2.0

credits

Average Course Rating

Bringing an Opera Aria to performance level requires a great deal of 'sleuthing', i.e. detective work. We are who we are in every day life simply by being a living, breathing ever-evolving human being. Our reactions, our personality are ever revealing themselves simply by interacting with the situations and people we encounter. Arias are, however, stories told in a moment in time, in a particular situation that is 'pre-scribed' by a librettist and composer. It is our challenge to find out what the intention of the creators was, what the message to deliver is and what experience brings us to this point. Research, dissection, pondering, in a sense, working backwards to understand the components of an aria will bring us to a point of delivering the message - hopefully - that the team had in mind. Vocal color, word stress, phrasing (both musical and literary) all contribute to a meaningful expression of a character's reaction to a particular situation at a point in time.