Opera

[A Lark Ascending]

And with Wagner - and others - you don't have to eat it in one go. I usually spread the longer operas over a couple of days with a long break between acts. Means you come to each act really fresh.

Doubt if Wagner would approve. But then I'm not sure he'd approve of people arriving knackered after a day at work to try and take in 4 1/2 hours of his painstaking work.

There's also a cost thing. Even a Blu-Ray comes in at around the price of the cheapest seats in the provincial operas here.

Edited December 8, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[king ubu]

Try Grout, or even better (though it of necessity doesn't talk about all one would want/need to know about opera and talks about much else beside) the late Carl Dahlhaus' brilliant "Nineteenth Century Music."

Dahlhaus is way over 100 € in German (128 from the publisher's, even more elsewhere, no used copies around at all, it seems) ... seems silly to read a translation. Can get it from the library though. Grout is around ... no time to read these now, but I'll take a note.

Had a long post typed up some months ago here, but it got lost and I never felt like trying to re-create it ... anyway, early on, when I listened to hardly any classical music, I used to go to see opera live several times a year (could get cheap cards for five nights per season whilst in high school) and I mostly enjoyed it a lot ... but I'd never have listened to any of it at home. Nowadays, it's the other way 'round. Tickets are so incredibly expensive and the few okay seats at acceptable prices are gone fast ... I've not set foot into the opera house for a dozen years and am not sure that will change too soon, though they have "Jenufa" on ... already saw that one here once (probably the last time I was at the opera) and loved it, so ...

The whole elitist aspect of it, the fact that a huge part of public cultural expenses (and lots of corporate sponsoring on top) goes into opera (and of course hardly any into jazz, and what goes into jazz mostly to more high-brow stuff that I prefer, too) does annoy me very much. But for once, there the issue isn't dead maestros but living divas ... guess that opera actually just isn't feasible anymore the way our eventizized moronic society wants sthings to happen. I'd love to be able and experience the music live, even if was just "concertante" productions ... but with the silly star cult (which grew excessive in Zurich in the long years of Pereira heading the opera, though I guess in the end he did a fine job under the circumstances ... but possibly he's the kind of person who strenghtens exactly those circumstances, too, turning it all into events and crap for local wannabee-celebrities yadda yadda yadda) in play, it won't work out.

Politically, I'd be all for shutting down those money-eating opera houses, right now - and spreading the money that is around to support cultural activities in a much broader way. But then I guess if we go on like we do (heading, I'm afraid, into decades of social unrest, if things won't start to change pretty soon), opera houses will be shut - or will morph into closed high society places ... they're almost there - anyway.

[A Lark Ascending]

One rather strange thing I've noticed of late - live relays of opera from Covent Garden etc in the cinema. Where I live - a sleepy market town in the middle of nowhere - a new cinema got built a while back (I've only just noticed it!) and they've got Don Giovanni, Don Pasquale, Parsifal, Manon Lescaut advertised alongside ballet and various Shakespeare plays. Unfortunately on a mid-week night which make it nigh on impossible for me but it's still encouraging.

[king ubu]

They do that here, too (not live usually though, but occasionally that, too ... once they had one broadcast into the large hall of main station ... I think they even staged one there once ... the silly event culture crap) ... never considered that. I could do DVD if I wanted (got a few in the mean time, also occasionally record something onto our lousy tv box), but I rarely feel like watching any music video recordings (I'm amassing lot of jazz though and often enjoy those bigtime when I finally am in the mood to watch any).

[ejp626]

It helps to have a ten foot screen.

Is it better than the real thing? Or is it the real thing?

Recorded music is pornography.

I'm slowly coming around to Gould's view that the conditions in the concert/opera hall are so crap that it just isn't worth it. I don't remember the situation in the UK, but the height of the concert season here just happens to coincide with crappy weather and a lot of people with hacking coughs that can't be bothered to bring any cough drops. Add to that, the general creeping selfishness of people who actually refuse to refrain from texting and what have you (to say nothing of those who forget to turn off their cell phones!) and you wonder why you spent this money.

