doctorate of Music degree. With that, they can teach at the university level and/or continue their performing careers.

5. Transition from performing as a Young Artist to the Mainstage, singing leading or mainstage supporting roles.

However, it takes a lot more than just an excellent voice to become an opera singer!

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Opera singer must-haves

ACTING: Opera singers must become highly skilled actors in order to accurately portray their characters, sometimes even studying dance in order to have the best command of a stage.

STAMINA/ENDURANCE: Although few singers ever have to sing throughout an entire opera, many operas require main characters to be on stage for a substantial percentage of the show. Most operas last between 2 and 3 hours, with the longest being over 5 (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Wagner), so that’s a lot of singing, especially for the leads!

VOCAL AGILITY: Classical voices are often characterized as “lyric” or “coloratura”. Lyric voices possess a warmer tone that sounds best when singing longer, sustained, melodious phrases. Coloratura refers to fast, often high-pitched, elaborate singing involving trills, runs, and leaps, so a coloratura voice performs such vocal pyrotechnics with ease. However, all voices should have a considerable amount of vocal flexibility and agility in order to stay healthy.

PHYSICALITY: Physical appearance is increasingly important for opera singers today. Many opera companies are filming their productions and broadcasting on television and in cinemas, so singers must do even more to physically represent their characters.

HEALTH: Because opera singers’ instruments are their bodies, it is imperative for singers to stay healthy. Many opera singers exercise regularly and eat nutritious diets, even when traveling, to keep from becoming ill and having to cancel a performance.

LANGUAGES: Operas are performed across the world in all different languages, from Italian which originated the art form to English, Spanish, Russian, even Tagalog (the language spoken in the Philippines). Many singers are bi- or multi-lingual, and even if they are not fluent in more than their native language, they must learn to at least pronounce a variety of other languages. In formal classical schooling, English-speaking singers must take classes in French, Italian, and German at the minimum.

GOOD MEMORY: Opera singers have to be able to memorize hours of music in foreign languages (and of course know what each word means!), and the hundreds of moves as each opera is staged. Experienced singers memorize not just their parts, but those of others they are on stage with, so they can continue unaffected by someone else’s error.

BUSINESS & MARKETING SKILLS: Singers are paid only when they perform, so they have to learn how to plan and budget in a sustainable manner for their lifestyles. When they are not traveling, they may need to do additional work using other skills such as teaching voice lessons, singing in a paid church choir, working temporary office jobs, etc. Before reaching the highest levels of success, opera singers must also develop adequate marketing skills in order to promote their services and create a brand for themselves.

CONFIDENCE & RESILENCE: Singers travel a great deal and must leave their family and friends for long periods of time. Some opera companies begin rehearsals only two weeks before Opening Night, so singers must be adaptable and confident in their abilities, regardless of potentially stressful situations. Furthermore, because they are frequently traveling to new and unfamiliar places, singers must become skilled at navigating new cities, countries, and cultures in order to have a positive experience and get along with everyone involved in the production.

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How to make an opera

First, take a playwright and mix in a librettist to fashion the dramatic script, or a libretto, containing the words the actors sing. Next, combine text with music by introducing the librettist to the composer who then make sure the music and words work together to express the emotions revealed in the story. Following the completion of their work, the composer and librettist entrust their new opera to a conductor who, with a team of assistants (repetiteurs), assumes responsibility for the musical preparation of the work. The conductor collaborates with a stage director (responsible for the visual component) in order to bring a performance of the new piece to life on the stage. The stage director and conductor form the creative spearhead for the new composition while assembling a design team which will take charge of the actual physical production. Set designers, lighting designers, costume designers, wig and makeup designers and even choreographers must all be brought on board to participate in the creation of the new production. The set designer combines the skills of both an artist and an architect using blueprint plans to design the set which will reside on the stage, recreating the physical setting required by the storyline. These blueprints are turned over to a team of carpenters who are trained in the art of stage carpentry. Following the set’s construction, painters bring the set to life with paint, following instructions from the set designers’ original plans. As the set is assembled on stage, the lighting designer works with a team of electricians to throw light onto both the stage and the set in an atmospheric, as well as practical, way. Using specialized lighting instruments, colored gels, and a state of the art computer program, the designer works with the stage director to create a lighting plot by writing lighting cues which make lighting changes flow seamlessly during the performances. During this production period, the costume designer, in consultation with the stage director, has designed appropriate clothing for the singing actors to wear. These designs are fashioned into patterns and crafted by a team of highly skilled artisans called cutters, stitchers, and sewers. Each costume is specially made for each singer using individual measurements. The wig and makeup designer, working with the costume designer, design and create wigs and makeup to complement both the costume and the singer’s character as well as represent historically accurate fashions. As opening night approaches, rehearsals are held on the newly crafted set, combined with backstage crew, costumes, lights, and orchestra in order to ensure a cohesive performance that will be both dramatically and musically satisfying to the assembled audience.

