What's it like?

[elcharrom]

There are alota things I havent tried, alotta things that look real boring, and alot of things I dont know about. So I just wanted to use this thread to ask what things are about when I come up with them. My first one is

What is an opera like?? Like being there in person and hearing them sing and dance and act and all? This is one of the ones that look real boring, and I got the urge to ask this question from reading Danie's post bout som gottardem opera :D

[keltic63]

Have you seen a broadway show? Opera is similar, but classier, perhaps more academic, and instead of spoken dialog, everything is sung.....everything. Many operas that we think of as "high-brow" now were actually common entertainment for their time, much like Andrew Lloyd Weber's "musicals" which more closely resemble opera for their lack of spoken dialog. Giuseppe Verdi's opera's come to mind when I think of this concept.

[dsdrane]

Oooooooo, I loves me some Wagnerian opera!!

I like my mezzo-sopranos wearin' horns and breastplates.

(Is that weird?)

Anyhoo, Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) is faBOO, child! It's the fourth and last opera of a four-part epic opera called Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)...or The Ring Cycle, for short.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6tterd%C3%A4mmerung

It's big...real big. Apocalyptic!

The immolation scene alone!!!

Sublime!

:cool:

[dsdrane]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyxPxpSvXQ8

[u-dog]

Have you seen a broadway show? Opera is similar, but classier, perhaps more academic, and instead of spoken dialog, everything is sung.....everything. Many operas that we think of as "high-brow" now were actually common entertainment for their time, much like Andrew Lloyd Weber's "musicals" which more closely resemble opera for their lack of spoken dialog. Giuseppe Verdi's opera's come to mind when I think of this concept.

In Italy opera is STILL considered more of a common persons entertainment. All the big opera houses have cheap seats up in "nosebleed territory"

I admire and appreciate opera ... but to be honest... classical music lover that I am... I find it kind of boring ... I KNOW KNOW!! I shouldn't... but I do. Except for Mozart! Magic Flute! the stoned Guest (oh sorry.. pdq bach) The Stone Guest! Midsummer Nights Dream. Those are AMAZING. But Verdi and Wagner? not so much. just not for me, I guess.

I saw "Lucia de La l'amour" at the Santa Fe Opera House (an amazing place!) It was spectacular but I fell asleep in the middle. Not like me at all.

[Zerbie]

There are alota things I havent tried, alotta things that look real boring, and alot of things I dont know about. So I just wanted to use this thread to ask what things are about when I come up with them. My first one is

What is an opera like?? Like being there in person and hearing them sing and dance and act and all? This is one of the ones that look real boring, and I got the urge to ask this question from reading Danie's post bout som gottardem opera :D

Actually, this kind of like asking "What is a movie like?' It depends on the one you go see. Depends if you like action, comedy, romance, sci-fi, and then it depends if you see a GOOD or a BAD action, comedy, romance, sci-fi, etc. There are operas in English, Italian, French, German, Russian, Czech. . . there are operas that have really hummable tunes, and 20th century operas that kind of, erm, don't. There are comedic operas, romantic operas, and a lot of blood 'n guts war, murder, revenge, suicide operas. Operas with drinking songs and sex, operas about nuns. . . it goes on and on. There are even operas ABOUT operas (The Impresario, Ariadne auf Naxos.)



Have you seen a broadway show? Opera is similar, but classier, perhaps more academic, and instead of spoken dialog, everything is sung.....everything. Many operas that we think of as "high-brow" now were actually common entertainment for their time, much like Andrew Lloyd Weber's "musicals" which more closely resemble opera for their lack of spoken dialog. Giuseppe Verdi's opera's come to mind when I think of this concept.

Yep. The first opera I ever liked was Verdi's "Otello." One of the best out there! I already knew the Shakespeare play and I came across the telecast on TV by accident one day (I was 13). I was naive enough at the opening credits to think I was going to see a broadcast of the PLAY, and I thought Verdi's storm at sea music was incidental music. Then the chorus starting singing and I was like, Eerm, whaaaat? :lol:

First opera I ever hated was Strauss' Elektra. I was 12. Came across that on telecast also, and loathed it. In fact, I still dislike Elektra.

