Opera

» Smorg - Top Misconceptions about opera

Well.. the depressing thing is that most of the opera goers today are indeed old. I mean, I went up to LA for 'L'incoronazione di Poppea' in December and attended the pre-opera lecture where there were like 5 people who looked to be younger than 60 out of more than a hundred in the hall. There were more younger folks in the actual auditorium, but we were still out numbered by the gerie folks at least 4 to 1, I think... and we populated the cheap seats (meaning... good acoustic but can't see most of the time.. I had dead center seat up the balcony just 3 rows from the front and I couldn't see stage-front... where those show-boate divi liked to go).

The 'fat' one just refuses to go away.. I guess all the news coverage about Debbie Voigt and her spew with the ROH and the gastric by-pass didn't help. I'd like to hear someone call Anna Netrebko or Natalie Dessay or Olga Borodina fat, tho. Heck, Magda Kozena even looks like she can use 10 kilo more just to get out of 'anorexic' range!

Anyhow, some more misconceptions...
'the music is dated'... Holy cow, if any pair of pop singers release a single of Monteverdi's final duet 'Pur ti miro' from 'Poppea' today with acoustic guitar accompaniment, I'll bet it'll be a big hit whether they can sing it well or not! And that thing was written before the USA was founded!

'Opera stories are unrelatable, far-fetched'.... The most far-fetched I've heard (beside the fairy tales like 'Magic Flute' or 'Frau ohne Schatten') is Donizetti's 'Lucia di Lammermoor'.... and it is actually based on a real life tragedy (Sir Walter Scott's play 'Bride of Lammermoor was based on a real Scottish tragedy).

'Can't understand what they're singing'... mostly true, but there's sur-title now. The Met has it's MetTitle of English lyrics projected onto the seat in front of you, to make it even more convenient.

'Opera divas are aloof and batty'... Only a few of them are, most are as normal as you and I (if we are normal, that is). Aside from Les Alagnas, not a lot of scandal-makers around these days.

-- posted by Smorg