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A Guide to Opera for beginner?

108.131.16.162
Posted on May 28, 2015 at 19:01:31
Eldragon
It's been my least favorite genre, aside from some Wagner, and few others...but heard over the radio Franco Corelli and I've been rarely moved by hearing a male voice of such force ...am I getting soft with age? I've been reading about him, and others...like Lanza (some not even considering him a "singer" never mind a Great Opera singer, or critics were split about Corelli etc...)but was curious if you guys have a logical way of introduction to Opera for novice?

 

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Get thee to the Opera House............, posted on May 28, 2015 at 20:07:08
Chuck Y
Audiophile

Posts: 4376
Joined: August 31, 2001
 FWIW, I find recorded opera best when you have already seen the opera in person.

But if you must, I don't know how you can go wrong with most of Puccini's operas and LaBohemme would be an excellent place to start. If you can, at least see it on a DVD. (You can worry about finding the best one later.) Seeing the performance is such a great part of the experience.

Another opera that can be very exciting is Aida.

Have fun!

 

Suggestion #1: Put Wagner off to the side (interesting essay linked to), posted on May 29, 2015 at 07:07:12
John Marks
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Posts: 7799
Location: Peoples' Democratic Republic of R.I.
Joined: April 23, 2000
 IMHO, Wagner is not really about opera; for Wagner, opera was merely the continuation of political revolution by other means.

As far as a logical introduction to opera goes, leaving aside the temptation to call that a contradiction in terms, I think that one strategy is to sample one representative opera from various periods and see which appeals to you the most, and then explore other composers of that era.

Off the top of my head suggestions:

Early: L'incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi), 1643.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27incoronazione_di_Poppea

Classical: Cosi fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti (Thus Do They All, or The School for Lovers) (Mozart), 1790.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cos%C3%AC_fan_tutte

Bel canto: Norma (Bellini), 1832.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_%28opera%29

Romantic: Martha (von Flotow), 1847. "Martha" was Abraham Lincoln's favorite opera--he saw it live not long before he was killed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_%28opera%29

Realistic: La traviata (Verdi), 1853.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_traviata

Verismo: La boheme (Puccini), 1896.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_boh%C3%A8me

Modernist: Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow)(Strauss), 1919.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Frau_ohne_Schatten

Modern: Peter Grimes (Britten), 1945.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Grimes

Contemporary: Anna Nicole (Turnage), 2011.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPxEDoQzYE8

Dig in!

John

 

RE: A Guide to Opera for beginner? , posted on May 29, 2015 at 07:58:31
Travis
Audiophile

Posts: 6170
Location: La Grange, Texas
Joined: November 25, 2001
 Gulf Coast?

Houston Grand Opera does excellent productions. I've heard that Austin has a good company and San Antonio has started up again.

The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD is good if you can't make a live performance on stage. Many movie theaters in the area (for example, Victoria) carry it.

Corelli is my fav, too.

And, Puccini is a great place to start.

Good Luck!




"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok

 

RE: VERDI was a revolutionary, too, posted on May 29, 2015 at 09:12:18
kitch29
 "Vittorio Emmanuele, Re d'Italia"

 

RE: Great suggestions...Thanks to all! (nt, posted on May 29, 2015 at 09:31:53
Eldragon
 nt

 

Thoughts, posted on May 29, 2015 at 09:38:53
TGR
Audiophile

Posts: 3002
Location: No. California
Joined: March 22, 2004
 1. The Rough Guide to Opera - lists just about everything you could expect to ever hear, and recommends a number of recordings.

2. Listen! If you like Corelli's voice, try some of his complete operas. If you like tenors (you mention Corelli and Lanza), try some of the work of Pavarotti, Bjoerling, di Stefano, Vickers, Kaufman, etc.

Have fun!

 

Ummm, I'd call him a "Nationalist Patriot." He was not a radical., posted on May 29, 2015 at 09:46:07
John Marks
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Location: Peoples' Democratic Republic of R.I.
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 Verdi did not want to overthrow all the rules of conventional society. Wagner said that's what Wagner wanted to do.

Verdi wanted an Italian on the throne of a unified Italy; he did not want to line the royal family up against a wall and shoot them.

So, yes, to the extent Verdi wanted political change, he was a revolutionary; but, he was a traditionalist and restorationist and not a radical.

jm

 

RE: Get thee to the Opera House: This is a most excellent suggestion, posted on May 29, 2015 at 09:54:22
John N
Audiophile

Posts: 1325
Joined: May 10, 2000
 Whether it be in person (best) or on one of the in theatre broadcasts from the Met there really is nothing like seeing the opera - among other things (for me) you get the translation (even if the opera is in English) so you can follow the story.
I have always found the Mozart gems to be especially user friendly for the opera novice; but you can't really go wrong with Verdi either

 

RE: But, in the "Cultural wasteland" part of the Gulf Coast, posted on May 29, 2015 at 13:11:42
Eldragon
...the last time I attended was 1998, Magic Flute at the UNLV. Before I moved from Vegas.

 

RE: Right, but the reference wasn't to the composer, posted on May 30, 2015 at 07:19:10
kitch29
 There was VERDI graffiti all over Italy as a part of the unification protest referring to the King of Sardinia and eventual monarch of the united country.

