Not exactly, but out of all the performances and artwork exhibits I’ve been to the Opera was the most memorable and the one that affected me the most. It even inspired me to write a research paper about it (which I’m still in the process of doing by the way).
Before this class I was not exposed to a lot of art, and the art that I was exposed to I never really paid much attention to. The Opera opened my eyes to a whole new world that I thought didn’t exist for me. It really is very magical and unique and I wish that I would have been exposed to it earlier. I think that Operas like Les Contes D’Hoffman criticize man’s fickle and foolish ways in love, much like Shakespeare did in his plays. So why is it that it in high school it is imperative that we read works like Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but we seldom get the chance to learn about great works of Opera. The tales of Hoffan and Carmen could serve the same purpose as Shakespeare.
Although I didn’t see Carmen the Opera I did see Carmen: A Hip Hopera and I though it was amazing. It kept me engaged and it was a cute twist to the classical Opera. In it, it contained many lessons. One of the main themes was how following your dreams and desires recklessly could lead to your demise. Society as a whole tends to choose what your dreams and desires should be so when you choose something else you tend to work even harder to get it. “Wanting what you can’t have.” This in turn could turn out good or bad. In Carmen it all just turns out bad.
(Heres a clip I like from Carmen. Don’t listen if you don’t like rap :p )
Likewise in The Tales of Hoffman we go through the sad journeys of Hoffman’s love. In the end Hoffman end up alone but is that really so bad? He still has his work and his muse. And as the saying goes it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.
Operas are just as important as any other piece of artwork, even if they seem like they are only for the old and rich. It is a form of art that we could learn from and have fun watching at the same time.
In other words, I believe that Operas should be shown to younger generation across the nation so that they too may experience this magical world and one day aspire to go there dressed in gowns like me.
