Opera
A raging fire caused by a gas leak destroyed the theater in 1881, killing 65 people. The architect hired to rebuild it designed a stone and brick facade with a hidden metal-girder skeleton.
The result is an attractive Italian-style horseshoe the size of a matchbox.
In North America, Puccini's "Edgar" has been assigned to oblivion, performed every generation or so (shout-out to Kansas City 2005!). The libretto is probably silly ―my Italian isn't good enough to say ― but the versions on Spotify used to familiarize myself with "Edgar" had some whirling, voluptuous melodies. The music is undeniably great.
What I couldn't have anticipated was the production's snarl, its violence.
Near the beginning of the third act during the Addio, mio dolce amore, when Edgar's shrouded body is laid out, and Fidelia (Ekaterina Bakanova) sings "My heart died with you today" ― Europe, man. You can't beat it.
At 4:09, Bakanova genuinely chokes up from the crowd's response. A peak opera experience.
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