Tourist Guide

Rigoletto, An Opera For the Ages

I came into the opera not really knowing what to expect.  Sure, I heard samples of the opera from the class prior to going to the opera, but in most cases, the experience of being at a performance is much different from hearing it on the computer.  Immediately upon entering the building, I felt rather out of place.  The theatre was almost completely occupied by sharply-dressed upperclassmen, and I simply felt like a fish out of the water.  The other people in the theatre appeared as though they just came back from a trip to London.  I, on the other hand, looked like I just woke up from the wrong side of the bed.

But that’s all beside the point.  What I was just about to see unfold in front of me was one of the most well-known operas in the world.  In the first scene of the opera, we’re given a look into a medieval-era party.  People are dancing, singing, and drinking all kinds of things that probably aren’t very good for you.  And then, amongst all the merriment, we get a couple of robust men, the epitomes of masculinity, singing at the top of their lungs about something in Italian (there were translations on a monitor on the back of the chair in front of me but I didn’t notice it until halfway through the opera).  The singing itself was absolutely extraordinary.  Only those who are well-versed in opera would be critical of the way the singers expressed their emotions through their vocals.  After the first intermission, which was rather long, one of the male actors came out and told the audience that despite himself having a cold, he would continue singing in the opera.  I felt a bit ambivalent towards that announcement;  although I felt it was admirable for him to go on, admitting that you have a cold is like asking for sympathy from the audience.

What I found most amazing about the opera was the way the singers multitasked with singing and acting.  The singing was spectacular, the acting was adequate.  And on top of the well-done vocals, the background and sets themselves were stunning.  Everything felt so real, from Rigoletto’s house to the front of the palace, the details were impeccably polished.  The only true gripe about the opera would be the scope of it all.  The opera itself could’ve been much more concise (if I were to write a summary of what happened on paper, it would probably only amount to five or six lines of text).  The intermissions themselves were a bit lengthy to the extent that I, personally, began to feel indifferent to the opera towards the end of the show and just wanted to leave before midnight.  But in general, these minor issues don’t undermine the beautiful performances by the lead singers, and (don’t we forget!) the orchestra.  Especially considering that this is the debut for many of the characters, “Rigoletto” is well worth the time and money.