#Aida Lucia

[tina-aumont]

December 1960 - Press clippings/photos reporting the show Luchy Vicioso, María Montez II and Aida Lucia did a show in front of thousand kids in Zoological and Botanical Gardens of Dominican Republic. In the first photo they are seen with artist Rafael Solano.

First and third photos come from Los Archivos de Américo Mejía on Facebook. Used with kind permision from the owner. Thank you very much!!

Second photo comes from: El Caribe newspaper.

[princesssarisa]

Yesterday I shared links to complete filmed performances available free on YouTube of the top 10 most frequently performed operas. While I'm at it, here are links to performances of the next top 10 most popular operas, all with English subtitles.

Cosí Fan Tutte

Théâtre du Châtelet, 1992 (Amanda Roocroft, Rosa Mannion, Rainer Trost, Rodney Gilfry, Eiran James, Claudio Nicolai; staged and conducted by John Eliot Gardiner)

L'Elisir d'Amore

Vienna State Opera, 2005 (Rolando Villazón, Anna Netrebko, Leo Nucci, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo; staged by Otto Schenk; conducted by Alfred Eschwé)

Aida

San Francisco Opera, 2010 (Micaela Carosi, Marcello Giordani, Dolora Zajick, Marco Vratogna, Hao Jiang Tian; staged by Jo Davies; conducted by Nicola Lusotti)

Hänsel & Gretel

Studio film, 1981 (Brigitte Fassbaender, Edita Gruberova, Sena Jurinac, Hermann Prey; directed by August Everding; conducted by Georg Solti)

Turandot

Opera Hong Kong, 2018 (Oksana Dyka, Alfred Kim, Valeria Sepe; staged by Warren Mok; conducted by Paolo Olmi)

Die Fledermaus

Bavarian State Opera, 1987 (Eberhard Wächter, Pamela Coburn, Wolfgang Brendel, Janet Perry, Brigitte Fassbaender; staged by Otto Schenk; conducted by Carlos Kleiber)

Nabucco

St. Margarethen Opera Festival, 2007 (Igor Morosow, Gabriella Morigi, Elizabeth Kulman, Bruno Riberio, Simon Yang; staged by Robert Herzl; conducted by Ernst Märzendorfer)

Eugene Onegin

Kirov Opera, 1984 (Sergei Leiferkus, Tatiana Novikova, Yuri Marusin, Larissa Diadkova; staged and conducted by Yuri Temirkanov)

Lucia di Lammermoor

Studio film, 1971 (Anna Moffo, Lajos Kozma, Giulio Fioravanti, Paolo Washington; directed by Mario Lanfranchi; conducted by Carlo Felice Cillario)

Paglacci

Lirica Italiana at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, 1961; Mario del Monaco, Gabriella Tucci, Aldo Protti, Attilio D'Orazzi; conducted by Giuseppe Morelli)

[leporellian]

actually i'm going to talk about the met's weird thing with the rust belt more because it was definitely one of those things where a few years ago when the new met lucia was in development i was like, oh cool i wonder what they'll do with that, but now that we're here... man does it leave a bad taste in the mouth.

here's a question for you: Why Do So Many Operas Take Place In Seville?

seville is the setting for some hundreds of operas, including many of the famous ones: the barber of seville, carmen, la forza del destino, the marriage of figaro, fidelio, don giovanni (which actually might not take place in seville but given don juan stories up to them did it sticks)... the list keeps going. and there was a legitimate reason for this- for hundreds of years, seville was seen as a seedy and sexualized location where anything could happen. that exoticism carries over into the plot of many of the Seville Operas, which often feature seductions, crimes, and passion stories that fit neatly into the tales of the seedy city.

opera is about, in a lot of ways, EXOTICIZING OTHER PLACES. the spectacle of a setting was often a major part of the excitement of seeing a new opera, especially in the 19th century. but some of these places 'work' better than others, for a variety of reasons that boil down to the politics of representation and who is being who onstage.

seville works as an Exotic Opera Location Du Jour for multiple reasons. for one thing, if you notice, a lot of the seville operas take place 60-100+ years before the composition of the opera. for example, the marriage of figaro and don giovanni were composed in 1786 and 1787 respectively, and both depict 1600s seville. if you were writing a Seville Opera right now, for comparison, it would probably take place between 1890 and 1960- there's enough of a time gap that exploring the world as a more fantastical setting is easier to swallow. for another, seville is in western europe, and many of the composers depicting it were also from western europe. there is an evened playing field. (THERE IS A NOTABLE EXCEPTION about this that I WILL GET TO SOON.) finally, now that these operas are over a century old, we're even more removed from their concept of 'seville' and the 'seville' in operas has been turned into something of a convenient fantasy location in which to put an opera. it's something out of a medieval times dinner and tournament and not necessarily meant to be Actual Real Seville at all, which works fine because Seville Operas work without needing much context about the location. don jose is a soldier, you don't need to know what seville soldiers' duties were. figaro is a barber, you don't need to know what barbers in seville were like. and so on.

but there are other opera locations that don't serve this purpose as well- often nonwhite regions appropriated by white composers. the incredibly warped conceptions of egypt that show up in aida and the magic flute, the looking-glass japan of madama butterfly, the brief moment in which la fanciulla del west wherein the opera remembers the existence of native american peoples... suddenly the make-believe of exoticism goes away and is replaced by a sour feeling because in many cases these cultures could not have a say on their own depictions in the operatic world, while the western europeans featured in the operas that exoticize locations like seville or paris could.

carmen is an interesting case study in Opera Exoticism because it features a location that is fine enough to exoticize (early 1800s seville) and a titular character that is not. carmen was- and, in many productions, is still- written as romani. she embodies many negative stereotypes about the culture- she is seductive, morally ambiguous, a smuggler, a femme fatale. yet we as an audience are made to sympathize with her. she is honest about who she is, accepting of the hard truths that are given to her; she is close to her friends and her crueler moments come across as more of an ill-planned joke than a real sense of antipathy. carmen is both a product of how romani people were written by white men in her time, and progressive in that we root for her against the (white) don jose. (and it should be noted that she knows that if he kills her he will be executed for it- carmen is about a mutual kill.) a good carmen production will evaluate all of these features and include them into the work somehow; be it through metatextual commentary, or careful representation, or understanding of what the audience is seeing.

