Having never been to an opera before, I was excited but slightly intimidated. The videos of Cosi Fan Tutte that I had seen would show the audience laughing, and the first thing that would come to mind was, “Wow, the whole audience knows Italian, I am not ready for this.”- that is until I realized the English translations would be in front of us. Overall, I thought the opera experience was extraordinary, going there with a 101 fever, having great seats, and running for food during intermission. The first piece that the orchestra played before the first act was beautiful and I had never heard such pure music before. The Metropolitan Opera was huge, and due to the acoustics of the giant room, the opera singers didn’t need mics to project their sound. Their voices were so talented, being able to hit so many notes in just one short second. Even when the singers would sing something low, it was still heard without a mic. There was not one note that I couldn’t hear. I think it was better that there were no mics because mics sometimes gather interference and make things harder to hear, but this way was clear and all natural. I really appreciated the sets and the system in which they moved forward and out on the stage. It was sometimes humorous like when Despina dragged out the set to show her working as a maid. The sets always seemed to fit within each other. If the characters were inside, you would see trees outside, and that would end up being the next scene. Cosi Fan Tutte was a very sexist opera, and how exaggerated its examples of sexism were made it that much funnier. The fact that the sisters couldn’t stay loyal for less than a day after their boyfriends departed was hilarious.
Mark Ringer’s talk in class beforehand made understanding the opera and enjoying it so much easier. He was a captivating speaker and he never lost my attention with his quirky actions and sense of humor. Besides making the plot clear, he also helped me understand more about Mozart and his music in the opera. His main point was that the music had a larger role than just background sound. It helped clarify the character’s personality and role and it showed how the plot was progressing. When the music was dark and ominous-sounding, you knew a problem was going to occur. When it was light and free-spirited, you knew something funny was going to occur. When it was shallow-sounding, you knew the women were getting themselves into trouble. When I experienced the play on Thursday night, the music allowed me to be a part of the plot instead of just a viewer, since the music could sweep inside my body and pull me into it, and by reading into the notes and melodies, I could better understand the plot and characters.
