By Sandy Thorburn
Commedia dell’ arte was a very popular form of theatre in the 19th century. As opera developed, it took elements of this theatre and modified it. Thus, the lead female lover was always a soprano, the male lover a tenor. The evil character was always a bass, and the girl who didn't get the guy was always a mezzo. Voice ranges helped the audience know who would be the romantic love interests, the losers, the pompous ones, and the evil ones. Since operas are sung, their stories cannot be too complicated and so they tended to rely on simple love stories, often with simple complications, and in the case of comic operas, an ending with a marriage, and in the case of tragic operas, an ending with a murder-suicide. Continue reading. . . .

Exclusive Sneak Peak
Click the links below to hear an exclusive sneak peak of our forthcoming radio ads.

Luisa Miller
Elektra
La Traviata

Single Tickets
Verdi’s Luisa Miller joins R. Strauss’s Elektra and Verdi’s La Traviata this spring at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. eOpera subscribers can order tickets online starting tomorrow at 10 a.m. Check your inbox tomorrow morning for details.

Luisa Miller Production Sponsor:

Cheer on three of Canada’s greatest opera singers at this year's Juno Awards as they compete for Classical Album of the Year. Arie e duetti—a celebration of Mozart arias featuring soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, baritone Russell Braun and tenor Michael Schade with Richard Bradshaw and the COC Orchestra—is nominated in the Best Vocal category.

Discover this glorious album today. Order the CD online for only $18*, or purchase it at the Opera Shop in the City Room of the Four Seasons Centre.

* Taxes included. A shipping charge of $5 applies.

CDs and DVDs are supplied in partnership with Universal Recordings and L’Atelier Grigorian.

Appetite for Opera returns to Hilton Toronto’s Tundra Restaurant on Thursday, April 26, 2007, showcasing Verdi’s La Traviata.

Appetite for Opera is "a perfect blend of the culinary and cultural arts" (Elite Wine Food and Travel Magazine), taking opera fans and novices alike on an exploration of the opera-food-wine connection.

Preceded by a cocktail reception at 6:15 p.m., the $75 multi-course dinner begins at
7 p.m. with a menu inspired by Verdi’s timeless and much-loved opera and by the composer himself, a renowned lover and connoisseur of food and wine. To reserve, call 416-860-6800.

For more information on this event, visit the Appetitle for Opera page at www.coc.ca.

Prepare yourself for one of the wonders of the world, a virtual vocal hurricane. Ewa Podleś visits Roy Thomson Hall in recital on Sunday, March 18 at 2 p.m.

In an exclusive offer to eOpera subscribers, for every Ewa Podleś ticket purchased, you will receive one complimentary ticket* to see Canadian baritone Gerald Finley, celebrated star of Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera, in recital on Friday, March 9 at 8 p.m. at Roy Thomson Hall.

Order Online!
Promo Code: IVRCOC

* Not valid on previously purchased tickets; limited time offer.