| If you are older than twenty, have never seen a | | | | from opera - forever. That's not what you want. |
| live opera performance, and generally have had | | | | There are only sixteen great operas in the entire |
| little or no exposure to opera, my advice would | | | | history of the genre, written by five composers. |
| be not to bother about getting tickets - for now. | | | | Of those, only two are perfect. (Don't let it get |
| Seriously. There are dozens of pitfalls, and the | | | | around unless you wish to be laughed at - |
| only way to find out what they are is to get | | | | because it's true; and the truth strikes most |
| some knowledge first. (The knowledge part is | | | | people as comical these days). |
| surprisingly easy, by the way, but that's not the | | | | Listen. The two perfect operas are "Rigoletto" by |
| point right now). | | | | Giuseppe Verdi and "Tosca" by Giacomo Puccini. (I |
| And yet, there are folks out there who suddenly | | | | repeat - don't let it get around unless you wish to |
| get the urge to see a live performance just to | | | | be ridiculed). Before you go ahead and get the |
| get a feel of what it's like. I don't blame them. | | | | tickets, read their libretti (not just the stories, but |
| Apart from symphony halls, opera is the only | | | | the entire book). Opera libretti are fairly short. |
| place on earth today where you can actually hear | | | | You can read one in less than thirty minutes |
| live music. All other types of music (including | | | | ("Rigoletto" reads in about twenty, and "Tosca" in |
| operatic recordings) make use of electricity in one | | | | about fifteen, but read them carefully, and read |
| way or another. The idea of a "live" concert | | | | them twice or three times). |
| today is a joke. Sound gets fractioned, diced, | | | | Get your hands one some recordings. You can |
| reassembled, edited, and fed to the listener | | | | get a pretty good idea of the so-called highlights |
| through speakers. Processed sound can give the | | | | by purchasing a highlights CD's. Listen to the |
| listener a gist of what the real thing is like, but | | | | highlights. If you have no experience paying |
| one must not expect it to even remotely | | | | CLOSE ATTENTION to music (i.e. you have been |
| resemble the soulful warmth of human singers | | | | conditioned by today's popular culture's paradigm |
| accompanied by a live orchestra - opera. No | | | | to perceive music as pleasant background noise), |
| microphones. No amplifiers. No speakers. | | | | it's okay. Just turn it on and do whatever - wash |
| So, yes, the idea is very tempting. If you feel | | | | dishes, look out the window, talk on the phone. |
| you have to - hear me, hear me. | | | | Let your ear get accustomed to the strains. |
| Do not listen to folks who have been opera buffs | | | | Do not settle for anything else. Both Verdi and |
| for years and now would like to share their | | | | Puccini wrote a whole bunch of other operas, |
| wisdom with you. The rule of thumb is if a person | | | | some of which are pretty impressive - |
| tells you something about opera without explaining | | | | magnificent, in fact. You're not ready for them, |
| it, and you just don't get it, you shouldn't listen to | | | | though. Only "Rigoletto" and "Tosca" will do. |
| them. They don't know what they're talking about. | | | | Godspeed. |
| Their recommendations might turn you away | | | | |