Category Archives: Week 3

Le Nozze di Figaro

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Boy, was I in for a surprise Saturday night. Although I had to attend the opera on my own, it did however, provide a whole different experience for me. I walked into that beautiful Met Opera House at Lincoln Center, preparing myself mentally for a long, long night of opera singing. The atmosphere that was created was in a way, exhilarating, with everyone wearing formal and elegant attire. It definitely felt nice just being a part of that environment. My favorite part of the opera was hands down the music being played by the orchestra in the pit. In high school I was a part of the pit orchestra for the school’s musical for 2 years in a row. So, personally I know the level of intensity and the seriousness within the pit to perform well, perfect rather. In my opinion, without the music played by the orchestra, the opera and musicals, would be nowhere near as good as they are. It would simply become a show featuring acappella singing. The orchestra sets the mood, creates the drama, pleases the ear, enhances the story, and much, much more. So, my heart goes out to them, and I applaud the orchestra for doing such an amazing job, which in turn helps the cast do their job better as well. It felt wonderful to simply be able to sit there and rest. I couldn’t help but close my eyes at certain points just to take in each note played by each instrument, enjoy the music, and forget about any sort of worries that were in the back of my head.

Le Nozze di Figaro Reaction

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To be completely honest, I enjoyed our evening at the opera much more than I had initially expected to. I had definitely been excited for the chance of a new experience, but I wasn’t necessarily sure whether or not this one was really going to be for me. I have never really been one for classical music, and I didn’t realize how entertaining the actual storyline would be. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying myself by the end of the night.

As the show went on, I kept thinking about what Professor Drabik said in regard to taking a chance to admire what these people are able to do just with their voices. I think there is something to be said here for the determination and passion instilled in humanity, for there are people out there who have conditioned their voices to be able to be heard from “almost-Siberia”, all the way in the back of the theater, without a microphone. Sometimes during the show I had to consciously remember “Wow, they are doing this without any technological help. This is just them, singing to us”. Every time I remembered that, I thoroughly appreciated the music much more.  I had a similar thought every time I realized that the music wasn’t prerecorded, that there were real people playing real instruments right in front of my own eyes. After the performance, I had a much deeper appreciation for this kind of live music.

The reason that I say that there are indicative of humanity’s passion and determination is that we are not necessarily born knowing how to do these amazing things. It’s something that we have to train ourselves to do, and put in lots of practice before we can consider ourselves good at it. The fact that these people have conditioned themselves to create this music is astounding to me, particularly as someone who has never been musically inclined, and I am incredibly impressed by how beautifully it was all presented.

Le Nozze Di Figaro

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I arrived at the Met Opera a whole hour early and just admired the buildings. The Met Opera House has such an extravagant look to it, even though it was boxy, the interior design was really incredible. You could see the inside of the building through its large windows. The chandeliers, the red carpets, and even the way the windows were shaped gave off a luxurious impression, as any renowned opera house should.

As for the opera itself, I would not have chosen a better opera to watch for my first experience. The plot of the play really kept me from sleeping through the whole thing because it was truly entertaining. I have tried watching a few operas (not soap operas) on PBS when I stumble upon them, but what makes me change the channel is how little movement the opera has. However Le Nozze Di Figaro broke this image I had about operas. Figaro had so many physical slapstick comedy, which really surprised me because I always thought operas were suppose to be reserved for more solemn stories, with long boring musical exchanges between characters. What also deterred me from watching the operas on PBS was the language. Even if the opera had a really captivating plot, I wouldn’t understand a word of it. But since The Met Opera provided subtitles, the audience was able to catch all the jokes and plot twisters.

Although the seating was quite far from the stage and a bit too high, it didn’t take away from enjoying the opera. Now I really understand why Operas are nicknamed The Queen of the Arts.

–Chloe

O is for Opera

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To say that seeing this opera was an eyeopener would be an understatement. Who knew an opera was going to be this intriguing?

This actually is not the first time I’ve come to the Met Opera House here at Lincoln Center. I remember taking a tour here at the opera house in 9th grade when we had a tour of the place. Who knew I would be back again some 4 years later to actually witness an opera!

The word opera never meant much for me. I mean, if you were to ask me to give you a word that begins with the letter “o”, the first word to come to mind with probably be orange or Oreo or something, and I don’t even think I would ever say the word opera before saying Oprah, LOL.