anyway, now that we've covered all that, let's go look at The Met Opera's Current Fascination With Lower Class American Communities and see what we find there.

the rust belt and the sun belt have captured the imagination of the met opera recently, as seen in their current productions of lucia di lammermoor and carmen. these settings are depicted as grimy, miserable, and joyless; women are thrown around by men, men are depicted as one-dimensional monsters that are not to be understood or seen into. the cruelty is the point- these productions do not treat lower-class americans as people to relate to or understand. the sole exceptions are lucia- who is made out to be something of an outsider, so the audience can relate to her- and carmen, who is misinterpreted into being a sad woman who just wants love (god forbid a woman have some other motivation). the racial issues that dominate the cultural conversation in america are unspoken of in these productions, even when there is an opportunity to; this becomes especially uncomfortable in carmen, where the above history of carmen as a nonwhite woman and the opera's setting on the US-Mexico border (with the soldiers cast as border agents!) goes unmentioned in the name of 'heightening the class and gender inequality'- both of which were already in the original work along with the race inequality! these productions are both directed by non-american white people. simon stone is from australia, carrie cracknell is from britain. why would they want to depict this setting? because they see it as a dark, cynical den of seediness and repressed sexuality- a world where we don't have to worry about empathy, or broader implications, because the people in these settings do not go to the met- a world where we can look on with revulsion and unease.... this crosses the line from exoticism into fetishization, in which lower class people become pawns for the met to use as set dressing.

this is especially uncomfortable because of opera's long history being seen as a 'rich people hobby'. opera is characterized as snobbish, useless, reprehensible; an art form that exists only to please the rich and the white and the male-dominated. all of which is not true! i believe to the bottom of my heart that everybody deserves a night at the opera, and that there is an opera for everyone, and everybody should feel welcome in the opera house (or other opera space du jour). and there are so many people working to change the industry from the inside, particularly the work of artists of color to broaden the opera canon and depictions of that canon as we know them. but as long as the met continues to use poor people as set dressing instead of bothering to communicate with them in a meaningful way, as long as the met sees these settings as places where brutes live instead of human beings, that stereotype of the rich man's hobby is going to continue. and the met is going to suffer for it- as i suspect that, as time goes on, the voyeuristic lens of these operas into the lives of abused lower-class women will be seen as more and more revolting.

TLDR

[strawberrylemonadeswagtourney]

please give a warm welcome to the 64 contestants of the strawberry lemonade swag tourney, part two !!

we have 23 returning competitors and 41 brand new contenders vying for the crown ! starting on 07/05/2023, we'll start voting to determine which of these pink and yellow characters is the swaggiest of all time !!!

ROUND ONE MATCHUPS

PART ONE - 07/05 Phoenica Fleecity - Epithet Erased VS Yoomtah Zing - Epithet Erased Lickilicky - Pokemon VS Galarian Slowpoke - Pokemon Cherrim - Pokemon VS Shiny Weavile - Pokemon Dakota - Total Drama VS Sugar - Total Drama Geoff - Total Drama VS Jacques - Total Drama Princess Carolyn - Bojack Horseman VS Francine Smith - American Dad Kouign-Amann Cookie - Cookie Run VS Birthday Cake Cookie - Cookie Run Pastel Meringue Cookie - Cookie Run VS Butterbear Cookie - Cookie Run

PART TWO - 07/06 Dee Dee - Dexter’s Laboratory VS Helga G. Pataki - Hey Arnold! Amitie - Puyo Puyo VS Harpy - Puyo Puyo Ulala - Space Channel 5 VS Schall - Pop’n Music Iris - Pokemon VS Ortega - Pokemon Bonita Femur - Monster High VS Gooliope Jellington - Monster High Viperine Gorgon - Monster High VS Gigi Grant - Monster High Love Momozono - Fresh Pretty Cure! VS Ageha Hijiri - Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure Sayla Mass - Mobile Suit Gundam VS Satoko Hojo - When They Cry

PART THREE - 07/07 Pasca Kanonno - Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology VS Lilith Aileron - Tales of Destiny Poppy Pipopapo - Kamen Rider VS Regina George - Mean Girls Utena Tenjou - Revolutionary Girl Utena (Manga) VS Giorno Giovanni - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Nui Harime - Kill la Kill VS Shirahoshi - One Piece Princess Peach - Mario Series VS Lucia Nanami - Mermaid Melody Ami Onuki - Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi VS Umbrella Renoir - Skullgirls Foxy - Ace Attorney VS Regina Berry - Ace Attorney Isabelle - Animal Crossing VS Pearl - Splatoon

PART FOUR - 07/08 Giovanni Potage - Epithet Erased VS Kazuichi Souda - Danganronpa Elise - Story of Seasons VS Miu Iruma - Danganronpa Kaede Akamatsu - Danganronpa VS Maribelle - Fire Emblem Awakening Effie - Fire Emblem Fates VS Forrest - Fire Emblem Fates Princess Eilonwy - The Black Cauldron VS Charlotte La Bouff - The Princess and the Frog Saki Tenma - Project Sekai VS Princess Zelda - The Legend of Zelda Hikaru Hoshina - Star Twinkle Pretty Cure! VS Mana Aida - Doki Doki! Pretty Cure Wanda - The Fairly Odd Parents VS Barbie - Barbie Franchise

[peppermint-chocolate-cherries]

Headcanons - Hetalians Singing Opera

In case you haven't noticed before, I am both a Hetalia fan and an opera nerd. I played piano as a kid and sang for a couple years too, learned about a few operas as a teenager in my music history courses, and my adulthood Spotify library is probably 40% full opera recordings and 40% Broadway musicals. I'm way out of practice now, but I can still hit a high C if I try.

Naturally, since it's not happening in real life, I've allowed my imagination to be run over with imagining which Hetalians would sing what parts in all these operas I know. Some of them are very constant in what voice type I give them, whereas others vary. And of course, I do this with Broadway musicals too, but the women tend to sing lower there too.

So, what voice types do I headcanon for these Hetalians? Read below to find out!

First, our conductor is always 100% Austria, because who else would we have do it?

