Opera: Faust
I was kind of excited to see the opera when I first heard we were going. I got even more excited after hearing we were seeing Faust, which is a story I enjoy. But after actually going I’m sad to say I was a little disappointed.
I enjoy music and I can appreciate a good orchestra but I think what really threw me off was the language barrier. I thought the sub-titles were a good idea but I definitely lost something from having to look down every couple of seconds in anticipation of the next line. I really couldn’t enjoy the music and I got lost a few times in the story because I couldn’t understand what was going on. I think if we had seen an English opera I would have appreciated it a whole lot more.
I did enjoy the theatrics of the whole performance. The lights being raised before each act, the use of props. I would have liked to see the set have changed more then it was. It always had that laboratory and metallic feel even in the outdoor/street scenes. Maybe thats what they were going for but I would have liked to see more of a distinction of the scenery. I liked how they tried (and succeeded) to make it a very fancy and high class experience. The entrances are very grand and most people get dressed up for it.
The opera was definitely and great experience but I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it were in English so I could understand what the singers are saying in real time without having to look down after a couple of second delay.
2 comments
Hey Richie,
Yeah I thought the same thing in terms of the language barrier. I didn’t think it would be that much of an issue, and at first it wasn’t. But all of a sudden I was missing really important lines, and missing bits of the plot. So I can definitely relate.
As for the scenery, I think it was intended to have that backdrop of mettalic sciency-ness that you mentioned. But at the same time, I wish that once in a while they’d move it away so we’d be able to see some isolated scenery, which would (for me personally) elicit a more specific response.
Hmm…I actually thought there wasn’t really a language barrier because I was able to see the subtitles and the stage simultaneously. I feel that even if the opera was in English, it would still be better to have subtitles to read from because often times when we hear something sung in a language we comprehend, it is still not as easy as you think to understand what is being sung, especially in operatic singing, it is more difficult to distinguish the individual words. (Wow, sorry for that extremely long sentence!) But anyway, this is just my opinion from my personal experiences. Even when I watch American pop music videos per say, I still prefer to have the lyrics underneath if provided.
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