1.
Album
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Album, is a collection of audio recordings issued as a single item on CD, record, audio tape, or another medium. Albums of recorded music were developed in the early 20th century, first as books of individual 78rpm records, vinyl LPs are still issued, though in the 21st century album sales have mostly focused on compact disc and MP3 formats. The audio cassette was a format used from the late 1970s through to the 1990s alongside vinyl, an album may be recorded in a recording studio, in a concert venue, at home, in the field, or a mix of places. Recording may take a few hours to years to complete, usually in several takes with different parts recorded separately. Recordings that are done in one take without overdubbing are termed live, the majority of studio recordings contain an abundance of editing, sound effects, voice adjustments, etc. With modern recording technology, musicians can be recorded in separate rooms or at times while listening to the other parts using headphones. Album covers and liner notes are used, and sometimes additional information is provided, such as analysis of the recording, historically, the term album was applied to a collection of various items housed in a book format. In musical usage the word was used for collections of pieces of printed music from the early nineteenth century. Later, collections of related 78rpm records were bundled in book-like albums, the LP record, or 33 1⁄3 rpm microgroove vinyl record, is a gramophone record format introduced by Columbia Records in 1948. It was adopted by the industry as a standard format for the album. Apart from relatively minor refinements and the important later addition of stereophonic sound capability, the term album had been carried forward from the early nineteenth century when it had been used for collections of short pieces of music. Later, collections of related 78rpm records were bundled in book-like albums, as part of a trend of shifting sales in the music industry, some commenters have declared that the early 21st century experienced the death of the album. Sometimes shorter albums are referred to as mini-albums or EPs, Albums such as Tubular Bells, Amarok, Hergest Ridge by Mike Oldfield, and Yess Close to the Edge, include fewer than four tracks. There are no rules against artists such as Pinhead Gunpowder referring to their own releases under thirty minutes as albums. These are known as box sets, material is stored on an album in sections termed tracks, normally 11 or 12 tracks. A music track is a song or instrumental recording. The term is associated with popular music where separate tracks are known as album tracks. When vinyl records were the medium for audio recordings a track could be identified visually from the grooves
2.
Andrea Bocelli
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Andrea Bocelli, OMRI, OMDSM is an Italian classical crossover tenor, recording artist, and singer-songwriter. Born with poor eyesight, Bocelli became permanently blind at the age of 12, Bocelli has recorded fifteen solo studio albums, of both pop and classical music, three greatest hits albums, and nine complete operas, selling over 80 million records worldwide. He has had success as a crossover performer bringing classical music to the top of international pop charts, in 1998, Bocelli was named one of Peoples 50 Most Beautiful People. In 1999, Bocelli was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, the Prayer, his duet with Celine Dion for the animated film Quest for Camelot, won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category. Seven of his albums have reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200. The single went on to sell twelve million copies worldwide. Bocelli was born to Alessandro and Edi Bocelli, doctors had advised Bocellis parents to abort Bocelli before birth as they predicted, based on studies, that Bocelli would be born with a disability. The Bocellis declined and gave birth to Andrea and it was evident at birth that Bocelli had numerous problems with his sight, and after visits to many doctors, he was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma. Bocelli has stated that his mothers decision to give birth to him and overrule the doctors advice was the inspiration for him to hold a pro-life view towards abortion. Bocelli grew up on his familys farm, where they sold farm machinery and made wine in the village of La Sterza. Bocellis mother and younger brother Alberto still live in the family home, as a young boy, Bocelli showed a great passion for music. His mother has said music was the only thing that would comfort him. At the age of 6, Bocelli started piano lessons, and later, also learned to play the flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar and drums. Then, when his nanny, Oriana, gave him the first record of Franco Corelli, Bocelli began to show interest in pursuing the career of a tenor, by seven, he was able to recognize the famous voices of the time and tried to emulate the great interpreters. At the age of 12, Bocelli lost his sight completely following an accident during a football game and he was hit in the eye playing goalkeeper during a match and suffered a brain hemorrhage. Doctors resorted to leeches in an effort to save his sight, but they were unsuccessful. Bocelli also spent time singing during his childhood and he gave his first concert in a small village not far from where he was born. At the age of 14, Bocelli won his first song competition, after finishing secondary school in 1980, he studied law at the University of Pisa
3.
Classical music
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Classical music is art music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western music, including both liturgical and secular music. The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common-practice period, Western staff notation is used by composers to indicate to the performer the pitches, tempo, meter and rhythms for a piece of music. This can leave less room for such as improvisation and ad libitum ornamentation. The term classical music did not appear until the early 19th century, the earliest reference to classical music recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary is from about 1836. This score typically determines details of rhythm, pitch, and, the written quality of the music has enabled a high level of complexity within them, J. S. The use of written notation also preserves a record of the works, Musical notation enables 2000s-era performers to sing a choral work from the 1300s Renaissance era or a 1700s Baroque concerto with many of the features of the music being reproduced. That said, the score does not provide complete and exact instructions on how to perform a historical work, even if the tempo is written with an Italian instruction, we do not know exactly how fast the piece should be played. Bach was particularly noted for his complex improvisations, during the Classical era, the composer-performer Mozart was noted for his ability to improvise melodies in different styles. During the Classical era, some virtuoso soloists would improvise the cadenza sections of a concerto, during the Romantic era, Beethoven would improvise at the piano. The instruments currently used in most classical music were largely invented before the mid-19th century and they consist of the instruments found in an orchestra or in a concert band, together with several other solo instruments. The symphony orchestra is the most widely known medium for music and includes members of the string, woodwind, brass. The concert band consists of members of the woodwind, brass and it generally has a larger variety and number of woodwind and brass instruments than the orchestra but does not have a string section. However, many bands use a double bass. Many of the used to perform medieval music still exist. Medieval instruments included the flute, the recorder and plucked string instruments like the lute. As well, early versions of the organ, fiddle, Medieval instruments in Europe had most commonly been used singly, often self accompanied with a drone note, or occasionally in parts. From at least as early as the 13th century through the 15th century there was a division of instruments into haut, during the earlier medieval period, the vocal music from the liturgical genre, predominantly Gregorian chant, was monophonic, using a single, unaccompanied vocal melody line. Polyphonic vocal genres, which used multiple independent vocal melodies, began to develop during the medieval era, becoming prevalent by the later 13th
4.
Opera
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Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. In traditional opera, singers do two types of singing, recitative, a style and arias, a more melodic style. Opera incorporates many of the elements of theatre, such as acting, scenery. The performance is given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble. Opera is a key part of the Western classical music tradition, in the 18th century, Italian opera continued to dominate most of Europe, attracting foreign composers such as George Frideric Handel. Opera seria was the most prestigious form of Italian opera, until Christoph Willibald Gluck reacted against its artificiality with his operas in the 1760s. The first third of the 19th century saw the point of the bel canto style, with Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti. It also saw the advent of Grand Opera typified by the works of Auber and Meyerbeer, the mid-to-late 19th century was a golden age of opera, led and dominated by Richard Wagner in Germany and Giuseppe Verdi in Italy. The popularity of opera continued through the era in Italy and contemporary French opera through to Giacomo Puccini. During the 19th century, parallel operatic traditions emerged in central and eastern Europe, the 20th century saw many experiments with modern styles, such as atonality and serialism, Neoclassicism, and Minimalism. With the rise of recording technology, singers such as Enrico Caruso, since the invention of radio and television, operas were also performed on these mediums. Beginning in 2006, a number of opera houses began to present live high-definition video transmissions of their performances in cinemas all over the world. In 2009, an opera company offered a download of a complete performance. The words of an opera are known as the libretto, some composers, notably Wagner, have written their own libretti, others have worked in close collaboration with their librettists, e. g. Mozart with Lorenzo Da Ponte. Vocal duets, trios and other ensembles often occur, and choruses are used to comment on the action, in some forms of opera, such as singspiel, opéra comique, operetta, and semi-opera, the recitative is mostly replaced by spoken dialogue. Melodic or semi-melodic passages occurring in the midst of, or instead of, the terminology of the various kinds of operatic voices is described in detail below. Over the 18th century, arias were accompanied by the orchestra. Subsequent composers have tended to follow Wagners example, though some, the changing role of the orchestra in opera is described in more detail below
5.