Nyo!Canada - Soprano coloratura

Yes, I will address my bias right off the bat, my beloved (self-insert) muse is a soprano that can sing all those INSANELY high parts. Think the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann, Violetta in La Traviata, and of course Lucia di Laamermoor and Turandot.

Liechtenstein - Soprano (soubrette)

This sweet girl's range can vary from low to high, but I like giving her roles where she is indeed the sweet young woman entering adulthood. I'm thinking Zerlina from Don Giovanni or Liu from Turandot. I've also imagined her in trouser roles too, the Composer in Ariadne aux Naxos and Cherubino in Nozze di Figaro.

Czechia - Soprano as well, more background. I have imagined her as Sieglinde in Die Walkure.

Seychelles - Soprano as well, more background. She could sing a lot of soubrette roles like Liechtenstein, and I've also imagined her singing Aida.

Belarus - Mezzo soprano

I sometimes can't decide how high or how low Belarus should be able to sing. Sometimes she's a powerhouse dramatic soprano (Ariadne aux Naxos), sometimes she nails the trouser roles (Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier), but regardless she can take on a lead role like Suzanna in Nozze di Figaro no problem.

Belgium - Mezzo soprano, occasional leads but a lot of background characters. She would 100% sing Carmen.

Monaco - Mezzo soprano, occasional leads but a lot of background characters. She's my original Despina for Cosi Fan Tutte.

Ukraine - Mezzo soprano or alto, more of a background character.

Hungary - Alto, very much a background character. Basically, I've tried to imagine filling all 11 ladies roles in Die Walkure.

Veneziano - Tenor

One of our two lead tenors, he's singing all the roles Pavarrotti did. This should not be a surprise to anyone.

Lithuania - Tenor

This might be a surprise, but I like to think he's a tenor too. Along with my bias of having nyo!Canada sing the prima donna soprano roles, I like having Liet with her as the lead tenor. Also, Belarus refuses to sing anything where she and Liet have to be romantic.

Latvia - Tenor, but more minor roles at most.

Poland - Tenor, but more minor roles at most.

Romano - Baritone

Yes, he's a baritone, but with a higher range bordering tenor. He doesn't get all the leads like his brother does, but there are some gorgeous higher-range baritone roles that he would sing so well. He is 100% Figaro, nobody can take that character from him.

Switzerland - Baritone

Full disclaimer for pretty much ALL the baritones, I've been unable to decide over time what range they should be. Switzerland started as a lower baritone, before I incorporated other baritones that could sing lower, so nowadays he can sing higher roles. If he were to learn Russian, he'd be good at singing Eugene Onegin.

Germany - Baritone

Tends to be a mid-range baritone, sometimes lower or higher as needed. He's the main one where I've previously assigned roles to, before handing them off to another baritone as I've expanded the cast. At the moment, good examples for him are Count Almaviva in Nozze di Figaro or Enrico in Lucia di Laamermoor.

Spain - Bass baritone

Yeah, here's a hot take, Spain singing lower than Germany. To be completely fair, this is probably the range where they can sing the same notes, but it's a matter of the roles in the story. I like having Spain play those elder figures, sometimes a father, and they keep getting written as bass or bass baritones.

Also, it helps that he has brown hair and green eyes, so that he looks like a father figure to both our lead tenors above.

He has 100% fought with Romano over singing Escamillo in Carmen (he's a Spanish matador!), but I've also imagined him as Giorgio Germont in La Traviata, Timur in Turandot, Don Bartolo in Nozze di Figaro & Barber of Seville, Wotan in the Ring Series, and Leporello in Don Giovanni.

Netherlands - Bass baritone

A newer addition to the cast, mainly because I needed a nation who could look like a father figure to sing Nabucco and Rigoletto.

Sweden - Bass

We need a bass singer somewhere, so Sweden's a newer addition to the cast. Once again, a lot of minor roles, though he'd do well as Dapertutto in The Tales of Hoffmann.

That's what I've got. If your as much of a nerd about both Hetalia and opera as I am (is there anybody out there as weird as me???), let me know what you think.

[opera-ghosts]

Edith Helena - Verdi: Il TROVATORE, Tacea la notte placida, 1913 High E-flat

THE SONGBIRD: Edith Helena (1876–1956) was born in Brooklyn as Edith Helen Seymour, however her stage name became the Italian-sounding Edith Helena. Her mother had been a singer for the Mapleson company and her grandfather was an actor. Helena's rise to fame came through vaudeville from 1902 to 1909, where she specialized in high florid singing and violin imitations (performing melodies in a high, smooth vocalise style -- you can find a few of these novelty recordings posted on YouTube.). In 1910 she joined the Aborn Grand Opera Company and toured until 1917 singing roles such as Gilda, Violetta, Lucia, and Martha, as well as Aida, Butterfly, and Elsa of Brabant. Helena sang leading roles with the Century Opera Company from 1918 to 1921 and then returned to vaudeville until she retired in 1929.

THE MUSIC: Verdi's "Il Trovatore" premiered in Rome in 1853 and became his most popular opera for decades. There were 229 productions worldwide in the three years following its premiere. It still considered a staple of the standard repertoire and ranks 22nd on the list of most performed operas worldwide according to Operabase.com. Leonora, the prima donna, is a noble woman who falls in love with the troubadour Manrico, which inflames the jealous Count di Luna. Her first aria is the dreamy "Tacea la notte placida," which is followed by a perky and somewhat pecky florid cabaletta "Di tale amor." The score tops out at High C, but Helena throws in a High E-flat, just for good measure!

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

Well, I just spent a few hours on this. Thanks, ADHD Hyperfixations. Anyways, here’s the general ages I came up with for the Three Frats AU relative to the 3H cast’s ages in the academy phase. Some are canon, others are modified canon, and others are straight up vibe guesses. I didn’t include any of the shapeshifters on here since they’re up in the air.

