I was super excited about going to the MET for the first time. A three hour show seemed overwhelming but i was able to push that thought aside. Everything went smoothly upon my arrival, i was a little pressed for time but had enough to grab a bite to eat. Time was actually passing by pretty quickly and it started going downhill from there. I didnt get to see the fountain, i was surrounded by crowds of people, some of which were breathing down my neck, and then I frantically searched for my professor to get the tickets as the usher was telling us that doors were closing soon. In between the running around i did get to catch a glimpse of the opera house it self. It was adorned with a beautiful red carpet and i could feel the glamour radiating off the chandeliers. ;From the people? Not so much. I was expecting to see a lot more fur and jewels than i did, everyone looked elegantly casual which made me feel a tad overdressed.After getting the pointless binoculars, i scrambled to my seat hoping i wouldn’t break an ankle going up the steep stairs. I was so high up that i could practically touch the ceiling. There was no leg room whatsoever and we were all packed in like sardines, at least in the family circle we were.

As far as watching the performance , Carmen started out beautifully. I love classical music as well as instrumental. The piece they opened up with was very exciting. However i was lost once the curtains opened. I could not see who was singing, i was scared to move forward because of the people behind me, i spent more time trying to adjust my binoculars than actually looking through them. I lacked the skill to read the subtitles, listen to the music and actually look at the performers. I wish i was able to attend the opera during a time which i was not as tired as i was that night. I didn’t understand what was going on, where they were and why they were singing in french if they were in Spain. I didn’t even know they were in Spain until they sang about bullfighting. Im not quite sure how people can go to operas spontaneously without having some sort of background information about the play. If you spent time reading all of the subtitles you would miss the performance, and if you watched the performance without subtitles, it would b very difficult to catch on to what is actually happening.

I liked the storyline, it reminded me of Romeo and Juliet because of the tragic unavoidable death of Carmen, although im not exactly sure why she had to die or why she was compared to the bullfighting. It was very exaggerated and dramatic in a good way. Quite frankly, i didn’t like “Carmens” voice. The actress did a wonderful job portraying the flirtatious character but i didn’t necessarily enjoy listening to her voice. Micaela’s voice on the other hand was beautiful. Its so sad she had a small number of parts. The scenery was beautiful and so were the costumes. It was all visually remarkable but i wasnt able to appreciate it because of the prior circumstances

Even though i didn’t have a great time that night, i would go back. I feel like this was an experience that you must practice. I didn’t know what i know now and i feel like i should go back, and when i do i would be more prepared. I dont think opera is an old person pastime, i just feel that the are more able to visit than us young folk. Besides the fact that its expensive to have a great seat, i think its possible to enjoy an opera reagrldess of class or status or age group, there just needs to be the right cricumstance. For example i know that i must not go to the opera at night and that i should do my research before going to a performance.