First opera that ever bored me to death was a concert version of Tristan und Isolde that my parents took me somewhere in New Jersey. I think it was badly done. My husband took me to a production of Tristan on our honeymoon - Voigt and Moser at the Vienna Staatsoper, with Thielemann conducting - those 4 or 5 hours flew by and it felt like 45 minutes!

Oooooooo, I loves me some Wagnerian opera!!

I like my mezzo-sopranos wearin' horns and breastplates.

(Is that weird?)

Yes.

Anyhoo, Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) is faBOO, child! It's the fourth and last opera of a four-part epic opera called Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)...or The Ring Cycle, for short.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6tterd%C3%A4mmerung

It's big...real big. Apocalyptic!

The immolation scene alone!!!

Sublime!

:cool:

Let's not forget to mention that Wagner's Ring operas are the same story as the Lord of the Rings movies. If you saw the LOTR movies, you've seen the story for Wagner's Ring operas, so you'll recognize the plot. The names and some of details are different, but it's all about an evil ring of power, humans versus Gods, giants, etc.

You could always look at the cartoon, What's Opera Doc?

[Jennifer5]

Never been... but Jorge, I have to say it appears kind of boring to me too.

But then again, I rarely enjoy live theater at all... so I'm a freak to start with.

[elcharrom]

Sounds somtin that Id hav to set aside time for, I guess never knock it till you try it right? :D

Hmmm, anybody know what skydiving or bunjee jumping is like?? I wanna try them so much, they looks amazing and fun haha, Id imagine that there are some feelings of liberation coming from those experiences?

[Zerbie]

I've heard that skydiving is really peaceful and very very quiet. I'm not gonna try it though. You'd have to be a little weird to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

[elcharrom]

I've heard that skydiving is really peaceful and very very quiet. I'm not gonna try it though. You'd have to be a little weird to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

Haha, I will someday Ill just make sure I get on a cheap airplane so I dont feel as bad for jumping off it :D

[BrentRichards]

I've heard that skydiving is really peaceful and very very quiet. I'm not gonna try it though. You'd have to be a little weird to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

My cousin, who was in the 82nd Airborne, said exactly the same ... only crazy people jump out of airplanes for FUN...

[Daniel]

This thread is on to jumping out of planes now, but I'd like to digress a bit and throw my two cents into the fountain.

Opera is an aquired taste. And by that I mean it has it's own language. And it's one that sounds a bit too overblown for some people. One famous tenor put it succinclty: opera singing is refined yelling.

If you put a live opera singer in front of a group of grade school kids, they will usually put their hands over their ears for a few minutes. Then you'll see their eyes widen and their faces will get that funny look of amazement. The interesting thing, of course, is that kids on the playground make this level of sound all the time- they just aren't aware of it! :lol:

Here is one example of Jussi Bjorling, considered to be one the great tenors of the 20th century.

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Here's the great soprano Leontyne Price, who, by the way, has long been rumored to be a member of our church. She's singing aan aria from Verdi's Aida.

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And here is Dame Janet Baker singing a very glorious aria from Dido and Aeneas, an opera by Henry Purcell- a 17th century British composer.

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(Rewind to learn how to die on stage gracefully and elegantly)

While these performances are wonderful, you really have to hear this kind of singing live to really appreciate it.

[Zerbie]

Where's Callas? :confused:

\Danny, hubby once found an awesome clip of Callas and - omg I forget the baritone! - in the second act of Tosca right after the aria. I was like, on the edge of my seat. Do you think you could find that one and post it on here??

Oh and - I love Bjoerling. When I was a teenager, I used to lie around in the dark and blast Bjoerling singing Cielo e Mar, Ch'ella mi creda, especially Ch'ella mi creda - and cry.

[Zerbie]

http://www.network54.com/Forum/171220/thread/1186975473/So%2C+I+was+feeling+a+little+down+today

I hope this works. It's not Callas, but it's two of the most awesome male singers - in an excerpt from, erm, La Forza del destino, I think? (I know, I know, I don't really know operas well that don't have roles for my voice type in them :rolleyes:). Anyway, I think it's Forza. The composer is Verdi, my overall favorite opera composer.

For some reason, the subtitles here are in like, Japanese? I guess it originally aired in Asia. Anyway. Hope it worked.

