Theater: Galileo Galilei

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Enjoy the insight of the life of great astronomer and scientist Galileo in the opera. Order your tickets now. Ticket Specialist provide you a range of tickets at very attractive and discounted prices.

Galileo Galilei is an opera which is based on selected incidents from the life of Galileo Galilei. This opera was premiered at Chicago's Goodman Theater in 2002. The libretto is provided by Mary Zimmerman and Arnold Weinstein whereas the music is contributed by Philip Glass. The opera is presented in one act which consists of ten scenes without any interval in between.

Its with every genius that he faces hard resistance for his views before it is accepted as truth. When Galileo gave his hypothesis about the earth revolution around the sun, he was denounced by Father Tommaso Caccini, calling them dangerous and close to unorthodoxy. Lots of tortures were given to Galileo following the opposition. His reputation was destructed. It was not until recently that the Catholic Church finally admitted that they were wrong in persecuting Galileo. It can be seen easily that it took hundreds of years for them to admit the mistake. Galileo died in disbelief of his capability and brilliance which was never credited. He was dishonored for the theory which turned out to be true later.

Galileo was very close to his daughter Maria Celeste who inherited her father's sharp mind. In this opera not only Galileo's trials before the Inquisition are depicted but also a glance into Galileo's more personal side. His supporting and loving relationship to his daughter Maria Celeste, who was a nun. She was the eldest child of their parents. Maria not only inherited her father's love of learning and science, but also realized that he was a man of great faith. She always encouraged her father on the path of having faith in sciences and exploring it more. The two met rarely. Distance was not the only halt but also Galileo's often ailing health. Sadly, they were ultimately separated by maria's premature death at the age of 33. Her early demise brought incredible sadness for Galileo. However, their connection in this opera serves to give his story a more personal rendering. The story itself is told backwards through time. The opera begins with the old age of blind Galileo, staring the sky , looking for something different, ending with his phase of life as a child. His invention and improvement of telescope is shown in this opera, his theories in physics, maths and astronomy are depicted .

The opera is is presented in 10 scenes as one complete act. In first scene, the opera begins with the libretto and Galileo is shown as blind in his last days. He is shown recalling his early days of life and different happenings. In scene two, Galileo is being tortured by the officials of Catholic Church for his theory. He was sentenced for his views and opinions by the Pope and at the same time recalling the moments when they together had walks in garden as friends. In scene three, her daughter Maria sends heartfelt devotion to his father through letters from her convent. In next scene Galileo is questioned by two Cardinals of the Catholic Church for his book "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Systems of the World". Scene five shows Galileo penning down and the fictitious characters come alive to discuss the theories presented. With this scene, the older Galileo turns into Younger one.

Scene six is showing the testing of the theories and experiments in Galileo's laboratory. Scene seven starts with a walk in the garden where Galileo and his best friend Cardinal Barberini discuss Galileo's newest book in the Garden. Here Galileo expresses his fear of his enemies and his friend warning him to stop his theories further. In scene eight, Galileo explains his theory to Maria when he observes the swinging of a lamp suspended from the ceiling moving in pendulum fashion. Scene nine opens with the presentation of telescope by Galileo to the Duchess and her Ladies in Waiting. Here The Duchess and Galileo recall the time in their youth when they watched an opera together composed by Galileo's father, Vincenzo. Scene ten shows The Duchess and Galileo as children watching the opera. The magical story of the planetary figures becomes the vehicle through which Galileo is reunited with his deceased daughter.