When I heard I was going to see an opera, I was so excited. I had never seen one before, and I had no idea what to expect, if anything. I had gone to see musicals on Broadway before, but this was totally different. This is an opera, the gaudy, spectacular all-singing performance of a lifetime. Whenever my friends heard that I was going to see Carmen, they said, “ I’m so jealous.” In my head I was say that I hop I like it. I really had no idea what to expect. I am a music major, so of course, I felt a pressure that I needed to like it. How could I not like it and call myself a music major? But, I put all those feelings and pre-conceived notions behind me and treated Carmen as a first performance for me.

Immediately when I walked inside the opera house, I knew I was in for a great performance. The staircases all had the most elegant red carpeting that I had ever seen, the type you see in the movies, and the chandeliers were breathtaking. I said to myself, “ Was this real?” However, that feeling went for a vacation after I actually sat up top in the “common people” section. Wow, I was far away; even with my glasses on, I couldn’t see very much. When the curtains finally opened, I couldn’t even who was singing. This minute thing took away from the amazing aspect of Carmen.

However, it’s always the little things that make the show. Being a musician myself, I keenly focused on the sound of the orchestral instruments in the accompaniment. I closed my eyes at some points because I could barely see the people on stage anyways, because the sounds of the flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons, trumpets, french horns, trombones, the strings, drums, and piano were all breathtakingly harmonious. They filled the house with their music. While my eyes were closed, it was also easier for me to listen more closely to the distinct sounds and gorgeous vibrato of the opera singers. All I was thinking while hearing the singers was, “ Oh man, I wish I could sing like that.” The point of an opera, I think, is more to listen to the music being created, either sung or played, so there’s no problem with focusing on these strongly. When one goes to see an opera, one that has incredibly famous and distinct music like Carmen, one should pay more attention to the music rather than the scenery, because after all the whole point of an opera is that it is only singing. However, the scenery is very important to the opera, especially the gaudy and glamorous factor that is so attached to the art of opera. There’s no denying when the curtains opened up and the astonishing walls of the towns began spinning into place that my heart skipped a beat. The details on the set designs were so crisp (yes I could actually see them pretty well spite the location of my seat). The sets were amazing and it would be unfair to the visually-focused people to neglect them because they do play a huge role in the show.

After I got over that I couldn’t basically see anything, the opera was a great story of love, heartbreak, and murder. I have to say, at the end of the night, I was not as happy that I had seen an opera as I thought I was going to be. The plot was extremely hard to follow as we were constantly asking our classmates who was that or what just happened? Part of that was due to the location of our seats because we couldn’t see who was singing. It is the small details associated with Opera, at least at the Metropolitan Opera House that make Opera in way an art form that is losing viewers that doesn’t attract or connect with a lot of people. I mean, who wants to sit in the same for three hours while basically being able to see nothing. No one; some of my classmates even said, “ Oh great, I have to sit there for 3 hours. I’m going to fall asleep. I’m going to be so bored.” These details don’t help. Maybe if we were a little closer and we could see the actors’ faces, we would be happier to go. It’s almost as if people have to have an urgent impulse to go see an opera to go and see it. Even if they have an impulse to go and see it, they usually can’t because it costs about $400 to get a good seat from which you can see. In this way, opera is losing its support and taste of the people. But on the same subject, I don’t think it’s dying either. In my opinion, opera can only be enjoyed at it’s highest potential by the rich. But, it’s for everyone and should be seen by everyone, but realistically that’s not possible.

All this said and done, I would be a little skeptical of going back unless the circumstances were altered in my favor. Opera is an art form that you have to experience at its maximum pleasure or get nothing valuable from the performance. It’s all or nothing. The plots are confusing and it’s hard to see the actors on stage. The only thing, at least, that stood out for me, is the music. Even with just that, still leaves me on kind of a sour note with opera. I would go back only because I want to listen to the music again or try to get a better experience from the opera.

There is a lot to be said about the play Carmen. However, I for one feel that I must start off with the atmosphere first.

