Le Nozze de Figaro
I completely agree with the thought that one does not need to understand each and every word expressed in opera to appreciate it. In many points in the performance I would forget to look at the subtitles because the common themes of trust, love, jealousy are relatable to all. I don’t feel that opera in itself achieves this but the plot itself is key. Opera just adds a wonderful element of expression through song. I say its wonderful because the singer uses her voice to turn regular everyday conversation into art. When Susanna & the Contessa Almaviva sang their distress about their husbands, they seemed to be pulling out their sorrow into their voice and pouring it in the audience so much so that at some parts I became so angry at the Count.
The setting itself was also a work of art, in terms of the stage and the lighting. I especially admired the last two scenes were there was no intermission to change sets, and so a rotating device was used. The lighting was also realistic. It did not change from sunny to pitch black but the light was at a “mid afternoon” intensity and then slowly became midnight blue with the impression of the moon shining through.
All of these aspects resulted in a great performance but it became spectacular to me because of the live orchestra. They had to play continuously and in sync with the performers but remained virtually anonymous. This may seem impossible at first because the human voice when agitated can reach extreme speeds and intensities. Yet, the musicians matched those speeds and intensities with accuracy and I found that very impressive. They too aided in conveying the ideas behind the plot, but in a subtle manner so that they would not overshadow the opera singers. The musicians served as the finishing touch to a very outstanding performance that left me with a positive first impression of opera.
~Amanda Ojie