Angel de Quinta's Stage Door Blog

One of my favorite shows on this blog is Michael Buble's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."  I have always enjoyed his music and voice, especially this song which is off of his Christmas album.  This video had many elements that I enjoyed.  His voice in this video is very relaxing; so much so that I do not enjoy listening it even though Christmas is months away.  The band in the video was very talented and added a pleasant touch to the music.  The blog explains that this song had branched off from a movie called Meet Me in St. Louis, and from this it has helped with the song's popularity.  In the movie, the a different version of the song was first seen.  Hollywood decided to change the pessimism version of the song and make it a more like-able version.  It was made into a more universal version, that encouraged people to let go fo their problems and just enjoy Christmas.  This helped the song to become more successful and recognized.  Many different artists have made covers of this song since then, and it is still a hit song every holiday season.

Howard Goodall Big Bangs 3 Opera

Howard Goodall Big Bangs 3 Opera

Opera emerged over 400 years ago in Verona, Italy.  It was very important to Italy and became popular in Florence.  The Camerata emerged in Florence to talk about the rising forms of art during the time.  They out on their first opera show in 1598.  There was a period in time that opera had almost died, however two guests at a wedding had helped to try to save it.  Montiverdi had started an all male choir.  He had hoped to create drama through music.  He believed that the songs shouldn't be "shown off' and wanted it to have the audience actually enjoy the music.  It didn't need to be over the top.  Opera music, according to the narrator gives off thoughtful ideas.  Beethoven only produced one opera in 1806.  Beethoven was interested in liberation and deliverance.  Opera also found itself in a political audience.  Opera was also a sense of identity for many people who couldn't find something that they felt apart of.  According to Wagner, it was also a sense of nationalistic pride.  Mussolini also used opera during the time of Hitler.  Musicals including 'The Phantom of Opera' and 'Chicago' have emerged from opera.  In the video, the narrator stated that opera is a "parent" of the musical; they exist side by side.  One would not operate well without the help of the other.  Also, according to the video, John Adams is our best opera composer.  Opera has become world wide.  In Shanghai China, the grand theater was built specifically for opera performances.  It seats 1800 people, and has produced many operas thus far.

Overall, opera has had a large impact on the history in the world and continues to impact it in different ways.  It is an outlet for many people and has become enjoyed worldwide.  It also has influenced different forms of entertainment like Broadway.  It has become an important aspect of society.

La Traviata-1853 opera

La Traviata-1853

La Traviata is an Italian Opera that tells of a complicated love story between a man named Alfredo and a woman named Violetta.  The scene opens in Paris at a party that Violetta is hosting.  Alfredo is in attendance, and tells Violetta that has he has loved her ever since the first time he had laid eyes on her.  During this party, she begins to feel very ill, and asks all of the guests to leave.  Alfredo is the only one who stays because he is z about her state.  This shows the affection he has for her.  He also encourages her to take care of herself.  When he confesses his love to her, she says that she cannot accept love.  She does leave him with a kiss, however.  When she is alone, she contemplates on what he said.  She wonders if she's in love with him.  In the second act, she and Alfredo live together in the country, which he realizes was made possible by her selling her house.  Alfredo leaves to Paris to get more money soon after he finds this out.  While he is away, Alfredo's father comes to speak to Violetta and tries to convince her to end she and Alfredo's relationship.  Alfredo's father believes that Violetta is using Alfredo for his money, and does not actually love him, so he tells her she must end it. She wrote a letter to Alfredo saying that they could not be together anymore.  When Alfredo reads the letter and realizes that his father had set it up, he becomes furious.  In the third act, Violetta returned back to the city and tried to go back to her life.  Violetta goes to a ball and ends up with another man, Baron. The baron and Alfredo battle each other and Alfredo wins, and takes Violetta back.  Alfredo is angry.  After all of this, the father has realized that what he tried to do was wrong.  He hopes to find peace again with Violetta and Alfredo.  The father blames his acts on what God had told him to do.  However, Alfredo is too fed up with his father to take up his help; he wants to handle his own manners.  In the final act, Alfredo is forced to flee the country after he wounds the baron.   Violetta is at home in her death bed. She tells her nurse that she is physically sick but her soul is at peace.  The doctor tell her maid that she only has a few hours to live.  She is very sad, and misses Alfredo dearly.  Shortly after, he returns and says he cannot live the rest of his life without her.  They kiss, and he begins going on about how much he loves and adores her.  They agree to spend their lives together.  She suddenly feels alive and as if she is no longer sick.  Alfredo is hesitant on believing this.  She tells the maid that she no longer wants to die, and wants to live again.  Alfredo convinces her she won't die, and that they will go on to live their happiest possible lives together.  It seems as if all is going well, but the end of this opera is tragic.  The story ends by Violetta dying, even though it seems as if she was cured; she was not.  There was nothing that could be done to fix her physical health.

