Historical Inaccuracies in Amadeus and Why we Love it Anyway

Anyone who has taken a music history class on Mozart should cringe at the multitude of unfair inaccuracies in the Oscar-winning film, Amadeus. F. Murray Abraham’s fantastic and convincing performance of the jealousy-deranged maestro, Salieri, must have made the Italian composer turn over in his grave. Yet, even for Mozart-lovers, the movie holds an allure, a somewhat exaggerated glimpse into the common life of a very uncommon man.

Sir Neville Merriner’s excellent conducting, Tom Hulce’s wonderfully immature and playful performance, the beautiful costumes and sets care of the untouched Enlightenment-era streets of Prague (in the native country of director, Milos Forman), and the need to believe that Mozart was a normal person with an unnatural gift, help even the most skeptical music experts find a place in their hearts for this unexpectedly successful blockbuster.

In a time when popular excitement for classical music was waning, Amadeus created the popular mania necessary to bring Mozart and many of his works back to the mainstream, and kept them there for long past the movie’s shining moment. Admittedly, Mozart was never a ‘lost’ composer, his popularity always outshined Bach’s and other composers of his caliber (Beethoven may be able to compete in popular recognition, although mostly due to his temperament, hearing impairment, and the ‘Ode to Joy’ as most people probably can’t recognize any other Beethoven tune). But before Amadeus, how many non-musicians on the street knew who Figaro was, or that he got married?

The world of music owes Milos Forman, Peter Shaffer, and Amadeus a debt of gratitude for bringing the amazing world that was Enlightenment in Vienna to the forefront of the public's imagination. Even Salieri owes gratitude for his emergence from the annals of music history to which he had retreated after his incredibly lucrative and well-admired career. Would his music even be at the bottom of the Discount LP bin, of not for his diabolical role in the popular play and film? Honestly, no.

Yet, just because the priest couldn’t recognize Salieri’s favorite tunes in the opening of the movie, don’t think that his tunes aren’t good. Let us begin with exhibit A – Salieri wasn’t actually a bad composer.

Generally ‘good’ and ‘bad’ composers are a matter of opinion. Take for instance, my assertion that Webern was a worthless ‘composer’ who substituted his lack of creativity with mathematic formulas, like any monkey could do, and should therefore be lost in the depths of music history with the thousands of composers who didn’t have anything original to say, who only mindlessly extrapolated on previously ingenious ideas to make a buck. Modern composition graduate students who beat pianos with sledge hammers and call it ‘music’ would probably disagree with such an assertion. C’est la vie.

Despite the digression, Salieri’s music was tuneful and sometimes interesting, which leads me to believe that it was decent, if not good. And if my opinion isn’t convincing enough, take the opinion of listeners of the time.

Throughout the movie, Forman implies that the charlatan inklings of the general public were responsible for the popular preference for Salieri over Mozart. While the exact knowledge and tastes of the Viennese public and Emperor Joseph II shall never be fully revealed, I like to believe that most people had the educations to inform their opinions, since members of the aristocracy were schooled in music at very young ages, as if it were math or language.

Now - the tidbit of history that Amadeus failed to mention which puts the competition between Mozart and Salieri in a new light.

Mozart lovers may be aware of a peculiar, short, one-act German opera by the composer about the dramas of a contemporary impresario and his mercurial singers, ‘Der Schauspieldirektor.’ What few people know is that the opera was actually written for a contest between Mozart and Salieri to be played out at a court entertainment commissioned by the Emperor. Both composers wrote versions of the one-act opera with different librettos but similar plots (Salieri’s was entitled, ‘Prima la musica e poi la parole,' ‘First the music and then the lyrics’) and premiered them on opposite sides of a room at Schonbrunn Palace. The audience was appointed to judge the contest and was to go to the side of the room featuring the opera and composer whose work they preferred. Salieri won the contest.

