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By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago
London |
Opera!
I have a dear family friend who adores the opera and lucky for me he takes me once a year to the Royal Opera House to see one. It’s a whole other world and I get lost in the performance, it’s always magical.
Do you have a piece of opera that resonates for you? A particular aria or similar that you get lost in?
This is my all time favourite: if someone was to kiss me to this, I think I’d die. (No one ever has!)
https://youtu.be/jiUoWCnGZTU
Chi il bel sogno di Doretta - La Rondine (Puccini)
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I’m no expert but I like a bit of the old operatic sex and death. Melodrama on the grandest of scales. A bit of Puccini, a little Mozart, a whopping big chunk of Wagner.
I’m all about the Ring. (And the Rhinemaidens.) |
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By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago
London |
"I’m no expert but I like a bit of the old operatic sex and death. Melodrama on the grandest of scales. A bit of Puccini, a little Mozart, a whopping big chunk of Wagner.
I’m all about the Ring. (And the Rhinemaidens.)"
Oh lovely! Yes Wagner is real wall of sound stuff - it just wallops the senses! |
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I'm not an opera buff, but it's true that a night an the opera is special. I love the ROH.
I've probably seen most Puccini; Madam Butterfly was the first opera I ever saw, and I loved it, but La Boheme is lovely too. And we all love a bit of Turandot, even without realising! |
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I adore opera. The gesamstkunstwerke, as Wagner called it, bless his agglutinative old German soul. I'm off to see Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites at Glyndebourne in July, which will be new to me. But I've seen Figaro there, and Rosenkavelier, and was at the world première of Thomas Adès' The Tempest at the ROH. It has such an awful reputation as being élitist, etc, but most give out super-cheap tickets to music students, the unemployed, etc. It is an incredible experience to see something as totalising as Tristan live. |
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"Oh lovely! Yes Wagner is real wall of sound stuff - it just wallops the senses!"
I never listen to opera at home, on the radio or Spotify or whatever. I love it as a live thing though. It’s visceral. There’s something about those sounds, that power, coming from a real human being in front of you. It’s quite a thing. |
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By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago
London |
"I'm not an opera buff, but it's true that a night an the opera is special. I love the ROH.
I've probably seen most Puccini; Madam Butterfly was the first opera I ever saw, and I loved it, but La Boheme is lovely too. And we all love a bit of Turandot, even without realising! "
I want to be in Italy, in the evening heat, heading to the opera to watch some Puccini with someone who makes my heart tingle. Ooooft.  |
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By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago
London |
"I adore opera. The gesamstkunstwerke, as Wagner called it, bless his agglutinative old German soul. I'm off to see Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites at Glyndebourne in July, which will be new to me. But I've seen Figaro there, and Rosenkavelier, and was at the world première of Thomas Adès' The Tempest at the ROH. It has such an awful reputation as being élitist, etc, but most give out super-cheap tickets to music students, the unemployed, etc. It is an incredible experience to see something as totalising as Tristan live."
I’m off to see Marriage of Figaro this July at ROH. |
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"I adore opera. The gesamstkunstwerke, as Wagner called it, bless his agglutinative old German soul. I'm off to see Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites at Glyndebourne in July, which will be new to me. But I've seen Figaro there, and Rosenkavelier, and was at the world première of Thomas Adès' The Tempest at the ROH. It has such an awful reputation as being élitist, etc, but most give out super-cheap tickets to music students, the unemployed, etc. It is an incredible experience to see something as totalising as Tristan live."
Oh, Mr Elephant. Dialogues des Carmélites is *wonderful*, if bleak. Talk about going out with head held high …
You’re in for a treat, I suspect. |
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By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago
London |
"Oh lovely! Yes Wagner is real wall of sound stuff - it just wallops the senses!
I never listen to opera at home, on the radio or Spotify or whatever. I love it as a live thing though. It’s visceral. There’s something about those sounds, that power, coming from a real human being in front of you. It’s quite a thing."
Totally! I was addicted from the first time I went - it’s such an experience. |
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I’ve never been to the opera but would love to go so have booked to go and see Don Giovanni in the autumn at Glyndebourne
Been a violinist though I have played some of the music from the operas. Mozart was always my favourite  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I’m way too uncultured, being a simple country boy and all that, to appreciate Opera in all its majesty.
I do appreciate the talent of the performers though.
It’s a bit like Glastonbury for me though. I *want* to like it. But whenever I sit and watch a bit on the telly I invariably end up turning it off after a short while. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"I’m way too uncultured, being a simple country boy and all that, to appreciate Opera in all its majesty.
I do appreciate the talent of the performers though.
It’s a bit like Glastonbury for me though. I *want* to like it. But whenever I sit and watch a bit on the telly I invariably end up turning it off after a short while."
The trick with opera is to not watch the theatre which goes with it. Listen to it while watching someone, or going through something. Transformative. There is nothing in modern music which comes close when you get it right (ok may dark side of the moon, in the dark, a little stoned) |
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"I adore opera. The gesamstkunstwerke, as Wagner called it, bless his agglutinative old German soul. I'm off to see Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites at Glyndebourne in July, which will be new to me. But I've seen Figaro there, and Rosenkavelier, and was at the world première of Thomas Adès' The Tempest at the ROH. It has such an awful reputation as being élitist, etc, but most give out super-cheap tickets to music students, the unemployed, etc. It is an incredible experience to see something as totalising as Tristan live.
