A young singer comes to his stagecraft lesson. He's a well-built, good-looking bass with a splendid voice.

‘What do you want to work on?’

– ‘King Philipp's aria from Don Carlos.’

‘Oho! Reaching for the stars already. But fine, let's try it. Who are you?’

– ‘Me?’

‘No, not you, the character you're supposed to be.’

– ‘Ah, him. A king.’

‘That's right, a king. And where are you?’

– ‘In Spain?’

‘Yes, of course, in Spain. And when is it?’

(Pause)

‘Have you ever heard about his great rival? Elizabeth – the First, not the Second, she's still alive today.’

(Another pause)

‘The Shakespearean one?’

(He brightens up)

– ‘Oh, yes, there was that film’ (He means Shakespeare in Love)

‘Well, whatever. But I'm not here to test your knowledge of history. I really want to know: where and when is the king singing this aria? In what place? At what time of day or night?’

– ‘I don't know.’

‘He's in his study or his bedroom. And as far as the time is concerned, it's mentioned in the text you're singing. The first rays of morning are entering through the window.’

– ‘Ah yes, that's right, I sing that.’

‘So there we are. And now perhaps you understand the long introduction and you can draw conclusions from it about the state of the king, and what he does.’

– ‘What introduction?’

‘Well, at the beginning the cellos sink into a persistent brooding, then there's the slow, circling motion that jumps up an octave, doubling the tempo, and almost drives him mad – it's the dreadful suspicion that's torturing him: ‘Ella giammai m'amò’. Who is ‘Ella’?’

– ‘I haven't a clue. And the rehearsal pianist never played me any introduction. We've always started where I come in.’ ‘Ah. Well, “Ella” is the Queen, and what's keeping the King awake all night is the terrible suspicion that she is having an affair with his own son.’

If one overlooks this young man's scanty knowledge of history, one really can't reproach him. No one has ever told him what his future profession is all about. His singing teacher ought to have explained to him that he can perform an aria meaningfully only if he knows the context in which it is sung.