At some point in our life, we will each be exposed to at least a small sampling of opera music. Perhaps it will be in a movie, or a commercial, or browsing through radio stations. They say that people either love red hair or they hate it and the same seems to be true about opera music. But I’m typically not a fan of bifurcation, so I’d like to propose that enjoying opera could be an acquired taste. This seems to be the case with myself.
In my early twenties, I was invited to my first opera with some friends from our college music department. It wouldn’t be the last time we went and being a very curious person, I was always eager to go. Since then, I happened to marry someone who grew up with operas and really enjoys them. So, we’ve tried to catch at least one performance each year until this last year when we bought season tickets to the opera for the first time. Each performance has had a pre-talk beforehand in a small auditorium where the speaker used photo and textual slides. He would also demonstrate with a piano the various themes from the upcoming show. The insight we gained from those pre-talks boosted the fun factor significantly.
As the opera season will soon be ending later this spring, we were debating if we should get season tickets again. Which begged a fundamental question: “Why do I go to the opera?”. First, allow me to mention which elements I’m not too thrilled about: Number one, the sub-titles are always distracting, but they are certainly a necessity. Number two, hearing dialog sung, aka recitative, is not the kind of music I gravitate towards and don’t wake up humming in the morning.
But there are some elements I definitely do enjoy. Whether it’s an overture or an aria, I will always enjoy a beautiful melody which is well sung – especially with masterful orchestration. And whether you like classical style singing or not, to hear an auditorium filled with world class singers (and no mics) is amazing. And when a large group of those singers are singing simultaneously, it’s one of the most soul stirring (perhaps even heavenly) sounds I’ve ever heard. The scenography can range from boring and almost non-existent to very elaborate and stunning. When we saw La Boheme, the visuals on stage were convincing enough for me to easily imagine I was in Paris. Then there was the 3-D staging within an 18-room cube rotating throughout Don Giovanni. And contemporary opera with today’s technology? We’ve seen integrated videos, sleek sci-fi robots performing, and more.
And then there’s the additional perks. If you enjoy learning history, the pre-talks are very informative. Since most performances are during the spring and fall, we like eating at a nearby restaurant and then taking a short walk to the opera house while enjoying the nice weather. Some opera houses even have their own cafes with excellent pastries and desserts. Although the dress codes are pretty relaxed, it’s nice once in while to get really dressed up and snap some selfies. And finally, many opera houses have beautiful architecture and balconies with great views of the city.
So why go to the opera? For me, it’s been an exploration of discovering an attraction which has entertained people for centuries. And I’ve learned that I like some operas more than others. Hopefully, with modern technology and a new generation of young composers, opera will continue to develop and find relevance in this new millennium. And by the way, forget the stereotype that opera is just for old rich people. At La Boheme, probably 25 percent of the audience was high school and college age. Any thoughts about opera you’d like to share?