 

Here's my personal guide to opera, posted on May 30, 2015 at 07:53:32
Mike K
Audiophile

Posts: 13973
Location: 97701
Joined: September 23, 1999
 Avoid at all cost. Boring. Overblown. Overbearing. Almost always in a
foreign language.

Can these people sing? Do they have extreme talent? Can they do things
that most "pop" singers cannot even dream of? Without a single doubt.

However ... Give me Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee,
George Jones, Joe Williams, Johnny Hartmann, or Dolly Parton any day.
These folks can make you cry, laugh, regret and rejoice. Opera singers do not.

Lack of skill dictates economy of style. - Joey Ramone

 

OK, I knew about the acronym "VERDI" but I was thinking of the man's patriotism, posted on May 30, 2015 at 14:22:58
John Marks
Manufacturer

Posts: 7799
Location: Peoples' Democratic Republic of R.I.
Joined: April 23, 2000
 BTW, Brooke Shields descends on her mother's side from the Royal Family of Sardinia and therefore, from the Prophet Mohammed... .

JM

 

Thanks for absolutely nothing. nt, posted on May 30, 2015 at 16:02:14
Travis
Audiophile

Posts: 6170
Location: La Grange, Texas
Joined: November 25, 2001
 .

"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok

 

You might be surprised, posted on May 31, 2015 at 11:35:54
TGR
Audiophile

Posts: 3002
Location: No. California
Joined: March 22, 2004
 Opera can be hit or miss - an evening in the opera house can be extremely long if the production, singing or conducting is poor - but when it is on, no other art form in my experience can reach the emotional heights than opera can.

Last fall, we went to see La Boheme - yes I have heard and seen it so many times - yet it was great, and moving, as well, even when you know exactly what is going to happen - if the singers are good, they get inside their roles and you hear and see it fresh, as though it is the first time. I saw a performance of Parsifal a few years ago that was simply shattering. And so on.

No everyone likes opera - but that is not a reason to dismiss it.

 

As the old beer commercial used to say. . . , posted on May 31, 2015 at 11:54:08
Chris from Lafayette
Audiophile

Posts: 26432
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 . . . why are foreign movies so. . . foreign?

Or, as Steve Martin used to say, why is it when you fly to France, they don't even have the COMMON COURTESY to speak English? ;-)

 

RE: As the old beer commercial used to say. . . , posted on May 31, 2015 at 12:04:40
rlindsa
Audiophile

Posts: 7265
Location: Fort Lauderdale
Joined: October 5, 2004
 And "It's like they have a different word for EVERYTHING!"

rlindsa

 

My dog agrees with you...., posted on May 31, 2015 at 13:11:51
kuma
Audiophile

Posts: 10272
Location: IN
Joined: July 8, 2001
 she leaves the room, every time a soprano kicks in.

Or put on any opera record, even when she is in a deep asleep, gets up and leave.

She's perfectly fine with Dolly ( even at a regular 33.3 rpm ).

 

So the first thing you do is. . . , posted on May 31, 2015 at 13:18:56
Chris from Lafayette
Audiophile

Posts: 26432
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 . . . you adopt a French accent: "Ah wude lahk to go to ze 'otel, plise!"

 

Opera is multimedia -- watch it on DVD/Blu-Ray, posted on June 1, 2015 at 09:00:27
Feanor
Audiophile

Posts: 9853
Location: London, Ontario
Joined: June 17, 2003
Contributor
  Since: March 12, 2004
 I don't enjoy music-only opera unless I'm very familiar with the particular opera.

John Marks suggestions are excellent BTW.



Dmitri Shostakovich

 

RE: A Guide to Opera for beginner? , posted on June 5, 2015 at 06:14:47
layman
Audiophile

Posts: 559
Location: Washington, D.C.
Joined: August 8, 2007
 I have come across several books called "Opera for Beginners" or "Opera for Dummies." Check Amazon.

If you are looking for a beginners Opera, try "Carmen." It's very accessible, everyone knows the story, and the music is beautiful (and timeless). It has earned its status as "Most Famous Opera of All."

 

Met streaming & other options, posted on June 5, 2015 at 09:04:33
Bill Way
Audiophile

Posts: 1884
Location: Toms River NJ
Joined: May 28, 2012
Contributor
  Since: December 14, 2012
 Go to metopera.org and click on watch & listen. They have over 500 recordings of opera perfs available to stream. A few are audio-only; most are vids. They charge $4 or $5 for 30-day access to each recording, or $150 for a year's access to everything.

During the season, the Met's HD broadcasts to movie theaters is great.

Nothing matches being in the house for a live perf.

Opera is addicting for a reason; go find out.

Cheers,
WW
"Put on your high heeled sneakers. Baby, we''re goin'' out tonight.

 

RE: A Guide to Opera for beginner? , posted on June 5, 2015 at 13:51:48
JefferyK
 Buy this: It's opera, it's Italian, it's live, it's Corelli, it's Price, it will blow your mind, and it is about $20 new with shipping. Includes Italian libretto with English translation.




 

RE: A Guide to Opera for beginner? , posted on June 5, 2015 at 15:02:32
DeeCee
Audiophile

Posts: 769
Joined: July 6, 2001
 It's a lot easier to watch than to listen; someone suggested checking the Met for viewing and I agree... I saw Pagliacci on TV (subtitled) and was blown away! Cool story and moved by its power. Later I bought a CD of it (although I rarely listen to classical music).

Happy Listening,
DeeCee

 

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