If you are not convinced that the audience was correct (As you may well not be…), feel free to check out a double recording of the operas and make the judgement for yourself (If you can find one- It may be easier this day and age to find a live performance of the two pieces as the recording I have is on an very old LP and has not been transferred to CD yet). I admit that Mozart's work is fun and playful, and was probably written in 10 minutes; But, the assertion that Salieri's music had no merit and that he continually and undeservedly snubbed Mozart throughout his career is unfair and innaccurate. If only a double recording was widely available you could judge the contest for yourself...

Just make sure that you don’t let the fact that Salieri murdered Mozart block your judgement.

Which leads to historical inaccuracy #2 - What was that about Salieri killing Mozart?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Intrigued?

Tune in tomorrow for installment #2 of historical inaccuracies in Amadeus and why we love it anyway.

NAME THE OPERA HOUSE!

In a tribute to the architectural wonders that represent humans' admiration and respect for opera throughout the past centuries, a weekly trivia contest has commenced.

This week's clue:
A bistrouchka is often spotted on the premises.

Join the fun and post your guesses!

YouTube and the Revitalization of The Great Operatic Masters

With the demise of great live opera, many opera aficionados have found themselves retreating to earlier performances. While finding recordings of old masters singing famous arias in the discount LP bin at Amoeba records can be a fun pastime, YouTube has revolutionized the availability of rare recordings, particularly film clips.

To demonstrate some of the gems that are available through the wonders of open-post websites, I have compiled a list of the 10 best Italian opera arias with details of some of the best (and rarest) free clips available. Most of these clips, if available at all previously, were confined to random intervals on the Arts network or occassional PBS compilation specials. Now, with the wonders of the internet taking the world forward, it is also easier to look back and appreciate the simple elegance and artistry of these operatic masters.

Top 10 Italian Opera Arias:

1. Iago's 'Credo' from Verdi's Otello performed by John Vickers. For the full effect see the excellent DVD production starring Vickers with Freni as Desdemona. For a quick fix check out Cappuccilli's Iago http://youtube.com/watch?v=a_hc8j8pdPc&search=iago%27s%20credo

2. 'Vissi D'Arte' from Puccini's Tosca performed by Maria Callas. Check out the famous 1964 Covent Garden performance of the aria and don't miss the clip of Scarpia's chilling death scene in Act II with Callas at her finest. http://youtube.com/results?search=callas+tosca&search_type=search_videos

3. 'Mi Chiamano Mimi' from Puccini's La Boheme is best performed by Anna Moffo. Listen to RCA's compilation of Moffo's famous arias, including 'Mi Chiamano Mimi' to fully appreciate the range of technical perfection that Moffo utilized along with her sometimes saucy and sometimes sweet, but always warm tone. This recording really gives the listener a feel for why this diva's voice could never fully be categorized (Coloratura? Lyric? Spinto?)http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001R3MX/103-4996369-9997426?v=glance&n=5174 For a visual of the second best performance, see Mirella Freni's Mimi at http://youtube.com/results?search=mi+chiamano+mimi&search_type=search_videos

4. 'E lucevan le stelle' from Puccini's Tosca performed by Franco Corelli or Giuseppe Di Stefano. Listen to Corelli as the quinessential doomed tenor: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000001MJ1/sr=1-1/qid=1153806026/ref=sr_1_1/103-4996369-9997426?ie=UTF8&s=music. For double the fun, see two different clips of Di Stefano's http://youtube.com/results?search=e+lucevan+le+stelle&search_type=search_videossearch=e+lucevan+le+stelle&search_type=search_videos

5. 'Casta Diva' from Bellini's Norma performed by Monserrat Caballe or Maria Callas. For a special treat and a direct comparison of Callas' and Caballe's Druid Divas, once again, check out the free clips on YouTube.com. Computer speakers, of course, don't do either's voice justice. However, the clip of a young Maria Callas singing the aria in concert at Opera Paris in 1958 (her Paris Opera debut, so YouTube claims) is truly stunning. And, is it possible that the young diva looks nervous? It's also an interesting example of how singers of that age dealt with standing in front of the audience during lengthy introductions and interludes. http://youtube.com/watch?v=Smg9hiU6rII

6. 'Chi il bel sogno di Doretta' from Puccini's La Rondine performed by Anna Moffo. To hear Moffo at her Lyric best, listen to this 'off the beaten path' Puccini aria, then listen to the whole under-appreciated opera. http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/7106660/a/Puccini:+La+Rondine+(Complete).htm Unfortunately, this aria is too obscure to even be on YouTube.

