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Create your own Verdi opera!



Verdi Opera Formula

Step One: Pick at least one of each from the following character categories:



(Starred * roles have the 'parent' option; at least one character in your opera should be a parent, preferably one of the low-voiced men)



1. Sopranos:



Virtuous Steadfast Heroine Soprano*

She is the model of perfection and goodness. She is always thought at some point to be a traitorous little witch, but never is. Although she is married to/supposed to marry one of the baritones or basses, she is helplessly in love with the tenor. This along with the constant accusations of impurity nearly drive her INSANE with ANGUISH! She dies at the end.



Soprano Who Messed Up and is now Paying For It

She screwed up, and it's totally her fault, and she knows it. No one will give her the chance to redeem herself, even though she is wholly penitent.



2. Mezzos/Contraltos:



Wildly Jealous Mezzo

Fiery and wildly in love with the tenor (who cannot love her, as she is a mezzo), she hates the soprano for stealing the man she loves. She is the most dangerous character in the opera, always. Hell hath no fury, eh?



Sneaky Mezzo/Contralto*

Even if she appears to have decent intentions, she is always up to no good. Whether she is twisting her brother around her finger or tricking someone into killing their own sibling, she plays the dirtiest tricks in the trade.



3. Tenors:



Annoying Tenor

He tends to throw a wrench in the gears. There is nothing really appealing about him, but he usually attracts all the attention.



Heroic Tenor*

A Verdi staple. He is as righteous and kind-hearted as the VSH Soprano is good and perfect. Except in cases like Otello, he has no flaws greater than being boring (Don Carlos) or stupid (Riccardo). He is almost always angst-ridden and even seems to enjoy wallowing in his own misery ("Ah, I am CURSED!").





4. Baritones:



Heroic Baritone*

The baritone equivalent of the Heroic Tenor, but more interesting. This heart-of-gold guy is allowed a few complexities. Whether he is confusing the audience as to whose side he's really on (Rodrigo) or convincing a man with whose daughter he had a child out of wedlock not to kill him (Simon Boccanegra), he is one of the few Verdi stereotypes the audience actually gets interested in. Unfortunately, he is also one of the most likely to die.



Violently Jealous Evil Baritone*

"I was supposed to get the soprano!" is the rallying cry of these poor fellows. They are the baritones who have yet to learn that they may as well give up on getting anyone to fall in love with them, as even the mezzos are falling all over themselves to get to the tenor. Rather than being simply broken-hearted and depressive, they get really angry and decide to kill, kill, kill. They are always the ones who cause the tragedy at the end and can include dads who would rather their daughters join convents than meet other men.



Just Plain Evil Baritone*

This guy doesn't even have the excuse of having been rejected by the woman he loves. He's just evil. He gets a grudge and doesn't let go. There's not even a real reason for him to cause everyone so much trouble--he just does. Paternal issues open up more human options for the character (a la Monforte), but for the most part, he's still just evil.





5. Basses:



Sympathetic Bass*

We like this guy. He's a decent sort of fellow, the kind we can relate to as human beings. He can occasionally venture into the Morally Dubious, but is ultimately a good guy. The bass equivalent of the Heroic Baritone.



Morally Dubious but Ultimately Pitiable Bass*

He's got issues, that can't be denied. He makes all kinds of bad decisions, kills/tries to kill people, causes trouble that doesn't need causing, and may generally be a jerk. Nevertheless, he sings that heartbreaking aria, and we're putty in his hands.



Eeeeeeeeevil Bass

The blackest and most evil of all Verdi characters. Unlike any other evil character, he has absolutely no redeeming qualities. He has no sad aria or "How I Got This Way" speech. He's the bad-to-the-bone bass who comes onstage and makes everyone freak out and grovel for their sorry lives. He, by the sheer power of evilness, convinces people to kill themselves even when they JUST married the person of their dreams (Silva). This evil guy makes all other evil guys really nervous. All other characters keep their distance. He's just bad news.







Step Two: Pick any of the following plot devices:



Parent loses a child to death

Long-lost relative appears

Soprano accused of faithlessness no matter how much she professes innocence

Mezzo/contralto swears vengeance

Uprising stopped at the last minute

Elephants

Freaky Gypsy Lady Prophesy No One Thinks Will Come True but Does

Star-crossed soprano and tenor swear off each other, but get in trouble anyway

Parent loses a child to kidnapping

Baritone swears to kill the tenor because of the soprano

A malcontent decides to overthrow the current government/leader

Someone gets arrested and preferably sentenced to DEATH!





Step Three: Pick any of the following pieces:



A ten-minute-long drawn-out love duet which serves no purpose but to tell the audience that, surprise, the tenor loves the soprano

A lament from one of the basses

A great duet not between the tenor and soprano which actually does serve a purpose

A lengthy monologue from the soprano

A five-minute-minimum scene for baritone and bass

Villain's "I'm Not So Bad As All That" speech

The exposition scene featuring characters who serve no other purpose

A daddy/daughter duet





Put your choices together, fill in the gaps, and BAM! you've got yourself a Verdi opera!



Rules, Restrictions, and Guidelines:



1. The only villain allowed to be completely one-dimensional is the Eeeeeeeeevil Bass. He MUST be completely one-dimensional.

2. Even if the baritone is an all-around good guy, loyal, kind-hearted and upright, the soprano still falls for the tenor, no matter how little they know each other, even if he is dumb (case in point: Ballo in Maschera)

3. Keep your use of mezzos and contraltos to a minimum.

4. Baritones and basses are very cool. Save your best arias for them.

5. Oom-pah-pah accompaniments in the orchestra work well if you can't think of anything else.

6. If possible, have only one soprano and one tenor in the opera. Abuse both their characters and their voices to the greatest extent imaginable. Any other sopranos and tenors should have a miserably small amount of stage time (a la the Count of Lerma).

7. Use big dramatic orchestral clashes with every excuse.







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