EVDOL 30 - Opera This Season

Scott Eyerly
Designed for both newcomers and enthusiasts, this course explores the delights of a great art form from contrasting angles.

Operas surveyed in the fall include several new Met productions, among them Verdi’s first Shakespeare adaptation, Macbeth, a powerful portrait of the ultimate power couple; La fanciulla del west, part spaghetti Western, part horse opera, all irresistible Puccini; and Janáček’s Jenůfa, a village tale of two interdependent women as profound as any Bergman film. Additionally, the fall term will survey another tale of interdependent women, on a rather higher social plane, Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda (Mary Queen of Scots), plus a French guilty pleasure, Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila.

The spring term begins with Manon, Massenet’s love letter to Paris—and to love itself—featuring one of opera’s most coveted title roles. The semester will also cover Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, a musical embodiment of the Viennese saying “laughter in one eye and a tear in the other”; Wagner’s final masterpiece, Parsifal, a much-admired, much-debated mix of religion and myth; Otello, Verdi’s second Shakespeare adaptation and, some say, the composer’s greatest work; plus a highly anticipated Met premiere, Pulitzer Prize–winning Silent Night by Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell, based on a true story of humanity in the depths of World War I.

After a brief look at the historical background for each opera, attention turns to the score and libretto itself: Why does Janáček use solo violin, with no other instruments, to accompany a critical scene? What makes Otello arguably the hardest Italian tenor role? Why did Puccini insist that the final aria for his male lead… isn’t an aria? Enhanced by recorded audio and visual excerpts, this lively course encourages novices and aficionados alike to think differently about opera.

The works surveyed in this course are scheduled for performance in New York, allowing students, outside of class, an opportunity to see the operas being discussed.

Biography: Scott Eyerly

Two Sections Available | 13 Classes Total | Extension Holiday Schedule

EVDOL 30 01:

Tuesdays 5:30–7pm ET

September 15–December 15

Mode: Online

EVDOL 30 02:

Wednesdays 5:30–7pm ET

September 16–December 16

Mode: In Person

$780

Register by Phone: (212) 799-5000 ext. 273

Our phone line is open Monday–Friday (excluding holidays), 9:00 am–5:00 pm ET.