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RigolettOOOOOOOO!!!
I had not expected to genuinely like Rigoletto. My past experience of seeing an opera had not been fulfilling mostly due to the lack of background knowledge of what opera is all about. Also the popular belief that opera is for the elderly elite, made me dread the day of Rigoletto. But as soon as the curtains opened, I was hooked. The scenery was massive and very believable. The amounts of people on stage also left me in awe, since I only expected a couple of characters to be on stage for the entire performance. I enjoyed the singing, especially of the men. Something about the power and tone of the voice is soothing and enjoyable to listen to. On the other hand the singing of the only 2 women in the opera, were high pitched, which would often get on my nerves. Nonetheless, their singing was beautiful. I admire opera’s for that quality. It’s unique to the American culture to listen to the tone of the voice to decipher the meaning or emotion. We tend to do that subconsciously, but still hang on to the words for meaning.
The plot of the opera was cliché enough to understand fully. Although it was simple enough, it held many themes and questions for the individual to figure out and think about. For example, I found an interesting conflict between the sexes. Despite there only being 2 women in the entire plot, those 2 women were the complete opposites of one another. Gilda was the pure, innocent and untouched woman shut off by her father or perhaps society and its’ pressures and flaws. Then there is Maddalena, who is seducing men for her brother to assassinate, and in result make a business. She represents the soiled version of a woman that uses her body for money. Although they are different, both are depicted as foolish and irrationally emotional beings. Despite their struggles, society looks down upon them.
Attending this opera allowed me to form a more educated view of the arts in general. Although some of the previous prejudices still seem to be true, I was able to appreciate a form of art I would have never thought twice about.
CLICK HERE to listen to “la donna e mobile” by Rigoletto