Philips Records
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Not to be confused with Phillips International Records. Philips Records is a label that was founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. In 1946 Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Deccas Dutch outlet in Amsterdam, the record label was started by Philips Phonographische Industrie in June 1950 when it began issuing classical recordings. Recordings were also made with artists of various nationalities and with classical artists from Germany, France. Launched under the slogan Records of the Century, the first releases in Britain appeared at the beginning of January 1953 on 1078 rpm discs, Philips also distributed recordings made by the Columbia Records in the UK and on the European continent. After the separation of the English Columbia label and American Columbia, the first single on the label to chart was Frankie Laines I Believe, which reached the No.1 chart position in the UK that April. Many of the first British recordings on the label were produced by Norman Newell until John Franz was appointed artists, in 1958 Philips created a subsidiary label, Fontana Records, which meant that American-Columbia recordings were being issued on both the Philips and Fontana labels. This arrangement lasted until April 1962 when, under pressure from Columbia in America, Philips then created a label for them. In late 1964, under the stewardship of U. S. President of Columbia Records Goddard Lieberson, CBS Records formed its own international operations, CBS Records set up their UK operation in Theobalds Road in Holborn. Singles and albums on the Philips and Fontana labels by Columbia-owned product were subsequently withdrawn, in 1962, Philips Records and Deutsche Grammophon formed the Grammophon-Philips Group joint venture, which later became PolyGram in 1972. UK pressings were manufactured at the large factory based at Walthamstow in N. E. In 1961, after Philips lost its North American distribution deal with Columbia Records, a year later, Philips US affiliate Consolidated Electronics Industries Corp. bought Mercury and its subsidiary labels, such as Smash. Philips classical, jazz and pop records were marketed by Mercury in the US under the Philips label, the Mercury Living Presence team also made classical recordings for Philips, in July 1961. 69 for cello and piano by Richter and Rostropovich, classical groups that Philips heavily recorded included the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Beaux Arts Trio, and the Quartetto Italiano. Violinist Arthur Grumiaux and the pianist Claudio Arrau were under contract to Philips, symphony orchestras under contract, including the LSO, were under the command of prestigious young conductors such as Colin Davis and Bernard Haitink. From 1961 until the late 1980s, Philips Records issued many classical titles in US-specific packaging, the records were pressed at Mercurys plant in Richmond, Indiana, and mastered in New York by George Piros at Fine Recording, using 2-track and mono master tapes provided by Philips. These releases were the PHS900 xxx series for stereo and the 500 xxx series for mono, clair Van Ausdal in Mercurys New York office oversaw the Philips classical US releases through the mid-1960s. These records were made through Mercurys existing jazz operations and produced by Jack Tracy, in addition to jazz and classical music, Philips also became a major player in the world of rock and pop music in the late 1950s till late 1970s
6.
Record producer
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A record producer or music producer oversees and manages the sound recording and production of a band or performers music, which may range from recording one song to recording a lengthy concept album. A producer has many roles during the recording process, the roles of a producer vary. The producer may perform these roles himself, or help select the engineer, the producer may also pay session musicians and engineers and ensure that the entire project is completed within the record companies budget. A record producer or music producer has a broad role in overseeing and managing the recording. Producers also often take on an entrepreneurial role, with responsibility for the budget, schedules, contracts. In the 2010s, the industry has two kinds of producers with different roles, executive producer and music producer. Executive producers oversee project finances while music producers oversee the process of recording songs or albums. In most cases the producer is also a competent arranger, composer. The producer will also liaise with the engineer who concentrates on the technical aspects of recording. Noted producer Phil Ek described his role as the person who creatively guides or directs the process of making a record, indeed, in Bollywood music, the designation actually is music director. The music producers job is to create, shape, and mold a piece of music, at the beginning of record industry, producer role was technically limited to record, in one shot, artists performing live. The role of producers changed progressively over the 1950s and 1960s due to technological developments, the development of multitrack recording caused a major change in the recording process. Before multitracking, all the elements of a song had to be performed simultaneously, all of these singers and musicians had to be assembled in a large studio and the performance had to be recorded. As well, for a song that used 20 instruments, it was no longer necessary to get all the players in the studio at the same time. Examples include the rock sound effects of the 1960s, e. g. playing back the sound of recorded instruments backwards or clanging the tape to produce unique sound effects. These new instruments were electric or electronic, and thus they used instrument amplifiers, new technologies like multitracking changed the goal of recording, A producer could blend together multiple takes and edit together different sections to create the desired sound. For example, in jazz fusion Bandleader-composer Miles Davis album Bitches Brew, producers like Phil Spector and George Martin were soon creating recordings that were, in practical terms, almost impossible to realise in live performance. Producers became creative figures in the studio, other examples of such engineers includes Joe Meek, Teo Macero, Brian Wilson, and Biddu
7.
Romanza
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Romanza is the first compilation album by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, released internationally in 1997. Although a compilation, Romanza is considered Bocellis breakthrough album and remains his most commercially successful to date, topping charts all across Europe and Latin America. With over 20 million copies worldwide, it is the best-selling Italian album of all time. The album is a compilation of Bocellis two previous pop albums, Il Mare Calmo della Sera, released in 1994, and Bocelli, being Bocellis first album released in the United States and Canada, the album and Bocelli himself, were heavily promoted. This included Bocelli being featured in Hotel Bellagios commercials in North America, in 1997, Bocelli won 3 major awards in Germany. All 3 ceremonies were broadcast live in Germany, the album was also supported in Germany, by a series of concerts, including 22 open-air concerts in the country, as well as an indoor concert in Oberhausen. In the United Kingdom, Bocelli held a concert with Sarah Brightman, at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, back in Italy, on September 27, Bocelli sang again before the Pope at the International Eucharistic Congress, in Bologna. On October 19, he sang at the TeleFood benefit concert held in Vatican City, on December 15 and 20,1997, Bocelli held a concert in Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, in Paris, France, and a concert in Seefeld, Austria. A music video for each of three versions was released in those countries. In addition, a video of the Portuguese version of the song, sang with Brazilian singer Sandy, was also released in Brazil and Portugal. It also received platinum status in the United States with 4. To date, the album remains Bocellis most commercially successful, and is considered his breakthrough album, a Night in Tuscany, Bocellis first PBS Great Performances special, filmed in 1997, was designed to promote the album. The DVD of the program was Internationally released November 10,1998. be
8.
Sogno
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Sogno is the fifth studio album by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. The album sold 2.5 million copies in America, Bocelli was subsequently nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys, the first and so far only time a classical artist had been nominated in the category since 1961. Sogno was released internationally on April 6,1999, the album was released in Spanish under the name Sueño. In Japan it was released as Yume no Kaori, in 1999, Bocelli was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys, which marked the first time a classical artist had been nominated in the category in 38 years. The Prayer, his duet with Celine Dion from the album, the album sold 2.5 million copies in America, and over 10 million copies worldwide
9.
Echo Music Prize
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Echo is an accolade by the Deutsche Phono-Akademie an association of recording companies of Germany to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Each years winner is determined by the years sales. Winners in the pop category are announced in March, the winners in the category in October. First held with 350 people in the Flora in Cologne in 1992, the ceremony in Frankfurt was televised. Until 1995, only invited guests could attend the ceremony and it was held in Munich, and in 2001, the venue was moved from Hamburg to Berlin because of subsidies of up to 20 million euros, although a return in 2004 was considered. In 2009, the venue in Berlin was moved to O2 World, the trophy was designed by Oliver Renelt when he was a student at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg. It is stainless steel, and is 40 centimetres tall and weighs 2 kilograms and it depicts half a disc with notes flowing into it from a globe, and the design was the winner of a competition held for that purpose. The Kastelruther Spatzen have won 13 Echo Awards in the category Volksmusik which is more than any other artist, ein Stern 2009 Kid Rock, All Summer Long 2010 Lady Gaga, Poker Face 2011 Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, Over the Rainbow 2012 Gotye feat. Kimbra, Somebody That I Used to Know 2013 Die Toten Hosen, Tage wie diese 2014 Avicii, Wake Me Up 2015 Helene Fischer, Atemlos durch die Nacht 2016 Lost Frequencies, in 2011 it was held in Essen. Since 2010, Echo Jazz awards have been given in thirty categories, including ensemble of the year, male and female singer of the year, record label, in 2012 the criteria for entry included album release date and two outstanding reviews from music journalists. Conductor Claus Ogermann was given the ECHO Jazz Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, Awards are decided by a twelve-member jury based on critical and commercial appeal
10.
Rigoletto
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Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi samuse by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had control over northern Italian theatres at the time and it is considered by many to be the first of the operatic masterpieces of Verdis middle-to-late career. Its tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his court jester Rigoletto. The operas original title, La maledizione, refers to the placed on both the Duke and Rigoletto by a courtier whose daughter had been seduced by the Duke with Rigolettos encouragement. The curse comes to fruition when Gilda likewise falls in love with the Duke, Verdi was commissioned to write a new opera by the La Fenice opera house in Venice in 1850. By this time he was already a composer and had a degree of freedom in choosing the works he would prefer to set to music. He then asked Francesco Maria Piave to examine the play Kean by Alexandre Dumas, père, Verdi soon stumbled upon Victor Hugos five-act play Le roi samuse. He later explained that The subject is grand, immense, and there is a character that is one of the greatest creations that the theatre can boast of, in any country and in all history. It was a controversial subject, and Hugo himself had already had trouble with censorship in France. As Austria at that time controlled much of Northern Italy. Hugos play depicted a king as an immoral and cynical womanizer, from the beginning, Verdi was aware of the risks, as was Piave. In a letter which Verdi wrote to Piave, Use four legs, run through the town, correspondence between a prudent Piave and an already committed Verdi followed, but the two underestimated the power and the intentions of Austrians and remained at risk. Even the friendly Guglielmo Brenna, secretary of La Fenice, who had promised them that they would not have problems with the censors, was wrong, at the beginning of the summer of 1850, rumours started to spread that Austrian censorship was going to forbid the production. The censors considered the Hugo work to verge on lèse majesté, in August, Verdi and Piave prudently retired to Busseto, Verdis hometown, to continue the composition and prepare a defensive scheme. They wrote to the theatre, assuring them that the doubts about the morality of the work were not justified but since very little time was left. Verdi was completely against this solution and preferred instead to have direct negotiations with censors, arguing over each. At this point, Brenna, La Fenices secretary, showed the Austrians some letters and articles depicting the bad character but the value of the artist
11.