7. 'Salce, Salce' from Verdi's Otello performed by Kiri te Kanawa or Mirella Freni (I can't find a Moffo recording, although it would undoubtedly be stunning). To appreciate Te Kanawa's beautiful and most famous role as Desdemona, watch the rather famous DVD starring Placido Domingo http://secure2.ihwy.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&Product_ID=2346&DID=21 Domingo's Otello is stilted, but with Te Kanawa's Desdemona and Sergei Liefercus as a tantilizingly evil Iago, the overall production is quite nice. You can see a young, and surprisinly pretty Joan Sutherland perform the aria at http://youtube.com/results?search=willow+song%2C+verdi&search_type=search_videos .

8. 'Vesti la Giubba' from Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci performed by Beniamino Gigli. However, see the goldmine of great tenors, including Caruso, Del Monaco, Di Stefano, Lanza, Vickers, and Pavarotti performing the sad clown song. An absolute MUST SEE! http://youtube.com/results?search=vesti+la+giubba&search_type=search_videos

9. 'Una Furtiva Lagrima' from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore performed by Beniamino Gigli or Luciano Pavarotti. You can see the latter's at http://youtube.com/results?search=vesti+la+giubba&search_type=search_videos. And don't overlook the ancient Nicolai Gedda's 1983 recital of the song at one of the Met galas (still better than most modern tenors half his age).

10. 'Tu, che di gel sei cinta' from Puccini's Turandot performed by Anna Moffo. Unfortunately, YouTube didn't add any special insight to this choice, in a testament to the lack of filmed recordings of the opera pre-dating 1980 (a few in concert versions of 'Nessun Dorma' highlight some greate tenors, including Di Stefano and Del Monaco).

My Top 10 Sacred Pieces (Baroque and Later):

1. Mozart Great Mass in C Minor
2. Bach Matthaus-Passion
3. Puccini Messa di Gloria
4. Rachmaninoff Vespers (All Night Vigil)
5. Pergolesi Stabat Mater
6. Bach Cantata 51 ( Jauchzett Gott in allen Landen)
7. Mozart Vespers (Vesperae Solemnis de Confessore)
9. Mascagni Messa di Gloria
10. Mozart Requiem

In an effort to make the comparison between pieces within the vast category of 'Sacred Music,' I have limited the comparison to music written in a more or less modern notation and system (top 10 pre-baroque sacred pieces coming soon).

Some pieces, such as Mozart's Great Mass, are so innately moving, that even a bumbling conductor and bad singers can still create an adequate performance. However, most of these pieces are amazing as a whole, but can only be fully appreciated with a good performance. I should also note that Poulenc wrote a wealth of beautiful and unique sacred music which has been overlooked by my inexact knowledge and inability to choose which piece to include.

The Recitative and Aria of Bach's Cantata 51 are particularly expressive when performed by Teresa Stich-Randall, since Emma Kirkby's version, with John Elliot Gardner conducting the sterile orchestra, was described by the artist herself as 'too fast for her taste.' If you would like to listen to this beautiful piece of music, I suggest you hunt down Stich-Randall's version before listening to Kirkby's, since I became accustomed to the unreasonably fast tempo of Kirkby's and cannot fully appreciate Stich-Randall's expressiveness (her performance is a bit on the exaggerated slow side). You can hit two birds with one stone with the Accord label recording of Stich-Randall singing the Bach Cantata and Mozart's Exulate Jubilate, a joyous, fun, and beautiful sacred work for soprano and orchestra which would definitely make it to the top 20 list. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000004C9R/103-4996369-9997426?n=5174#moreAboutThisProduct


You MUST listen to a recording of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater performed by two women, rather than a soprano and countertenor as many of the 'period' performance gurus have preferred. Countertenors, while occassionally an interesting modern phenomenon, mostly notable due to their good imitation of mezzos (Brian Asawa comes to mind), are completely rediculous in the context of the Stabat Mater. Firstly, recent scholarship has asserted that the restrictive Catholic church allowed that particular piece to be performed by two women because of the feminine subject-matter. Secondly, even if one was aiming at historical accuracy, a castrato is NOT a countertenor!

