Seville, Grand City Of Opera

To many through out the world, even opera fans it may be difficult to think of Seville; the capital of Andalucía in Spain as a city of opera. After all, when it comes to great opera houses the cities that come to mind more readily are London, New York, Milan, Vienna, Paris and even Sydney; with its legendary opera house however Seville should not be ignored as a city of opera. For it is in this city where several of the greatest operas take place and I mean not in the sense that they are performed in Seville but the stories in their librettos were written about this most cultured city, also known for delightful Spanish folklore dancing and the pageantry of it religious ceremonious .

For instance the French opera “Carmen” by Bisset begins in Seville where we find the gypsy who lent her name to the opera working in a tobacco factory. It is in this factory that she meets “Don Jose”, the simple soldier who in a fit of jealousy would go on to kill the woman he claims to adore. Musically speaking however the opera “Carmen” can be considered Spanish in many ways as several of its arias are influenced by Andalusia’s melodies; such as its much played “Toreador” piece performed in the second act by “Escamillo”. The man with whom Carmen would go on to fall in love with though tragically theirs ended as did the opera.

Carmen however is not the only opera story that takes place in Seville, as it is in this city where two of Mozart’s greatest operas; “Figaro” and “Don Giovanni” are also held. “Figaro” being about a faithful servant who fights off attempts by his master (count Almaviva) to steal away the woman (Susana) he is engaged to be married to while “Don Giovanni” is based on the story known as “El Burlador De Sevilla” or simply “Don Juan”. Perhaps it was coincidence but the librettos to these two operas were written by “De Ponte” in what became part of “the trilogy” that also includes the opera “Cosi Fan Tutte” or “Everybody Does It”, which is the way I would translate that from Italian.

Beethoven though more known as a composer of symphonies, did not leave Seville out of his works as his only opera; “Fidelio” takes place in a prison found in the same city as the above mentioned operas. “Fidelio” being a political drama about a woman by the name of Leonora who passes herself for a man named Fidelio in order that she might sneak in to the jail where her husband is being held.

Of course in this argument what could be a clearer example of an opera story based in Seville; then Rossini’s “The Barber Of Seville” which in fact is the story that precedes Mozart’s “Marriage Of Figaro”, in the Beaumarchais trilogy that makes use of the same characters. As for “The Barber Of Seville”, it contains an aria which arguably could be called one of the most famous ever written which places Figaro here, Figaro there and Figaro just about everywhere. This aria being known to almost everybody, even by none opera fans; as it has been played in a number of cartoons though it is surprising how many people falsely accredit this piece as being from Mozart’s “Marriage Of Figaro”.

Verdi was without a doubt another great opera composer and he too felt the need to put a story about Seville in to music; which he did when he took the story of “La Forza Del Destino”, naturally based in Seville and made a grand opera out of it.

In conclusion I would say that though Paris, Rome and other large cities are not excluded from having opera librettos based in them it is Seville; the city in which the most opera stories take place. This perhaps given the gentle tranquility that can be felt by all those who should visit this grand city.