But last week Thursday, September 25th, was a complete 360 for me. I came with the attitude that it would just be snobby rich affluent people watching a four hour show that I would have absolutely no interest on whatsoever.

I was wrong.

Well, there probably were some snobby rich people, but I saw very diverse people there as well. People came from all over the world to see these performances.

And the best part was, I enjoyed the opera. At intermission I just couldn’t believe what I just saw, and there was more after that.

The best part of the opera was probably the fact that it was not in English. It forced me to try to go along with the people who are performing. The subtitles definitely helped, but I felt that I could probably follow along a bit even without the subtitles.

Mozart, I have to give it to you for the music. You, my friend, are a savant. A true talent.

~Christopher Chong

My Reaction to the Opera

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This was my first opera experience and as soon as I heard that it was going to be more than three hours long, my immediate reaction was: I don’t want to go. I had couple of experiences with plays and I did not like them. Therefore, I automatically assumed that opera is not going to be much different. In addition, I realized that our seats were all the way at the top, and being scared of heights, I thought I would not enjoy this opera.

First 20 minutes of the play was very slow. I do remember falling asleep couple of times. However, waking up to the sound of music was very calming and very peaceful, just like the professor said. It was a bother to pay attention to both the subtitles and the play simultaneously, however having a understanding of what is happening in the opera made me focus on the opera.

My favorite part of this opera was the humor. I never thought that I would laugh in an opera because I never thought it would be presented as a form of comedy.  I also loved the fact that the music never stopped. It played a great support in what was happening in the opera, such as building suspense. Overall, this experience was worth the time because I was able to encounter a form of art that I never saw.

 

Reaction to Le Nozze di Figaro

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Beautiful. High-class. Entertaining. Culture. Those are a few words that resonate within me when I think about my first night at the opera. Le Nozze di Figaro, a very entertaining comedy, was my first opera, and I saw it at the amazing Metropolitan Opera to boot. It was an incredible experience: meeting by the elegant water fountain, under the daze of twilight hours, everybody dressed in a their formal attire. It is definitely going to be a lifelong memory for me.

The opera itself was, overall, a captivating experience. Admittedly, there were a few moments where my mind drifted (although I did not fall asleep), but I feel that was due to the remarkable orchestra. The music was of such an elegant level that, at times, I forgot about the hilarious plot of the opera, and let my thoughts fuse with the music.

There were specific scenes, however, that truly grasped my attention. The opening scene, with the mind-boggling, rotating castle along with the very familiar classical tune captivated me, and was able to set the stage for what was to come. A few other memorable scenes were the scene in the bedroom, where Cherubino escapes through the window, and of course plot-twisting the scene where Marcellina and Bartolo are revealed to be Figaro’s parents.

My first night at the opera was a grand experience, and has opened my mind to attending future operas and other shows there at Lincoln Center.

The Opera

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If you had asked me four years ago, three years ago, two years, a list of all the places I thought I’d go to, the opera would never have been on that list. Going to the Opera this Thursday was an incredibly eye-opening and enjoyable experience.

I went in with the mindset that I’d be bored and I wouldn’t be able to understand anything. I was badly mistaken. The set up at the Met Opera was beautiful. The way the subtitles were shown allowed me to both witness the (incredible) performance on stage, as well as understand what was going on. The sets themselves were another thing of beauty and I was astonished when I saw how they worked.

Everyone involved in the production did an incredible job. The orchestra played very well and you could discern their different sounds. One of the most incredible aspects of the opera, as Professor Drabik talked about in class, was how the actors, unmiked, managed to project their voices to the entire theater over the sound of a full orchestra.

Now there’s the matter of the Opera itself: La Nozze De Figaro. I think I had a great time at the Opera mostly because of how entertaining the narrative was. It was humorous, both in performance and plot. The story, while confusing at times, kept the viewer’s attention.

The Opera was an enlightening experience and, now, if someone asked me where I would like to go, it will definitely be on the list.

Let the Great World Spin Reaction

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I wanted to answer one of the questions that was not brought up in class today.

The question was: The final chapter seems almost not to belong to the novel as it is separated by 32 years from the main events. In what ways does this ending add to, complicate, or even change the story?

First, I want to disagree with the question! I thought the final chapter fit quite nicely with the novel. Even though it was separated by 32 years from the main events, so was the beginning of the story. Let the Great World Spin started off with a description of John and Ciaran’s childhood, which really helped introduce their characters and begin their stories. The ending is just as fitting because it shows the impact all of these different characters had on the new generation. The ending adds to the cycle of stories that brought all these characters together. Just like its title, the stories of every character continues on as the world spins. By showing how the past affected the future of a character like Jaslyn really solidifies the point Colum McCann’s makes in his title as well as through all the different stories he weaves together.

