I have had some experience with operas. What I can say is that I had a more enjoyable experience with operas than with art museums before even seeing Cosi Fan Tutte. I can’t actually remember which operas I’ve seen but I was not as bored as I thought I’d be when I saw them. However, I was unaware of many things and did not take as much meaning from them as I did with Cosi Fan Tutte.
A huge help for making my experience with this opera more meaningful was Mark Ringer. He came in to our class a day before the show and explained so much that I most likely wouldn’t have learned on my own. For example, he gave the historical background of the opera, a character analysis, and a glimpse of what the music was like.
The opera was made in Vienna, Austria in 1790. Mozart composed the music and Lorenzo de Ponte wrote the script, or libretto. Mark told us that the opera was rather controversial at the time because of what it was saying about human nature-how inconstant and unsatisfied we are. Mozart’s beautiful music sort of juxtaposed with the disturbing message. There were six characters, four of which made up two supposedly happy, inseparable couples. Mark went into detail how Fiordiligi and Guglielmo were actually not a good match based on their voice types since Fiordiligi was a soprano (high pitch) and Guglielmo was a baritone (very low pitch). The same went for Dorabella and Ferrando since Dorabella was a mezzo-soprano (lower than soprano) and Ferrando was a tenor (higher than baritone). In fact, switching the couples would result in a better match. Furthermore, Mark went into detail how the characters with lower voice types were more realistic and down to earth whereas the characters with higher voice types were more pure and heavenly. The tracks he played for us allowed me to see how different music conveys a different tone whether it be humorous, peaceful, active, or somber. Sometimes the music may hint at something the characters themselves do not know.
We were really fortunate to be able to see this opera at the Metropolitan Opera because it added to the already beautiful experience. The vast auditorium and design of the balconies was really impressive and made me think about how difficult it is to sing without the aid of a microphone to project one’s voice. I never thought about it too much but when the topic came up in class and Professor Jablonka said that it was heresy to use microphones in operas, I was quite astounded. Overall, the singing was great and I appreciated it very much. Not only because I was able to hear the singers, but because I could hear them in addition to enjoy them. The way they were able to control their voices and sing in harmony was just mesmerizing. There were many scenes in which several characters sang different lines together and you could never tell who stopped singing and who began. I found those segments to be very beautiful coupled with the orchestra’s music.
In addition to the beauty and grandiosity of the singing, I found the opera to be quite funny as well. The maid, Despina, was really funny especially when she was first introduced dragging the heavy scenery. Also, when she dressed up as different characters such as Dr. Mesmer. I also found the awkward scene where the disguised lovers were sitting next to the two sisters and just looking around and trying to start a conversation. I wasn’t expecting to laugh as much as I did but I’m glad this opera entertained me in so many ways.
In all, this opera was a great experience for several reasons. I had the chance to hear some useful background information, go to the Metropolitan Opera, hear Mozart’s pieces, listen to unaided beautiful singing, and laugh at funny scenes. This was probably the best and richest experience we’ve had in this seminar.
