Eight years later, the passion is still alive, but I wasn't born with an understanding for opera. I had to learn what everything meant, how to organize it in my brain, how to appreciate convention AND innovation. Opera isn't easy. If opera were easy we'd call it "pop" music, and it would be playing as the background to our weekend transgressions at Club X, Bar Y, or Dorm Room Q.
I was tentative to begin listening to opera. Opera sounded like 3 hours of the same music. I couldn't simply listen to a CD and know what was going on. I had to learn what to listen for: when a scene ended, who was singing what, how each voice part fit in to the drama (a separate post entirely), et cetera et cetera. The first opera I bought, "Lucy of Lammermoor," an English version of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, left me emotionally cold and uninterested even though it was in my language. I wasn't ready for it yet and it wasn't right for me. If I had stopped there, who knows what I would be doing today! But just as some people like Lady Gaga and others do not, not everyone will like the same types of operas. You have to dig around to see what speaks to you on an emotional level, then once the foundation has been laid you can explore.
Since opera can be a little intimidating, I've compiled a 5 step program to guide the opera neophyte through their inaugural operatic journey. Remember, opera is meant to be SEEN, not just heard! If there isn't opera in your area, there is the internet in which I trust you are somewhat proficient.
Step One: The Story
Pick an opera that is an adaptation (or the origin) of a story that you already know. Most people had to read Shakespeare's Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, or Otello in high school, so you can start with an opera based on one of the aforementioned plays:
Verdi's Macbeth (1847/1865), Gounod's Romeo et Juliette (1867), and Otello by Rossini (1816) and Verdi (1887).
RENT was based on Puccini's La Boheme and MISS SAIGON were based on Puccini's Madama Butterfly.
Knowing the story of an opera beforehand will clarify the action on stage and will allow you to concentrate on how the composer has employed the music to tell the story.
Step Two: To Listen or NOT to Listen?
Listening to highlights from the opera or the opera in its entirety is very helpful because you will 1) definitely know what is going on if you listened along with the libretto (or the script) 2) you will have several points of reference that you can look forward to (Oh, Mimi's second aria is coming up! I lurve it!) 3) You will better appreciate the opera's structure.
The downside to listening to the opera or reading a synopsis in its entirety before the opera is that it ruins the ending; you have to decide for yourself whether or not you want to know what is going to happen - and NO, not EVERYONE dies! I spent years listening to recordings and studying scores before I went to an opera, but after awhile I realized that I was no longer living in the dramatic moment of the performance in front of me - I was listening to what this singer did or the tempo of THAT conductor, rather than absorbing the living performers in front of me. Now, I familiarize myself with the basic story and a few highlights if they are available and look forward to the joy of living in the drama with the characters. This is a decision that you need to make for yourself. Do you want to know everything beforehand or do you want to be surprised?
Step 3: Seating
Where on EARTH will you sit? And by "on Earth" I mean in the theater. Remember that opera is not amplified and the sound is different depending on where you sit in the theater. This does not apply for smaller venues but in bigger houses such as the Metropolitan Opera, the location of your seat will have an enormous impact on how you experience the performance.
Ask yourself the following questions: Do I want to see better or hear better? If you are a visual person, then of course you will want to sit closer to the stage. These are also usually the most expensive, but many opera houses now have rush programs and student tickets that scale a $400 ticket down to $25. WIN! If you are an aural person (AURAL, people), then you will want to sit higher than the stage. The bigger the house, the higher you want to be. (Note: I only condone the drinking of wine or gin and tonics before an opera.) Sound travels upwards so this is where the orchestra and the singers will sound the most balanced. There is nothing worse than a singer being overpowered by the orchestra OR not being able to hear the dramatic agency of the orchestra underneath the singer.
Step 4: Keywords
Opera is full of "terms" that you need to be familiar with in order to hear the structure of the opera and to begin to differentiate different dramatic situations so that everything doesn't sound the same. These terms are all fluid. What makes an opera (and life in general!) interesting is when someone takes a convention and breaks the rule. It's more human.
Recitative: The dialogue. Usually between two or more characters although a solo singer can speak in aside or soliloquize in recitative. This is where the action of the opera is communicated.
Aria: The monologue or "song." This is sung by one singer and is the character's expression of an emotion. Unlike the recitative which propels the drama forward, the aria stops the drama and allows us to really get into the character's head. Here are some examples of the difference between recitative and aria:
Oh, se una volta sola...Ah! non credea mirarti
Recit: "Oh, he doesn't love me anymore! He's marrying someone else, and the flowers that he gave me are already withering."
Aria: "I never believed that I would ever his love fade."
Recit: "Oh, he doesn't love me anymore! He's marrying someone else, and the flowers that he gave me are already withering."
Aria: "I never believed that I would ever his love fade."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkMBANqrwfg
Ben io t'invenni...Anch'io dischiuso un giorno
Recit: "I found this letter that says I am not really a princess, but actually the daughter of slaves! Oh, well, I will just kill my sister and put my father in jail and then I will be Queen!"
Aria: "I, too, was happy once."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3RH-n1JMw8
I will add to the list as time goes on, but these are the BIGGIES!
Step 5: Identifying Voice Parts. WHAT DO THEY MEAN?!?!
Soprano: The highest female voice and usually the female protagonist.
(The lover, the heroine et cetera)
Tenor: The highest male voice and usually the male protagonist.
(The lover, the hero, et cetera.)
Mezzo-soprano: The "middle" female voice and usually the female antagonist. (The rival!)
Baritone: The "middle" male voice and usually the male antagonist. (The rival!)
Contralto: The "lowest" female voice. The contralto usually represents a character that is older, like a mother figure, or a character that is evil, like a witch or a stepmother.
Bass: The "lowest" male voice. The bass is usually one of several characters: most commonly, the Devil or a sinister male character, the wise paternal figure (think Dumbledore!), or a funny old guy who usually outwits or gets outwitted by the soprano and the tenor!
That is a VERY generalized breakdown. There are plenty of operas where the mezzo is the female protagonist, the tenor is the male antagonist, and the soprano is the harmless sidekick.
Eccolo! (Or, there it is!) Your crash course, survival guide, and love manual for opera. It's no kama sutra - mostly because my computer crashed whenever I attempted to upload pictures - but it gives you everything you need to begin exploring opera and forming your own opinions. :D
- SJT
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