Friday Fun Facts About — Opera in Bozeman?

Read or Subscribe to all Tom Egelhoff’s Daily Blog Posts by Clicking Here

Opera in Bozeman?? Since when? Since 1979, and before — that’s since when.

Yes, Intermountain Opera Bozeman has been around for a long time.

Thanks to reasonably priced tickets (that only cover about 35% of total costs), plus the generosity of the surrounding communities, locals and tourists can enjoy some of the greatest operatic productions in history.

If you have not had the opportunity to view one these outstanding performances I encourage attending some of their high quality productions.

Check out this short 7-minute info clip from YouTube for more info about this outstanding asset to our community.

Here Are Some Fun Facts About Opera in General

• True opera should not be confused with “soap operas” that were on TV and radio shows usually targeted to women and sponsored by soap manufacturers in 1939.
• The word, or term, “Opera” comes from the Latin word “opus” that means  “work.”
• “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” Might refer to buxom Brunhilde’s 10-minute aria at the end of Wagner’s Ring cycle. Some say pro basketball coach Dick Motta said it first, but he claims it came from a local sport writer, who in turn claims he heard it from a friend.  So who knows.
• If you think opera is boring with no action you might want to check out “Salome.” It was banned from the Metropolitan Opera in New York for many years. If you like incest, nudity, murder, and John the Baptist’s severed head then Salome might be just the thing for you.
• Elmer Fudd chasing Bugs Bunny in a parody of the Ring cycle was voted #1 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time in 1994.
• Even Opera had its difficult personalities. When Francesca Cuzzoni refused to sing the aria “Falsa imagine” from Handel’s Ottone, Handel grabbed her around the waist and swore he would throw her out the window if she did not change her mind. Very temperamental people back then.
• Talk about sacrificing for your art. Women were not allowed to sing on stage in any capacity in the 1700s. Castrated males sang soprano, mezzo, and alto parts. The most famous of these interesting folks was Baldassare Ferri (1610-1680). He was so inspiring that people would wait three miles outside of time to fill his oncoming carriage with flowers.
• Opera was, and maybe still is, a very competitive business. Composers of the day would hire people to attend their performances to cheer their work and in turn boo their competitors. The groups were called claque or clapping.
• Never get on a Pope’s bad side. Pope Innocent XII (1615-1700) upon hearing of “scandalous behavior” at the Tor di Nona in 1697 called the opera house immoral and ordered it burned to the ground. No “fat lady” singing there I guess.

Some Final Words

Like most topics you never know what you will find until you get inside and look around. These are just a few of the more titillating stories of operatic history.

So think about what you might be missing. Check out our local Intermountain Opera Bozeman.

You might not witness all the fun facts I’ve listed here, but I bet you’ll have a good time. And, depending on the production you might even shed a tear or two.

Remember Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman?”

Read or Subscribe to all Tom Egelhoff’s Daily Blog Posts by Clicking Here