Again, expecting a nap…
…and again, kept quite awake and thoroughly captivated. Upon arriving at the Met, I looked around and thought, “Oh well. This really isn’t my bag.” This being my first opera, I entered the opera house expecting a stuffy, dull three hours spent while a soprano cracked people’s glasses with an irritating voice. Once it began, though, I was hooked. The sets were amazing, the costumes were convincing, and the lighting was natural. The musicians in the pit were incredible at setting pace, manipulating the emotions of the audience, and keeping together like cogs meshing. The cast was truly remarkable; the projection they achieved while maintaining pitch and tone was borderline mind-blowing. On top of that, their ability to release emotion through their voices and across the language barrier was impressive. The combination of their voices with theatrical gestures got the plot across, almost eliminating the need for subtitles. The process of producing an opera is, apparently, massive to an extent that I had not previously realized. The music, lights, casting, sets… all of these worked together to achieve a perfect balance, and the result was awe-inspiring. A sincere bravo.