Just last night, in the middle of the sublime (yet so quiet) 2nd movement of Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto (performed by Yefim Bronfman) and someone's cell phone goes off -- and keeps going off for close to a minute before they silenced it. Puts a real damper on things, and basically I see people getting worse, not better...

So I am generally opting not to go out and to listen to my "pornography" instead.

[Bigshot]

I'd rather consume pornography in the privacy of my own home than indulge in the middle of a crowd of a couple of thousand people in fancy dress.

[king ubu]

Oh, usually it's not pornography, it's just the telenovela of another era

[A Lark Ascending]

I'm always amazed by the ingenuity of many of the stage sets - just taking a small space and using lighting and minimal props to convey a range of scenes and atmospheres. There was a beautiful section in the middle of 'Jenufa' yesterday with a stark, dark stage with just a cot illuminated. Slowly, so you hardly noticed it, an illusion of snowing was created until by the end of the act the whole stage seemed to glow white.

I know some directors get it in the neck for distorting the opera by presenting a Monteverdi opera as if it was in Taliban era Afghanistan; but in general I think they do a tremendous job.

I've never been a theatre goer so this is probably quite normal in the world of drama. But I find it quite magical.

Edited December 9, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[JSngry]

this.

[Leeway]

Everybody loves arias (OK, not everybody but a lot of people), but they don't like opera. Didn't George Bernard Shaw say something like he adored the minutes of brilliance in Wagner, but it was the hours in between that were torture? People listen/watch for those famous and semi-famous arias, then tune out during the long stretches of recitative. Modern protocol has it that one sits politely through the dull stretches and listens attentively, despite being bored to tears or sleep. In the 19th century, audiences also loved the arias but during the other parts of the opera, they were busy talking, flirting, making assignations, walking about, etc. There are some nice opera scenes in War and Peace that reflect this behavior.

Despite some foreboding, I'm going to take on Wagner in 2014 and give the "Ring" a go.

[jeffcrom]

I'm always amazed by the ingenuity of many of the stage sets - just taking a small space and using lighting and minimal props to convey a range of scenes and atmospheres.

The last opera I saw, about six months ago, was John Adams' A Flowering Tree, produced with minimal staging by the Atlanta Symphony. The libretto is based on an Indian folk tale about a young woman who could turn into a tree. The onstage transformation was done with a projection on a large screen while the soprano stood absolutely still at the front of the stage; it was striking.

Edited December 10, 2013 by jeffcrom

[A Lark Ascending]

Everybody loves arias (OK, not everybody but a lot of people), but they don't like opera. Didn't George Bernard Shaw say something like he adored the minutes of brilliance in Wagner, but it was the hours in between that were torture? People listen/watch for those famous and semi-famous arias, then tune out during the long stretches of recitative. Modern protocol has it that one sits politely through the dull stretches and listens attentively, despite being bored to tears or sleep. In the 19th century, audiences also loved the arias but during the other parts of the opera, they were busy talking, flirting, making assignations, walking about, etc. There are some nice opera scenes in War and Peace that reflect this behavior.

Despite some foreboding, I'm going to take on Wagner in 2014 and give the "Ring" a go.

Lots of people like Louis Armstrong; but they are content with a one disc best of rather than shelling out for a Mosaic (including out-takes). There's room for best ofs and the total immersion experience. They are different experiences - it's even possible for the same person to enjoy both in different situations. I'm currently listening to a disc of famous bits from Mozart and Beethoven which is ideal after a long day with another couple of hours of work to do. On a weekend or holiday I'll happily sit through the full montes.

On the other hand, my dad always loved famous opera/operetta arias but would never sit through a whole opera.

Give the Ring a go - it's stunning. Though I'd recommend getting to know some of the instrumental (or vocal) excerpts first. Not essential, but it does give you some points of familiarity.