For those who may not be aware, a countertenor is a man, a fully-developed man, with all the parts intact, singing in a well-trained falsetto. A castrato, as the name implies, was a male singer who was castrated before puberty, who, according to historical descriptions, had a woman's sound with a man's strength. Given that the practice of castrating musically-gifted boys was widespread, reason would indicate that the sound produced by those singers was different than men simply singing high (or else the horrific and messy procedure would have surely been deemed unnecessary). Therefore, while I am in support of seeking out historically accurate performance for the sake of academia, I think that Countertenors in particular are a bizarre modern imitation of a sound that many period musicians can only imagine. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castrato)

The Rachmaninoff Vespers are moving not only because of Rachmaninoff's mastery as a composer, but also because of the context in which they were written and premiered. Rachmaninoff took the Eastern Orthodox chants and transformed them into a modern masterpiece, on the eve of the Communist revolution. They can be seen as one of the last great sacred pieces of the Russian Choral tradition, as well as the requiem to all that was old Russia. For the most moving recording of this work, you must listen to a Russian chorus, in order to avoid a bad, non-russian-speaking imitation of Star Trek's Pavel Chekov's or Mikhail Gorbachev's accent. For a good recording see: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000001HC5/103-4996369-9997426?v=glance&n=5174

Finally, if you have never really enjoyed the baroque invention for clavier genre, you can learn exactly why Bach is considered such a master with his greatest, most moving Passion- the Passion of St. Matthew. As always, a classic mid-20th century performance puts modern period performances to shame; with Otto Klemperer conducting, and an all-star cast including Fischer-Dieskau, Schwartzkopf, Gedda, and Ludwig (make sure to listen to the heart-wrenching 'Erbarme dich' which features a beautiful contrapuntal duet between Ludwig and the oboe).
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1658396/a/Bach:+St+Matthew+Passion+/+Klemperer,+Pears,+Ludwig,+et+al.htm

Linda Rondstat -

A Coloratura Soprano Who Sings Real High

&

The Downfall of Opera As We Know It

-A Reflection on the Changing World of Opera and Crossover Singers and its Implications on the Future of Opera as an Art Form-

While listening to an interview with Linda Rondstat on KQED (NPR in the SF Bay Area) http://www.kqed.org/radio/ (See the Archives for 'Forum' on July 19, 2006) my frustrations with all that is wrong with the opera world came to a head.

With assertions that "I'm a coloratura" and "Whenever I hum La Boheme to myself I think of the words in Italian" the ordinary listener may think, "wow, I didn't know that 80's pop singer had such a range of talent. "Indeed, the host of the program even commented on Linda's range of talents as they played excepts from her new 'Cajun' music album.

As I felt my years of classical voice technique, as well as the studying of Mozart's inner struggles with the father figure, the nuances of the difference between open E and closed E in German diction, and exactly what is so special about the Tristan chord, begin to grow into a giant ball of hatred for all that is the modern 'cross-over' singer (Sarah Brightman, anyone?), Linda continued to demonstrate her vast knowledge of classical music through statements like "the 18th century Bel Canto style, that was more an 18th century style, you know, was different from the 19th century style where the tenors just belted out the high notes."