Walking into the Opera House to begin with, I felt very much out of place. It was filled with chaos and old couples making their way about to the theatre as a monstrosity of a chandelier hung down begging for attention. Men dressed in suits scanned your tickets and then rushed you in. Women strolled the lobby in furs and ten inch heels. God forbid you got too close to one of the older people, they’d give you the evil eye for even having the nerve to show up to an event meant solely for the old and rich. I felt as if I had dressed up not to see a show but instead put on a show for all the pretentious people who had paid hundreds of dollars for seats in the very front rows.

After finally finding my seat in the “family circle,” matters only seemed to worsen from there. I barely had enough room to move my legs, my purse didn’t seem to be able to fit on the floor, nor under the chair, and barely even on my lap. Had a phone gone off, someone from across the theatre had the nerve to SCREAM across the theatre to turn it off. In fact, from the treatment I myself and others received, it felt as if we had been beggars who had been so graciously let into the show for free and should therefore be thankful and on our knees.

Aside from the horrific treatment I feel we received, the opera itself was simply not worth the money. From my seat, the actors/singers could not be seen and the sound, the entire reason for the opera, was almost inaudible. I could have easily dozed off for those three hours. Along with the awful seats, came the structure of the opera house itself. I’ll assume its original architects must have wanted the poor to feel poor, because boy did the man’s head in front of me block the entire stage for the following three dreadful hours of my life.

Whilst forced to read subtitles for the Opera for three hours, I did notice quite a few things. Number one, the play took place in Spain, specifically Seville and Granada, but can anyone explain why on Earth the play was in French? From quite a few different people I’ve also learned that the play is sometimes performed in Italian, but isn’t that interesting that not one person has told me that they’ve seen it in Spanish? Number two, the play lasted for three full hours, however, I’m sure it could have just as easily been told in about ten minutes. The songs were so repetitive and it seemed to take each character about a full hour of singing just to tell another person “I think your pretty.” Number three, why was everyone in the opera white? During the entire performance I could only find one black adult, and one black child. What, did it make enough sense to have a play set in Spain in French, but not enough sense to add black people to the equation?

Honestly, after this terrible experience I will never go back to an Opera. I had really expected more. The people there were condescending and to put it in simpler terms, fake. The performance itself was not very loud at all, difficult to see unless you were willing to shell out a few hundred dollars, unnecessarily long, and absolutely illogical. People say opera is a dying form, and I can definitely agree and understand why.

I’ve never gone to any opera before, but I’ve heard a lot of interesting things about them. Like how they’re filled with the elite, pretentious and well dressed, elderly folks. I’ve also heard that opera is dying out and losing its big name because it fails to target the younger and non-upper class audiences. I went to the Metropolitan Opera House a few days ago for the first time to see Carmen with all of these stereotypes already in my head, just to find that such generalized perceptions of the opera are actually quite deceiving.

Carmen was essentially all about some beautiful and hard-to-get woman (obviously named Carmen), who manipulates men to get what she wants. One second she declares her love for someone, the next she gets bored and moves on. Frankly, Carmen was successfully able to piss me off, along with the other men that she was driving crazy. She was extremely demanding, making Don Jose fall head over heels for her and then asking him to run away with her and forget all of his responsibilities as a loyal soldier. And when she finally got what she wanted, she had the nerve to tell him to go back home because her love for him was fading.

Even though I felt bad for Don Jose, he too was no better than Carmen. One minute he was declaring his love for Micaela and how he was going to marry her, and the next minute, he falls in love with Carmen! (Men…and they say women are the complicated ones.)

I have to admit, during the first 20 minutes of the opera, I was falling asleep because nothing really drastic had yet transpired. But then when Carmen and Micaela were introduced, I was immediately drawn to their characters. Carmen has a lot of pizazz and feistiness to her. All the men were craving her, but she ignored them and did her thing. I think that Carmen symbolized female power, and therefore, this opera would truly appeal to many feminists. Conversely, Micaela was Carmen’s foil. It seemed as if she was desperate for Don Jose’s love, which was obviously unrequited. She had a beautiful voice, so strong and harmonious (I think I liked her more than Carmen).

