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Rigoletto
On September 29th, 2010, I attended the Metropolitan Opera’s 827th performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto. This was the first time I have ever seen an opera, and I must say, the experience was surprisingly interesting and immersive. For me, opera has always been associated with a negative stigma of disinterest and boredom. Attending this performance made me realize my error and learn to appreciate a new form of art.
At the start of the performance, the first details to catch my attention were the stunning beauty of the live orchestra and the intricate details of the stage scenery. The music itself helped ease the viewer into the mood and melody of the opera, allowing people to become more emotionally attached and aware of the performance. The stage seemed very natural and realistic, with countless details that ensured that the setting of the play was authentic to the time Rigoletto was first written.
When the performers first began singing, I was instantly enthralled in the depth and power of their voices. Not only were the able to consistently hit impossibly high notes, but they projected their voices very well, ensuring that everyone in the opera house would be able to hear their performance. As the opera progressed, I began to realize that opera was a very interesting blend of both musical and theatrical performance.
Although I enjoyed the new experience of opera in the general sense, it was somewhat difficult to suspend disbelief in regards to the plot of the performance. Rigoletto is based on very clichéd, familiar themes of love and pride. Throughout the opera, I found myself criticizing several events for the simple reason that they seemed too unlikely to ever occur in the real world. These included Gilda’s act of sacrificing herself so that her womanizing, deceitful lover, the Duke of Mantua may live, and the noble’s kidnapping of Rigoletto’s daughter, Gilda, to simply play a joke on him. These events were too idealistic in nature and by being so blatantly unreal and impossible in nature, made me lose interest in the overall performance. I am the kind of viewer who wants to be able to connect a performance to the real world, which Rigoletto definitely did not allow me to do.
Attending the performance of Rigoletto made me appreciate the world of opera and establish my own, personal opinion in regards to this form of art. The performance was one that I think may be appreciated and even enjoyed by both, the opera newcomer and the hardened critic alike.