#arsace

[unulf0]

will be listening to berenice ( FINALLY ) as soon as i get this downloader thing to work, but i just want to write down the opinions i formed from reading the libretto ( and hearing a few excerpts too, i suppose )

problematic disaster bi bernie. she’s like grimoaldo, but girl and main character.

bernie and selene, tollie and sandro. history repeats itself. you know, i wonder what bernie’s mother and uncle are doing at this point in time.

speaking of guys named sandro, i think we need to make alessandro berenicereginadegitto into ragù

arsace. arsace.

the fact that all my thoughts about arsace could very well also apply to any ( both ) of the other arsaces ( arsaci? ) i’ve encountered on my journeys through the world of italian-language opera.

i have nothing to say about demetrio… i’m sorry baby boy, i’m sure you’re baby ;-;

i think now would be a good time to say that i once had a dream where i watched berenice for the first time, but there was an extra character in both the prod i watched and the libretto itself, some “katso” dude. they got ran over by alessandro and alessandro sung an aria about how proud he was of running the guy over. also the language used in the aria was incorrect ( used the verb “arrestare” where it should’ve been “investare” ) and thinking of that led me to actually make that mix-up in real life. my point about alessandro ragù stands.

[hadescavedish]

This is a recit-aria-aria singing scene of the breeches role Arsace (aka the role is a dude but it normally would be sung by a woman) in Rossini's opera Semiramide. This is just so hard to do. The damn piece is just so complicated. And she did it in a very... technically androgynous touch (which is rare to come by and also you should account the fact the breeches role may or may not have been a substitute for castrato role history wise)

I really enjoy Rossini's repertoire, they're very difficult to perform but they're generally enjoyable to listen when you feel down... Even in his tragedy (which is this show!)

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[unulf0]

going back to my roots and re-listening to semiramide ( rossini, though i have to say the vivaldi one appeals to me immensely )

he's our special little boy and we love him.

[unulf0]

my other thoughts upon finishing berenice

we don't see enough of selene, but her arias are all bangers- especially the ones in act 3.

"questa qual sia beltà," how it reveals that sel's basically playing arsace and reminded me of the duality of her character. we see her both as a sensitive, vulnerable person and as someone cunning, but the implicit malice within the latter didn't come off as too overt to me. really good.

also shoutout to aristobolo for having a conscience ( i love you, sympathetic bass man )

i found it funny when they had bernie just read the letter. took me out of the story a bit, but i think it works. to me, it's a reminder that berenice may be called an opera seria, but that doesn't mean it's all depressing and melodramatic.

arsace. what.

[unulf0]

okay, listening to act 3 later. my thoughts so far ( selected and adapted from the notes i scribbled down )

i love the focus on interpersonal relationships here. i mean sure, there's the element of political drama too, but most of the time it's literally just "i want to marry them!" "you can't, because politics." and even then, the political aspect of the story is about diplomacy, relations. it's an opera about relationships.

"politica, ed amore," as berenice herself says.

BERENICE. OH MY GOODNESS, BERENICE. protagonist? antihero? once again, she reminds me of grimoaldo, only she occupies a different space in the narrative from him. she's complicated, she's a mess, she doesn't always do the right thing, and i love that.

i started out having Feelings ( negative ) about demetrio, but as the story went on, i began to have Feelings ( incredibly complex but boils down to "i love you" ) about him.

arsace.

why is selene gender? it's unfair.

i feel like aristobolo and arsace came into the story quite abruptly- it took me a while to process those guys... existing, i suppose.

ironically, i have nothing to say about the tenor.

[unulf0]

arsace is cool and all, but the metaphor in "senza nudrice alcuna." why.

[dutifullycolddeer]

i sware im tryhging to draw but viky boy is si had to catyre to essence of i sware to gads hes a fcusing corn sbcit :((