Pjotr Sapegin's ARIA (Madama Butterfly)

Madama Butterfly

I though this Madama Butterfly video was very creative and interesting.  The characters were handmade and very detailed.  It is clear that a lot of effort was put into making these characters, and then allowing them to move with animation.  The sets that the artist made was beautiful and colorful.  They were catching to they eye.  Throughout this video, beautiful opera music is playing.  Throughout this video, beautiful opera music is playing.  When more dramatic points happen, the volume and intensity of the music increases to fit the mood.  In this video, a story is told about a woman and man who meet on an island.  The man is a captain to the ship.  These two characters have sex on the island, and then the man leaves the island to tend to his ship again. When he leaves, as a romantic gesture, he gives her his captain's hat, and a butterfly flies and lands on her head. Soon after the man leaves, the woman realizes she is pregnant.  She gives birth to a daughter.  The man eventually returns to the shore after she sees his ship returning a few years later.  The man comes up and the daughter meets him.  However, he is with what seems to be a wife and other kids that he appeared to have with her.  Madama Butterfly becomes very sad and cries, probably because she feels betrayed.  She is left alone; her daughter goes with the father and other family.  When this event occurs, the opera music intensifies because of the dramatic moment.  This part of the story makes it seems as it is a tragedy, because the main character faces extreme seclusion and heartbreak. The ending however, leaves off bitter sweet.  The daughter returns back to the island, and the same butterfly that had landed on Madama Butterfly lands on her.  They are back together.  Overall, the animation and creativity of the scene was very successful in portraying the story of Madama Butterfly.  The opera music helped to point out the low-key and high-key moments, and added a beautiful touch.

Cuero's Interview on Creativity

Paul Cuero is a microbiologist, inventor, and a scientist who has recently even made a book.  He did not have an easy upbringing, however.  He felt as if "he had no value off the basketball court."  In the interview, he explained how he overcame ethnic rights and economic/ social predicaments, growing up as a minority.  He stated it "is important to have a universal conscious", and that they only way to overcome predicaments that life throws at you is to "develop according to your own nature." He believed that you had to prove people wrong in what they believed you were capable of accomplising; the sky is the limit.  He said that you have to prove others wrong.  The environment he grew up in was not priveleged at all; he had no water, electricity, or books.  He was forced to use his brain for his entertainment.  He also grew up in an environment where he was faced with prejudice, after he moved to a bigger city.  He was at first shocked by this, but it encouraged him to do better in the world and become more successful.  He believed in "the survivial of the individual", which his grandma had taught him.  He was self motivated and self sufficient despise his struggles in life. In explaining this to the interviewier, he stated that he was able to get ahead by "perceving nature with assistance", and encourages others to do the same.  Cuero encourages being "a good observant of nature".  Also, Cuero believes that nowadays children are using technology too much, and it is not healthy.  He believes that they are communicating with each other less and missing out on a lot.  He sees in society today that people are afraid to fail, and that is why some people do not succeed. Cuero also sees problems with education in society today, which is why he believes some children are not successful as they could be.  He sees that in education today, students are expected to figure out things only with the help of their teacher, while he believes that parents should also be a detrimental figure to education.  He sees a lack of communication with family, which negatively impacts students.  Despite the barriers and struggles that he has faced throughout his life, he has still managed to become very succesful.  He is an example of someone who has come from very little and was able to accomplish great things in life.  He shows that all you need to be successful is to use your brain and not be afraid to express yourself.  I agree with his aspects, because I can also see that many people are afraid to test their limits and do something out of their comfort zone because they are afraid to fail.  It is better to try and fail, then never try at all, in my opinion.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Kayla Abboud.  I'm 18 years old, and this is my first year at UT.  I'm from Massachusetts, about an hour away from Boston.  One of the main reasons I decided to go to school in Florida was for the weather, because where I'm from the winter is long and harsh.  So far I have been enjoying my time here and I am looking forward to what is to come here.  Some of the things I enjoy doing are working out, tanning, shopping, going to the beach, and going out with friends.  I also love listening to music and going to concerts and meeting new people.  I am down for adventures, and am pretty easy going.  I have taken art in high school, so this class seems interesting to me.  My favorite kind of art is abstract art.  I did not choose to take this class, however it was chosen for me.  This class seems interesting and I am excited to see how technology and art relate.  I am also interested in watching different videos and am excited to start writing blogs based on what we see.  It should be interesting to see everyone's points of view and see how our ideas differ or relate.  I am open to learning more and expressing myself through blogs especially because I have never done anything like this before!