A Pleasant Surprise: My First Time Attending an Opera

My first time attending an opera was everything I didn’t expect it to be. Thinking in terms of the stereotypes I was familiar with regarding operas, I expected it to have a pompous air, be incomprehensible, and overall, just plain boring. Opera music, after all, just isn’t my thing. I rode the subway to the performance thinking about how the most the performance could offer me would be a much-needed nap.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the classical opera I pictured in my mind was a complete misconception (as stereotypes often are.) Though set in a lavishly decorated hall, the audience of the opera was far from the bunch of pretentious upperclass elderly men I thought it would be. Though completely dressed down, I did not get the disapproving looks I expected to get.

The story line of the opera itself was also quite engaging. L’Elisir d’Amore reminded me very strongly of a cross between Beauty and the Beast and Snow White. Apart from the fairytale references, I also found that the performance reflected a lot of what happens in society. I was surprised that the performance sympathized with the lower class, which completely countered my previous belief that opera-viewing was exclusively for the elite.

The small translated captions were surprisingly easy to follow. I completely understood the storyline, hence further dispelling my misconceptions on operas.

And the singing. I cannot find words that would adequately describe its magnificence. I never quite expected a human voice to be quite powerful. Because we were higher up, the sound quality was astounding and the music and voices moved me. What made me appreciate the sounds perhaps even more was the fact that my ears welcomed the beauty after being tortured by the dissonant noise of the Spell-beamed performance.

I felt more cultured by the end of the performance. I thought about how if my Egyptian cousins ever got the opportunity to come to New York, one of the places I would definitely be taking them was the MET Opera at Lincoln Center.

Overall, I think the only two downsides of the performance were the distance from the stage, which made me feel slightly removed, and the fact that I didn’t get to take the nap I so desperately needed.