31+ - Vaida, Renault, Saber, Valbar, Gregor, Basilio, Flavia, Volke, Reina, Yukimura, Shura, Gilliam, basically anyone old enough to have their own kids or just obviously older than 30 something 30 - Arvis, Uther, Oswin, Hawkeye, Deen, Miriel, Libra, Shinon, Azama, Arthur (Fates) 29 - Aida, Pent, Louise, Dorcas, Isadora, Harken, Karla, Zeke, Stefan, Izana, Emmeryn, Gerik, Tethys 28 - Claud, Bartre, Natalie, Mathilda, Kamui, Fredrick, Virion, Sigrun, Gatrie, Xander, Saizo 27 - Beowulf, Lucius, Canas, Farina, Legault, Clive, Robin, Say'ri, Bastian, Heather, Tanith, Ryoma, Kagero, Scarlet, Glen (FE8) 26 - Balthus, Arden, Hector, Rath, Leila, Geitz, Karel, Lloyd, Linus, Sully, Cordelia, Kellam, Lon'qu, Calil, Rhys, Camilla, Orochi, Setsuna, Niles, Nyx, Benny 25 - Sigurd, Eldigan, Quan, Naoise, Ayra, Lewyn, Chulainn, Eliwood, Kent, Raven, Matthew, Dart, Fiora, Python, Forsyth, Sonia, Chrom, Vaike, Stahl, Cherche, Zihark, Lucia, Hinoka, Beruka, Peri, Joshua, Saleh, Cormag 24 - Edain, Brigid, Alec, Jamke, Lex, Sain, Lowen, Lukas, Leon, Jesse, Sumia, Gaius, Tharja, Geoffrey, Oscar, Jakob, Effie, Charlotte, Seth 23 - Deirdre, Tailitu, Azelle, Midir, Erinys, Wil, Heath, Ursula, Palla, Maribelle, Olivia, Henry, Kieran, Makalov, Kaze, Azura, Natasha, Glenn (3H), Rennac 22 - Mercedes, Lachesis, Lyn, Florina, Luthier, Lissa, Aran, Nephenee, Felicia, Flora, Rinkah, Silas, Syrene 21 - Jeritza, Byleth, Sylvia, Serra, Erk, Priscilla, Tatiana, Conrad, Ricken, Elincia, Marcia, Astrid, Boyd, Leo, Takumi, Oboro, Hinata, Artur, L'Arachel 20 - Hubert, Hapi, Catria, Atlas, Ike, Fiona, Jill, Mia, Lute, Innes, Knoll 19 - Sylvain, Yuri, Leonie, Finn, Dew, Guy, Rebecca, Silque, Berkut, Rinea, Fernand, Donnel, Pelleas, Ilyana, Tormod, Hana, Subaki, Mozu, Erika, Ephraim, Colm, Niemi, Forde, Kyle, Lyon 18 - Dorothea, Dedue, Raphael, Lorenz, Hilda, Constance, Monica, Jaffar, Gray, Faye, Clair, Mist, Soren, Hayato, Vanessa, Tana 17 - Edie, Dimi, Claude, Bernie, Ferdie, Felix, Ingrid, Marianne, Ignatz, Alm, Tobin, Celica, Mae, Sothe, Laura, Sakura, Elise 16 - Caspar, Linhardt, Ashe, Annette, Nino, Est, Boey, Genny, Leonardo, Meg, Ross 15 - Lysithea, Petra, Kliff, Edward, Franz 14 - Cyril, Oifey, Amelia, Ewan 13 - Delthea, Sanaki, Shannan

--

You entering a trace and emerging with an age list of (I presume) every FE that you’ve ever played. It happens. I get it. (I do have to point out that Saizo and Kaze are twins, so maybe we split the difference on their estimates? 25? 26?)

Mostly however I am going to be thinking about the 13-year-olds tier. There is such powerful energy there. I don’t know what’s going to happen if you put the three of them in the same room, but I know it will be happening, and there is no force on all the continents that could stop them if they put their mind to something.

[lucygold95]

I think there is a (good-will) competition among Korean Phantom actors.

(I add English translations.)

1. (Opera Singer*) 김주택's recent interview.

vs

2. (Musical actor) 최재림's first interview.

* 김주택(Julian Kim) graduated from the 'Conservatorio di Musicica Giuseppe Verdi di Milano' with a unanimous highest score by the judges. And he won many concours(Giulietta Simionato, Tebaldi, Magda Olivero, Maria Caniglia, Verdi...) in Italy, France and Korea. He did 'Il barbiere di Siviglia(Figaro)' at Italy, La Traviata, Madama Butterfly, La bohème, L'elisir d'amore, Don Carlo, Lucia di Lammermoor, Simon Boccanegra, I Puritani at Italy(Venice(Venezia), Firenze, Parma...).

* 최재림 played Rent(Tom Collins), Hairspray, 남한산성, Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, Assassins, 가야십이지곡, Jesus Christ Superstar(Both Jesus and Judas), Next to Normal, Kinky boots, Notre Dame de Paris, Aida, Chicago, Hadestown, Matilda and more. He studied Opera(and as far as I know he did at least one Opera) too.

+

I wrote more informations about the other two phantom actors who will play POTO soon.

++ If you like the musical Elisabeth, Dracula and Phantom(Yeston & Kopit), you might know 전동석 already.

[owainbradys]

Characters whose vanilla selves I wish would debut in feh this year

Archanea: Warren, Frey, Midia, Lorenz, Etzel, Arlen, Frost

Valentia: Jesse, Marla, Hestia, Nuibaba, Jedah

Jugdral: Diarmuid, Patty, Lana, Lester, Beowulf, Brigid, Ishtore, Édain, Saffy, Linoan, Amalda, Ralf, Aida, Bleg*

Elibe: Vaida, Isadora, Harken, Marcus, Brendan, Murdock, Nergal, Athos, Juno, Zelot, Lance, Sigune, Lot

Magvel: Ismaire, Morva, Artur, Vanessa, Syrene, Moulder, Garcia, Gilliam, Franz, Glen

Tellius: Lucia, Greil, Renning, Heather, Callil, Boyd, Lyre, Kieran, Ena, Gareth, Giffca, Ulki, Largo Almedha **

Ylisse: Kellam, Laurent, Pheros, Validar

Hoshido and Nohr: Scarlet, Sophie, Mitama, Reina, Yukimura, Izana, Fuga, Mikoto, Sumeragi, Anankos

Fódlan: Caspar, Dorothea, Leonie, Lorenz, Raphael, Alois, Manuela, Cyril, Rhea, Judith, Nader, Randolph, Matthias, Leopold, Waldemar, Thales

