Taking It to the Edge

1)    The abandoned Margherita is in prison, accused of poisoning her mother and strangling her infant child.

2)    A wise sorcerer seeks to cure Orlando of the madness born of jealousy that torments him.

3)    After seducing Santuzza, Turriddu has returned to romancing his former love Lola, now a married woman.

4)    Imogene’s husband has been slain by her true love, who is to be executed as punishment.

5)    Ariadne has been abandoned and left heartbroken on a deserted island. She mourns her lost love and longs for the release of death.

6)    Mary wakes up to a beautiful sunny day, has a delicious hearty meal of organic oats with blueberries fresh from the garden and gluten-free crackers and soon is joined by her loving, supporting husband. They do an hour-long yoga/ Pilates routine, feeling their bodies perfectly toned and tuned and their biorhythms humming harmoniously along. They go to work at their non-profit supporting sustainable farming, with Kenny G. music playing in the background. At the end of the day, they pick up their darling child at the Rainbow Bunnies Preschool, where she has drawn a portrait of their happy family to be proudly displayed on the refrigerator. At bedtime, they tell her happy stories and sing her happy songs. They all have beautiful dreams and eagerly await the next wondrous day.

Which of the above would be the best plots for an Opera?

PS The first five above are the synopsis for some of the arias sung at Opera in the Park today as written in the San Francisco Chronicle. Seems like conflict is necessary for great art! And just perhaps containing it all in the longing and pathos and drama of musical notes helps us feel the feelings without have to live them out so brutally in actual life. Just a thought.