The ending, in my opinion, didn’t come as a shocker because Carmen’s death was previously foretold when she and her friends were reading their fortunes. The death was very Shakespearean if you ask me, a mix of Othello and Romeo and Juliet. Hence, this opera would also appeal to a fan of Shakespearean literature.

Admittedly, I do have to concur with the stereotype that the rich people view the opera more because the sad truth of the mater is that opera tickets are very expensive. But I don’t feel like the opera, however, is only meant for the elderly and educated. An opera is more like a movie, except instead of talking as the main form of dialogue, people sing. And everyone watches movies, so why should the audience for an opera be any different? Additionally, operas aren’t only for people who speak a certain foreign language, but for everyone because usually opera houses provide English subtitles. Would I go to see Carmen again? Probably not; but would I go to see another opera again? Most definitely!

I don’t think the fact that I was going to see an Opera actually hit me until I got out of the subway at Columbus circle. It’s funny because even though I’ve been there many times, I felt like the biggest tourist asking where Lincoln center was. I asked this guy who pointed me in the right direction, but not without wishing me a great time. I couldn’t help but smile as I thanked him and headed on my way. He seemed more exited that I was going to the opera than I was :P. By the time I saw Lincoln center, I realized what I had gotten into. I felt like an ant, dwarfed not only by the beautiful buildings around me, but by swarms of well-dressed folks all seeming to know where they were going. Confused, I stepped into one of the side buildings to ask where Carmen was, only to be answered by this rather old women. “Wooooowww,” she said, “your going to see Carmen…Lucky you.” I hope shes not saying this thinking I’m taking a girl to the Opera I thought. She smiled, and pointed me to the main building. I genuinely smiled once more and even when I was farther away she was telling me how amazing a performance it was. I really stood out. Was it because I was young, becuase I had a nice beard (bc for real, when was the last time you imagined a guy with a beard going to see an opera), or was it that I was a charming young man (thank you very much jk). Regardless, I certainly felt…special, as if I had suddenly moved up the prestige ladder. The only thing left was for someone to roll a red carpet in front of my feet, and I would feel like a king.

First impressions were certainly ones of luxury. Red carpets, fancy chandeliers, and elegance all around. It felt like stereo(typical) Manhattan. And of course, the people. These people were no joke. They seemed like avid opera goers. This old lady on the elevator was all worried that the bell would ring. And if that wasn’t funny enough, another old lady reassured us all telling us that they never start on time, as if she was born and raised in the Opera house her whole life.

The performance started off with the musicians, and objectively speaking, they were certainly phenomenal in skill. I remember leaning as much as possible to get a closer look to see the conductor moving left and right, as if he controlled the music. I looked to single out specific instrument sounds like the harp, violin, trumpets and cymbals. It certainly brought back nostalgic memories of when I used to play the violin (ES) and the clarinet (HS). I particularly remembered my hs music teacher, guiding us through the basics with the tapping of his batton. It was amazing to me how everything rested on the music…the actors ques, the lighting. It all seemed to center on the music.

As far as the performance was concerned, the actors performed well in their roles. I found the plot to be rather confusing, although I was able to distinguish the different characters. I still don’t know how Carmen fell in love with two guys. I was following everything the first scene when the girl in blue came and the guy loved her, and the whole situation with the soldiers mom. Everything after that was confusing. And somewhat boring.

I am not really a fan of these love stories. They’re unrealistic, emotionally draining, and often have no logical explanation. “I love you” “No you don’t” “Yes, I do” “Ok, you do” “Actually wait, I hate you now, you can die for all I care”…..Are you serious? Please give me a break. On this whole issue of love, now that I bring it up, I can’t help but ask myself are these actors married? Carmen especially. For real. Laying on top of each other in front of thousands of people. Does the concept of shame exist, even in the slightest form, exist anymore? Forget my reaction, I would certainly like to imagine the reactions of Americans about half a century ago. And not just with one dude, but two. I was asking myself, why don’t these people just rip of their clothes and do a live demonstration? Perhaps I may have a tighter definition of what constitutes modesty and morality, but I think in this case, the sexuality of certain scenes were very explicit and intended.