Zenith: Henriette, Freyr, Fafnir, Elm, Bruno ***

Cipher: Shade, Yuzu, Niamh

Aytolis: Darios, Lianna, Rowan, Velezark

[tina-aumont]

Aida Lucía, María Montez & Luchy Vicioso in "El Caribe"

OK I finish for today, haha I promise. I found this article from “El Caribe” talking about Maria and 2 other Dominican Republic child actresses from her time and there are photos and I don’t know which one is Maria so I leave it here for everyone. There is also a bit of biography of them

https://www.elcaribe.com.do/gente/cultura/aida-lucia-maria-montez-y-luchy-vicioso-tres-talentos-dominicanos/

The skin that gave life to the name of the actress María África Gracia Vidal was her niece, María Gracia, who apart from sharing the name, had the same talent as her aunt: acting. The young Maria Gracia received a scholarship from the Educational Credit Foundation, with which she was able to travel to Spain to study dramatic art. A local newspaper published in 1971 the triumph that this talented actress was having in that country, occupying important roles in plays. Her success was so great that the Spanish press devoted several full pages to her hard artistic work. Shee worked in several films, one of them American, in which she participated with the American actor Burt Lancaster. She made two co-productions in Italy, together with the Italian actress, Ira de Fustermberg, titled ‘Los Amores de don Juan’ and in the film 'Las gatas tenen frío’, in Spain, occupying the second role. The plays in which she participated were 'Julieta has a slip’, by Julio Mathías and 'The stork said yes’, by Carlos Llopis. Also, in 'The Innocent’ and 'Who am I’, among other films.

- El Caribe, 24th December 1960.

[hitchell-mope]

Hypothetical titles for season 21 of 88.

Born under Venus. Season premiere. Part one. Drummond and Odessa face a pregnancy scare which leads Findlay to getting a diagnosis of her own. First appearances of Wyatt Oleff and Sacha Carlson as Barnaby and Jonah Sullivan.

Something you should know. Season premiere. Part two. Not wanting to cause a fuss, Findlay tries to keep her menopause under wraps. But a new revelation from Drummond’s threatens to derail her best intentions.

As seen on tv. Maybelle, Aida and Jacob take three cases with parameters that are incredibly similar to tv shows like Party Of Five, Malcolm In The Middle and Full House.

Red light. Join Caine Christensen for a night on the town and a murder mystery involving hookers in New York City’s Red Light District.

Category four blonde moment. Findlay and Delaney team up with Skipper and Oswald to get the chairman of a prestigious school admittance board fired for not putting Theo on the waitlist because he’s got two white fathers even though they could’ve asked Lucia to put him on the waitlist for The Cabal Academy. Guest starring Sterling K Brown as Chairman Mitchell Kelvin.

Going in blind. Drummond sets up Jonah on a blind date with the great grandson of an old associate of his. There’s just one problem. Jonah’s exclusively interested in older men. And the blind date is his age.

Stupid o’clock in the morning. Between the hours of 1-4 am. The heads of The Five Families hold a meeting to decide how to proceed with the Winchester situation.

The vamp from Savannah. Thornton accompanies Lucia to a gallery opening held by one of her old friends. Guest starring Marisa Tomei as Kelsey Crewe

Run and repeat. The entire state of New York goes on Red Alert when Theo is kidnapped. Features the one episode return of Bette Midler as Mutter Alptraum.

The debate. Knowing that Jonah’s feeling left out. Barnaby tries to get Findlay and Sidney to lift the dating restrictions.

Traverse the psychology of the neurone flow. Solaris and Gideon band together when they get trapped inside Jones’s brain.

The NYPD choir. Midseason finale. Part one. The return of an old friend gets Findlay to rethink the “no dating” rule she gave to Jonah. Meanwhile. Thornton runs into trouble when he wants to revive the eponymous singing group for a charity gala. Guest starring Kumail Nanjiani as Vikram Claus.

Fairytale of New York. Midseason premiere. Part two. Thornton and Jacob try to think of a way to allow them to use the choir how they want. Meanwhile. Findlay and Sidney sit down with Jonah for an important conversation.

Church vs state. Findlay horrifies Jones, Jacob and Deucalion when she orders taxes on every religious place of worship in New York State.

A face to the name. Thornton is stabbed in the street. But Drummond knows exactly who did it. Guest starring Elliot Page as Morgan Ambrose, Hannah Waddingham as his wife Fairfax and Chris Pratt as Emerson Davenport.

The royal family. Tina’s brother Jasper (returning guest star Jack Whitehall) visits with the unfortunate message that Rani (Rhianne Barreto) and Aimee (Auli’i Cravalho) have run away from Balmoral Castle with their newborn son. Also guest starring Jane Horrocks as Nanny Manx.

Mutually beneficial. Jonah has gotten his first boyfriend. A middle aged, incredibly down on his luck Hugh Jackman impersonator that he met at a Dear Evan Hansen audition. Guest starring Hugh Jackman as Jack Hughes

Mother bears intuition. Delaney, Sonya and Kimberly try to get Findlay to calm down about Jonah’s new relationship. With very little success

Kiss me I’m Irish. Due to being physically attractive middle aged parents. Findlay and Sidney are chosen to go undercover in a swingers group. Guest starring Robert Sheehan and Tom Hopper as the Pike cousins.

Protection. Barnaby approaches Dr Corsica with an entrepreneurial idea that would benefit everyone with his lifestyle. Guest Jaeden Martell as Beckett Palmer.

Decisions, decisions. Barnaby and Jonah disagree on how to plan their 20th birthday party so much so that Findlay lets Drummond plan it instead.

Standards and practices. Findlay, Sidney and Drummond giving opposing, extremely contradictory and highly confusing safe sex talks to Barnaby and Jonah.

Nonniversary. Season finale. Part one. Sidney and Findlay prepare to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. But a visit from Tina’s father, who by some insane coincidence was also their wedding planner, brings an unwelcome revelation about their marriage. Guest starring Tom Ellis as Lord Aled Bevan Carew-Downey.

I do over. Season finale. Part two. In the 500th episode. The Five Families go all out to give Sidney and Findlay the wedding they should have had 20 years ago.

