#operaposter

[werewolfetone]

The opera when I couldn't go see it because I was a baby: a staging by a multinational crew of communists of bizet's carmen set during the spanish civil war explicitly highlighting the collusion of capitalist figures and within the catholic church with the nationalists and the role misogyny plays in fascist ideology, as well as deconstructing the opera's original racism and other such contradictions within nineteenth century european art

The opera when I'm free now: kazoo adaptation of tommy wiseau's the room

[bluberimufim]

The coolest thing about opera is that most of them have existed for actual centuries and people have just run out of normal ways to stage them. You either do something boring and predictable or you go off the fucking rails.

We've all been in this enclosure so long we've started losing our minds but we don't want to leave. In fact we want to see how much crazier we can get.

[isaddeos]

big fan of rossini i especially like that aria that goes ahhahhahahah AAAAAAH ahhhhh

[hjtart]

[instantpansies]

yeah i know the "mad woman" trope in opera is based in misogynistic stereotypes about women being overly emotional and sensitive and not knowing how to handle conflict and yes that's not good. however have you considered: lady covered in blood stumbling across the stage and singing very dramatically about revenge and death and ghosts is extremely hot

[nerdanel01]

ROUND TWO LETS GOOOOOOOO

[cartridgeconverter]

Don Giovanni characters as fountain pens

I have long postponed making this post as I was afraid it might convince me to spend more money. However, armed with a new sense of fiscal responsibility, I think I am prepared.

I've tried to have a range of prices that roughly correspond to the status of the characters, as well as many different brands. Honestly all of these are just vibes, but I've tried to give my justifications were I can.

Leporello - Sailor Profit Junior in Kohiru ($60 as part of a limited edition set, including other products)

I know I just said that I would try and match the lower-class characters to appropriately-priced pens, but look at it. It has a bunny on it. This is the best pen ever.

Don Giovanni - Visconti Opera Gold in Red ($348)

This is probably the only pen on this list that I would absolutely never buy, no matter how much opera-themed branding it has, because it is a ridiculous price and also looks stupid. But "ridiculous price" and "looks stupid" are both things I associate with Don G, and he would definitely be a Visconti whore -- it's a brand highly associated with luxury.

My other choice for him is also a Visconti model, this time the Divina Matte in Bordeaux. This is an even more ridiculous price, at $796. However, it is less obnoxiously red than the Opera Gold, so it is an alternate. He probably would have both anyway.

Donna Anna - Nahvalur Voyage in Shanghai ($130)

I have this one! She is beauty, she is grace. She is also very poorly designed but I forgive her for that. This pen is super elegant, albeit large, and is made from resin with real diamond flakes in it. I love the color also - black, with streaks of blue that show up under light. It reminds me a bit of Anna's costume in the Kasper Holten production. It's simply a very beautiful pen (with tons of design flaws and constitution issues, grr).

The Commendatore - Parker Jack-Knife with silver filigree ($5 in 1902, which is equivalent to $183 today)

This is a very lovely vintage pen from the Parker company, of which I scoured this ancient website for a picture (https://parkerpens.net/index.shtml). As an aside, this site is great; it's very well-kept and contains a detailed account of Parker models through time, with pictures. This pen, though gaudy, is exactly the type of thing that I think old men who do things like duels in the middle of the night would have. (Please work with me here, I don't exactly have a lot of content to go off of :P)

Don Ottavio - Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Shikiori Amaoto collection in Kirisame ($360)

Honestly, any purple Sailor will fit for Ottavio. They're generally on the smaller side, but the designs have an elegant simplicity to them. Also, purple. It's him! It's just him.

This will probably be the ultimate piece in my collection. It's such a lovely little thing, with a 21k gold nib. Unfortunately, I will not be purchasing it any time soon, due to my responsible spending habits.

Donna Elvira - LAMY Al-Star in Black Purple ($48)

Also another model I own -- I swear by Lamys as a great everyday pen. They're reliable and ergonomic, even if they're not as visually appealing as some other brands. The Al-Star, being made of aluminum, is a bit of an upgrade from their plastic model, the Safari with a slightly higher price. I think it's very fitting for Elvira, as a travelling woman.

Zerlina and Masetto - LAMY Safari in Savannah Green and Terra Red ($19)

The Lamy Safari is my favorite everyday pen to use, full stop. It's the same model as the Al-Star, but made from a lightweight plastic. They have a very practical and minimalist aesthetic, but it works, and it works well. They're super durable and apparently can survive being run over by warehouse equipment. I just think this model really suits these two, or maybe I'm biased since it's my favorite.

In particular, these are the two special edition colors made to celebrate the 40 year anniversary of the model, as they were the original colors to be manufactured. The green (which I own) matches Zerlina's dress in the IvH production, which is why I named it Zerlina to begin with. That seems to have been a good name - although filling the converter for the first time was a dramatic ordeal, it's been a reliable pen no matter how much wear and tear I put it through (the black paint on the clip has completely flaked off by now).

Hope you guys enjoyed this tenuous connection between my nerdy hobbies that was actually just a vessel for my rant about how much I love Lamy Safaris. I had fun putting it together, even if a few of these are out of my price point right now. Maybe I will do inks next, although I have put less thought into that.

Off of this list, I hope to eventually buy both Sailors (Leporello and Ottavio) as well as the other Safari (Masetto), although that's not a priority. I just like thinking about having nice things.

[jonphaedrus]

this is a claudio desdèri doing shit that makes it really hard to sing opera while still singing opera appreciation post

look at how willing this man was to just toss himself around like a boneless sack of potatoes. especially as leporello. while singing!!!

in the last one he then does almost all of the ah! pieta signori miei aria flat on his back on the floor facing upstage and is STILL entirely and clearly audible even over the recording. im just in awe of him.

[nastassyafilippovna]

katerina lvovna being a normal and believable amount of dramatic

[picaroposting]

there needs to be a (bigger?) fandom for The Nose. all my gogolians? all my shostakovich listeners? join forces

[youraveragecatastrophe]

Everybody says thank you Célestine Galli-Marié for asking Georges Bizet to rework Carmen's Habanera (up to 13 times according to Bizet's biographer!) until it became what it is today

[werewolfetone]

Opera is so good. has anyone else noticed this

[johnny1note]

Happy birthday to absolute queen Helen Traubel

[isaddeos]

La cerntola

[runcible-spoons]

It's Figaro's wedding day, and you are a terrible, terrible, count.... what could possibly go wrong!

Inspired by:

[instantpansies]

me listening to "disprezzata regina" from l'incoronazione di poppea: wow this is so shoot from the hip abigail coded