James Merrill, ‘Matinees’ By Mark McGuinness 2 Comments Das Rheingold condensed to two lines: Until with pulsing wealth the house is filled, No-one believing, everybody thrilled.
Tim Materer says 2 February, 2017 at 10:01 pm In these lines, do you have any idea what opera or operas are referred to? Drink poison, drink her joyous last, a waltz Rubato from his arms who sobs and stays Behind, death after death, who fairly melts Watching her turn from him, restored, to fling Kisses into the furnace roaring praise. Reply
Mark McGuinness says 4 February, 2017 at 8:50 am I couldn’t say for sure; there are a lot of ladies who die in operas! It made me think of La Traviata, but Violetta doesn’t drink poison. I asked the family opera buff – he suggested Il Trovatore, where Leonora drinks poison in the first act. Reply
In these lines, do you have any idea what opera or operas are referred to?
Drink poison, drink her joyous last, a waltz
Rubato from his arms who sobs and stays
Behind, death after death, who fairly melts
Watching her turn from him, restored, to fling
Kisses into the furnace roaring praise.
I couldn’t say for sure; there are a lot of ladies who die in operas!
It made me think of La Traviata, but Violetta doesn’t drink poison. I asked the family opera buff – he suggested Il Trovatore, where Leonora drinks poison in the first act.