The Politics of Art & Authenticity

http://www.culture2all.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/carmen_poster.jpg

Thursday night, October 18, was the first time I ever stepped foot in the Metropolitan Opera and watching an opera. I was taken back at first at how beautiful the building was. I was truly amazed at it. What I was more amazed at was the sound. Sitting up top has it perks, maybe the not the view, but what you hear. I wasn’t really intrigued with the play, probably because I don’t like to read subtitles and watch a show at the same time since I feel like my mind is being taken away by either the view or understanding the play. However, I really did like the music and how clear everything was. No microphones were used and I heard everything so clearly and precise as if I was sitting front row. I loved how everything can be heard because of the way the building was built and how the sound bounces off the walls so that everyone can hear everything without the need of microphones or speakers. I feel that microphones and speakers take away from the true sound of music and the true sound of a person’s voice and through the opera I was able to hear everything. Every pitch, every note, and every movement the characters made. I was truly taken back by the sounds. Although, the opera might not be my favorite thing, I would love to sit in that theater again and just hear an orchestra or just someone’s voice because the sound is just wonderful and amazing. The opera was definitely a new experience for me.

The opera has always been something I knew about, but I never actually imagined myself going to one; it was the type of show which only fancy, upper-class folks could enjoy. I was wrong though, and I have to say I had a great first time. Joining the throngs of people entering the opera house, I felt like I was part of the New York upper-class culture. A stereotypical typical night out: dinner and the opera. I savored the experience.

Metropolitan Opera House

I love how opera combines many different forms of art: drama, dance, and music. One of my favorite parts was the orchestra. From way up high in the uppermost balcony, I was fascinated as I  watched the musicians play their respective instruments, all so synchronised down to the millisecond. I think the music accompaniment to the acting is so vital because it greatly intensifies the feeling and emotion towards the acts.

About “Carmen” specifically, I was frustrated by her character. I found her to be so stubborn and foolish, and I really disliked her haughtiness. It was as if she could dictate her wishes to the world, and she was indifferent to her surroundings. Her downfall was completely her own fault! I wished she would change, and then the outcome would have been so different.

The Metropolitan Opera is great way for anyone to spend a night. And don’t worry, the Met Opera seats so many people, there will surely be room for you to join!

When I first entered the magnificent Met building I fell in love with the snowflake light fixtures. Did anyone else notice how they look like snowflakes? It really felt like I had entered a magical world that was a time capsule of olden-day entertainment.  Though I had to climb several flights of stairs to reach my seat, the acoustics were as amazing as promised. I’m pretty sure everyone could hear me trying to surreptitiously open the wrapper of my snack. Though I can’t say for sure that I would pay to come again, it was one of those experiences that I’m happy to have had at least once in my lifetime.

The opera itself, Carmen, though it has a breathtaking orchestra, has a plot which left me feeling glad about the title character’s demise. Why does she think it’s okay to jerk people around like that? Though I don’t condone murder, I can see why Don Jose was ticked off at her. The whole time she pretends to love him, but at the same time encourages him to leave her. Make up your mind, woman! If she plans to make every man crazy about her, she has to expect that one might literally go crazy.

Opera is definitely one of my favorite forms of art.  I believe this is thanks to cartoons I watched as a child, such as “Rabbit of Seville” and “What’s Opera, Doc?” from the Looney Tunes series and, especially, “What’s Opera, Arnold?” from the Hey Arnold series.  These episodes made operas seem interesting, dumbing down the story lines for even a child to understand and enjoy.  “What’s Opera, Arnold?” is possibly the sole reason why I consider Carmen the best and most exciting opera.  The Hey Arnold episode mainly took from the storyline of Carmen with smaller pieces from other operas such as Wagner’s Ring Cycle and Pagliacci.  The episode starts with the students uninterested in the opera and when it begins they fall asleep and dream. They dream about themselves reenacting the opera Carmen, going through it with new lyrics to some of the more famous songs.  The episode not only attempted to widen the horizons for children but also explained the opera in a child friendly manner.

Arnold’s teacher summarizes, “I bet by the time we finish with this field trip I’ll make an opera lover of you yet…and this is what we’ll be seeing today, the classic tale of power and faithless love, the opera Carmen.  The story centers around the heroine Carmen the beautiful gypsy who flirts with the young Spanish officer Don Jose.  Don Jose is…uh…how would you say…charmed by Carmen and let’s her escape arrest for, uh, how should I put this?  Uh…causing harm to another girl.  But Carmen forgets all about Don Jose the minute she sets her gypsy eyes on the torero Escamillo.”

Entering the Met always fills me with a feeling of excitement.  It is much like the feeling I get when riding a roller coaster.  It doesn’t matter where I’m sitting because I know I’ll get the same experience wherever I am thanks to the way the Met is built.

The character I dislike and who annoys me the most is Micaela.  Her songs are all so long and drawn out and her soprano voice does not stand out.  Her voice seems average compared to everyone else’s however I suppose this suits her character.  Micaela is a staid character who never left home.  She is the country girl who Don Jose should have married had he followed the status quo.  I feel that if she had not been there to constantly remind Don Jose of his family then his relationship with Carmen may have lasted just a bit longer.  When the bugles played he might not have been so tempted to retreat scared he might shame his family name.

