# Operas of Titus Andronicus or other obscure works by shakespeare?



## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

Saw movie with anthony hopkins of titus and it was excellent... if any play can nearly move me to tears and give me chills and goosbumps, then imagine what an opera might do. Are there any worthwhile operas based on titus andronicus? I did come across one using google, but havn't been able to find out anything about it.


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## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

Maybe I should post a link to the video so that you can all see for yourselves that it deserves its own opera.


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## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

Honestly I think this may be my first post on tc.com to illicit no responces whatsoever. I'll give you two more days before I bake you all into a pie.


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

The problem is that there really aren't many of Shakespeare's plays that have been made into operas. At least not known ones. Especially not the somewhat obscure history plays.

I do agree, however, that Titus Andronicus should be made into an opera. Dunno if it has, though.


There. Imminent death by pie avoided. Hopefully.


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## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

Thank you. I give you bonus points for liking Titus Andronicus.


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## drpraetorus (Aug 9, 2012)

There have been actually very few Shakespear plays made into operas. It tends to be the biggies like Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet etc. As far as I know, no major opera has been made from Titus. It would make a wonderful over-the-top kind of piece.


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## waldvogel (Jul 10, 2011)

Off the top of my head, the most obscure Shakespeare play made into an opera is probably _Much Ado About Nothing_, made into an opera called _Beatrice et Benedict _by Hector Berlioz.

Wagner's early opera _Das Liebesverbot _is an adaptation of _Measure for Measure_.


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## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

I'd certainly say Measure for Measure is a much more obscure work than Much Ado about Nothing. Much Ado is shakespeare's only great comedy, in my opinion. Thank you for calling my attention to the opera by Berlioz. I will have to look for it. Also I didn't know that about Das Liebesverbot .

Preemptive P.S.
I only said 'my opinion' regarding his commedies. Imminent flame war avoided. Hopefully. (The other commedies that I've seen and understood were either so-so (As you Like it) or less than my cup of tea (Taming of the Shrew) and the others that I couldn't understand (Twelth night, Merry Wives, Midsummer Nights dream) I never read so therefore could explain my not understanding of them. Maybe someday I'll read them or someone will explain to me what is all the fuss over midsummer nights dream. One thing with commedies, i think even more so than histories or tragedies they are dated, the jokes, the puns etc you would have had to have had knowledge of the day to get the in-jokes.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Wikipedia lists two musicals based on TA, but no opera. And a famous Southpark episode.


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

obwan said:


> I'd certainly say Measure for Measure is a much more obscure work than Much Ado about Nothing. Much Ado is shakespeare's only great comedy, in my opinion. Thank you for calling my attention to the opera by Berlioz. I will have to look for it. Also I didn't know that about Das Liebesverbot .
> 
> Preemptive P.S.
> I only said 'my opinion' regarding his commedies. Imminent flame war avoided. Hopefully. (The other commedies that I've seen and understood were either so-so (As you Like it) or less than my cup of tea (Taming of the Shrew) and the others that I couldn't understand (Twelth night, Merry Wives, Midsummer Nights dream) I never read so therefore could explain my not understanding of them. Maybe someday I'll read them or someone will explain to me what is all the fuss over midsummer nights dream. One thing with commedies, i think even more so than histories or tragedies they are dated, the jokes, the puns etc you would have had to have had knowledge of the day to get the in-jokes.


I find Merry Wives rather amusing. By no means is it a great play, or even that good (I've heard the rather dubious title of 'Shakespeare's worst comedy' thrown around), but I like it. If nothing else, there are some great quotes.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

really, the problem isn't thinking up operas that should be made, it's getting competent people to actually do the job ...


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## John of Wood Green (Sep 30, 2013)

Obwan and Aksel: However obscure you may consider _Merry Wives of Windsor_, at least one opera based on it is NOT OBSCURE (I'll be pleased to apologize if this is teaching your grandmother to suck eggs - If this idiom means nothing to you, you could try googling it and going to the Wikipedia link). In fact, it is arguably Verdi's greatest opera - It's certainly his last!
Actually there's another _Merry Wives of Windsor_ by Otto Nicolai. Again, probably HIS "greatest" opera. And there was one by Henry Bishop I've just read about.

How well known would you say Troilus and Cressida was 1. as a play, 2. as an opera?


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

obwan said:


> I'd certainly say Measure for Measure is a much more obscure work than Much Ado about Nothing. Much Ado is shakespeare's only great comedy, in my opinion. Thank you for calling my attention to the opera by Berlioz. I will have to look for it. Also I didn't know that about Das Liebesverbot .
> 
> Preemptive P.S.
> I only said 'my opinion' regarding his commedies. Imminent flame war avoided. Hopefully. (The other commedies that I've seen and understood were either so-so (As you Like it) or less than my cup of tea (Taming of the Shrew) and the others that I couldn't understand (Twelth night, Merry Wives, Midsummer Nights dream) I never read so therefore could explain my not understanding of them. Maybe someday I'll read them or someone will explain to me what is all the fuss over midsummer nights dream. One thing with commedies, i think even more so than histories or tragedies they are dated, the jokes, the puns etc you would have had to have had knowledge of the day to get the in-jokes.


It's a good thing that Cole Porter didn't agree with you re:The Taming Of the Shrew or we wouldn't have Kiss Me Kate.
As for Midsummer Night's Dream you'd better have a word with Mendelssohn.
When you consider the in- jokes it needs some knowledge of the times,if you don't have it blame the education system which seems universally lousy.
I'm glad that you are in the minority because there's a whole industry built around Shakespeare.
I'm also glad that Nicolai and Verdi found the Merry Wives amusing or look what we would have missed !
I suppose I could go on and on but I think you should look deeper,it will come eventually I'm sure.


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## Pip (Aug 16, 2013)

Don't forget that A Middsummer Night's Dream is an opera by Benjamin Britten, and very good it is too.


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## spinworld (Oct 18, 2011)

Somewhat off-topic, but it seems that the closest we will get to having opera and Titus Andronicus in the same sentence is an upcoming rock opera by the eponymous band.

Electrifying details at the link: http://www.stereogum.com/1455802/pa...oming-titus-andronicus-rock-opera-movie/news/

But more on topic, I think Verdi's three Shakespeare operas contain some of his best music. One Shakespeare play that I'd have been glad to hear him translate would have been _King Lear_. Just imagine Lear raging against the skies with a full orchestra thundering against him. It's a pity he died before he could embark on that project.


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

When I take part in pub quizzes and such, people are often impressed with my knowledge of Shakespeare, which mostly comes from operas. I'm particularly good on the Verdi ones!

It has to be regarded as a good start to base an opera on a Shakespeare play. I wish there were more of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Operas_based_on_works_by_William_Shakespeare


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

one could try and find a play with a more convoluted plot, but for now TA would do  I'm surprised Wagner didn't adapt it into something suitably Teutonic.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

deggial said:


> one could try and find a play with a more convoluted plot, but for now TA would do  I'm surprised Wagner didn't adapt it into something suitably Teutonic.


Or one of the Baroque composers. Few operas have plots as convoluted as those from the Baroque era.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

good point! how about Rameau? complete with ballets.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

spinworld said:


> But more on topic, I think Verdi's three Shakespeare operas contain some of his best music. One Shakespeare play that I'd have been glad to hear him translate would have been _King Lear_. Just imagine Lear raging against the skies with a full orchestra thundering against him.


"Blooooooow [oom-pa-pa] wiiiiiiiinds [oom-pa-pa] 
and crack [oom-pa-pa-pa-pa] your cheeeeks [have-a-banana]..."

What we've missed


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