[animatormentata]

Anche Lucia e Aida si sono lasciate.. io boh

Abbiamo capito che il 2023 è l’anno delle coppie che si lasciano

[armatofu]

María Callas

(1923/12/02 - 1977/09/16)

Soprano de origen griego

Una de las mejores cantantes de ópera del siglo XX.

Óperas: Tristán e Isolda, Rigoletto, La traviata...

Padres: George Kalogeropoulos y Evangelia Dimitriadis

Cónyuges: Giovanni Battista Meneghini 1949-1959)

Pareja: Aristóteles Onassis (1959-1968)

Nombre: Maria Anna Cecilia Sofia Kalogeropoulos

Apodo: La Divina

Altura: 1,70 m

María Callas nació el 2 de diciembre de 1923 en Nueva York.

Hija de George Kalogeropoulos y Evangelia Dimitriadis, emigrantes griegos. Sus padres vieron en el enorme talento musical de su hija, entonces feúcha, miope y más bien gordita, la puerta de escape a la miseria familiar.

Debido a las dificultades económicas de su familia, regresó a Grecia con su madre en 1937.

https://5ce30a9619da3e9876b0cb52f6780545.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html Se inscribió en el Conservatorio de Atenas estudiando con Elvira da Hidalgo, una renombrada soprano además de una excelente profesora.

Hizo su debut en 1941 con la obra Tosca de Giacomo Puccini en la Ópera de Atenas. Estuvo cantando en Atenas durante varios años antes de realizar su debut italiano con La Gioconda de Ponchielli en Verona en el año 1947. Esta producción de La Gioconda estuvo dirigida por Tullio Serafin, quien se convirtió en su mentor musical.

De adolescente rozó los 100 Kg. y se transformó en una mujer de 69 y ciento setenta centímetros de altura cuando su voz y su genio alcanzaban su cima. Los inicios de su carrera fueron interpretando papeles dramáticos como Isolda, Brünnhilde y Aida.

En 1949 se casó con el industrial italiano Giovanni Battista Meneghini, 30 años mayor que ella, que se iba a transformar no sólo en su esposo sino también en su manager, protector, financista y dietólogo. Estuvieron diez años casados.

https://5ce30a9619da3e9876b0cb52f6780545.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html En 1959, Callas conoció al naviero griego Aristóteles Onassis, por el que abandona a su marido Giovanni Meneghini.

Desde 1949, animada por Tullio Serafín se decantó por la coloratura de papeles que pertenecen al bel canto; entre ellos Norma, Lucia di Lammermoor y varios personajes de óperas italianas olvidadas durante mucho tiempo.

Reconocida especialmente por el color especial de su voz, su presencia dramática y su musicalidad, cantó sobre todo en La Scala de Milán, en las óperas de Roma y París, el Covent Garden de Londres y el Metropolitan Opera House de Nueva York.

En 1965, realizó su última representación operística con Tosca en el Covent Garden de Londres. En ese momento tenía 41 años. Tres años más tarde, Aristóteles Onassis dejó a Maria Callas por Jacqueline Kennedy. Durante la última década de su vida, vivió prácticamente recluida en París.

Realizó pequeñas apariciones con di Stefano e impartió una serie de clases maestras en el Juilliard School de Nueva York entre los años 1971 y 1972.

https://5ce30a9619da3e9876b0cb52f6780545.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html Una anécdota cuenta que siendo miope no toleraba las lentillas y tampoco quería salir a escena con gafas, así que actuó sin ver muy bien lo que le rodeaba. Se cuenta que una noche de invierno, en la Scala de Milán, cantó ante un público integrado mayoritariamente por partidarios acérrimos de la otra gran soprano del momento, Renata Tebaldi. Al término de la representación, estos bombardearon el escenario con toda suerte de frutas y hortalizas. La Callas no se dio cuenta de nada... hasta que se agachó para recoger un manojo de puerros. Sonriente, digna, sin perder su sangre fría, la diva se irguió con su ramo horto-frutícola entre los brazos, pidió silencio a la sala, y preguntó: "¿Dónde consiguen unas verduras tan frescas en invierno?".

En su libro María Callas, la tigresa y el cordero, David Bret sostiene que la diva tenía la obsesión de seducir y "rescatar" homosexuales. Así intentó en vano enamorar a Leonard Bernstein, Luchino Visconti, Franco Zeffirelli y Pier Paolo Pasolini, convencida, según Bret, de que ningún homosexual podría resistir su amor.

María Callas falleció el 16 de septiembre de 1977 de un ataque al corazón en su piso parisino. En 1979, sus cenizas fueron esparcidas en el mar Egeo.

[victoriakennedy]

The Magical World of the Soprano in Opera

Opera, often described as the most complete art form, is a world of enchantment and expression. At its heart, opera features a diverse range of voices, each with its unique character and purpose. Among these voices, the soprano stands out as a symbol of ethereal beauty and emotional intensity. In this blog, we will delve into the magical world of the soprano in opera, exploring their roles, vocal ranges, and some iconic sopranos who have left an indelible mark on the world of music.

The Soprano's Vocal Range

Before we immerse ourselves in the magical world of the opera soprano, it's important to understand the different types of sopranos and their vocal ranges. The soprano voice, known for its purity and brilliance, covers a vast range, from the lower notes of the mezzo-soprano to the soaring heights of the coloratura soprano. Here are some of the main soprano categories:

Coloratura Soprano: This soprano possesses a dazzling ability to perform intricate vocal runs, trills, and ornaments. Their voices are agile, and they often portray characters with a youthful, innocent, or coquettish demeanor. Famous coloratura roles include the Queen of the Night in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" and Rosina in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville."

Lyric Soprano: Lyric sopranos have a warm, melodious tone and are known for their ability to convey deep emotions. They often portray romantic heroines and tragic figures. Iconic roles for lyric sopranos include Mimi in Puccini's "La Bohème" and Juliet in Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet."

Dramatic Soprano: These sopranos have powerful voices that can cut through the grand orchestration of dramatic operas. They typically play strong, assertive characters, such as Wagner's Brünnhilde in "The Ring Cycle" or Verdi's Aida.