Construction Site, Windy Night Reaction

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This is my favorite poem that we have read so far this semester, but I especially liked the final two lines. In the final two lines, Christopher writes, “towering over them / and filling them with dread of heights”. I interpret this to mean that sometimes we create things that instill fear in others, and I think that is especially relevant today with the advances in technology and many people fearing how far it will go. These tall buildings that are being constructed are bringing about a fear of heights, which we didn’t really have before, since we could not get that high. And today we have many new fears related to the advancements in technology.

Construction Site, Windy Night Reaction

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I was really confused when I first read this poem. But, I still appreciated how it sounded when I read it aloud after reading it silently and having no clue what it all meant. What is iconic about New York City are the tall skyscrapers, the brownstones, plentitude of apartment buildings and just everything tall. There is always this constant sound of construction around the city, new office space, new family friendly apartments, newly paved streets. The city is always changing and improving for the constant flux of people coming in and moving out.

9/11

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My memory of 9/11 was a quite vivid one. I had been preparing to play violin at the U.N. with the rest of my violin troupe for a few months now and it we were all really excited to showcase our talents. I remember sitting on the ground outside of the U.N. (we arrived extra early because we were extra excited) and feeling really eerie because of the weather. I remember it being a humid and cloudy morning, but not cloudy enough to smother our excitement.

When we were finally escorted into the building and through security we unpacked our violins and went through the line-up. I don’t remember what order I was in, but just as the second violinist started her piece, security briskly walked in and called for our attention. They said bluntly that the Twin Towers were hit and we had to leave immediately because this building might be next. Panic filled the air and everyone began to scramble for their bags, their cases and grabbed the closest person they were next to and ran for the lobby. We had so many questions and none of us knew where to go, where it was safest and how to get there.

As we continued walking on the streets, all these bars were filled with people, their mouths gaping wide at the giant screens. The televisions kept showing repeats of the plane hitting the North Tower. The adults and the older college students who were in our troupe counted all the kids and made sure everyone was accounted for. But they didn’t know what to do next. Our troupe began to disintegrate as everyone tried to find their own way back. My dad grabbed my moms hand and yelled at all my siblings to hold hands as we went back out into the streets. Everyone was running in no particular direction, people yelling, cars beeping, it looked and sounded like any ordinary rush hour but everyone was panicking. We couldn’t catch a cab, there were plenty but no one was willing to take us to Queens. We finally caught a cab that would only take us across boroughs for 300 dollars. My dad didn’t hesitate and quickly agreed. We all loaded onto the cab and as we were crossing a bridge (I can’t remember which one) I could see the smoke rising into the gray sky. It was the first time I ever saw my dad cry. He lost many of his colleagues that day like many others and still remembers them every year. My younger sisters can’t remember that day but I can’t seem to forget it. My story isn’t particularly special as I am just one small life that has been affected by this tragedy.

My reaction to “Man on Wire”

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It occurs to me that Phillipe really enjoys walking on cables.

He says it’s “illegal but not hurtful” but he was said to have done it because it was like a bank robbery.

Also, when he was taken down from Notre Dame he snatched an officer’s watch.

To me, the art here lies in his fine control of his body’s position down to the hands.

An encounter with New York City Transit

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Hey all, Joshua here.

I’ve been loudly escorted out of the 1 train station by an MTA officer for holding the train doors, four hours ago.

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A group of Towers people were going food shopping, and I decided to tag along. When we got to the station, a few of us had to put money on their MetroCards. So, they did, and we waited.

The train arrives.

There is doubt, a split between waiting for those who were still transacting at the kiosk and getting on the train. I led the charge onto the train, and most of the group followed—except for two people still waiting at the kiosk. I held the doors for them; they were coming.

An MTA officer yells out. “Let go of that door!” I wait for those two, swiping through the turnstile now, one by one.

Again he yells, the very same thing. They are walking towards the door.

“Alright. You. You. Get out. Let’s go.” I walk away from the doors towards the turnstiles. The doors close.

I hesitate. “Get out!”. Through the turnstile. Again I pause. “OUT!”

And I go.

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http://transittrax.mta.info/audio/ttx_transcpts/ClosingDoors.htm