What I liked most was the ending where they compared Carmen’s death to the death of the bull.  I thought it was interesting how they rotated the stage to show Carmen, dead in the soon to be deceased Don Jose’s arms, and Escamillo with the dead bull beside him, the silent audience as if in mourning for the bull, and the red background to show the bloodshed.

I was less impressed with this version of Carmen than the first time I viewed it.  The opera I saw last night seemed to portray the leading female as weak.  This Carmen was on her back, on the floor, and being pushed and dragged down more times than the first time I saw the opera.  This Carmen also pushed the men around a lot more.  I also feel there was no real chemistry in this cast.  In fact I feel as if some of the opera singers were slightly rushing through some of their parts.  The first time I saw it, during Carmen’s Habanera there’s one note that was prolonged as if being stressed forcing the audience to not only hear something truly amazing but also to convey Carmen’s true emotions.  This time the singer went straight through the song without stressing or prolonging any words that should have been.

The set design had a lot of detail.  The way in which the stage continued rotating to show the different places made transitioning to the next scene easier.  The costume designs were also very interesting.  My favorites include Escamillo’s final outfit before the bullfight and the dress Carmen was killed in.

At the Met I found that the sounds of the orchestra seemed to reach the top of the theatre better than the voices of the singers.  I found the intros to the acts very fascinating in that they set the tone for what would happen in the act.  My favorite song above all others in this opera is the one that Escamillo sang, the Toreador Song.  This song was noteworthy due to the fact that it revealed how much Carmen’s voice truly stands out when compared to the others.  In this song all one mainly hears is the baritone Escamillo.  Then at the end Mercedes and Frasquita sing “l’amour” and at the very end, after two minutes of not hearing her voice, Carmen sings “l’amour”.  It is at this point that the viewers are able to truly tell Carmen’s voice apart from the others.

All throughout the opera I continued to remember everything Carmen music has been used in.  I thought of the opening of “Up!”, “Bad News Bears”,  “Babe”, and many commercials.  I believe this is the best opera to start off with considering it is used in so many different television works.  I cannot wait until I see my next opera.

source:

http://blogs.sacbee.com/ticket/ED-AK764_carmen_G_20100104134720%5B1%5D.jpg

Now that I’ve seen the Opera at the Met, I truly feel like I’m in New York.

Running from the cab, pass the beautiful fountains and the lights, walking up the red carpeted staircase all dressed up and in heels, I felt everything was so surreal. Those chandeliers… Oh how dangerously beautiful they were. I could never get bored just looking at those.

http://www.yatzer.com/Dazzling-Restoration-at-the-Metropolitan-Opera

http://www.flickr.com/photos/301202/3434698832/sizes/m/in/photostream/

As for the performance, their voices were so rich and so fit for their roles (especially, Carmen and Don José) I was literally drawn into the scene just with their voices. It was sort of unfortunate that we couldn’t really see the details of the performance because we were  so far away, I guess it was actually better to sit in the family circle for it allowed us to see every aspects of the theater. From the rest of the audience seats, the orchestra pit to the back of the stage, (oh, I almost forgot to mention the ‘golden ceiling’) it was really refreshing to have a whole view. I actually realized that the orchestra was facing the stage rather than the audience, watching the orchestra’s seating arrangements and that the singers/actors start acting from the back of the stage.

I also enjoyed the dance performance in between the acts. The light, and the dance all harmonized to fully portray what the acts are going to be about. And what I particularly found interesting was that the red light through the ripped curtains formed a shape of a dagger  and that the dancers were dancing on it seemed to foreshadow the peril of the relationship and the two lover’s tragic demise.

Lastly, I remember a child falling down only to be picked up by one of the adult performer and dropping his or her flag during the beginning of act 4,  I don’t know whether it was intentional or not but after having had the conversation with the professor that the children should have been sent home after act 1, I couldn’t stop smiling yet at the same time felt bad for the children for it was so late during the night and they should have been so tired by then.

As I came home, I almost passed out right away. As I woke up in the morning, I could not help myself from thinking that it all was a dream but then was able to realize that everything was, in fact, real as I found the pamphlet and the ticket lying on my desk.

As always I am amazed when I go to the Metropolitan Opera.  Just the beauty and atmosphere of Lincoln Center make me feel as if I’m in another world.  As the chandeliers are raised and the lights are dimmed, my heart starts pounding and my eyes are glued to the stage.  I love hearing the orchestra, but I am sitting in anticipation for the curtain to rise and the performance to begin.  The performance of Carmen was breathtaking, and I especially loved the tenor who played Don Jose.  His voice was very pure and his vibrato resonated throughout the entire theatre.  There were times when I had the chills from hearing the notes he was hitting.  My favorite Act had to be the third, when Don Jose leaves Carmen.  Their voices expressed so much emotion and I could just feel the pain that Don Jose was feeling when he didn’t want to leave Carmen.  It basically broke my heart.  Overall my experience at the opera was extraordinary, and I was glad that I was able to share the night with my IDC class.

Don’t we look snazzy!