You’d be surprised how often alcohol plays a supporting role in opera plots. Hence Brindisi! Italian and French Drinking Songs, a Dec. 4 happening in the MFA’s Remix series that will have Boston Lyric Opera singers performing booze-infused arias in the European galleries, followed by drinks, discussion and a singalong. We tapped BLO director of artist operations Nicholas Russell for a taste of three featured tunes.

The Song: “Libiamo” from Verdi’s La Traviata
The Scene: “Alfredo, who is passionately in love with the courtesan Violetta, is a guest at her decadent party. Encouraged by his friend to show off his voice, Alfredo begins this toast and is joined by Violetta and the rest of the party guests, singing, ‘Let’s drink from joyful cups!’”
The Sip: “Alfredo loves a nice Italian red wine, perfect for toasting to love.”
Degree of Drunkenness: “Alfredo begins the song at only about a 5—he has been drinking a bit at the party, but he is eager to impress Violetta. By the end of this raucous and joyful drinking song, however, everyone at the party has had a few more!”

The Song: “Musetta’s Waltz” from Puccini’s La Bohème
The Scene: “Musetta, a beautiful young singer, arrives at the Cafe Momus on the arm of a rich older man. Spotting her old flame, Marcello, across the room, she sings this flirtatious and risque song to delight the crowd and make her ex wild with jealousy and desire.”
The Sip: “Musetta’s drink of choice is Champagne—bubbly, light and, naturellement, so French!”
Degree of Drunkenness: “Musetta has been out on the town with her wealthy date all evening, so she has already indulged in a few and is ready to steal the scene at a 7.”

The Song: “The Tipsy Aria” from Offenbach’s La Périchole
The Scene: “Two poor street singers, Périchole and Piquillo, are in love but cannot afford a marriage license. When a nobleman makes Périchole an offer she cannot refuse, she drinks her sorrows away.”
The Sip: “Périchole is a character who loves a sweet drink and perhaps indulges too much, too fast—lemon drops for all!”
Degree of Drunkenness: “Périchole is the ultimate 10 here, a stumbling, hiccupping, comical sight—who still sings beautifully, of course!”

*****************************************************************************************************

Thirsty for more? Boston Lyric Opera isn’t the only one combining sounds and sights in a museum setting in the coming weeks. On Nov. 18, soprano Tony Arnold will be hitting high notes at the Rose Art Museum with Voice + Identity, a program riffing on current exhibitions LA/MA: ’60s Pop from Both Coasts and Lisa Yuskavage: The Brood. The former offers Arnold a chance to highlight ’60s modernist compositions like Cathy Berberian’s 1966 work Stripsody, which incorporates boings, bangs and other onomatopoeic sounds from comic books and should make a perfect pairing for Roy Lichtenstein’s Forget It! Forget Me! Meanwhile, Yuskavage’s nudes will meet some likewise provocative pieces, including Thomas Adès’ Life Story and Georges Aperghis’ Récitations. “Just whose voices are we hearing through these works of art, as delivered through yet another filter: the female singing voice?” muses Arnold, winner of the Brandeis Creative Arts Award, which will be presented at the event—a kickoff of sorts for her year-long residency at Brandeis. It’s free and open to the public, but be sure to RSVP here.

Roy Lichtenstein Forget It! Forget Me!, 1962. Courtesy Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University; Gevirtz-Mnuchin Purchase Fund. © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein; Lisa Yuskavage, Blonde, Brunette, Redhead, 1995. Collection of Yvonne & Leo Villareal. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner, New York_London