These brilliant statements followed her 'amusing' tale of performing in a pop version of 'La Boheme' because the director of the production thought that it was intended to reach out to the common man by being performed by Bohemian 'street performers.' Would these be the highly trained Italian opera star 'street performers' that Puccini hand chose to perform the premier? Did he just drag some pimps and whores and artists out of the brothels of Florence for that authentic 19th century Parisian feel? (Answer: NO)

But perhaps I was more bothered by the fact that apparently, in the late 1990's, millionaire cross-over pop singers were considered closer to 'common street performers' than the opera singers who got paid pittances to perform 'Norma' in high school gymnasiums in Boise, Idaho after receiving their Masters in opera from the Curtis Institute and studying technique and interpretation from old operatic masters while they wasted away in back alley apartments in Milan and Paris.

Beyond Linda's inexact knowledge of music history (Bel Canto = 19th Century, Bellini anyone? PS Kids - 19th century does not equal 1900s!!!!) what most irritated me was her nonchalant assertion that all of the chorus girls in her first broadway production were trained singers who "knew stage right from stage left." While Linda, the little pop-princess, had to be assigned an emergency voice teacher because the self-proclaimed 'non-trained Coloratura who could sing high,' couldn't get it together for a broadway production. And that was Broadway! While her minimum-wage chorus girls probably had Masters degrees in dance from NYU and voice degrees from Julliard.

But this brings me to a larger point, a more problematic complaint that plagues the future of opera, indeed, the survival of the art form itself.

Crossover singers have always ruffled the feathers of the establishment (Mario Lanza comes to mind), but they have never been as rampant and obnoxiously cheesy as today. I may start carrying around a compilation of Callas as Tosca, Moffo as Mimi, and Corelli as Radamus to hand to the next person who says, 'Oh, you sing opera? I love Charlotte Church.' Instead of politely smiling and backing away to avoid a conversation about what I think of Charlotte Church or Sarah Brightman or Andrea Boccelli (to quote the American Record guide after his La Boheme recording, 'who is this guy? and who let him perform in an opera, let alone, record one?'), I will throw the CD at them. 'Here! Listen! Learn! This is what opera is!'

However, the real problem is not the cross-over singers themselves, merely taking advantage of an available niche and squeezing out as many PBS specials and ensuing record contracts as they can. The real problem is the apparent need for the existence of crossover singers to keep the general public interested in this dying art form.

What is so wrong with the music world today that requires a whole genre of untrained, passaggio-frightened singers belting out arias in the wrong keys to synthesizers? As an optimist, I would hope that Puccini's amazingly melodic and emotional music would strike a chord with any listener, no matter how badly butchered by the singer. The music itself does carry some sort of innate emotional pull, how else would Michael Bolton have gotten anyone to listen to, let alone buy, his monstrous album of butchered Italian opera favorites? Yet, the truth seems to be that the modern opera singers are generally so unpleasant to listen to that the general public flocks to crossover singers as a compromise. Take the following scenario:

Unknowing member of public:
"I'll listen to this opera song and feel really smart and educated."
Queue Beverly Sills or Cathleen Battle for 20 seconds.
"Wow, opera sucks."
1 week later while channel surfing.
Josh Grobin : "O sole miiii-oooo"
"Wow, opera is great! I'm not uncouth! I'm gonna go buy those $120 tickets to Josh Grobin at the Amphitheatre. Then I can tell my friends how I went to see an opera and they'll be super-impressed."

Now, I'm picking on Cathleen Battle and Beverly Sills because they are two of the better-known terrible singers whose vibratos are so completely out of control that it is often difficult to tell what note they are on. They epitomize a serious problem that apparently appeals to most of the casting directors at the major companies. At a production of 'Hansel and Gretel' at SF Opera a few years ago, Gretel's vibrato was so out of control that when she approached high notes, she aimed for about a 3 note range and managed to hit the note somewhere within her ridiculously wide vibrato. In an even sadder incident at the same SF Opera House, a haggard Carol Van Ness (who was never that great, but was tolerable), screeched out such a horrendous Tosca that many audience members could have believed that Tosca was dying throughout the entire opera, not just when she jumped off the roof of the opera house. In fact, that production was so terrible, that many of my very open-minded music professors actually left in the middle, unable to handle another 2 hours of proof of why Carol should have retired 10 years ago in a blaze of glory.

