Okay - I need help! and coffee!

[lesyeuxverts]

Right ... so, I would like a European city that has an old opera house and a large river. Details would be lovely, too ... if you know anything about the city, or the opera house, or you know, generally useful details. I'm not necessarily looking for "Oh, the ----- Opera House is on ---- Street, just between the bakery and the library," but more along the lines of details useful for writing, you know. Are the chandeliers absolutely fabulous, is it entirely red velvet and gilt, has it been restored, etc.

If you have any brilliant ideas of what opera(s) that I might choose, that would be fabulous as well. Simply fabulous ... oh, I do heart you muchly, darling flist.

Also, has the genealogy craze happened in Europe? If you want to trace your ancestors back to, I don't know, the 17th century, is it possible? How would you go about doing it?

While you are being so terribly helpful, can you interpret my strange results and do all of my experiments for today so that I can write? Pretty please? :)

Comments

[theentwife.insanejournal.com]

Budapest -- on the Danube. Lots of German operas there when I went a few years back, as well as Italian standard rep. (Vienna is just up the river -- you could use there too.) Wasn't able to get tickets, so no idea what the inside is like.

They also have a Gellert spa. ;)

What kind of an opera do you want? I need more info before I can do a rec. (Off the top of my head, I'd choose Die fliegende Hollander by Wagner, just because I like it. Or Boito's Mephistopheles, for similar reasons, if you want an Italian opera. If you want baroque opera, Handel's Acis and Galatea or anything by Monteverdi would suit too. Without knowing the reason or significance of the opera in the story, that's the best I can do.)


Persephone

[lesyeuxverts.insanejournal.com]

Budapest, hmm ... I never would have thought of that one, but there's an idea ... or Vienna, yes. It would be so useful to actually know something about geography, then I would know which cities are on rivers, yes.

I need an opera that is going to be deeply and spiritually meaningful, of course ... *snerk*. Well, something that would have been performed in the 17th/18th century, so sort of old, and something that has room for a female prima donna type singer, and a major role for a male singer as well. Something with a love story would be great, and something with betrayal would be even better ...

*blinks at list* ... No, I'm not at all demanding, not at all ... any old opera would be lovely, in fact. As long as it is old, and has singers in it. *g*

[theentwife.insanejournal.com]

Well, that certainly puts a number of limitations on available operas, since you're basicly talking baroque opera there, not really even Mozart from the timeframe you want. So you have a choice of Handel, Handel, Handel and . . . Handel. With a bit of Monteverdi and Purcell tossed on for garnish. Maybe some Rameau if you are feeling exotic.

Given your betrayal & love story requirements, I'd suggest Dido and Aeneas by Purcell. It also has the advantage of being in English and having a lovely lament by Dido when she realizes her betrayal. The male role isn't that major, compared to something like Handel's Rinaldo, but it's the one that comes to mind as the best fit for your requirements.


Persephone

[lesyeuxverts.insanejournal.com]

Ooooh ... this looks so freaking perfect, it's hard to believe ... wow. Thank you so much! This is amazing ... I'm really inspired to write now, yay! :D