Last thing about the actual performance which intrigued me was the stage and lighting. The lighting and moving stage really allowed for seamless transitions between scenes and I found that to be particularly fascinating. The curtains reminded me of some power point animations, and the fact that that could be done on a stage setting was pretty neat if you ask me.

As far as the audience is concerned, yes it is mainly for older folks. That is not to say younger people can’t see it, especially if your trying to impress a lover, I guess. I can imagine that many older folks have a lot of time to kill. What better way to do just that than to go to a luxurious, expensive, long Opera that focuses on romantic, heartbreaking, confusing love. That’s a sure way to make you feel 20 again. Although I think I had an interesting, brand new experience at the Opera, I am not really all hyped up to go again. When I come to think about actually seeing the opera, I just remember waiting for the scene to end so that I can get up and stretch. I just ain’t about that life. I did however get to experience a sense of “prestige” which I didn’t have to work too hard to get. I think that’s really what makes going to an Opera a different experience. Reflecting back on the event, I am able to recall all these things simply because they are completely new to me. After the glitter settles, I am left stuck in a seat for 3 hours, straining my eyes to see ant-like figures with a dude’s head in front of me.

-Waseem Bassam Iqnaibi

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Carmen. I’d never seen an opera before, and I was a little dubious about “enjoying” it. I tried to remain open-minded about the experience; after all, I hadn’t paid for it so I wasn’t losing anything by being there. The show began and I, having forgotten my glasses and therefore blind, found myself losing track of characters simply because I couldn’t tell people apart. I don’t think my glasses would’ve helped much; the distance was just too much. I decided that I’d just read the subtitles in front of me when I realized my subtitles were lagging. I attempted to turn them off, thinking I’d just listen to the music, only to make them freeze in Spanish. Now completely lost, Carmen did very little to keep me engaged and I found myself growing bored with it. I could appreciate the singing, because my voice can’t do that, but I couldn’t stay attentive. I’d skimmed the act synopsis before the lights dimmed but by now I wasn’t recalling any of it. I started violently jabbing my subtitle button in an effort to unfreeze it and had limited success – I returned the subtitles to English, but they lagged for a while before freezing again. When intermission came, my neighbors and I compared what we believed the plot to be, only to check the synopsis and realize how wrong we were. I jabbed my button with more vigor and anger and managed to get them to behave.

Subtitles fixed, I was able to remain engaged for the remainder of the opera. I didn’t feel like I had missed anything from the first two acts and was able to follow along. Now aware of what was happening, I found myself growing annoyed with Don Jose. His character didn’t seem to be capable of critical thinking and spent what seemed like the whole show changing his mind at the drop of a hat. I grew frustrated with his behavior towards Carmen. Make up your mind, man! Carmen herself was also trying my patience. I was utterly unsure of whether or not her “love” for Escamillo was sincere or not. Was she declaring her love for him to Don Jose’s face because she truly was in love? Or was she just trying to push Don Jose’s buttons? I couldn’t tell.

If there was one thing I did like about Carmen, it was Micaela. I, as a soprano, really admired her voice and her stage presence. She was also the character I sympathized most with. Her aria in them mountains blew me away (and luckily my subtitles were working for it!) I felt so bad for her, she traveled into a bandit’s den searching for the man she loves only to watch him refuse to leave Carmen, or at least until he hears his mother is dying. I wish Micaela had more to do in Carmen, and her lack of involvement did disappoint me a little.

Overall, I don’t really think opera is a dying art form. The opera house was packed with people of all ages. Our tickets in the nosebleeds weren’t outrageously expensive, so I’d say that those with a limited budget could still afford the opera if they really wanted to and were willing to sacrifice sight. The subtitles – when functioning – also make the opera more accessible to everyone. I think that the idea that opera is boring and old keeps younger crowds away, but if people are exposed to opera their minds might change. I don’t think opera is stuffy and old anymore at least.