Guest post by Michael Ching
I think every opera needs a piece early on that convinces the audience to stay engaged for the rest of it. Musical theatre has a strong tradition of an engaging opening number. It’s a little more flexible in opera, but I think even classical works have that piece, whether it’s Verdi’s “Libiamo” or Bizet’s “Habanera.” Coming after Puccini’s brilliant Gianni Schicchi, Buoso’s Ghost has a duet at the beginning. It’s sung by the young lovers, Lauretta and Rinuccio. It’s tonal and passionate and designed to keep the traditional opera audience from tuning out.
Here it is, sung by Sara Duchovnay and Kirk Dougherty as they prepare for the OperaDelaware and Baltimore Concert Opera production.
For more on Michael Ching, check out this interview with Baltimore Concert Opera.
In Tune blog 