In the Wings

The rape of Lucretia is a narrative rooted in historical fact: the tale of a Roman matron’s rape and subsequent suicide has lived on in the Western imagination for 2,500 years. What did the story mean to Benjamin Britten, when he created it in the 1940s? What does it mean to us today as we view it?

It may be impossible to talk about revolutions and opera without circling back to that iconic, endearing, clever barber, Figaro—an archetypal character who has transcended genres, charmed generations, and helped inspire a revolution.

Contralto Marian Anderson was thrust into the public spotlight after a controversial rejection from one of the nation’s prominent concert houses. She went on to make a landmark debut as the first black singer at the Metropolitan Opera and helped spark further action in the Civil Rights Movement.

In celebration of our 2018/19 Season, take a tour through opera history to find 7 examples that upended societal expectations, charted their own course, and imagined the world anew. Installment #3 – we turn to the Risorgimento in Italy and the mythic status of an unforgettable Verdi anthem.