Begins Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - Gleacher Center - Chicago, IL
Click here to register online.

Course Description:
Counts as a Music Genre course for the Language of Music Certificate.
In 19th-century Paris a new form of opera was born: “grand opera.” Departing from the ease and delicacy of bel canto style, grand opera filled the stage with huge casts, dazzling sets and costumes, sweeping historical plots, and monumental orchestras. This course will examine the development of grand opera in Paris and beyond. Operas to be considered include famous examples of the genre, such as Verdi’s Aida, as well as works from important grand opera composers, including Meyerbeer, Saint-Saëns, and Massenet. Works will be critically analyzed using DVDs, CDs, and piano illustrations.

Week 1

Ÿ Aida (1871)

Ÿ Origins of grand opera

Week 2

Ÿ Rossini: William Tell (1829)

Ÿ Halevy: La Juive (1835)

Ÿ Meyerbeer: Les Hugenots (1836)

Week 3

Ÿ Wagner: Rienzi (1842)

Ÿ Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmilla (1842)

Ÿ Verdi: Jerusalem (1847)

Week 4

Ÿ Berlioz: Les Troyens (1863)

Ÿ Meyerbeer: L’Africaine (1865)

Week 5

Ÿ Verdi: Don Carlos (1867)

Ÿ Gounod: Faust (1869)

Week 6

Ÿ Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov (1874)

Ÿ Ponichielli: La Gioconda (1874)

Week 7

Ÿ Saint-Saens: Samson and Dalila (1877)

Ÿ Borodin: Prince Igor (1890)

Week 8

Ÿ Massenet: Thais (1893)

Ÿ Rimsky-Korsakov: Sadko (1898)