Opera - an acquired taste? Or is it something one has an affinity for?

But I might trust MA's ear. Maybe it wasn't at the Met.

Love this opera... but the opera buffs consider him not so..

made me cry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDxUkQk5wuI

Kathryn Jenkins

You'll Never Walk Alone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffBIOTP5vtg&feature=related

stirrs up passion.

It was not staged by the Met until 1985, and it was still billed as a "folk opera."

The Houston Opera was the cornerstone performance that established it as an opera and not just "musical theater" -- the Loren Maazel recording with the Cleveland Orchestra's landmark recording of 1979 really established it as a full-fledged opera. It's also the best recording -- Simon Rattle's is a bit overblown.

The recording is available again:

http://www.amazon.com/Gershwin-Porgy-Bess-George/dp/B000SSPKZ4

I watch opera on Sky Arts now they use clear subtitles.

By heck--it's steamy stuff. That Wagner is a bit obsessed.

Sorry, Iz, I've always found that awful. But I don't expect people to like what gets to me either.

I stand corrected, y'all. I remember hearing Porgy on the Metropolitan Opera on the Air broadcast, sponsored by Texaco, some Saturday afternoon and it just seemed to me, in retrospect that it must have been earlier than the 1970s. The mind does play tricks on one sometimes.

Nice song, but:

-- It's from a musical (Carousel), not an opera
-- It was written for a mezzo, not a soprano
-- And maybe that's why it's not a very good song for Jenkins, who seems uncomfortable with its range

Here's "News Has a Kind Of Mystery," Nixon's first aria from John Adams' Nixon in China:

You probably did hear it but the Met wasn't so adventuresome until it was established -- from Wikipedia:

The work was not widely accepted in the United States as a legitimate opera until 1976, when the Houston Grand Opera production of Gershwin's complete score established it as an artistic triumph. Nine years later the Metropolitan Opera gave their first performance of the work. This production was also broadcast as part of the Met's ongoing Saturday afternoon series of live radio broadcasts. The work is now considered part of the standard operatic repertoire and is regularly performed internationally. Despite this success, the opera has been controversial; some critics from the outset have considered it a racist portrayal of African Americans.

You know - I was classically trained. Was in the music school. Even though voice was my major, piano my minor - I hung out with the Jazz folks. But I will say - I was all about having fun - enjoying it - so understandably, I have forgotten a lot of the terminology from my training - it was a long time ago.

I have a rebellious nature - so when all of my associates were making others feel bad that they were not as knowledgeable about music as they themselves were, or as good at it...I did my best to confound and embarrass their snootiness. I am all about saying what you believe - my biggest hangup with my cohorts was this need to be the best by belittling. I changed to an English major - music minor and kept close to my Jazz friends. I wish I had stayed a music major at times...or changed schools...those kids in the music dept. annoyed the heck out of me.

One thing that has remained the same is that music can change my outlook in a second. Opera (and what a delicate line that seperates it from musicals at times) can absolutely shred my insides...or make me feel invincible. I LOVE that. It's like a poem that says the most in the least words. Amazing.

I love that I am re-learning a lot of what I forgot - Thank you all for your input.

Joe...of course - Magic Flute - Singspiel - I remember that now.

Izzie that song is a great song...even if it is a musical. I love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gw9KgQmlR0
Rinat Shaham: "Voi che sapete" from Mozart opera Figaro

I understand this - I think my thoughts generally tend to stick to the technical terminology - though it really doesn't matter to me. I can see where Phantom and Les Mis would not make it there...much as The Magic Flute is considered more of a Singspiel because of the dialogue...

nothing snobby about you though Bethie.

I saw John Adams's Dr. Atomic when it was produced at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Or rather, I saw the first act of Dr. Atomic -- I didn't stick around to see the second. It was a wretched experience. I'm not a big fan of Adams's music, but the opera itself was so wretchedly boring I couldn't imagine sitting through any more of it.

Well Deb, I can't say that opera is my one true love. But there are some that definitely entertain me and move me to extreme emotion...and I will say sitting and watching an opera is much more tedious to me than actually being in one. I guess I am a doer...passivity does nothing for me. But like you, I tend to enjoy the individual arias and such, that come from the opera. My uncle, loves opera and was in hog heaven when I decided to be a music major. I had lots of compilation tapes that would come my way from him. And when I was in musicals he would pooh pooh them. He is so great. I loved his passion - even though I did not see eye to eye with him.

nahhh.


I believe that is true with me as well.

These are great sets Didge...I am fascinated by the sets as well...certainly sets the mood of the opera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E1m65qPFWQ&feature=related
Così fan tutte: "Ah, che tutta in un momento" (Bohm)

I attended the third or fourth performance of the premiere production in San Francisco and had very much the same experience. I didn't leave after the first act, but I might as well have. I thought the first act was merely bad; I thought the second act was downright offensive. I think Nixon in China is Adams' only enjoyable stage work so far (Death of Klinghoffer I rank even even lower than Dr. Atomic), but even then the enjoyment is purely musical--the actual libretto and story is kind of forgettable.

Modern opera is a mixed bag. Benjamin Britten is one of the best practitioners with "Billy Budd" at the top of the list. Again, the Houston Opera is a champion of contemporary opera as well as the San Francisco Opera and the New York City Opera:

Shapeless, what do you think is the best way of explaining to people the difference between a musical and an opera without sounding 'snobby' as seems to be the key word people have used here, but whilst still stating that the latter takes more musical ingenuity.

I don't think I can give a neutral opinion since I love almost all opera and hate almost all musicals vehemently. Factually, there is a difference in musical form, harmonic development, eloquence in melodic form. All the usual differences between a music that pays strict attention to the language it uses and on which does not to the same extent. Yet there is still a difference in meaning, too.

I don't know what harmony it is in musicals, but there is always some kind of chord progression which really annoys me, I'll see if I can find an example. Actually, the musical 'Wicked' is full of them. I need to work out what it is exactly.

My main thing is the level of emotion in Opera is something I cannot find in musicals. Having said that I really like the rocky horror picture show, but I suppose that could still be conceived of as 'dramatic.'

My favourite operas at the minute are:
R. Strauss: Elektra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2TzKC67o9I

and Salome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY5uHiHbWz8
Which I love because I've been unable to find any composer other than Strauss which installs such a high level of emotion in me. The prickly feeling.

Birtwistle's Punch and Judy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGwOXGwspXc
Which I find to be the most fascinating, gaudy, wonderful, horrible, ugly, mentally disturbing thing ever written. This youtube clip doesn't do it justice.

Also, the concept of Glass's Einstein on the Beach is damn cool. Unsure whether I could sit through it though, too static.
Oh god, there's so many more. I could go on forever.