Italian All-in-One For Dummies (68 page)
Read Italian All-in-One For Dummies Online
Authors: Consumer Dummies
Suono il violino.
(
swoh
-noh eel vyoh-
lee
-noh.) (
I play the violin.
)
Dove suonate stasera?
(
doh
-veh swoh-
nah
-teh stah-
seh
-rah?) (
Where are you playing tonight?
)
Suoniamo al Blu Notte.
(swoh-
nyah
-moh ahl blooh
noht
-teh.) (
We play/We're playing at the Blu Notte.
)
Chi suona in famiglia?
(kee
swoh
-nah in fah-
mee
-lyah?) (
Who in your family plays?
)
Suonano tutti.
(
swoh
-nah-noh
tooht
-tee.) (
All of them play.
)
Exploring the world of Italian opera
If you go to Italy, you can catch an opera by Verdi, Puccini, or Rossini in wonderful theaters, such as Milan's
La Scala
(lah
skah
-lah), Naples's
San Carlo
(sahn
kahr
-loh), Venice's
La Fenice
(lah pheh-
nee
-cheh), and the theaters of Florence and Palermo. In the summer months, try to check out theater festivals (which include a wide variety of repertoires and venues citywide), like the famous Ravenna Festival. You can also see outdoor operas in Verona, at the old
Roman
Arena
(
roh
-mahn ah-
reh
-nah). Following are some phrases concerning performances:
la danza classica/moderna/contemporanea
(lah
dahn
-zah
klahs
-see-kah/moh-
dehr
-nah/kohn-tehm-poh-
rah
-neh-ah) (
classical/modern/contemporary dance
)
lo spettacolo
(loh speht-
tah
-koh-loh) (
the show; the performance
)
la prova generale pubblica
(lah
proh
-vah jeh-neh-
rah
-leh
poohb
-blee-kah) (
public dress rehearsal
)
la replica
(lah
reh
-plee-kah) (
repeat performance
)
il matinée
(eel mah-tee-
neh
) (
matinee
)
lo spettacolo pomeridiano
(loh speht-
tah
-koh-loh poh-meh-ree-
dyah
-noh) (
afternoon performance
)
Opera buffa
The
opera buffa
(
oh
-peh-rah
boohf
-fah) (
comic opera
) was developed in the 18th century in Naples, which was then one of the most important musical centers in Europe. Unlike in the
opera seria
(
oh
-peh-rah
seh
-riah) (
serious opera
) (see the next section), the
opera buffa
puts more emphasis on the action
sul palcoscenico
(soohl pahl-koh-
sheh
-nee-koh) (
on the stage
), which requires music to follow the changes of the dramatic action and
cantanti
(kahn-
tahn-
tee) (
singers
), who are also good
attori
(aht-
toh
-ree) (
actors
), to enhance performance.
Libretti
(lee-
breht
-tee) (
librettos
) are inspired by
commedia dell'arte
(kohm-
meh
-dyah dehl-
lahr
-teh) (
comedy of art
) and consist of simple plots, with some characters that use colloquial language â almost slang â with short, snappy sentences, onomatopoeia, and realistic effects, such as yawning, sneezing, and laughing. In the second half of the 18th century, comic opera reached the peak of its success with the collaboration of playwright Carlo Goldoni and composer Baldassare Galuppi.
 Master of Italian opera: Giuseppe Verdi
The man who revolutionized opera in the 19th century, Giuseppe Verdi, was born in Roncole, near Parma, on October 10, 1813. His
umili origini
(
ooh
-mee-lee oh-
ree
-jee-nee) (
humble origins
) (his father was an innkeeper and his mother, a spinner) make him an unlikely candidate for musical fame, but he found mentors who believed in his talent and helped him to pursue his passion.
His first opera,
Oberto,
was performed at La Scala in 1839 and proved
un successo
(oohn soohch-
chehs
-soh) (
a success
). It was soon followed by
capolavori
(kah-poh-lah-
voh
-ree) (
masterpieces
) such as
Il Nabucco,
the trilogy
Rigoletto, Trovatore, Traviata,
and the operas of his later years:
La forza del destino, Don Carlos, Aida, Otello,
and
Falstaff.
In the last years of his life, Verdi founded a retirement home in Milan for
musicisti
(mooh-see-
chee
-stee) (
musicians
), which is still active. He died on January 7, 1901.