Giacomo Puccini- Edgar

Matt Tenenbaum

Art and Technology 

Roundtree

Edgar- Giacomo Puccini

Opera is a form of musical art that has been around since the end of the 16th century. For last 500 years the performance of opera has been enjoyed by billions of people all over the world. Opera allows the audience to experience emotions differently than any other performance. This is due to the combination of a theatrical setting and a dramatic musical score performed by live singers and musicians. Throughout history there have been many famous opera composers known worldwide for there talent. Amongst that group is Giacomo Puccini most known from his short animated opera film “Madama Butterfly”. Puccini’s first full-length opera was an piece called “Edgar” that was segmented into three separate acts. The first performance was at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 21st April 1889 and continued to be revised until the year 1905.

Puccini’s “Edgar” begins with a man that unfaithfully betrays his wife Fidelia by allowing his desire for another woman come between their relationship. Edgar leaves his village with this other woman named Moorish after hurting Fidelia’s brother in a fight. Edgar decides to make a good name for himself by joining the army upon his realization that his true love is Fidelia. By the third and final act of the opera Edgar is presumed dead which leads to his funeral being celebrated. As the Frank and a monk stand before the open coffin Edgars body is not inside, only armor. Edgar reveals himself as the monk next to Frank and expresses his true feelings for Fidelia who in turn remains loyal to Edgar and kills Moorish.

Upon watching this opera I was very moved by the emotional facial expressions that the characters had as they sung incredibly difficult notes. Although Puccini’s “Edgar” is composed in the Italian language I was still able to understand and comprehend what was happening throughout the performance. The body language of the characters was crucial to this because it allowed me to physically see what the characters were doing and feeling. 

I was surprised to find out in my research that “Edgar” was not a success. Giacomo Puccini continued to revise his work for 16 years until the year 1905 when he finally decided to give up in frustration. I think most audiences reactions after viewing a live performance of “Edgar” for the first time would be very similar to what mine was. Even though I did not view a live performance I was still emotionally effected upon the viewing of this performance. The way the characters passionately delivered their scores was remarkable, regardless of the storyline being a little vague. 

I was very impressed with the movement on stage. Everything corresponded and was in sync as the music got faster the singing got louder and stronger while the characters moved quicker. The choreography of all of the characters movement simultaneously while doing a live performance such as this without making a mistake is very impressive especially because of the little technology that these performers had available. The costumes that the characters were wearing in Puccini’s “Edgar” were also incredible and it probably took a great amount of effort to put such clothing together back in 1889. The amount of people that had to be involved to make the production of “Edgar” a reality is very astounding. 

I think that this piece is important in the chronology of Opera because it came just at the end of the 19th century which was widely known as the romantic era of opera music. Romanticism was the most dominant music until the 1st World War. The music was heavily directed towards strong emotions and a rebellion against the scientific conformity of the enlightenment and the industrial revolution. Opera became increasingly larger and much more dramatic, as up to 100 players became involved in the performance. “Edgar” is a romanticism piece that emerged at the end of its era. This could have a connection as to why the success of this opera was not as great as expected. Few composers were writing new romantic works because the old ones still being performed were getting “played out”. People wanted something different than what they were used to seeing. 

Technology is a huge part in the success of an opera performance. Success of an opera is not strictly determined by the audience’s reaction to the performance. Just to complete a live opera performance with few or no mistakes is very remarkable. The fact that these artists and musicians have the ability to do so is very impressive. Lighting is a key factor to the emotions felt by the audience because of the way it makes you feel depending on if it is light or dark. When it is dark on stage, there is a gloomy sad mood present as opposed to when it is light, the audience feels happy and uplifted. When a character is lit in the spotlight they become the main focus of attention and however they’re emotions are expressed on stage is generally how the audience responds.

If I was a 21st century director working for a video game company and I had to translate Giacomo Puccini’s “Edgar” into a video game I would base it upon the storyline. The game would take place in a farmland village in Italy. The game would be a third person free roam type game where the main character of the game would be Edgar as he embarks on his journey of leaving the village with Moorish. Throughout the game there would be different challenging objectives to complete in order to advance such as fighting Fidelias brother, escaping the village, joining the army, etc. The game would be rated mature due to its graphic violent and sexual content. If this game was actually created I could see it being successful due to the ability of the player to free roam and make their own choices while completing challenging missions.

Citations

Opera's History. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2017, from http://www.theopera101.com/operaabc/history

(2012, March 31). Edgar - Giacomo Puccini - Edgar (opera). Retrieved September 25, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qecelZQmTgQ

(n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2017, from https://www.naxos.com/mainsite/NewDesign/fintro.files/bintro.files/operas/Edgar.htm