Spain has played a central role in a number of well-known and beloved operas. A Spanish medieval ballad and then a 17th Century play provided the basis for Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Excerpts from the opera will be presented as we examine Mozart’s use of the earlier material. Perhaps the most complete incorporation of Spanish material in an opera is Bizet’s Carmen.

We will first study the opera and then in a separate class watch Carlos Saura’s film Carmen in which the story of the opera is presented in flamenco dance as the dancers and guitarist wrestle with the issue of how are far to go in incorporating Spanish cliches in their work.

Then the course will end with two Verdi operas: Don Carlo and Il Trovatore. The former is based on a play by Schiller and draws directly on the history of Spain and its King Phillip II and the latter is based on the 19th century Spanish play El trovador (1836). It too includes a Roma character and the way the Romani were treated in Spain.  

The course will consist largely of lectures and of watching and listening to great music with singing and dancing. There will be little or no discussion but much for the students to learn and enjoy. 

Peter Podol has a PhD in Spanish literature (1968) and over forty years of college teaching experience. His area of expertise was the theater of Spain and he gave a course on the Culture of Spain over thirty times dealing with history, flamenco, music and cultural practices among other things. He is also a passionate opera fan who has attended the Metropolitan Opera regularly every year since 1959 and has taught many opera-appreciation courses for OLLI.

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