Europe’s Grandest Art
Growing up in Detroit, I was fortunate to be raised by two school teachers who were passionate about many things—one of which was sharing art and culture with their children. My parents purchased season tickets to the opera every year and I would happily get dressed up and sit in awe at these elaborate musical productions that are just a feast for the senses.
Our trip to Vienna made me nostalgic for those beautiful nights at the opera. The city has been a leading center for opera since the time of Mozart (who composed many of the art form’s greatest hits) and it’s still a proud part of the local identity. Staying just steps from the gorgeous State Opera House in the heart of the city, I was inspired to learn a bit more about it.
Opera literally means “work” in Italian. Considered a blend of all the arts—music, dance, poetry and painting—it was first developed in Florence in the late 16th century by a band of Renaissance thinkers who wanted a way to make the old Greek tragedies fresh and exciting.
The new art of musical storytelling quickly caught fire in the royal courts of Europe. By the early 1600s kings, princes and noblemen all across the land were busy outdoing each other with more and more extravagant shows and scores. It wasn’t long before the opera became ticketed entertainment.
Wherever you are in the world, I think a night at the opera is always a beautiful opportunity to get dressed up, escape into the story and experience a bit of magic and grandeur. If you’re like me then you like to know what you’re getting into—in which case we’ve got you covered. Read on to get a sense of what Europe’s grandest art is all about.
Operas Through the Ages
Orfeo ed Euridice
(Orpheus and Eurydice)
Italian
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Vienna, Austria, 1762
Le Nozze di Figaro
(The Marriage of Figaro)
Italian
Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart
Vienna, Austria, 1786
Fidelio
Italian
Ludwig van Beethoven
Vienna, Austria, 1805
Il Barbiere di Siviglia
(The Barber of Seville)
Italian
Gioachino Rossini
Rome, Italy, 1816
Guillaume Tell
(William Tell)
French
Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Rossini
Paris, France, 1829
Rigoletto
Italian
Giuseppe Verdi
Venice, Italy, 1851
Tristan und Isolde
German
Richard Wagner
Munich, Germany, 1865
Carmen
French
Georges Bizet
Paris, France, 1875
La Bohème
Italian
Giacomo Puccini
Turin, Italy, 1896
Madama Butterfly
Italian
Giacomo Puccini
Milan, Italy, 1904
Glorious operas have been penned in English, Spanish, Russian, Dutch and many other languages, but at the end of the day the majority of works (and certainly the most famous ones) are in Italian, German or French. Through the Baroque period, Italian opera was seen as the superior form (it originated in Florence after all). Even famous German composers of the era, like George Frideric Handel, wrote mostly Italian operas.
German opera regained prestige thanks to Classical period Austrian composers like Hadyn, Mozart and Beethoven, who wrote complex, beautiful operas in German. During the Romantic period Italian opera reigned supreme once again as the bel canto movement flourished under composers like Rossini, who would would travel to Paris to revamp the opera in 1823 and be received like a modern celebrity.
Yourself
The opera houses will tell you not to worry about what to wear—you won’t get kicked out if you show up in jeans. However we wouldn’t recommend it, as there is nothing more fabulous than dressing up for the opera. Though anything goes these days, a beautiful dress that rests around the knee is always de rigeur in our book. However if you want to play with a more dramatic, statement-making look, check out the Met’s fashion blog for inspiration.
First, turn off your cell phone. Talking and noise isn’t so appreciated at the opera as there’s typically no amplification. During the overture at the beginning, reverential silence is expected, but as singers and dancers take the stage cheers and applause are appropriate responses to an incredible performance. Just make sure you give the right Italian gender nouns: “brava!” for a woman, “bravo!” for a man and “bravi!” for everyone. Or, just whistle and clap.
The opera is all about treating yourself to a grand night, so we say make the most of the intermission. It’s time to get a glass of champagne, explore the opera house and mingle with friends in this glamorous setting.