Listening guides to musical works - Opera
Critical paths through music, text, and historical context
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
Il barbiere di Siviglia, listening guide
A listening guide to Gioachino Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. An analysis relating music, libretto, and historical context, showing how the opera constructs a theatrical mechanism based on rhythm, language, and the social function of the characters.
La cambiale di matrimonio, listening guide
A listening guide to Gioachino Rossini's La cambiale di matrimonio. An analysis relating music, libretto, and historical context, showing the farce as a political satire on the Bonaparte marriages and the relationship between Napoleon and Pius VII.
Ciro in Babilonia: The Patriots' Code
Decrypted analysis of Rossini's Ciro in Babilonia: an allegorical system where biblical drama masks Carbonari polemics against the temporal power of Rome and Pius VII.
Don Pasquale, listening guide
A listening guide to Gaetano Donizetti's Don Pasquale. A journey through music, libretto, and theatrical context that analyzes the opera as a comic system built on rhythm, character function, and scenic transformation.
L’equivoco stravagante, listening guide
A listening guide to Gioachino Rossini's L’equivoco stravagante. An analysis relating music, libretto, and political context, showing how the farce hides a satirical system linked to the relations between Napoleon and the papacy.
L’inganno felice, listening guide
A listening guide to Gioachino Rossini's L’inganno felice. An analysis relating libretto, music, and political context, showing the presence of an allegorical level linked to themes of power and secret societies.
Norma, listening guide
A listening guide to Vincenzo Bellini's Norma. A journey through music, libretto, and historical context showing how the opera constructs a conflict between power, religion, and the individual within the framework of Italian Romanticism.
La traviata, listening guide
A listening guide to Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata. A journey through music, libretto, and historical context, analyzing the opera not merely as a romantic drama, but as a theatrical and social construction of the Italian late nineteenth century.