Giuseppe Verdi
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Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian opera composer. Verdi was born near Busseto to a family of moderate means. Verdi came to dominate the Italian opera scene after the era of Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini, whose works influenced him. In his early operas Verdi demonstrated a sympathy with the Risorgimento movement which sought the unification of Italy and he also participated briefly as an elected politician. He surprised the world by returning, after his success with the opera Aida. The baptismal register, prepared on 11 October 1813, lists his parents Carlo, additionally, it lists Verdi as being born yesterday, but since days were often considered to begin at sunset, this could have meant either 9 or 10 October. Verdi himself, following his mother, always celebrated his birthday on 9 October, Verdi had a younger sister, Giuseppa, who died aged 17 in 1833. From the age of four, Verdi was given lessons in Latin and Italian by the village schoolmaster, Baistrocchi. After learning to play the organ, he showed so much interest in music that his parents provided him with a spinet. Verdis gift for music was apparent by 1820–21 when he began his association with the local church, serving in the choir, acting as an altar boy for a while. After Baistrocchis death, Verdi, at the age of eight, Carlo Verdi was energetic in furthering his sons education. something which Verdi tended to hide in later life. He picture emerges of youthful precocity eagerly nurtured by a father and of a sustained, sophisticated. Verdi returned to Busseto regularly to play the organ on Sundays, at age 11, Verdi received schooling in Italian, Latin, the humanities, and rhetoric. By the time he was 12, he began lessons with Ferdinando Provesi, maestro di cappella at San Bartolomeo, director of the music school. This information comes from the Autobiographical Sketch which Verdi dictated to the publisher Giulio Ricordi late in life, in 1879, written, understandably, with the benefit of hindsight, it is not always reliable when dealing with issues more contentious than those of his childhood. The other director of the Philharmonic Society was Antonio Barezzi, a grocer and distiller. The young Verdi did not immediately become involved with the Philharmonic, by June 1827, he had graduated with honours from the Ginnasio and was able to focus solely on music under Provesi. By 1829–30, Verdi had established himself as a leader of the Philharmonic, none of us could rival him reported the secretary of the organisation, Giuseppe Demaldè
12.
Giacomo Puccini
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Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian opera composer who has been called the greatest composer of Italian opera after Verdi. Puccinis early work was rooted in traditional late-19th-century romantic Italian opera, later, he successfully developed his work in the realistic verismo style, of which he became one of the leading exponents. Puccinis most renowned works are La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly, Puccini was born Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini in Lucca in Tuscany, in 1858. He was one of nine children of Michele Puccini and Albina Magi, the Puccini family was established in Lucca as a local musical dynasty by Puccinis great-great grandfather – also named Giacomo. This first Giacomo Puccini was maestro di cappella of the Cattedrale di San Martino in Lucca and he was succeeded in this position by his son, Antonio Puccini, and then by Antonios son Domenico, and Domenicos son Michele. Each of these men studied music at Bologna, and some additional musical studies elsewhere. Domenico Puccini studied for a time under Giovanni Paisiello, each composed music for the church. In addition, Domenico composed several operas, and Michele composed one opera, Puccinis father Michele enjoyed a reputation throughout northern Italy, and his funeral was an occasion of public mourning, at which the then-famed composer Giovanni Pacini conducted a Requiem. However, when Michele Puccini died in 1864, his son Giacomo was only six years old, as a child, he nevertheless participated in the musical life of the Cattedrale di San Martino, as a member of the boys choir and later as a substitute organist. Puccini was given an education at the seminary of San Michele in Lucca. One of Puccinis uncles, Fortunato Magi, supervised his musical education, Puccini got a diploma from the Pacini School of Music in Lucca in 1880, having studied there with his uncle Fortunato, and later with Carlo Angeloni, who had also instructed Alfredo Catalani. Puccini studied at the conservatory for three years, sharing a room with Pietro Mascagni, in 1880, at the age of 21, Puccini composed his Mass, which marks the culmination of his familys long association with church music in his native Lucca. Puccini wrote a piece called the Capriccio sinfonica as a thesis composition for the Milan Conservatory. Puccinis teachers Ponchielli and Bazzini were impressed by the work, and it was performed at a student concert at the conservatory on 14 July 1883, conducted by Franco Faccio. Puccinis work was reviewed in the Milanese publication Perseveranza. After the premiere of the Capriccio sinfonica, Ponchielli and Puccini discussed the possibility that Puccinis next work might be an opera, Ponchielli invited Puccini to stay at his villa, where Puccini was introduced to another young man named Fernando Fontana. Puccini and Fontana agreed to collaborate on an opera, for which Fontana would provide the libretto, the work, Le Villi, was entered into a competition sponsored by the Sozogno music publishing company in 1883. Although it did not win, Le Villi was later staged at the Teatro Dal Verme, G. Ricordi & Co. music publishers assisted with the premier by printing the libretto without charge
13.
Tosca
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Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900 and it contains depictions of torture, murder and suicide, as well as some of Puccinis best-known lyrical arias. Puccini saw Sardous play when it was touring Italy in 1889 and, after some vacillation, turning the wordy French play into a succinct Italian opera took four years, during which the composer repeatedly argued with his librettists and publisher. Tosca premiered at a time of unrest in Rome, and its first performance was delayed for a day for fear of disturbances, despite indifferent reviews from the critics, the opera was an immediate success with the public. Musically, Tosca is structured as a work, with arias, recitative, choruses. Puccini used Wagnerian leitmotifs to identify characters, objects and ideas, the dramatic force of Tosca and its characters continues to fascinate both performers and audiences, and the work remains one of the most frequently performed operas. Many recordings of the work have been issued, both of studio and live performances, the French playwright Victorien Sardou wrote more than 70 plays, almost all of them successful, and none of them performed today. In the early 1880s Sardou began a collaboration with actress Sarah Bernhardt, Puccini had seen La Tosca at least twice, in Milan and Turin. Ricordi sent his agent in Paris, Emanuele Muzio, to negotiate with Sardou and he complained about the reception La Tosca had received in Italy, particularly in Milan, and warned that other composers were interested in the piece. Nonetheless, Ricordi reached terms with Sardou and assigned the librettist Luigi Illica to write a scenario for an adaptation, in 1891, Illica advised Puccini against the project, most likely because he felt the play could not be successfully adapted to a musical form. When Sardou expressed his unease at entrusting his most successful work to a new composer whose music he did not like. He withdrew from the agreement, which Ricordi then assigned to Alberto Franchetti, Illica wrote a libretto for Franchetti, who was never at ease with the assignment. There are several versions of how Ricordi got Franchetti to surrender the rights so he could recommission Puccini, by some accounts, Ricordi convinced Franchetti that the work was too violent to be successfully staged. Franchetti family tradition holds that Franchetti gave the work back as a gesture, saying. American scholar Deborah Burton contends that Franchetti gave it up simply because he saw merit in it. Franchetti surrendered the rights in May 1895, and in August Puccini signed a contract to control of the project. According to the libretto, the action of Tosca occurs in Rome in June 1800, Sardou, in his play, dates it more precisely, La Tosca takes place in the afternoon, evening, and early morning of 17 and 18 June 1800. Italy had long divided into a number of small states
14.
E lucevan le stelle
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E lucevan le stelle is a romantic aria from the third act of Giacomo Puccinis opera Tosca, composed in 1900 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is sung by Mario Cavaradossi, a painter in love with the singer Tosca, written in B minor, it is one of the most famous opera arias. The vocal range extends from F♯3 to A4, the aria is considered part of the spinto tenor repertoire. The aria is introduced by a clarinet solo. The incipit of the melody is repeated on the lines O dolci baci, o languide carezze, and also restated in forte in the closing bars of the opera, as Tosca jumps from the ramparts. In 1920, the stage performer Al Jolson, together with Buddy DeSylva and Vincent Rose, wrote a song, Avalon. The following year, G. Ricordi, the publisher of Puccinis operas, puccini and his publisher prevailed in the case and were awarded $25,000 in damages and all future royalties for the song. An analysis of the theme of female unveiling in this aria and other operas of the time can be found in Jeremy Tambling, Opera and the Culture of Fascism, Oxford University Press,1996. E lucevan le stelle, transposed for bass-baritone, Scores at the International Music Score Library Project Recording of the aria on YouTube by Alfredo Kraus
15.
