Love is ... Fedora by Giordano

Usually one think only of romantic love in opera, and only about he protagonists but not in this post. Loris Ipanoff and Fedora Romazoff. It is Count Loris and Princesss Fedora.

Loris Ipanoff
Mother,Valerian Ipanoff, Wanda, Vladimir, Fedora.

Mother - Son = parental/filial love. Loris loves his mother but he still choses to marry Wanda, a woman his mother does not approve of, in secret.
Brother love - Loris is devastated when he finds out that his innocent brother has died accused of being his accomplice in the murder of Vladimir.
Wanda, Loris secret wife, who he describes as a vamp, a seductress. Loris takes no responibility in choosing Wanda even as his mother suspects Wanda to be after Loris.
Vladimir, one of Loris friends who knows and were there when he married Wanda. Wanda + Vladimir = lovers. Loris finds out and in a rage he kills Vladmir and then feel mightily sorry for himself. Wanda dies of grief not long after.

Princess Fedora: Vladimir, Loris.

Vladimir, the beloved son of the chief of the dreaded secret police, is living the life with many women, horse racing, bets etc and has a huge debt. Fedora is the wealthy widow from a powerful house. She thinks he loves her. When Vladimir is killed she will do anything to get the murderer, Loris.
Loris is in love with Fedora and have no idea he is just a mark for her. As soon as Fedora hears the confession of killing Vladimir she sets things in motion. Loris has been writing letters to his brother but that is enough for Fedora to write in the letter to the police chief, Valerian Ipanoff as accomplice. Then after the tragedy is set in motion she finds out about Wanda and Vladimir, and so she will save Loris.

Fedora loves Loris. It is probably a more real love than Fedora and Vladimir, Loris and Wanda. BUT, as they live together she has not told him she was Vladimirs fiancee or that she has been writing letters to the police chief. Then Valerian is caught and brought to prison and killed as the river floods the prison. And Loris mother dies when she hears about it. Loris is free from accusations and can go home but his family is dead. Fedora asks desperately for forgiveness for the unknown woman in Paris, herself. Then Loris finally realizes it and is in a rage, and Fedora commits suicide. And Loris feels sorry for himself.

TRAGEDY but why? Fedora and Loris is really two unhinged persons. They can only think in extremes. That is the first part of the tragedy, thr second is the lack of honesty. Fedora is about a crime passionel. It used to be OK to kill people if you caught them in adultery, the wife is with another man. Some places if you killed both you were OK, only one of them then you were a killer. For Fedora Loris is not guilty when she hears about the adultery, but she would have prefered Wanda killed too. I THINK that you cannot be innocent when you suspect something and you are carrying your gun. BESIDE intention/reason matters not if you kill someone THEN you are a KILLER. Jalousy does not makes you innocent, it is not a better reason to kill than greed. Murder is murder, and I don't except your excuses!!!

And for FEDORA and all who could act like her. Get all the facts first, don't be a vigilante, and don't lie.

As I look ahead into the future

April 2012 started as it used to with April 1, April Fools Day. But on April 1, 2012 at 0930 the oldest sister of my mother died. It was a shock for me even as I had been told how serious her condition was this time, I still believed in Life. But Death came and for my aunt it must have been a relief too after so many years of suffering painfully of Parkinson's. A comfort was that she had her children with her even as she was not able even speak. It was so inappropriate that it was April Fools Day, much better that it was also Palm Sunday. SAD!! Her husband had died on April 1 last year and my aunt even shared her burial day with her husband, April 13, 2012. Friday the 13th, indeed.

My Easter Holiday at my parents' home never really recovered and I got sick and come to hospital for one night stay. Fun, it was not. Luckily one still have hobbies, opera. On April 15 I could experience a wonderful Opera gala in Sogndal Kulturhus. Even though Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss are not one of my favorite composers the soprano Elena Nebera made me forget that. My travel to Monte Carlo to see Maria Guleghina as Lady Macbeth was cut by flight engine problems, but Elena Nebera could in many ways remind me of Guleghina. Dark, big voices!

May has started. It is cold. My mother has cancer but finally she is getting help. And she is positive about it. But the delays because of low staffed hospitals and a bad combination of people getting sick and holidays that keep things from getting done fast.  But we are positive. Work and the love of opera is keeping me up.

My plans: May 25-30 Spain (La Chulapona in Madrid, Nabucco in Bilbao). June 9 Tosca with Cura in Stockholm, Early July in Zurich for Carreras and Boccanegra with Placido Domingo. Then Summer Holiday and the library and all the books and journals etc is going to another building, a brand new building with a new library. Two libraries is going to ONE big library in a NEW Building. I get an even shorter walk to my work. WOW!

About 2012/2013 only one thing is certain Carmen in Deutsche Oper Berlin on December 15, 2012.

For reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com