Oct 21 2012
The Opera
I liked reading the opera in class first. I thought it was funny and cute how we read it in class, and it was nothing like the actual opera. When we first got there, I was just astounded. I knew it would be fancy, but I didn’t know how fancy. The decor certainly created the atmosphere. I thought the fountain at first was glamorous, and the inside just blew me away. I kind of felt like I was walking in a movie set.
I’ve heard people say that in operas, it doesn’t matter what language they sing in, because they’re just so talented. I never understood that. Of course if it wasn’t in English it wasn’t going to make any sense for me, right? Wrong. I followed the story based on the rich emotion and character behind the voices. That is truly a universal language.
Would you have enjoyed the performance more if it was sung in English? I agree with the notion of opera having a “universal language,” but you never know, right?
Every time I enter the Met I feel the same way, just blown away by everything. And I think it would have been hard to understand it even if it were in English. Operas in English can be just as hard to understand because of how the words are sung.
Even though the language they were using was French, I think when people sing it becomes slightly different from the actual language. Not to mention the blurred pronunciation due to the singing and opera style vocal skills, the expressions themselves are far different from the French in real life. Personally, I think what makes the opera experience special is being able to feel and immerse oneself in the story even without being able to comprehend word for word. It is amazing how their emotions expressed through their singing, facial expressions and gestures are just enough to understand the piece.