Madama Butterfly
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Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. The original version of the opera, in two acts, had its premiere on 17 February 1904 at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Puccini revised the opera, splitting Act II into two and making other changes. Success ensued, starting with the first performance on 28 May 1904 in Brescia, Madama Butterfly is a staple of the operatic repertoire around the world, ranked 6th by Operabase, Puccinis La bohème and Tosca rank 3rd and 5th. Puccini wrote five versions of the opera, the original two-act version, which was presented at the world premiere at La Scala on 17 February 1904, was withdrawn after the disastrous premiere. Puccini then substantially rewrote it, this time in three acts and this second version was performed on 28 May 1904 in Brescia, where it was a great success. It was this version that premiered in the United States in 1906, first in Washington, D. C. in October. In 1906, Puccini wrote a version, which was performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1907, Puccini made several changes in the orchestral and vocal scores, and this became the fourth version, which was performed in Paris. In 1907, Puccini made his final revisions to the opera in a fifth version, however, the original 1904 version is occasionally performed, such as for the opening of La Scalas season on 7 December 2016, with Riccardo Chailly conducting. The first performance in New York took place on 12 November of the year at the Garden Theatre. Three years later, the first Australian performance was presented at the Theatre Royal in Sydney on 26 March 1910, between 1915 and 1920, Japans best-known opera singer Tamaki Miura won international fame for her performances as Cio-Cio-san. A memorial to this singer, along one to Puccini, can be found in the Glover Garden in the port city of Nagasaki. In 1904, a U. S. Naval officer named Pinkerton rents a house on a hill in Nagasaki, Japan, for himself and his soon-to-be wife, Butterfly. She is a 15-year-old Japanese girl whom he is marrying for convenience, since he intends to leave her once he finds a proper American wife, the wedding is to take place at the house. Butterfly had been so excited to marry an American that she had secretly converted to Christianity. Pinkerton and Butterfly sing a duet and prepare to spend their first night together. Three years later, Butterfly is still waiting for Pinkerton to return and her maid Suzuki keeps trying to convince her that he is not coming back, but Butterfly will not listen to her. Goro, the broker who arranged her marriage, keeps trying to marry her off again
16.
Umberto Giordano
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Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas. He was born in Foggia in Apulia, southern Italy, and his first opera, Marina, was written for a competition promoted by the music publishers Casa Sonzogno for the best one-act opera, remembered today because it marked the beginning of Italian verismo. The winner was Mascagnis Cavalleria rusticana, the result was Mala Vita, a gritty verismo opera about a labourer who vows to reform a prostitute if he is cured of his tuberculosis. This work caused something of a scandal when performed at the Teatro Argentina, Rome and it played successfully in Vienna, Prague and Berlin and was re-written as Il Voto a few years later, in an attempt to raise interest in the work again. Giordano then moved to Milan and returned to verismo with his work, Andrea Chénier. Fedora, based on Victorien Sardous play, featured a young tenor named Enrico Caruso. It was also a success and is performed today. His later works are less known, but occasionally revived and in the case of La cena delle beffe recognised by musicologists. He died in Milan at the age of 81, the most important theater in his home town of Foggia has been dedicated to Umberto Giordano. A square in Foggia is also named him and contains several statues representing his most famous works. Marina Mala Vita Regina Diaz Andrea Chénier Fedora Il Voto Siberia Marcella Mese mariano Madame Sans-Gêne Giove a Pompei La cena delle beffe Il re La festa del Nilo
17.
Vincenzo Bellini
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Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer, who was known for his long-flowing melodic lines for which he was named the Swan of Catania. Other sources of information come from correspondence saved by other friends, C Bellini was the quintessential composer of the Italian bel canto era of the early 19th century, and his work has been summed up by the London critic Tim Ashley as. Also hugely influential, as much admired by composers as he was by the public. Verdi raved about his long, long, long melodies, wagner, who rarely liked anyone but himself, was spellbound by Bellinis almost uncanny ability to match music with text and psychology. Liszt and Chopin professed themselves fans, of the 19th-century giants, only Berlioz demurred. Those musicologists who consider Bellini to be merely a melancholic tunesmith are now in the minority, the genuine triumph of I puritani in January 1835 in Paris capped a significant career. Certainly, Capuleti, La sonnambula, Norma, and I puritani are regularly performed today, only nine months later, Bellini died in Puteaux, France at the age of 33. Born in Catania, at the part of the Kingdom of Sicily. His grandfather, Vincenzo Tobia Bellini, had studied at the conservatory in Naples and, in Catania from 1767 forward, had been an organist and teacher, as had Vincenzos father, by the age of five, he could apparently play marvelously. The document states that Bellinis first five pieces were composed when he was just six years old and at seven he was taught Latin, modern languages, rhetoric, and philosophy. Author Herbert Weinstock regards some of these accounts as no more than myths, not being supported from other, additionally, he makes the point in regard to Bellinis apparent knowledge of languages and philosophy, Bellini never became a well-educated man. After 1816, Bellini began living with his grandfather, from whom he received his first music lessons, soon after, the young composer began to write compositions. Among them were the nine Versetti da cantarsi il Venerdi Santo, by 1818, Bellini had independently completed several additional orchestral pieces. He was ready for further study, for well-off students, this would include moving to Naples. While his family wasnt wealthy enough to support that lifestyle, Bellinis growing reputation could not be overlooked and his break came when Stefano Notabartolo, the duca di San Martino e Montalbo and his duchess, became the new intendente of the province of Catania. They encouraged the man to petition the city fathers for a stipend to support his musical studies. This was successfully achieved in May 1819 with unanimous agreement for a pension to allow him to study at the Real Collegio di Musica di San Sebastiano in Naples. The young Bellini was to live in Naples for the eight years
18.
I puritani
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I puritani is an opera in by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and later changed to three acts on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the composer had become friends. Taking from April until its premiere the following January, Bellini had time to ensure that the opera was as close to perfection as possible. In a word, my dear Florimo, it was an unheard of thing, upon his arrival in Paris, Bellini quickly entered into the fashionable world of the Parisian salons, including that run by Princess Belgiojoso whom he had met in Milan. In addition to the writers of the time, among the musical figures which he would have encountered were several Italians such as Michele Carafa and Luigi Cherubini. Thus, for most of the remainder of 1833, Bellinis musical activity was very limited and he pleaded guilty in the letter to Florimo in March 1834 noting that the citys attractions were immense. The contract to write a new opera for the Théâtre-Italien, which was signed in January 1834, in the same letter he tells of working towards finding a subject with the Italian émigré, Count Pepoli, who had not written a libretto before. The chosen source of the libretto was identified as a play performed in Paris only six months before in September 1833. When first shown the play and other subjects by Pepoli, in the opinion of writer William Weaver, it was clearly the heroines madness that attracted the composer. But a month later, he comments to Florimo on what it takes working on the libretto with Pepoli, keeping moving ahead costs me a lot of weariness, he lacks practice which is a great thing. Finally, Bellini stated that he did not want to negotiate with anybody until I see what success my opera will have and this included a proposal from the Opéra-Comique in Paris for a new opera for that company. Pepoli adopts a modern aesthetic agenda, condemning vocal ornamentation as a dilution of dramatic sense and attacking imitation as cheapening musics inherent, quoting Pepoli, Smart continues, for this song the people fight, win, triumph, Europe and the world shouted Liberty. It is beautiful to face death shouting liberty, then she recounts how Bellini reacted to what she describes as Pepoli’s “hotheaded patriotism which appears in librettist’s poetry. Around the middle of April 1834, Bellini became concerned when he learned that Gaetano Donizetti would be composing for the Théâtre-Italien during the season as the one for which he was writing. As it transpired, Bellinis total success and Donizettis moderate one with Marin Faliero was insignificant, throughout his stay in Paris, Bellini had cultivated the older composer and had maintained a friendship with him, I have always adored Rossini, and I succeeded, and happily. Tamed Rossinis hatred, I no longer was frightened and finished work of mine which won me so much honour. Later, the dress rehearsal, he wrote. With rehearsals planned for late December/early January, the dress rehearsal took place on 20 January 1835 and it was attended by all of high society, all the great artists, and everyone most distinguished in Paris were in the theatre, enthusiastic
19.