What truly concerns me about the whole situation is that these terrible singers are not chosen out of a lack of good singers. Bad tenors I can excuse, with the growing reputation of singing as 'gay' among 12 year old boys, it's no wonder that recruitment for young male singers, particularly the rare tenor voice types, makes finding a tenor who can sing Tristan or Lindoro an unenviable chore. But there are literally thousands of amazing sopranos and mezzos with beautiful, expressive voices who are finding themselves either pursuing pointless 'artists diplomas' after already receiving masters degrees, just to keep studying at conservatories to make connections, or traveling from state to state, singing whatever they can get, just to pay the bills. While the main opera houses are struggling against talentless philistines like Sarah Brightman who sells out 5000-seat arenas, the impresarios are scratching their heads, asking, 'why won't anyone come?' The answer: Get good singers!

If Elizabeth Schwartzkopf or Lily Pons auditioned today, they would be laughed onto the street. And indeed, many of the pleasant modern singers have landed in the world of art songs, take Barbara Bonney and Elly Ameling, where their pleasant voices can be appreciated by the indoctrinated art song aficionados. But what happened to those great singers of old, who sounded like real, individual people, and who put their hearts and souls up on display? I challenge Renee Fleming in all of her technical perfection to reach even a fraction of Maria Callas' raw passion in Tosca. Even as Callas reached the end of her career with her course and hardened voice, the pure emotion was unmistakable. And, apparently, un-reproducible. Lost to history and only available through LPs and old films.

And what of the future of this art form in the twilight of its life?

As the public steers toward the hybrid pop-opera and opera buffs retreat to their LP basements and the masters of old, and impresarios scratch their heads about the lack of public excitement as they cast another Julliard drone who sounds like the last Julliard drone, and the Julliard drone before that, all I have to wonder is...

How did it come to this?

This is day one. Let's start with a list of my favorite pieces of music. This differs by instrumentation, style, period in the composer's life, performers and conducters, etc.

For example, Korngold can have some of the most beautiful, heat-wrenching music with completely bizarre key changes and tone colors (think the Drei Lieder or the famous Violin Concerto) and then he can do some very generic sounding movie music (like the Sea Hawk, often quoted as a great movie score, but in my opinion, not comparable to some of his symphonic or chamber works).

'Mi Chiamano Mimi' is one of the most beautiful soprano arias, with Puccini's simple elegance and beauty, and when performed by Anna Moffo or Mirella Freni, it emanated the beauty that Puccini infused it with. However, get a recording of Beverly Sills singing it, and you'll suddenly wonder why this Puccini guy is so popular and how anyone could listen to a whole opera. Truly, bad singers, performers, and conductors will be the downfall of 'classical' music, as it has already begun with opera. Remember the days of the weekly Met broadcasts on NPR, when thousands of people would tune in around the country to hear a live production at the Met. Why did it stop? the real answer is that the singers, orchestra, and conductors, were so bad that even opera buffs couldn't stand to listen to it anymore. And if you've lost the opera buffs, the chances of convincing the skeptical public to become interested in this expensive and dying art form are next to nil.

To begin, here's a list to demonstrate my general tastes in music. Mostly Late Romantic Era music dripping with emotion, vibrato, and portomento (when done correctly). If you would make a list including Webern and John Cage, you may not want to read on.

My Top 10 Pieces of Music (Very general, apples to oranges comparison, I know):

1. Korngold Violin Concerto
2. Rachmaninoff Prelude on a Tune by Paganini
3. Iago's Credo from Verdi's 'Otello'
4. 'Erbarme Dich' from Bach's 'Saint Mathew Passion'
5. The Brachieras Brazilianas by Villa-Lobos (performed by Anna Moffo)
6. Ravel Piano Concerto
7. 'Mi Chiamano Mimi' from Puccini's 'La Boheme'
8. 'Gretchen Am Spinnrade' by Schubert
9. Poulenc's 'C'
10. Rachmaninoff's Vocalise