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Jobs in opera The composer Richard Wagner coined the term, gesamtkunstwerk, or “total work of art”, in reference to opera for good reason. Opera combines all forms of art—music, theatre, dance, and visual art—in one entrancing package. That means it takes people with all kinds of talents and skills to make even one performance possible. Here are just some of the careers you could have in the opera world.

Pre-production Careers Pre-production begins with the composer and librettist creating the opera, and then the producer oversees and manages its realization.

Stage Director Artistic Director Technical Director Producer Composer Librettist Set/Scenic Designer Charge Artist Paint Crew Carpenter Electrician Costume Designer Lighting Designer Sound Designer Projection Designer Chorus Master Choreographer

Performing Careers

Opera Singer Orchestra Member Conductor Chorus Member Supernumerary Dancer

Backstage Careers

Stage Manager Wardrobe Supervisor Wig/Hair Artist Make-up Artist Props Master

Technical Theatre Careers The areas of technical theatre are scenery, lighting, props, costumes, and sound. They work together in a production to establish the place, time, and overall mood of the show.

Lighting Engineer Spotlight Operator Sound Engineer Run/Deck Crew Fly Rail Operator Projection Board Operator Stagehand

Front of House Careers The Front of House is the part of a performing venue that is open to the public—lobby, ticket booth, will-call window, auditorium, foyers, etc.

House Manager Box Office Manager Concessions Manager Usher Ticketing Agent Custodian

Staff/Administration Careers

General Director Artistic Administrator Production Human Resources Finance Marketing Development Education and Outreach Audience Services Facilities

Opera etiquette (in other words, how to behave at an opera) What to Wear Most people like to dress up when they go to the opera because it’s part of the fun! Although you can pretty much wear whatever you want, an evening at the opera is usually considered to be a special occasion. If you ever go to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, you will find audience members in everything from formal evening gowns (especially on opening nights) to jeans and a nice top. Be a Great Audience Performers feed off an audience’s energy, so being a good audience member is very important, not just at an opera but any live performance! Here are some tips for being a great audience member:

1. Watch and listen quietly but actively. 2. Keep your cell phones and other devices out of sight

and on silent or airplane mode. 3. Be sure to finish any drinks, food, or gum before

entering the theater. 4. Stay in your seat until the lights come on, indicating

an intermission or the end of the show. 5. Show your appreciation for the performers by

applauding at the best moments, for example: a. When the conductor takes the podium right

before the first music starts, b. After an aria, c. At the end of a scene, d. At the end of each act, e. During the bows at the end of the show, f. When everyone else is clapping.

BRAVO! At most opera houses, it is considered rude to whistle. Instead, to show appreciation for a singer, it is tradition to clap and shout, “Bravo!” This is a fun, easy-to-remember Italian word which means, “Great job!” or “Well done!” Be sure you say, “Brava!” for a woman performer and “Bravi!” for a group. If you really enjoyed the performance, you can also say, “Bravissimo!” (bravissima for women, bravissimi for a group), which means “Really well done.”

Discussion questions

1. Granted that Il Postino is a Spanish-language opera, does it have a Hispanic flavor in other respects? Which factor weighs more in its Hispanic nature: the style of the music, the nationality of the subject (Pablo Neruda); or the nationality of the composer? If Catán had written an opera about Abraham Lincoln, would it be a Hispanic opera? If a British composer were to compose an opera about a Mexican character set in Mexico, would that make it a Mexican opera? Why or why not?

2. Many composers have felt that solo arias in an opera should move the plot forward. To what extent do Pablo Neruda’s solos serve that function?

3. Skármeta set his novel in the 1960’s. Why do the subsequent film and operatic adaptations change the time setting to the 1950’s? How does this alter the focus of the story?

4. Which is Pablo Neruda’s most significant legacy: his love poetry or his political poetry? Explain your answer.

5. Why has Spain lagged behind Italy, Germany and France in establishing an operatic tradition? Consider linguistic, geographic and cultural factors in your response.

6. Can you think of an individual from Mexican history whose life would make a suitable subject for an opera? What factors make a person’s life a candidate for operatic treatment?

7. Many operatic tragedies feature death scenes; traditionally, these happen in live action as the climax of the narrative. Mario’s death happens in flashback. What, in your opinion, was the reason for choosing this device? Does it affect our perception of the death? If so, in what way?

8. The term “diagetic music” refers to music in an opera that the characters hear as music in their fictional world, as opposed to the continuous musical language of the rest of the opera. Identify examples of diagetic music in Il Postino.

9. Who is the main character of Il Postino: Neruda or Mario? Explain your answer. 10. The roles of Mario and Neruda are both written for the tenor voice. What factors

must be considered when casting artists for each? What differences in the characters might influence the kind of artist needed?

11. What elements of music, plot and character have contributed to lasting success of the great operas in music history? To what extent are such elements present in Il Postino?

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Virginia Opera extends sincere thanks to the Woodlands Retirement Community (Fairfax, VA) as the inaugural donor to Virginia Opera’s newest funding initiative, Adopt-A-School, by which corporate,

foundation, group and individual donors can help share the magic and beauty of live opera with underserved children.

For more information, contact Cecelia Schieve at cecelia.schieve@vaopera.org.