Richard Strauss
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Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. Strauss was also a prominent conductor in Western Europe and the Americas, enjoying quasi-celebrity status as his compositions became standards of orchestral and operatic repertoire. Strauss was born on 11 June 1864 in Munich, the son of Josephine and Franz Strauss, in his youth, he received a thorough musical education from his father. He wrote his first composition at the age of six and continued to write music almost until his death, during his boyhood Strauss attended orchestra rehearsals of the Munich Court Orchestra, where he received private instruction in music theory and orchestration from an assistant conductor. In 1872 he started receiving violin instruction at the Royal School of Music from Benno Walter, in 1874 Strauss heard his first Wagner operas, Lohengrin and Tannhäuser. The influence of Wagners music on Strausss style was to be profound, but at first his musically conservative father forbade him to study it. Indeed, in the Strauss household, the music of Richard Wagner was viewed with deep suspicion, in later life, Strauss said that he deeply regretted the conservative hostility to Wagners progressive works. Nevertheless, Strausss father undoubtedly had a influence on his sons developing taste. In early 1882 in Vienna he gave the first performance of his Violin Concerto in D minor, playing a piano reduction of the part himself. The same year he entered Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where he studied philosophy and art history, Strauss learned the art of conducting by observing Bülow in rehearsal. Bülow was very fond of the man and decided that Strauss should be his successor as conductor of the Meiningen Court Orchestra when Bülow resigned in 1885. Strausss compositions at time were indebted to the style of Robert Schumann or Felix Mendelssohn. 1, Op.11, is representative of this period and is a staple of modern horn repertoire, Strauss married soprano Pauline de Ahna on 10 September 1894. She was famous for being irascible, garrulous, eccentric and outspoken, throughout his life, from his earliest songs to the final Four Last Songs of 1948, he preferred the soprano voice to all others, and all his operas contain important soprano roles. The Strausses had one son, Franz, in 1897, Franz married Alice von Grab-Hermannswörth, daughter of a Jewish industrialist, in a Roman Catholic ceremony in 1924. Franz and Alice had two sons, Richard and Christian, some of Strausss first compositions were solo instrumental and chamber works. After 1890 Strauss composed very infrequently for chamber groups, his energies being almost completely absorbed with large-scale orchestral works and operas. Four of his pieces are actually arrangements of portions of his operas, including the Daphne-Etude for solo violin and the String Sextet
20.
Der Rosenkavalier
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Der Rosenkavalier, Op.59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and it was first performed at the Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden on 26 January 1911 under the direction of Max Reinhardt, Ernst von Schuch conducting. Until the premiere the working title was Ochs von Lerchenau, at the Marschallins suggestion Ochs gets Octavian to act as his Rosenkavalier and present the ceremonial silver rose to Sophie. But when Octavian meets Sophie they fall in love at first sight, by a comic intrigue they get rid of Ochs with the help of the Marschallin, who then yields Octavian to the younger woman. Although a comic opera, Der Rosenkavalier also operates at a deeper level, conscious of the difference in age between herself and Octavian, the Marschallin muses in bittersweet fashion over the passing of time, growing old and mens inconstancy. There are many recordings of the opera and it is regularly performed, the event was a pinnacle in the career of soprano Margarethe Siems who portrayed the Marschallin. Minnie Nast played Sophie, and Eva von der Osten was Octavian, the reaction to the 1911 premiere was nothing short of triumphant. The opera was a success with the public and was a great financial boon for the house, it is reported that at the time of the première. Despite this, the opera one of the composers most popular works during his lifetime. Der Rosenkavalier quickly became an important part of the opera repertoire. Less than two months after its premiere, the work was performed for the first time in Italy at La Scala on 1 March 1911 using an Italian translation. The cast, led by conductor Tullio Serafin, included Lucrezia Bori in the role of Octavian, Ines Maria Ferraris as Sophie. The operas Austrian premiere was given by the Vienna State Opera on the following 8 April under the baton of Schuch with Marie Gutheil-Schoder as Octavian, and Richard Mayr as Baron Ochs. The work reached the Teatro Costanzi in Rome seven months later on 14 November with Egisto Tango conducting Hariclea Darclée as the Marschallin, the United Kingdom premiere of Der Rosenkavalier occurred at the Royal Opera House in London on 29 January 1913. Thomas Beecham conducted the performance and the cast included Margarethe Siems as the Marschallin, the United States premiere took place at the Metropolitan Opera on the following 9 December in a production conducted by Alfred Hertz. The cast included Frieda Hempel as the Marschallin, Margarethe Arndt-Ober as Octavian, and Anna Case as Sophie. A number of Italian theatres produced the work for the first time in the 1920s, including the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro di San Carlo, and the Teatro Carlo Felice. Der Rosenkavalier reached Monaco on 21 March 1926 when it was performed by the Opéra de Monte-Carlo at the Salle Garnier in a French translation, the performance starred Gabrielle Ritter-Ciampi as the Marschallin and Vanni Marcoux as Faninal
21.
Fedora (opera)
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Fedora is an opera in three acts by Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Arturo Colautti, based on the play Fédora by Victorien Sardou. Along with Andrea Chénier and Siberia, it is one of the most notable works of Giordano. It was first performed at the Teatro Lirico in Milan on 17 November 1898 conducted by the composer with Gemma Bellincioni creating the role of Fedora, in 1889, Umberto Giordano saw Sardous play Fédora at the Teatro Bellini di Napoli, with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role. He immediately asked Sardou for permission to base an opera on the play, following the premiere of his 1894 Regina Diaz, Giordanos publisher, Edoardo Sonzogno, asked Sardou again. However, Sardou demanded what Sozogno considered an exorbitant fee and it was only on the third attempt, and after Giordanos success with Andrea Chénier in 1896, that an agreement was reached to go ahead with the opera. Its first performance took place in Milan at the Teatro Lirico Internazionale, Gemma Bellincioni sang the role of Fedora, and Enrico Caruso was Loris Ipanov. The opera had great success on its night, and was soon brought to the Vienna Staatsoper by Mahler. Fedora received its US premiere on 5 December 1906 at the New York Metropolitan Opera, with Caruso as Count Loris, Lina Cavalieri as Fedora, and Arturo Vigna conducting. The opera received eight performances during the Mets 1906/1907 and 1907/1908 seasons, by the mid-20th century, however, operatic tastes had changed, and the opera became performed more sporadically. Among Fedoras most recent performances are those at the Vienna Staatsoper in 2003, La Scala in 2004, the sound of sleigh-bells is heard, and the Count is brought in mortally wounded. Doctors and a priest are summoned, and the servants are questioned and it is proposed that Count Loris Ipanov, a suspected Nihilist sympathizer, was probably the assassin. De Siriex, and Grech plan an investigation, Fedora swears on the jeweled Byzantine cross she is wearing that Count Andrejevichs death will be avenged. Paris Fedora has followed Loris Ipanov there to avenge her fiancés death, there is a reception at Fedoras house. Boleslao Lazinski, a virtuoso pianist is playing for the party-goers, Ipanov arrives and declares his love for Fedora. She tells him that she is returning to Russia the following day, Loris is desperate because he has been exiled from Russia and cannot follow her. He confesses to Fedora that it was he who had killed Count Vladimir, Fedora asks him to return after the reception is over to tell her the whole story. When she is alone, Fedora writes a letter to the chief of the Imperial Police in Russia accusing Ipanov of Count Vladimirs murder, Loris returns and confesses that he killed Count Vladimir because he had discovered that he and his wife were lovers. The night of the homicide, Ipanov had discovered them together, Vladimir shot at Ipanov and wounded him
22.
Ch'ella mi creda
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Chella mi creda is a tenor aria from act 3 of the opera La fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini. It is the aria sung by Dick Johnson before he is to be executed by a lynch mob of gold prospectors led by Sheriff Jack Rance. In the aria, Johnson asks them not to tell Minnie, whom he loves, instead, he asks them to let her believe that he is far away, on the road to redemption from his bandit past. The aria was sung for the first time by Enrico Caruso and it is said that during World War I, Italian soldiers sang this aria to maintain their spirits. The aria is also popular as a piece in concerts and excerpt albums, david Belascos set and the original costumes were recreated for the event. La fanciulla del West vocal and music score Indiana Universitys Online Library Catalog List of noted arias from aria-database. com Chella mi creda score animation on YouTube
23.
La fanciulla del West
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Fanciulla followed Madama Butterfly, which was also based on a Belasco play. Fanciulla displays influences from composers Claude Debussy and Richard Strauss, without being in any way imitative, the opera had a successful and highly publicised premiere at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, in 1910. Nevertheless, while Puccini deemed it one of his greatest works, La fanciulla del West has become a popular opera within the composers repertoire. Despite the plot being a source of significant criticism, the majority of academics and musicians agree in calling it a magnum opus, conductor Arturo Toscanini called the opera a great symphonic poem. However, after Puccini saw Gilda dalla Rizza as Minnie at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo in 1921, he remarked, also in the cast was Pasquale Amato as Jack Rance. The Mets music director Arturo Toscanini conducted and this was the first world premiere of an opera at the Met, and it was initially well received in the United States. However, it was never quite as popular in Europe, except perhaps in Germany, there it enjoyed a triumphant premiere at the Deutsche Opernhaus in Berlin in March 1913, under the musical direction of Ignatz Waghalter. It is presented from time to time, but is not performed nearly as often as Puccinis other mature operas, the Metropolitan Opera presented the work in its 2010–11 season to mark the works 100th anniversary. Place, A mining camp at the foot of the Cloudy Mountains, inside the Polka Saloon A group of Gold Rush miners enter the Polka saloon after a day working at the mine. After a song by traveling minstrel Jake Wallace, one of the miners, Jim Larkens, is homesick, a group of miners playing cards discover that Sid is cheating and want to attack him. Sheriff Jack Rance quiets the fight and pins two cards to Sids jacket, as a sign of a cheater, a Wells Fargo agent, Ashby, enters and announces that he is chasing the bandit Ramerrez and his gang of Mexicans. Rance toasts Minnie, the girl who owns the saloon, as his future wife, the two men begin to fight. Rance draws his revolver but at that moment, a shot rings out and she gives the miners a reading lesson from the Bible. The Pony Express rider arrives and delivers a telegram from Nina Micheltorena, the sheriff tells Minnie that he loves her, but Minnie puts him off as she is waiting for the right man. A stranger enters the saloon and asks for a whisky and water and he introduces himself as Dick Johnson from Sacramento, whom Minnie had met earlier. Johnson invites Minnie to dance with him and she accepts, Ashby returns with the captured Ramerrez gang member, Castro. But before Castro leaves, he whispers to Johnson that somebody will whistle, a whistle is heard, but Johnson fails to reply. Minnie shows Johnson the keg of gold that she and the miners take turns to guard at night, before he leaves the saloon, he promises to visit her at her cabin
24.