[Leeway]

Everybody loves arias (OK, not everybody but a lot of people), but they don't like opera. Didn't George Bernard Shaw say something like he adored the minutes of brilliance in Wagner, but it was the hours in between that were torture? People listen/watch for those famous and semi-famous arias, then tune out during the long stretches of recitative. Modern protocol has it that one sits politely through the dull stretches and listens attentively, despite being bored to tears or sleep. In the 19th century, audiences also loved the arias but during the other parts of the opera, they were busy talking, flirting, making assignations, walking about, etc. There are some nice opera scenes in War and Peace that reflect this behavior.

Despite some foreboding, I'm going to take on Wagner in 2014 and give the "Ring" a go.

Give the Ring a go - it's stunning. Though I'd recommend getting to know some of the instrumental (or vocal) excerpts first. Not essential, but it does give you some points of familiarity.

Yes, starting with some excerpts does seem good advice; preparing the ground so to speak. I probably have a fair number of LPs sitting about that have Wagner pieces. I also have a couple of complete operas that I need to dig up. I did pick this one up a couple of weeks ago:

The Leinsdorf 5-LP box.

[A Lark Ascending]

I was lucky enough to do a ten week recreational evening course on The Ring back in 1990 - got guided through it by a very good teacher who helped us follow the leitmotifs and had us wrestling with the philosophy (I think it was the hardest I'd had to think since university 15 years before!). I had this single disc of orchestral excerpts which got be familiar with some of the main themes:

Includes a good 20 minutes from the final scene which is incandescent.

Though I quickly had LP sets borrowed from the library to hear it all and then bought what was then the cheapest CD set (you are spoilt for choice today).

If I was doing it from the start today I go for a DVD/Blu-Ray. I've been through the Copenhagen production twice in the last year and find it spellbinding.

[Leeway]

DVD/Bluray does seem a better way to go than a 10 lb, LP box!

[papsrus]

I am really enjoying a course I'm currently taking that examines the four operas being performed this season in Sarasota -- The Barber of Seville, Jerusalem, Il Travatore and The Flying Dutchman. My first real encounter with opera, and so I'm looking forward to the live performances of each of these.

This past week's class was on The Barber of Seville. Going in, I knew that this opera was a light-hearted, slap-happy affair, but had no appreciation for the vocal skill involved -- that rapid, spiccato, polyphonic call-and-response stuff. Amazing.

[A Lark Ascending]

A good way to do things. I did a course on the 'The Ring' about 25 years ago and it opened my eyes (and ears).

[papsrus]

A good way to do things. I did a course on the 'The Ring' about 25 years ago and it opened my eyes (and ears).

Yes. The fellow leading the class is a former flautist with the Metropolitan Opera. Quite enthusiastic, as you can imagine.

My only other encounter with opera was, coincidentally, a performance of Wagner's Siegfried when I was quite young. Turns out, Wagner was, in my case, not the best way to introduce a novice to the world of opera. A little heavy (and long). ... The Barber of Seville is much less intimidating.

[A Lark Ascending]

As I've said elsewhere, I really think watching on DVD/Blu-ray is the best way of exploring at home. I started doing this with 'The Ring' about 18 months ago and it has turned a genre of occasional interest to something I can't get enough of.

I watched 'The Barber of Seville' over Xmas - never heard it before. Daft plot but marvellous music. Though I liked La Cenerentola (Cinderella) even more. Wish I could pronounce it!

[Д.Д.]

Attended the staging of Rameau's Platee yesterday. Great experience (this is the first time I saw opera live - in full, at least). The music is just great. Most of the singing was very good (with the exception of soprano Simone Kermes, who seemed to be struggling with the dynamics and tempos of the baroque singing), basses and choir in particular. The playing by Les Arts Florrisants, Paul Agnew conducting, was fantastic - punchy and energetic. What equally impressed me was acting skills of the singers. I had been expecting not much more than stodgy figures standing most of the time, waving arms occasionally. Not so. The acting was excellent and - this being a comic opera with a lot of sexual references - without going (too much) into platitude. Marcel Beekman as Platee was outstanding (and this is a tough role to play tastefully), bringing some tragicomic elements.

On the downside, dancing - of which there was a lot - was inane and looked under-rehearsed. And the director's choice to make this a sort of a satire on the shallow and vain world of high fashion I found unimaginative.