[Daniel]

The one who set everyone's hair on fire in the 50's and 60's.

Here she is in Puccini's Tosca with Tito Gobbi. She sings the aria Vissi d´arte. While her voice was fraying somewhat at this point in her career, she set the golden standard for acting on the operatic stage.

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What follows is one of the most famous scenes of all time. Callas' character is trying to save the life of her lover (the tenor in the opera) from the evil baritone (Gobbi), who wants her for himself. What she does to him.....is well...the stuff of opera legend.

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[Daniel]

I hope this works. It's not Callas, but it's two of the most awesome male singers - in an excerpt from, erm, La Forza del destino, I think? (I know, I know, I don't really know operas well that don't have roles for my voice type in them :rolleyes:). Anyway, I think it's Forza. The composer is Verdi, my overall favorite opera composer.

The two gentlemen are Robert Merrill and Richard Tucker.

[elcharrom]

Haha I can tell yall really like operas, I watched som of the first clip and Im wondering that it really must be an aquired taste :D

[Zerbie]

Elcharrom - Ya gotta watch that last clip that Daniel posted, the bottom one.

The first clip was Bjoerling singing Salut demeure, and I say this as a rabid Bjoerling fan who has sung chorus in Faust twice, Salut demeure is a slow aria which, frankly, can be boring. Bjoerling isn't particularly visually expressive either, so ya gotta see somethin' else besides just the slow-moving clip of him singing "Salut demeure." Which is basically a hymn to how modest and chaste his hopefully future girlfriend's HOUSE is - a dramatic stretch if ever there was one. No offense to Bjoerling or Faust, but that's a sleeper.

Watch the clip of Maria Callas as Tosca and how she wrangles with the evil man who. . . where to begin? This is a clip with real action in it. The man in that clip (real name Tito Gobbi) plays the evil Scarpia, who is like, what? head dictator of Rome in a cruel fascist police state. Callas plays the singer Floria Tosca, whose painter boyfriend is an activist for freedom and who gets arrested for hiding an enemy of the state. They torture him and are going to execute him. The evil Scarpia says he will sign release papers to free Tosca's boyfriend if she has sex with him. She reluctantly agrees and then he grabs her. Watch what happens. It's a completely different world than the clip you watched.

[andrewlittle]

I, like elcharrom, would like to learn more about opera. Unfortuantely, this morning the clips are not visible. Technical difficulty on my end or SF?

[Daniel]

I, like elcharrom, would like to learn more about opera. Unfortuantely, this morning the clips are not visible. Technical difficulty on my end or SF?

Andy- ask away! I'm up to my ears in opera. Doing a bunch of productions at the moment (see link). In the saddle since 1988.

http://www.nycopera.com/index.aspx

What operas have you seen?

Basically- you should see something like Carmen, La Boheme or Madam Butterfly to start with if you haven't gotten your feet wet yet. Then venture out into the other repertory. Perhaps Mozart. Some people love him- some hate him. Same with Handel. I adore both. Though my tastes are rather wide. I love Stravisnsky and Schoenberg too. One key is this: whatever you see should have at least ONE good singer. Bad singers make for pretty lousy opera.

Re the clips. I think the problem is on your end unfortunately. Do you have the program(s) to run them? (Don't ask me what it is....I don't have the faintest idea!)

[u-dog]

Andy- ask away! I'm up to my ears in opera. Doing a bunch of productions at the moment (see link). In the saddle since 1988.

http://www.nycopera.com/index.aspx



Re the clips. I think the problem is on your end unfortunately. Do you have the program(s) to run them? (Don't ask me what it is....I don't have the faintest idea!)

actually, I think the problem was SF or Youtube because they disappeared from my browser for a while this morning also, but they are back now. Can you see them now Andy?

[Daniel]

The great tenor himself, singing the aria 'Nessun Dorma' from Puccini's Turandot. I had the pleasure of being onstage with him in this opera, and heard him sing this aria from the wings. An amazing experience.

VATmgtmR5o4

And here's the great Placido Domingo singing the same piece. The visual is a little dark, but that's because it was taped from a live operatic performance. Don't get confused: the subtitles are in Spanish, while Domingo is singing in Italian. Opera- properly speaking- has its roots in the latter.

