Mozart Says It All!

During this past month Troy has discovered quite a bit of Mozart, and got very familiar with our new Le Nozze Highlights CD.

The incredible music of this opera is in a way very accessible to a child.

Not in a way of simplicity, but rather in a way that beauty can be accessible in its harmony and clarity.

For a couple of weeks his favorite was Eh vieni non tardar, as some of you may still remember.

About a week ago he switched to a new fave: the finale of the opera Tutto e tranquillo e placido.

What amazes me is that this is not your typical catchy Mozart’s tune, such as Non piu andrai or Voi che sapete. It’s an almost 8-minute-long piece, consisting of a bunch of fast switching (no doubt, genius) melodies. In other words, from a child’s perspective, this has to be the most complex piece in the whole opera, but – what do I know after all? My 19-month-old loves it against all predictions and assumptions.

When it was time to get out of the car Tuesday morning, Troy begged me to let him stay till the end of the piece, (the best part, Contessa perdono was still coming). I did not have the heart to say no. You don’t say no to those things. You just let your child enjoy the music, feel blessed, and come to work a few minutes later.

Now slowly but steadily, (for Troy is so young that we have the luxury of all this time on our hands to explore and learn as much as we can at our very own pace), we are moving towards the new horizon: Don Giovanni.

(Oh, I know, I know... Please don't say that I am insane or that it's too early for Troy do do these things or that the story is not toddler-friendly. Just read this to the end and then feel free to criticize in the comment section.)
Guess what Troy’s favorite is, so far?

Ah! Fuggi il traditor (Donna Elvira’s Aria).

Now, with my readers’ permission, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the ultimate gem that this aria is.

A minute and a half long, which means very short, and yet absolutely and perfectly brilliant. Written in the old tradition of aria antiche, this anger aria, does not sound that aggressive. Rather extremely intense, passionate and stunningly beautiful.

As we all know, in this aria Donna Elvira, already abandoned by Don Giovanni, warns the country girl Zerlina, the new object of Don Giovanni’s passion, about his deceitful nature and literally tears the girl out of her seducer’s arms.

This is not a weak weepy girl lamenting her misfortunes. This is a strong, intelligent and dangerously vengeful woman, irresistible in her noble anger and noble desire to save an innocent girl from a wrong step in her life.

What a delightfully dynamic character!
How fortunate can a singer be to have the voice to sing it? And what a wonderful challenge may it be to only have a minute and a half to stun the audience both vocally and artistically?

Back to Troy, how magic does the music have to be for a little guy to demand to listen to it again and again and sit in his car seat with a happy smile and such a grown-up and inspired face?!

And mind you, little does he know about what is going on in the opera. I do tell him stories of the operas we listen to, but of course, very shortly and in simple words. For example, here is what I say about Ah! Fuggi il traditor! :

“This lady Donna Elvira says: This guy is bad. He was mean to me, he will be mean to you. Don’t talk to him – run, run, run!” Funny, right?

Don Giovanni. Kids' Version.

But I guess, this is as much information as Troy needs at this point. The learning is in and through the music anyway. Mozart says it all. And explains it much better than me. He is the teacher. I am just an assistant.