221B Recs

Title: Bel Canto Opera (The Opera of Sherlock Holmes) -- see links below
Author: belcantoopera on tumblr (this is an umbrella tumblr name covering the contributions of a number of individual artists)
Pairing: no pairing in the current music, though the fic which inspired it is Sherlock/John
Rating: not rated, but I would say G
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC, based on bendingsignpost's fic Bel Canto, which was a fusion with Phantom of the Opera
Author's summary: A blog dedicated to writing the opera from bendingsignpost's fanfic Bel Canto.

Reccer's comments: So, a number of musicians read and enjoyed bendingsignpost's wonderful Phantom of the Opera AU Bel Canto (which was recc'd on this comm here). In the story, Sherlock composes the libretto and score of an opera set in ancient Rome which presents the story of Antony and Cleopatra, but instead of focusing on the famous lovers, his opera focused on the ordinary Roman soldiers who found themselves betrayed and ruined when their loyalty to Antony led them to support him even against Rome itself. In the fic, Sherlock drew upon John's military experiences to write a brutally honest, tragically beautiful opera focused on the common man's disillusionment with war, and in the process he accidentally fell in love with his subject. A number of musicians found the fic so inspiring that they set out to...Write. The. Opera.

That's right. They wrote the libretto for key scenes described in the fic (in some cases incorporating lyrics that bendingsignpost had originated), translated it into Italian, composed the music, orchestrated it, and sung it. This is still very much a work in progress, and it has been on hiatus now for more than a year (it's very time-consuming and the artists are focusing on real life at the moment), but they have already created a number of really impressive musical pieces, and the whole project strikes me as something really special that deserves more applause. What an amazing thing to do! I love this fandom.

Here are two of my personal favorite musical pieces from this project:

The Mutiny Theme, originally composed on piano by logicaldisaster, then orchestrated by praeclaruswands with piccolo, flute, oboe, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, timpani, and strings.

Siamo Una Stessa Schiata, an aria/duet (sung in the fic between Sherlock's baritone and Irene's mezzo-soprano), portraying the fatal moment in which the captain persuades the young soldier to give up his dreams of returning home to Rome and accept the call to sacrifice himself for the sake of loyalty to Antony. At this stage the recording is a capella and there are empty spaces which will ultimately be filled by orchestration, but the two singers do a lovely job on their own of conveying the passion and beauty of the music. The baritone part is sung by ijvevhm, the mezzo-soprano by Seteskh. And here is a translation of the Italian lyrics: "“We are of a kind, and so I know you. We are of a kind, our hearts are one. I have dreamt your dreams and lived your life, and I know they both lead to Antony. I know you, we are the same. The loving touch of Lady Rome is a touch you never shall know. Take Duty as your wife, (My heart does not belong to Ceasar) for you are Loyalty (I serve Antonio). And Glory shall be your (my) daughter, Honour your (my) son, and Antony grandfather of both Glory and Honour.”

Anyway, I am really impressed by this project, and if you'd like to explore more of what they've done, you can scroll through their blog at belcantoopera on tumblr.