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Take your pick!

~

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nessun_Dorma

[andrewlittle]

Andy- ask away! I'm up to my ears in opera. Doing a bunch of productions at the moment (see link). In the saddle since 1988.

http://www.nycopera.com/index.aspx

What operas have you seen?

Basically- you should see something like Carmen, La Boheme or Madam Butterfly to start with if you haven't gotten your feet wet yet. Then venture out into the other repertory. Perhaps Mozart. Some people love him- some hate him. Same with Handel. I adore both. Though my tastes are rather wide. I love Stravisnsky and Schoenberg too. One key is this: whatever you see should have at least ONE good singer. Bad singers make for pretty lousy opera.

Re the clips. I think the problem is on your end unfortunately. Do you have the program(s) to run them? (Don't ask me what it is....I don't have the faintest idea!)

I can see the clips now. I have also seen each of the operas you mentioned by name, as well as several others. Some I've seen live - although I couldn't say how well they were performed, since they were in Columbus, OH. I've watched several on PBS - which I assume were performed by very talented people, because the people I was watching with were very impressed and moved.

I can only surmise that I lack an appreciation of the operatic voice as an instrument of music. I love jazz, blues, screaming electric guitars, and I have a real appreciation of discordance in much music. But opera just ends up leaving me hoping for earplugs.

I am not denying the incredible talent it must take to be an operatic singer, so please don't take offense if you are one, but I do not possess an ear that appreciates it, I guess. It just leaves me wanting to move on quickly to the next piece of music in the gallery - about the same as looking at a painting by Willem de Koenig.

Oh dear, perhaps I'm destined to be a low-brow all my life. So, at this point, I think I'll listen to some of Dave Hole's slide blues frenzy and set my ears back in synch with the rest of me.

[BrentRichards]

My one piece of advice to anyone (like me) who is a non-expert wanting to enjoy opera: Learn the story first. Since most operas are not in English, it can be that much tougher to appreciate the performance if you don't know what on earth is going on. Research the story a bit first, find out what the famous pieces are and what they are about, and you'll enjoy it a lot more.

That said, this is probably my favorite duet of all time. From La Nozze di Figaro... sung here by the amazing Cecilia Bartoli and Renee Flemming:

BLtqZewjwgA

[BrentRichards]

Well, this is excellent, too ... Bryn Terfel is fantastic:

z4q4eFboMro

[BrentRichards]

Oh dear, perhaps I'm destined to be a low-brow all my life.

Low-brow like this?

[BrentRichards]

The great tenor himself, singing the aria 'Nessun Dorma' from Puccini's Turandot. I had the pleasure of being onstage with him in this opera, and heard him sing this aria from the wings. An amazing experience.

VATmgtmR5o4

And here's the great Placido Domingo singing the same piece. The visual is a little dark, but that's because it was taped from a live operatic performance. Don't get confused: the subtitles are in Spanish, while Domingo is singing in Italian. Opera- properly speaking- has its roots in the latter.

2RdJmqLrsbo

Take your pick!

~

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nessun_Dorma

NESSUN DORMA! Now that's art!

[andrewlittle]

Low-brow like this?

It would be appropriate to have permission to post someone else's picture on a public forum. I have notified my brother, and you will likely hear from his attorney in short order.

[BrentRichards]

You mean this attorney?

[u-dog]

You mean this attorney?


Litigation: so easy, even a caveman can do it!

[BrentRichards]

Litigation: so easy, even a caveman can do it!

My point exactly!

...

This thread was about opera, wasn't it?

[Dash]

Always fashionably late to the party, I am...:p

Three from Pagliacci:

Sherrill Milnes sings the prologue, "Si Puo."
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Now there's some baritone porn.....:lol:

Pavarotti sings the famous aria, "Vesti la Giubba."
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...and Domingo singing the same, cuz the performances are quite different...
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[elcharrom]

So much opera, haha I tunred all them on and it sounded funny, but I think Im seeing more and more that opera's really not my thing, I told my teacher ih he liked opera, he was like "Im always reminded of how hard people work to bore me when I watch opera", I was like whoa, he really dont like it.

Wasnt there a guy on a british show that could sing all real good in opera? I think I remember seeing that.