# Opera Time Frames in the Synopsis



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Just for fun:

I can think of many operas that the whole story occurs over only a couple days or so of time, such as La Sonnambula, Roberto Devereaux, L'elisir d'amore, Barber of Seville, Rheingold, Hansel and Gretel, Fidelio, Flying Dutchman, Meistersinger, etc.

Some though have much longer time frames. 

I think Wagner gets away with longer time frames that happen between operas such as Siegfried was a baby when we leave Walkure, but is a grown man when we begin Siegfried.

Flotow's Martha has a couple week gap between when the girls escape the farm house and when they are spotted at lunch during the hunt, and then there is probably another couple weeks before Lady Harriett in repentance approaches Lyonel to offer herself to him in marriage.

La fille du Regiment seems to have an interim period of weeks between the two parts.

La Traviata has a month or so before Alfredo returns from being abroad after the duel.


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Any more examples of operas with expanded time frames?

Are the majority of opera plots pretty much contained in a short time frame of a few days?

Other thoughts?


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## sharkeysnight (Oct 19, 2017)

Eugene Onegin comes to mind, he goes and farts around in Europe or whatever for a few months after the duel.


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## annaw (May 4, 2019)

sharkeysnight said:


> Eugene Onegin comes to mind, he goes and farts around in Europe or whatever for a few months after the duel.


I'm not sure but I think that at least the original novel takes place throughout a few years.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

One fictional opera that tries to tell a lengthy story is _Der ferne Klang_, which takes place over fifteen years, watching the separate lives Fritz and Grete take.

Several operas at least loosely based on historical events come to mind.

_Boris Godunov_ starts in 1598 and ends in 1605.

Both _Andrea Chénier_ and _Dialogues des Carmélites_ are set during the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror and take place over about 5 years, 1789-1794.

_Akhnaten_ spans from 1370 BCE to 1358 BCE, and, if you count the epilogue, it ends in the "present."

And sticking with Philip Glass, _The Voyage_ starts during the last glacial period (so tens of thousands of years ago), has act 2 in 1492, and act three in 2092. A strong contender for the longest time span, no?


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Madama Butterfly
Manon Lescaut
Werther
Eugene Onegin
Lucia di Lammermoor
Il trovatore
La forza del destino
Jenufa


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

SixFootScowl said:


> Just for fun:
> 
> I can think of many operas that the whole story occurs over only a couple days or so of time, such as La Sonnambula, Roberto Devereaux, L'elisir d'amore, Barber of Seville, Rheingold, Hansel and Gretel, Fidelio, Flying Dutchman, Meistersinger, etc.
> 
> ...


When did Alfredo have a duel? What did I miss?


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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

Simon Boccanegra has an infant daughter in the prologue who's an adult in the start of act 1. 

Parsifal isn't very specific about timelines but I think you're supposed to understand that Parsifal has been gone for multiple decades by the time he returns in Act 3.


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Amelia might be the oldest "young maiden" in opera! She was old enough to have vivid memories of her caretaker, and 25 years passed, so she's near 30. Of course, the time skip can't be smaller since Simon was a real person and we know when he came to power and when he died. Also, the Black Death just casually happened during the time skip but nobody mentions that. 

And then some productions don't even TRY to age the characters after the Prologue, as if the story isn't confusing enough already. Even funnier when some of them do age and some don't! And what was everyone DOING during that time? Fiesco was raising his own granddaughter without ever noticing her pendant (and dramatically lurking in the shadows I guess). Simon is increasingly Done with everyone's bull$hit and pining for his one true love, the sea. Paolo presumably has an entire Gets Corrupted By Power arc and goes from "well-meaning if a bit shady" to "comic book villain".


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

nina foresti said:


> When did Alfredo have a duel? What did I miss?


When Alfredo went back to the nightclub and threw the money at Violetta, then he got into it with the Baron and they agreed on a duel. Can't remember who threw the glove down to start it. Then the act ends and the next act starts with Violetta in her sick bed and she gets a letter that the duel happened and the baron was wounded but not killed. So you never see the duel, which is just assumed between acts.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

The things I learn every day. Thanks.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

nina foresti said:


> The things I learn every day. Thanks.


Going through my DVDs, not all productions show this very clearly. The best one may be the set with Gruberova. Watch the Baron throw the glove at Alfredo at 3:39, then Alfredo immediately picks it up accepting the challenge. It all happens pretty quickly, but after that you see Alfredo clutching the glove.


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## Autumn Leaves (Jan 3, 2014)

annaw said:


> I'm not sure but I think that at least the original novel takes place throughout a few years.


It's two years at least in the opera as well. In the third act, Prince Gremin says he has been married to Tatiana for about two years.


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