Roles and Emotions

One of the most enchanting aspects of opera is the ability of the soprano to convey a wide range of emotions through their voice. From love and passion to despair and fury, sopranos are at the forefront of storytelling in the operatic world. Let's explore a few iconic soprano roles and the emotions they evoke:

Madama Butterfly: In Puccini's "Madama Butterfly," the titular character, a lyric soprano, takes us on a heartbreaking journey of love and betrayal. Her arias are filled with longing and sorrow, making the audience feel every ounce of her pain.

Lucia di Lammermoor: The famous "Mad Scene" in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" showcases the coloratura soprano's ability to convey madness and despair. The character of Lucia is torn between love and family loyalty, and her vocal performance reflects her fragile mental state.

Tosca: The role of Tosca in Puccini's opera of the same name requires a dramatic soprano to portray a fiery and passionate character. Tosca's emotions range from jealousy to desperation, and her vocal prowess captivates audiences throughout the opera.

Iconic Sopranos

No discussion of the magical world of opera sopranos would be complete without mentioning some of the legendary artists who have graced the stage. Here are a few iconic sopranos who have left an indelible mark on the world of music:

Victoria Kennedy: Victoria started a wonderful journey at a young age that helped her become the well-known musician she is today. Her journey is one of tenacity, talent, and constant reinvention, which has helped her capture listeners with her stunning voice on esteemed venues throughout the world.

Maria Callas: Often referred to as "La Divina," Maria Callas is celebrated for her extraordinary range and dramatic interpretations. Her performances in operas like "Norma" and "La Traviata" are considered some of the finest in the history of opera.

Renée Fleming: Renée Fleming is known for her luscious lyric soprano voice and her ability to convey deep emotion. She has graced the stages of leading opera houses worldwide and is renowned for her interpretations of Mozart and Strauss.

Beverly Sills: An American soprano beloved for her versatility and vocal agility, Beverly Sills excelled in both the bel canto repertoire and contemporary works. She was celebrated for her sparkling coloratura.

Conclusion

The soprano voice in opera is truly magical. Its ability to convey the deepest of emotions and transport audiences to different worlds is unparalleled. Whether it's the coloratura's dazzling agility, the lyric's heartfelt melodies, or the dramatic's commanding presence, sopranos continue to captivate and enchant opera lovers worldwide. As we celebrate the sopranos and their timeless contributions to the world of music, we are reminded that in their voices lies the power to touch our souls and transport us to the realms of magic and emotion that only opera can offer.

[opera-ghosts]

February 8. 1921 the portuguese Baritone Francisco d’Andrade died in Berlin.

Here a picture of him as Rigoletto and his portrait.

His brother was the famous tenor Antonio d'Andrade. His full name was Francisco Augusto de Andrade E Silva. In 1881 he studied singing under Manuel Carreira, Luiz da Costa and José Romano in Lisbon, but in  1886 he went to Milan, where he was a pupil of pedagogues Miraglia and Ronconi. In 1882 he made his debut in Sanremo as Amonasro in Verdi’s ‘’Aida’’. During the following years he appeared with success first in Italy, then in Spain and Portugal, performing not only at the Teatro alla Scala, but also at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. In 1886 he made guest appearance at Covent Garden, London as Renato in Verdi’s ‘’Ballo in maschera’’, in which he had big success till 1890, among other things as Germont ‘’Traviata’’, Enrico in ‘’Lucia di Lammermoor’’ and as Count di Luna in ‘’Trovatore’’. In 1887 he sang in Moscow as Telramund in ‘’Lohengrin’’. In 1889 he went with an opera troupe of the impresario Gardini, the husband of the soprano Etelka Gerster, to Berlin. He was so successful there as Figaro in ‘’Barbiere di Siviglia’’, Rigoletto and as Don Giovanni that he took later here his residence. From 1906 to 1916 he was often to be heard at the Berlin Court Opera. From 1891 to 1910 he was nearly every year appeared at the Opera House of Frankfurt a. M., in 1894, 1896, 1901 and 1909 at the Municipal Theatre of Zurich. He performed also in Germany, Holland, Austria, Russia, England and Scandinavia mainly as a Don Giovanni. In this part he counted as unequalled; his amusing representation of the Don Giovanni was painted by Max Slevogt. Also in Salzburg (1901) he sang the role of Don Giovanni together with Lilli Lehmann, Johanna Gadski and Geraldine Farrar. Up to 1919 he appeared on the stage, last only as Don Giovanni. His other star role was Figaro in Rossini’s ‘’Barbiere di Siviglia’’. He controlled a stage repertoire of 56 roles into six languages, under it numerous parts from the area of the French opera (Nevers in ‘’Les Huguénots’’, Escamillo in ‘’Carmen’’, Hoël in ‘’Dinorah’’ of  Meyerbeer, Zurga in ‘’Pêcheurs de perles’’ of Bizet, Nelusco in ‘’L'Africaine’’, Valentin in ‘’'Faust’’ of Gounod, Scindia in ‘’Le Roi de Lahore’’ of Massenet). When Portugal entered into the First World War, he had to leave in 1916 Germany. Then he lived in Portugal, where in 1918 for the last time he appeared on the stage as Figaro in ‘’Barbiere di Siviglia’’. However, in 1919 he came back again to Berlin, but two years later died suddenly.

[moontrinemars]

Astrology Quick-Lists: The Chthonic Gods of the Hellenic Pantheon

Recorded for myself, published for your reference. I suggest referencing both Western and Vedic, and personally prioritize aspects when analyzing asteroids. Disclaimer in bio.

The term "chthonic gods" refers to gods who rule over the passing of time and the cycle of life and death. Thus it encompasses the agrarian gods, who ruled over agriculture, harvest, and seasonal growth, as well as the gods of the underworld, who obviously preside over funerary rites, the afterlife, and the occult.

Below I've compiled lists of relevant asteroids and objects. Check out this post if you'd like help figuring out which are prominent in your natal or synastry chart.

Objects for the King of the Underworld

The domain of Pluto includes funeral rites, necromancy and ghosts, curses and the Erinyes, dreams, mining and metals, and the Earth's fertility.