If anybody's interested, here is the full cast: http://www.theater-wien.at/index.php/en/programme/production/123466

Checked out YouTube, I wish Mireille Delunsch was singing that soprano part - she is something:

Edited February 25, 2014 by Д.Д.

[A Lark Ascending]

Don't know if you listen to/watch music on DVD/Bluray, A.A., but I can recommend this set (well, what I've watched):

Can be found at a very reasonable price - think I paid less than £30 for 6 operas.

Doesn't have Platee. So far I've only watched 'Les Indes Galantes' - one of the most entertaining couple of hours I've spent in recent times. Listening to Rameau over the last 2 or 3 months has completely opened up my enjoyment of baroque music. It's been a bit like discovering another light filled room which has also illuminated the rooms I'd wandered through many times before. Or something like that.

Edited February 26, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[Д.Д.]

Thanks, Bev. I doubt I would watch any of these more than once. And I don't even have a TV set. I would rather experience it live, and we are fortunate to have a lot of live opera options here in Vienna.

[A Lark Ascending]

Gosh! I doubt you need a record player in Vienna, let alone a TV! Loved my two visits to that city.

I'm on the look out for a baroque opera from one of our regional companies that work this way. In my case it it has to coincide with a Saturday or holidays - I'm hopeless on a work night.

My next (not baroque) live one is King Priam (Tippett) at Easter.

[papsrus]

This season's fare:

Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)

Pagliacci (Ruggero Leoncavallo)

Tosca (Puccini)

The Golden Cockerel (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)

Don Carlos (Verdi)

No class to familiarize myself with the material this year. Will have to study up on my own. Have a ticket to Figaro. Not sure what to make of the rest of it, although I know Don Carlos is a marathon (5 hours, only two intermissions). I'll likely end up going to all five.

By the way -- some talk upthread about how expensive attending the opera is. While I'm sure that's the case at the Met and other large outfits, I can snag a center seat in the balcony at the cozy Sarasota Opera House for $19. That's about half the price of the cheapest seats at the symphony.

As far as being put off by the so-called elitism associated with the opera, I could care less. Most of the crowd here is of the blue-haired, Midwestern transplant variety -- they all made their gobs of money inventing stuff like paper clubs and animal crackers -- although I did see one long-haired dude in a colorful dress sitting front and center last season. He stood out for sure.

Anyways, if anyone has any thoughts on the above schedule, feel free ....

[David Ayers]

This season's fare:

Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)

Pagliacci (Ruggero Leoncavallo)

Tosca (Puccini)

The Golden Cockerel (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)

Don Carlos (Verdi)

No class to familiarize myself with the material this year. Will have to study up on my own. Have a ticket to Figaro. Not sure what to make of the rest of it, although I know Don Carlos is a marathon (5 hours, only two intermissions). I'll likely end up going to all five.

By the way -- some talk upthread about how expensive attending the opera is. While I'm sure that's the case at the Met and other large outfits, I can snag a center seat in the balcony at the cozy Sarasota Opera House for $19. That's about half the price of the cheapest seats at the symphony.

As far as being put off by the so-called elitism associated with the opera, I could care less. Most of the crowd here is of the blue-haired, Midwestern transplant variety -- they all made their gobs of money inventing stuff like paper clubs and animal crackers -- although I did see one long-haired dude in a colorful dress sitting front and center last season. He stood out for sure.

Anyways, if anyone has any thoughts on the above schedule, feel free ....

Well going to the opera is always great, even if most of the time it falls short in some way. You are surely right to go to see Le Nozze di Figaro, one of the greatest of all operas, even if productions are often a bit twee. My second pick would be Don Carlos, which is very hard to cast - they will struggle - and which will also require good production and direction to keep it alive. I strongly suggest that you go and see it, it is a huge undertaking for them, and you can be certain that it will fall short by international standards, but it is the company's big venture of the season and I'd say you should be in the best seats supporting them, appreciating their guts, and hoping for some real magic and a triumph.