The essence of drama, whether on the stage or on the page, is conflict. One common and enduring form of interpersonal conflict arises when one party to a love affair abruptly and unexpectedly ends the relationship, leaving behind a sense of confusion and betrayal. In this course, Operas of Love and Betrayal, we will look at some examples of this theme playing out in five famous operas of the 19th and 20th centuries.
We will view complete video performances of operas in a variety of styles written between 1831 and 1910 that explore this theme. The reactions of the abandoned party vary considerably. Their responses range from acceptance to murder to suicide. The settings of these operas cover and equally wide range–from Roman-occupied Gaul, to Vienna to, to Japan, to a Sicilian village, to contemporary Paris.
There are two additional posts to this site explore. One gives the class schedule with class dates, names of the opera to be viewed that day, and lists of performers. The third post provides descriptions of the five operas to be covered in this course.