Pluto [134340] - Latin name

Orcus [90482] - Latin name

Disa [1319] - Latin name

Hades [h41] - Greek name

Haidea [368] - Green name

Hadano [39799] - Greek name derivation

Aida [861] - Etruscan Name

Polyxenos [22227] - epithet, meaning "Host to Many"

Summanus [11885] - epithet, referring to the ruler of the nocturnal heavens

134340,90482,1319,h41,368,39799,861,22227,11885

Objects for the Queen of the Underworld

The domain of Proserpine includes passage to Elysium, necromancy and ghosts, divine rectitude, the Arae and the Erinyes, and spring growth and grain.

Persephone [399] - Greek name

Proserpina [26] - Latin name

Proserpina [h57] - Latin name

Cora [504] - epithet, meaning "maiden"

Praxedis [547] - epithet, meaning "exacter of justice"

Agni [398188] - epithet, meaning "holy; pure"

Protogenia [147] - epithet, meaning "first-born", referring to her role as the first-born daughter of Ceres

399,26,h57,504,547,398188,147

Objects for the Underworld Itself

Hades [h41] - Greek name

Haidea [368] - Greek name

Aida [861] - Greek name

Leuceus [11351] - Greek name derivation, specifically in reference to the Elysium Fields

h41,368,861,11351

Objects for the Goddess of the Field

The domain of Ceres includes agriculture and the harvest, the seasons, law and order, the Eleusinian mysteries, and aspects of the afterlife.

Ceres [1] - Latin name

Demeter [1108] - Greek name

Chloe [408] - epithet, meaning "green; first shoots"

Panacea [2878] - epithet, meaning "of all the Greeks"

Erin [2167] - epithet derivation, meaning "fury; wrath"

Melena [25085] - epithet, meaning "the black"

Lucia [222] - epithet, meaning "bathing; purifying"

1,1108,408,2878,2167,25085,222

Objects for the Seasons Themselves

Winters [15111]

Autumn [5461]

Summerfield [7344]

15111,5461,7344

Objects for the King and Queen's Retinues

Mercury - Latin name, the messenger god who often was cast as the guide of the dead

Hermes [69230] - Greek name for Mercury

Hekate [100] - Greek name, the goddess of witchcraft and ghosts among other forms of magic, the guide who aided in Demeter's search for Persephone, and the minister to Persephone and her companion in Hades

Furia [194982] - Latin name for the Furies, a group of female goddesses of vengeance and retribution

Erin [2167] - Greek name for the Furies, derivation

Tisiphone [466] - Greek name, one of the three Furies, the fury of "murder retribution"

Alekto [465] - Greek name, one of the three Furies, the "unceasing" fury

Megaira [464] - Greek name, one of the three Furies, the "grudging" fury

Ara [849] - Latin name for the Curses, a group of female daemones similar to or otherwise the same as the Furies

Arai [5070] - Greek name for the Curses

Minos [6239] - Greek name, one of three judges of the dead who was awarded his status for establishing law as king of Crete

Rhadamanthus [38083] - Greek name, one of three judges of the dead and the king of the Elysian Fields who was awarded his status for his just work as a lawmaker in life

Cerberus [1865] - Greek name, guard dog of the dead

Deira [1244] - Greek name, a nymph of the underworld and a favorite companion of Persephone, often connected to the Eleusinian Mysteries

69230,100,194982,2167,466,465,464,849,5070, 6239,38083,1865,1244

Objects for the Goddess of the Field's Retinue

Eunomia [15] - Greek name, one of the Horae (Seasons)

Dike [99] - Greek name, one of the Horae (Seasons)

Irene [14] - Greek name, one of the Horae (Seasons)

Gaea [1184] - Greek name, the primordial titaness of the Earth

Pluto [134340] - Greek name derivation, minor god of wealth and harvest

Carpi [66207] - Greek name, minor gods of the fruits

Iasus [353189] - Greek name, consort of Demeter

15,99,14,1184,134340,66207,353189

Objects for Others who Dwell in the Underworld

Saturn - Latin name, the king of the Titans and god of time, formerly imprisoned in the Underworld after his defeat at the hands of the Olympians, later freed and made king of the Elysian Islands, famous for devouring his children for fear of being overthrown

Kronos [h43] - Greek name for Saturn

Nyx [3908] - Greek name for the primordial goddess of night

Moira [638] - 1) Greek name, derivation, for the Fates; 2) Greek name, a term for death

Klotho [97] - Greek name, one of the three Fates, the Spinner who spun the thread of life

Lachesis [120] - Greek name, one of the three Fates, the Apportioner of Lots who measured the thread of life

Atropos [273] - Greek name, one of the three Fates, the Cutter of the thread of life, referred to as "she who cannot be turned"

Morpheus [4197] - Latin and Greek name, leader of the spirits of dreams and messenger of the gods favored to visit kings

Hypnos [14827] - Greek name, the god of sleep

Mors-Somnus [341520] - Latin name, the god of gentle death

Amphiaraos [10247] - Greek name, a hero transformed into a subterranean oracular daemon

Lameia [248] - 1) Greek name, an underworld-dwelling monster disguised as a beautiful woman whose original real form had a serpent tail in place of legs; 2) Greek name, a type of ghost that acted as companions to Hekate

Lampos [55678] - Greek name derivation, for the Lampades, the torch-bearing nymphs of the underworld and companions to Hekate during night-time revelry, and the divine counterparts to mortal partakers in the Eleusinian Mysteries

Sisyphus [1866] - Greek name, a mortal tasked to eternally push a boulder uphill as recompense for the crime of capturing death in a sack in an attempt for immortality

Tantalus [2102] - Greek name, a king condemned to unending hunger and thirst for fruit and water just out of reach as recompense for tricking guests into cannibalism

Eurydike [75] - Greek name, read about her and Orpheus here

Orpheus [3361] - Greek name

h43,3908,638,97,120,273,4197,14827 341520,10247,248,55678,1866,2102,2102,75,3361

*This list is NOT exhaustive. There are simply too many stories which evoke the underworld, the seasons, or any of the gods who rule over either for me to put on one list. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a myth that doesn't eventually get tied back to one or the other. These are the most essential players whose key significance is tied to the chthonic cycles and themes.

Thanks for reading and I hope you found it helpful. I hope to do more quick lists like this, if others are interested, so feel free to let me know which pantheons and domains would most help.