Exhibit: It’s a Thin Line: Deception, Crimes of Passion, and Glorious Agony in Verismo Opera

Location:  Music Library, Tempe campus

Available:  Through December 15, 2012, during normal library hours

Description: Based on the slightly earlier Italian literary verismo, influenced by French naturalism, operatic verismo flourished in the last decade of the 19th century into the first part of the 20th century and was marked by melodramatic, often violent plots with characters drawn from everyday life. Musical devices included passionate declamations by solo voices and emotionally charged harmonies and melodies.

This exhibit features a collection of thirteen first and early edition opera scores by composers representative of the era including Giacomo Puccini, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Umberto Giordano, Pietro Mascagni, and Gustave Charpentier.

All scores are from the collection of Dr. Robert Mills. Any questions or comments about the display can be sent to Dr. Robert Mills at Robert.mills@asu.edu

Exhibit: The Magic of Mozart: Die Zauberflöte and other Mozart operas in facsimile

Location: Music Library, Tempe campus, during normal library hours

Available: June 7-August 13, 2010

Description: In celebration of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 250th birthday, the Packard Humanities Institute and the International Mozarteum Foundation “presented for the first time the autograph scores of the seven great Mozart operas in facsimile.” As noted in the preface to the facsimile set, Mozart’s “operas from Idomeneo to Die Zauberflöte constitute a unique repertoire in the history of music.” What is remarkable about the edition is that it reunites, in facsimile, physically separated parts of the original autograph scores for five of the seven operas: Idomeneo, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Le nozze di Figaro, Cosi fan tutte, and La clemenza di Tito. Only two autograph opera scores, Don Giovanni and Die Zauberflöte, have remained intact. The ASU Music Library has acquired a complete set of these extraordinary facsimiles and they will be on display throughout the summer. For more information about the Packard Humanties Institute please visit http://www.packhum.org/phi/phi-info.html

Exhibit:  Rossini:  The zenith of the bel canto

Location:  Music Library, Tempe campus, during normal library hours

Available: February – April, 2010

Description:  The bel canto style reached its peak under the auspices of the composers Gioacchino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini. This triumvirate ruled the destiny of Italian Opera. A key to the works of this distinguished trio lies in the bel canto (“beautiful song” or “beautiful singing”). It sought the perfection of tone and intonation, agility, elegance of phrasing, purity and beauty of sound, smoothness of successive tones, perfection of control – the most exacting technical virtuosity. This style expressed the significance or the moods of the text. A wide range of expression was required from the singers, endowing them maximum power and variety of expression.

Most historians and musicians regard Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) as the primary and superior composer behind the bel canto style. This exhibit showcases the bel canto style as reflected in the operatic works of Rossini. Each of the eight opera vocal scores on display are either in first or early editions and all are on loan from the collection of Robert Mills. The collection features first editions of La Cenerentola, La gazza ladra, and Moïse.