Amilcare Ponchielli
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Amilcare Ponchielli was an Italian composer, mainly of operas. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla, Two years after leaving the conservatory he wrote his first opera—it was based on Alessandro Manzonis great novel The Betrothed -- and it was as an opera composer that he eventually found fame. Maneuvered out of a professorship at the Milan Conservatory that he had won in a competition, he took jobs in small cities. In spite of his disappointment, he gained experience as the bandmaster in Piacenza and Cremona. The role of Lina in the version was sung by Teresina Brambilla whom he married in 1874. Their son Annibale became a critic and minor composer. The ballet Le due gemelle confirmed his success, the following opera, I Lituani of 1874, was also well received, being performed later at Saint Petersburg. It was first produced in 1876 and revised several times, the version that has become popular today was first given in 1880. In 1876 he started working on I Mori di Valenza, although the dates back to 1873. It was an opera that he never finished, although it was completed later by Arturo Cadore and he died of pneumonia in Milan in 1886 and was interred in the citys Monumental Cemetery. It contains the great tenor romanza Cielo e mar, a duet for tenor and baritone Enzo Grimaldo. List of operas by Ponchielli Kaufman, Annals of Italian Opera, Verdi and his Major Contemporaries, Garland Publishing, New York, budden, Julien, Ponchielli, Amilcare in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Cesare Bignami to Amilcare Ponchielli. Conservatorio Universitario de Musica, Montevideo, Uruguay, giulio ricordi e i suoi musicisti. Amilcare Ponchielli, 1834-1886, Saggi e ricerche nel 150 anniversario della nascita, Casalmorano, cassa rurale ed artigiana di Casalmorano,1987. Music Library, General Manuscript Collection, Northwestern University, Evanston, Amilcare Ponchielli nellarte del suo tempo. DeNapoli, G. Amilcare Ponchielli, La vita, le opere, lepistolario, ferraris, Castelli Maria, and Giampiero Tintori. Circe, La Gioconda, and the Opera House of the Mind, in Bronze by Gold, habla, Bernhard, ed. Kongressberichte Oberschützen/Burgenland 1988, Toblach/ Südtirol 1990. Amilcare Ponchielli e la musica per banda, proceedings of Il Repertorio Sommerso, Musica storica per la banda doggi
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La Gioconda (opera)
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La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli set to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, Tyrant of Padua, a play in prose by Victor Hugo, dating from 1835. First performed in 1876, La Gioconda was a success for Ponchielli. It is also an example of the Italian genre of Grande opera. Ponchielli revised the work several times, the version that is played today was first given in 1880, there are several complete recordings of the opera, and it is regularly performed, especially in Italy. It is one of only a few operas that features a role for each of the six major voice types. La Gioconda was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan and it was especially successful in its third and final version first seen at the same theatre on 28 March 1880. The opera had its American premiere at the Metropolitan Opera on 20 December 1883, the operas title translates as The Happy Woman, but is usually given in English as The Ballad Singer. However, as this fails to convey the irony inherent in the original, each act of La Gioconda has a title. The villain Barnaba tries to seduce Gioconda, but she prefers death, when his amorous advances are firmly rejected, he exacts his revenge by denouncing the old lady as a witch whose evil powers influenced the outcome of the gondola race. It is only the intervention of a sea captain that keeps the angry mob at bay. Calm is restored at the approach of Alvise Badoero, a member of the Venetian Inquisition, Laura places La Cieca under her personal protection, and in gratitude the old woman presents her with her most treasured possession, a rosary. The sharp-eyed Barnaba notices furtive behaviour between Laura and the sea captain indicating a secret relationship, recalling that Laura was engaged to the now banished nobleman Enzo Grimaldo before her forced marriage to Alvise, Barnaba realises that the sea captain is Enzo in disguise. Barnaba confronts Enzo, who admits his purpose in returning to Venice is to take Laura, Barnaba knows that Gioconda is also infatuated with Enzo and he sees an opportunity to improve his chances with her by assisting Enzo with his plan of elopement. When Enzo has gone, Barnaba dictates a letter to Alvise revealing his wifes infidelity and he is unaware that he has been overheard by Gioconda. The deck of Enzos ship Enzo waits for Barnaba to row Laura out from the city to his vessel and their joyful reunion is overshadowed by Lauras fears as she does not trust Barnaba. Gradually Enzo is able to reassure her, and he leaves her on deck while he goes to prepare for their departure, La Gioconda has been following Laura with the intention of exacting revenge from her rival. Alvise and his men are also in hot pursuit. She hurries Laura into her boat so that she can evade her pursuers, Enzo returns to the deck to find that Laura has fled leaving Gioconda triumphant
26.
Adriana Lecouvreur
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Adriana Lecouvreur is an opera in four acts by Francesco Cilea to an Italian libretto by Arturo Colautti, based on the 1849 play Adrienne Lecouvreur by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé. It was first performed on 6 November 1902 at the Teatro Lirico in Milan, the first was an opera in three acts by Tommaso Benvenuti. The next two were lyric dramas in 4 acts by Edoardo Vera which premiered in Lisbon in 1858, after Cilea created his own Adriana, however, none of those by others were performed anymore and they remain largely unknown today. The opera is based on the life of the French actress Adrienne Lecouvreur, while there are some actual historical figures in the opera, the episode it recounts is largely fictional, its death-by-poisoned violets plot device often signalled as verismo operas least realistic. It is often condemned as being among the most confusing texts ever written for the stage, the running time of a typical modern performance is about 135 minutes. The opera was first performed in the United States by the San Carlo Opera Company on January 5,1907 at the French Opera House in New Orleans with Tarquinia Tarquini in the title role and it gained its Metropolitan Opera premiere on 18 November 1907. It had a run of three performances that season, however, due in large part to Carusos ill-health. Subsequently, it was revived at the Met from time to time until a new production was commissioned in 1963 and that 1963 production continued to be remounted at the same theatre, with differing casts, for the next few decades. It was in the role of this opera that the Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo made his Met debut in 1968. He sang again in Adriana Lecouvreur in February 2009, although his voice was by then in decline, the title role in Adriana Lecouvreur has always been a favorite of sopranos with large voices, which tend to sit less at the very top of their range. Angela Gheorghiu tackled the role at the Royal Opera, London, place, Paris Time,1730 Backstage at the Comédie-Française Preparing for a performance, the company bustle around Michonnet, the stage manager. The Prince de Bouillon, admirer of the actress Duclos, is with his companion, complimented, she sings Io son lumile ancella. The Prince hears that Duclos is writing a letter, and arranges for its interception, left alone with Adriana, Michonnet wants to express his love for her. However, Adriana explains she has a lover, Maurizio, a soldier in the service of the Count of Saxony and she is unaware that Maurizio is in reality the count himself. He enters and declares his love for Adriana, La dolcissima effigie and they agree to meet after the performance. Adriana gives him some violets to put in his buttonhole, the Prince and the Abbé return. They have obtained the letter from Duclos, in which she requests a meeting with Maurizio later that evening near the Princes villa, the Prince decides to arrange a party for the company at the villa in order to expose Duclos and Maurizio. He sends Ducloss letter on to Maurizio, who then cancels his appointment with Adriana, after receiving his notification on stage, she agrees to join the Princes party
27.