I’m off to see Marriage of Figaro this July at ROH. "
I got tickets through work and will also be going to see Marriage of Fígaro. My favourite opera is Carmen, though  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Cavalleria Rusticana (intermezzo) by Mascagni, I'll have that at my funeral I think.
I should have been in Verona in June 2020, the first night of the opera in the Roman amphitheatre, so sad I missed it.  |
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Love it all, can't choose as depends on the mood. Lucky to have seen a few great productions over the years but not that many recently. My favourites include Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande and Monteverdi's L’incoronazione di Poppea and have a soft spot for Daphne, considered to be the oldest. Let's not forget some of the more well known ones like Tosca, The marriage of figaro and La boheme though. Opera is so accessible to everyone these days and that's brilliant. Many of us can like a bit of Kylie as well as Wagner  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Been a lover and worked at Covent garden for years.
Love Rossini for cheeky fun works
Verdi and Donizetti for dram
Puccini for emotional
And
Wagner for incredible music and heavy drama.
Many years ago was working with the fabulous Rita Hunter on Gottadammerung at the London Coliseum.
Good seats at Covent garden are about £300 so a bit too much now
Saw Aida in Verona. Amazing and been to the Rossini festival for a couple of years in Pesaro. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"I absolutely love Con te partirò (time to say goodbye) I'm really sure if it actually classed as opera or not though? "
Is not an opera but first sang as a duet with Sarah Brightman and Andrea Boccelli |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Our Broadway Cinema has a metropolitan opera season twice a year and is fantastic value to go see.
Look up Metropolitan Opera in u. K cinemas to find out where they are shown oh and take a picnic lunch for the intervals |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Only been once wasn't for me I left at the interval but im not into theater either but im the same guy that left claridges restaurant much preferred a McDonald's Porter pissed himself when I walked in with a bag full of chips and nuggets and asked if had any ketchup. |
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By *avinaTVTV/TS
over a year ago
Transsexual Transylvania |
I was incredibly lucky, as a student staying in Vienna, to attend a charity performance of Der Liebestrank at the Staatsoper. Standing room ticket at the back of the main auditorium (outstanding view for next to nothing). Tenor? Luciano Pavarotti. He was better in person than one could possibly believe. One of my cherished memories.
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By *uzie69xTV/TS
over a year ago
Maidstone |
"I'm off to see Marriage of Figaro this July at ROH. "
It's a lush production, you'll love it!
I can listen to any Mozart, Puccini or Verdi anyday! But I find Wagner too long and boring.
Fidelio is my go-to as I am a Beethoven girl and strikes the balance between being too popular and too difficult.
I was lucky I was a student in Scotland (Scottish Opera) and lived in Bristol where I watched a lot of WNO (Welsh National Opera) which were much more affordable! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I'm not really clued up on anything operatic or even classical but watching an orchestra live always gives me goosebumps.
Rachmanioff holds a few special memories for me too.
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Opera is almost oddly magical live. You'd think the mannered ridiculousness of it all would seem artificial and off-putting, but not a bit of it. I remember being utterly sceptical and determined to dislike it the first time I want, and being converted within seconds of the curtain rising. Sometimes exuberant ludicrousness is utterly entertaining, whether that be Donizetti or the Marvel movies. |
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Great thread Estella. It's not often discussed, not lije favourite popular music, not to mention it makes a change from the how kong, wide , deep and all the other threads of similar ilk. Not that I am criticising but variety is great and good to share on topics like that even if it's not quite your thing. One of the things I like the forums for. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"The Magic Flute-Queen of the Night is an exhilarating aria
https://youtu.be/YuBeBjqKSGQ"
To me
Christina Deutekom the best ever Queen of the night. On YouTube. She's dead now but
Today's top Queen, to me is Kathryn Lewek. Simply stunning |
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"I adore opera. The gesamstkunstwerke, as Wagner called it, bless his agglutinative old German soul. I'm off to see Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites at Glyndebourne in July, which will be new to me. But I've seen Figaro there, and Rosenkavelier, and was at the world première of Thomas Adès' The Tempest at the ROH. It has such an awful reputation as being élitist, etc, but most give out super-cheap tickets to music students, the unemployed, etc. It is an incredible experience to see something as totalising as Tristan live.
I’m off to see Marriage of Figaro this July at ROH.
I got tickets through work and will also be going to see Marriage of Fígaro. My favourite opera is Carmen, though "
The drama is glorious, but I don't think I know Bizet well enough to appreciate his music. |
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"I adore opera. The gesamstkunstwerke, as Wagner called it, bless his agglutinative old German soul. I'm off to see Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites at Glyndebourne in July, which will be new to me. But I've seen Figaro there, and Rosenkavelier, and was at the world première of Thomas Adès' The Tempest at the ROH. It has such an awful reputation as being élitist, etc, but most give out super-cheap tickets to music students, the unemployed, etc. It is an incredible experience to see something as totalising as Tristan live.
I’m off to see Marriage of Figaro this July at ROH.
I got tickets through work and will also be going to see Marriage of Fígaro. My favourite opera is Carmen, though
The drama is glorious, but I don't think I know Bizet well enough to appreciate his music. "
Quite tragic really…never too late to improve your already impressive good taste |
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