Ruggero Leoncavallo
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Ruggero Leoncavallo was an Italian opera composer and librettist. His other well-known works include the song Mattinata, popularized by Enrico Caruso, the son of a judge, Leoncavallo was born in Naples on 23 April 1857. As a child, he moved with his father to the town of Montalto Uffugo in Calabria where Leoncavallo lived during his adolescence. He later returned to Naples and was educated at the citys San Pietro a Majella Conservatory, in 1879 Leoncavallos uncle Giuseppe, director of the press department at the Foreign Ministry in Egypt, suggested that his young nephew come to Cairo to showcase his pianistic abilities. Arriving shortly after the deposition of Khedive Ismail, Leoncavallo eventually secured work as a piano teacher and his time in Egypt concluded abruptly in 1882 after revolts in Alexandria and Cairo led by ‘Urabi in which the composer quickly departed for France. In Paris, Leoncavallo found lodging in Montmartre, an agent located in the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis secured Leoncavallo employment as an accompanist and instructor for artists who performed in Sunday concerts mostly at cafés. It was during this time that he met Berthe Rambaud a preferred student, increasingly inspired by the French romantics, particularly Alfred de Musset, Leoncavallo began work on a symphonic poem based on Mussets poetry entitled La nuit de mai. The work was completed in Paris in 1886 and premiered in April 1887 to critical acclaim, with this success and now with enough accumulated money Leoncavallo and Rambaud would return to Milan to begin his career as a composer of opera. Back in Italy, Leoncavallo spent some years teaching and attempting ineffectively to obtain the production of more than one opera, in 1890 he saw the enormous success of Pietro Mascagnis Cavalleria rusticana and wasted no time in producing his own verismo work, Pagliacci. Pagliacci was performed in Milan in 1892 with immediate success, today it is the work by Leoncavallo in the standard operatic repertory. Its most famous aria Vesti la giubba was recorded by Enrico Caruso, the next year his I Medici was also produced in Milan, but neither it nor Chatterton —both early works—obtained much lasting favour. Much of Chatterton, however, was recorded by the Gramophone Company as early as 1908, Leoncavallo himself conducts the performance or at very least supervises the production. It was not until Leoncavallos La bohème was performed in 1897 in Venice that his talent obtained public confirmation, however, it was outshone by Puccinis opera of the same name and on the same subject, which was premiered in 1896. Two tenor arias from Leoncavallos version are still performed, especially in Italy. Subsequent operas by Leoncavallo were in the 1900s, Zazà, in 1906 the composer brought singers and orchestral musicians from La Scala to perform concerts of his music in New York, as well as an extensive tour of the United States. The tour was, all in all, a qualified success and he had a brief success with Zingari which premiered in Italian in London in 1912, with a long run at the Hippodrome Theatre. Zingari also reached the United States but soon disappeared from the repertoire, after a series of operettas, Leoncavallo appeared to have tried for one last serious effort with Edipo re. It had always assumed that Leoncavallo had finished the work but had died before he could finish the orchestration
28.
Gaetano Donizetti
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Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, Donizetti was a composer of the bel canto opera style during the first half of the nineteenth century. Donizettis close association with the bel canto style was undoubtedly an influence on composers such as Giuseppe Verdi. Donizetti was born in Bergamo in Lombardy, there he received detailed training in the arts of fugue and counterpoint. Over the course of his career, Donizetti wrote almost 70 operas, in all, Naples presented 51 of Donizettis operas. Before 1830, success came primarily with his operas, the serious ones failing to attract significant audiences. However, his first notable success came with an opera seria, Zoraida di Granata, significant historical dramas did appear and became successful, they included Lucia di Lammermoor given in Naples in 1835, and one of the most successful Neapolitan operas, Roberto Devereux in 1837. Up to that point, all of his operas had been set to Italian libretti, Donizetti found himself increasingly chafing against the censorial limitations which existed in Italy. From about 1836, he interested in working in Paris. The first opera was a French version of the then-unperformed Poliuto which, two new operas were also given in Paris at that time. As the 1840s progressed, Donizetti moved regularly between Naples, Rome, Paris, and Vienna continuing to compose and stage his own operas as well as those of other composers, but from around 1843, severe illness began to take hold and to limit his activities. Eventually, by early 1846 he was obliged to be confined to an institution for the ill and, by late 1847, friends had him moved back to Bergamo. The youngest of three sons, Donizetti was born in 1797 in Bergamos Borgo Canale quarter located just outside the city walls and his family was very poor and had no tradition of music, his father Andrea being the caretaker of the town pawnshop. Simone Mayr, a German composer of internationally successful operas, had become maestro di cappella at Bergamos principal church in 1802, in 1807, Andrea Donizetti attempted to enroll both his sons, but the elder, Giuseppe, was considered too old. He remained there for nine years, until 1815, however, as Donizetti scholar William Ashbrook notes, in 1809 he was threatened with having to leave because his voice was changing. In 1810 he applied for and was accepted by the art school, the Academia Carrara. Then, in 1811, Mayr once again intervened, as Ashbrook states, this was nothing less than Mayrs argument that Donizetti be allowed to continue his musical studies. The piece was performed on 13 September 1811 and included the character stating the following, Ah, by Bacchus
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Lucia di Lammermoor
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Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scotts historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor, Donizetti wrote Lucia di Lammermoor in 1835, a time when several factors led to the height of his reputation as a composer of opera. Gioachino Rossini had recently retired and Vincenzo Bellini had died shortly before the premiere of Lucia leaving Donizetti as the sole reigning genius of Italian opera. Not only were conditions ripe for Donizettis success as a composer, the perceived romance of its violent wars and feuds, as well as its folklore and mythology, intrigued 19th century readers and audiences. Sir Walter Scott made use of stereotypes in his novel The Bride of Lammermoor. The story concerns the emotionally fragile Lucy Ashton who is caught in a feud between her own family and that of the Ravenswoods, the setting is the Lammermuir Hills of Scotland in the 17th century. The opera premiered on 26 September 1835 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, london saw the opera on 5 April 1838 and, for Paris, Donizetti revised the score for a French version which debuted on 6 August 1839 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris. It reached the United States with a production in New Orleans on 28 December 1841, the opera was never absent from the repertory of the Metropolitan Opera for more than one season at a time from 1903 until 1972. After World War II, a number of sopranos were instrumental in giving new life to the opera, including Maria Callas and it has remained a staple of the operatic repertoire and ranks 21st on Operabases list of the most-performed operas worldwide from the 2008/09 to 2012/13 seasons. Additionally an off-stage wind band is used, Donizetti did not provide instrumentation, time, Early 18th century Place, Scotland Scene 1, The gardens of Lammermoor Castle Normanno, captain of the castle guard, and other retainers are searching for an intruder. He tells Enrico that he believes that the man is Edgardo of Ravenswood, and it is confirmed that Edgardo is indeed the intruder. Enrico reaffirms his hatred for the Ravenswood family and his determination to end the relationship, Scene 2, By a fountain at the entrance to the park, beside the castle Lucia waits for Edgardo. In her famous aria Regnava nel silenzio, Lucia tells her maid Alisa that she has seen the ghost of a girl killed on the same spot by a jealous Ravenswood ancestor. Alisa tells Lucia that the apparition is a warning and that she must give up her love for Edgardo, Edgardo enters, for political reasons, he must leave immediately for France. He hopes to make his peace with Enrico and marry Lucia, Lucia tells him this is impossible, and instead they take a sworn vow of marriage and exchange rings. Scene 1, Lord Ashtons apartments in Lammermoor Castle Preparations have been made for the imminent wedding of Lucia to Arturo, Enrico worries about whether Lucia will really submit to the wedding. He shows his sister a forged letter seemingly proving that Edgardo has forgotten her, Enrico leaves Lucia to further persuasion this time by Raimondo, Lucias chaplain and tutor, that she should renounce her vow to Edgardo, for the good of the family, and marry Arturo. Scene 2, A hall in the castle Arturo arrives for the marriage, Lucia acts strangely, but Enrico explains that this is due to the death of her mother
30.
Jules Massenet
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Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are Manon and Werther and he also composed oratorios, ballets, orchestral works, incidental music, piano pieces, songs and other music. While still a schoolboy, Massenet was admitted to Frances principal music college, there he studied under Ambroise Thomas, whom he greatly admired. After winning the top musical prize, the Prix de Rome, in 1863, he composed prolifically in many genres. Massenet had a sense of the theatre and of what would succeed with the Parisian public. Despite some miscalculations, he produced a series of successes that made him the composer of opera in France in the late 19th. Like many prominent French composers of the period, Massenet became a professor at the Conservatoire and he taught composition there from 1878 until 1896, when he resigned after the death of the director, Ambroise Thomas. Among his students were Gustave Charpentier, Ernest Chausson, Reynaldo Hahn, by the time of his death, Massenet was regarded by many critics as old-fashioned and unadventurous although his two best-known operas remained popular in France and abroad. After a few decades of neglect, his works began to be favourably reassessed during the mid-20th century, Massenet was born at Montaud, then an outlying hamlet and now a part of the city of Saint-Étienne, in the Loire. He was the youngest of the four children of Alexis Massenet and his second wife Eléonore-Adelaïde née Royer de Marancour, Massenet senior was a prosperous ironmonger, his wife was a talented amateur musician who gave Jules his first piano lessons. By early 1848 the family had moved to Paris, where settled in a flat in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Massenet was educated at the Lycée Saint-Louis and, from either 1851 or 1853 and his biographer Demar Irvine dates the audition and admission as January 1853. Both sources agree that Massenet continued his education at the lycée in tandem with his musical studies. At the Conservatoire Massenet studied solfège with Augustin Savard and the piano with François Laurent and he pursued his studies, with modest distinction, until the beginning of 1855, when family concerns disrupted his education. Alexis Massenets health was poor, and on advice he moved from Paris to Chambéry in the south of France. On his return he lodged with relations in Montmartre and resumed his studies, the familys finances were no longer comfortable, and to support himself Massenet took private piano students and played as a percussionist in theatre orchestras. His work in the pit gave him a good working knowledge of the operas of Gounod and other composers, classic. He gained some work as a piano accompanist, in the course of which he met Wagner who, in 1861 Massenets music was published for the first time, the Grande Fantasie de Concert sur le Pardon de Ploërmel de Meyerbeer, a virtuoso piano work in nine sections
31.
Werther
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Werther is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann. It is loosely based on the German epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, earlier examples of operas using the story were made by Kreutzer and Pucitta. Massenet started composing Werther in 1885, completing it in 1887 and he submitted it to Leon Carvalho, the director of the Paris Opéra-Comique, that year, but Carvalho declined to accept it on the grounds that the scenario was too serious. Werther received its premiere on 16 February 1892 at the Imperial Theatre Hofoper in Vienna, the French-language premiere followed in Geneva on 27 December 1892. The United States premiere with the Metropolitan Opera took place in Chicago on 29 March 1894 and then in the companys main house in New York City three weeks later. The UK premiere was a performance at Covent Garden, London, on 11 June 1894 with Emma Eames as Charlotte, Sigrid Arnoldson as Sophie. Werther is still performed around the world and has been recorded many times. Although the role of Werther was written for a tenor, Massenet adjusted it for a baritone and it is very occasionally performed in this version, in which the changes affect only the vocal line for the title character. There are no changes to the words, to the lines for other characters. 2 flutes,2 Oboes,2 Clarinets in B-flat and A, Alto Saxophone,2 Bassoons,4 Horns in F,2 Trumpets,3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, Harp, Strings. Time, Within the period July to December, in an year in the 1780s. In July, the widowed Bailiff, is teaching his six youngest children a Christmas carol and his drinking companions, Johann and Schmidt, arrive as Charlotte, the eldest daughter, dresses for a ball. Since her fiancé Albert is away, she is to be escorted by Werther, Werther arrives, and watches as Charlotte prepares her young siblings supper, just as her mother had before she died. He greets her and they leave for the ball, Albert returns unexpectedly after a six-month trip. He is unsure of Charlottes intentions and disappointed not to find her at home and he leaves after promising to return in the morning. After an orchestral interlude, Werther and Charlotte return very late and his declaration of love is interrupted by the announcement of Alberts return. Charlotte recalls how she promised her mother she would marry Albert. It is three months later, and Charlotte and Albert are now married and they walk happily to church to celebrate the ministers 50th wedding anniversary, followed by the disconsolate Werther
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Georges Bizet
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Georges Bizet, registered at birth as Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer of the romantic era. During a brilliant student career at the Conservatoire de Paris, Bizet won many prizes and he was recognised as an outstanding pianist, though he chose not to capitalise on this skill and rarely performed in public. Returning to Paris after almost three years in Italy, he found that the main Parisian opera theatres preferred the established classical repertoire to the works of newcomers. His keyboard and orchestral compositions were largely ignored, as a result, his career stalled. Restless for success, he began many theatrical projects during the 1860s, neither of his two operas that reached the stage in this time—Les pêcheurs de perles and La jolie fille de Perth—were immediately successful. The production of Bizets final opera, Carmen, was delayed because of fears that its themes of betrayal and murder would offend audiences. After its premiere on 3 March 1875, Bizet was convinced that the work was a failure, Bizets marriage to Geneviève Halévy was intermittently happy and produced one son. After his death, his work, apart from Carmen, was generally neglected, manuscripts were given away or lost, and published versions of his works were frequently revised and adapted by other hands. He founded no school and had no obvious disciples or successors, after years of neglect, his works began to be performed more frequently in the 20th century. Later commentators have acclaimed him as a composer of brilliance and originality whose premature death was a significant loss to French musical theatre, Georges Bizet was born in Paris on 25 October 1838. He was registered as Alexandre César Léopold, but baptised as Georges on 16 March 1840 and his father, Adolphe Bizet, had been a hairdresser and wigmaker before becoming a singing teacher despite his lack of formal training. He also composed a few works, including at least one published song, in 1837 Adolphe married Aimée Delsarte, against the wishes of her family who considered him a poor prospect, the Delsartes, though impoverished, were a cultured and highly musical family. Aimée was an accomplished pianist, while her brother François Delsarte was a singer and teacher who performed at the courts of both Louis Philippe and Napoleon III. François Delsartes wife Rosine, a prodigy, had been an assistant professor of solfège at the Conservatoire de Paris at the age of 13. Georges, a child, showed early aptitude for music and quickly picked up the basics of musical notation from his mother. This precocity convinced his ambitious parents that he was ready to begin studying at the Conservatoire even though he was only nine years old. Georges was interviewed by Joseph Meifred, the horn virtuoso who was a member of the Conservatoires Committee of Studies, Meifred was so struck by the boys demonstration of his skills that he waived the age rule and offered to take him as soon as a place became available. Bizet was admitted to the Conservatoire on 9 October 1848, two weeks before his 10th birthday and he made an early impression, within six months he had won first prize in solfège, a feat that impressed Pierre-Joseph-Guillaume Zimmermann, the Conservatoires former professor of piano
33.
Carmen
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Carmen is an opera in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on a novella of the title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875, Bizet died suddenly after the 33rd performance, unaware that the work would achieve international acclaim within the following ten years. The opera is written in the genre of opéra comique with musical numbers separated by dialogue and it is set in southern Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen. José abandons his sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmens love to the glamorous toreador Escamillo. The depictions of life, immorality, and lawlessness. After the premiere, most reviews were critical, and the French public was generally indifferent, Carmen initially gained its reputation through a series of productions outside France, and was not revived in Paris until 1883, thereafter it rapidly acquired popularity at home and abroad. Later commentators have asserted that Carmen forms the bridge between the tradition of opéra comique and the realism or verismo that characterised late 19th-century Italian opera. The opera has been recorded many times since the first acoustical recording in 1908, in the Paris of the 1860s, despite being a Prix de Rome laureate, Bizet struggled to get his stage works performed. The capitals two main state-funded opera houses—the Opéra and the Opéra-Comique—followed conservative repertoires that restricted opportunities for young native talent, Bizet was delighted with the Opéra-Comique commission, and expressed to his friend Edmund Galabert his satisfaction in the absolute certainty of having found my path. It was Bizet who first proposed an adaptation of Prosper Mérimées novella Carmen, Bizet may first have encountered the story during his Rome sojourn of 1858–60, since his journals record Mérimée as one of the writers whose works he absorbed in those years. Cast details are as provided by Mina Curtiss from the original piano, the stage designs are credited to Charles Ponchard. Place, Seville, Spain, and surrounding hills Time, Around 1820 Act 1 A square, on the right, a door to the tobacco factory. A group of soldiers relax in the square, waiting for the changing of the guard, moralès tells her that José is not yet on duty and invites her to wait with them. She declines, saying she will return later, José arrives with the new guard, which is greeted and imitated by a crowd of urchins. As the factory bell rings, the cigarette girls emerge and exchange banter with young men in the crowd, Carmen enters and sings her provocative habanera on the untameable nature of love. The men plead with her to choose a lover, and after some teasing she throws a flower to Don José, as the women go back to the factory, Micaëla returns and gives José a letter and a kiss from his mother. He reads that his mother wants him to home and marry Micaëla
34.
Belgian Entertainment Association
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The Belgian Entertainment Association is the organization that represents the interests of the music, video and video game industries in Belgium. BEA is listed as the record industry association in Belgium by the IFPI. The publication of sales charts in Belgium is done through Ultratop, due to the cultural differences in Belgium, separate charts are published for the Dutch-speaking Flanders region and the French-speaking Wallonia region. In Flanders the most important charts are the Ultratop 50 singles, in Wallonia the most important charts are the Ultratop 40 singles. Through Ultratop, BEA certifies albums, singles and DVDs, the current thresholds for albums, in effect at least since April 2008, distinguish between local, French or Dutch speaking albums, and international or non French or Dutch speaking ones. For domestic repertoire the threshold for Gold album is 10,000 units, for international repertoire the threshold for Gold is 15,000 units and the threshold for Platinum is 30,000. Jazz and Classical repertoire shares the thresholds with the domestic repertoire, the same levels apply for singles as well. The IFPI award certification list of October 2007 lists the same thresholds for albums, for domestic repertoire the threshold for Gold single was 15,000 units and the threshold for Platinum single was 30,000 units. For international repertoire the threshold for Gold was 25,000 units, an earlier list from the beginning of 2006 lists these older thresholds for albums as well. The current thresholds for DVDs distinguish between Belgian products sold in one locality, Belgian products sold nationwide, and foreign products, for Belgian-local products, the thresholds are 7,500 units for Gold,15,500 units for Platinum and 25,500 units for Diamond. For Belgian-nationwide products, the thresholds are 15,000 units for Gold,30,000 units for Platinum and 50,000 units for Diamond. For foreign products, the thresholds are 25,000 units for Gold,50,000 units for Platinum and 100,000 units for Diamond, the same levels are listed since at least October 2007. An archive of past certifications going back to 1997 is available at the Ultratop website, the following is a list of albums that have been certified by the Belgian Entertainment Association. List of music recording certifications Official website
