2024, Family, Music, Uncategorized

Early Opera

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Yesterday morning my 6 year old grandson asked his father if he could hear the cat song as we had breakfast. My son explained that somehow my grandson had heard Rossini’s Duetto buffo due gatti, and really liked it. Son played it from his phone onto a speaker, and Grandson started to imitate the singers. It was very fun.

I think this is such a fun song. Grandson has pretty good pitch, I am happy to say. His mother was a vocal major and has a beautiful soprano voice. Son is a very low bass and also sang in college. Our Daughter sang in college, too, and is a low alto.

I don’t remember when I heard my first classical singing or opera. I have never been able to listen to opera on the radio, but I remember my first real opera experience when I was 18 and saw Aida performed in some ruins in Rome. It was a wonderful experience. Daughter’s best friend was one of the leads in The Bartered Bride in grad school. I wish I had more opportunity to hear live opera, but there isn’t a lot in western ND. I hope we can find some more opera music for Grandson to listen to as I am here this week.

How are you and opera? Seen any good performances? What is your favorite opera?

76 thoughts on “Early Opera”

  1. I attended an opera in 1959 in Italy with my parents. I was 9 years old, and cannot remember if I even knew how to dress myself at the time, but I remember the event. It was the Barber of Seville. I kept expecting to see someone getting a haircut, and was confused by the shaving scene, which did not involve an electric razor. I’m sure I was culturally enriched.

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      1. Funiculi Funicula is not from any opera although many famous opera singers have it in their catalog. My Mom sorta mistranslated it as, “Joy is everywhere! Funiculi Funicula ”
        Reminds me of Kamala Harris.

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  4. I’ll admit I’ve never been to an opera, so I don’t have much to base an informed opinion on. I’ve tried listening to it on the radio, but I can’t take it for long. It feels really dramatic and emotional to me, and if I don’t know the story it seems like a waste of emotional energy. I think it would help to go to a fun, light-hearted opera experience to get more exposure. I’m open-minded about it and willing to try.

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    2. i was going to say gilbert and sullivan are about the only ones i can think of or maybe tommy
      opera is based on death usually aroune romantic betrayal and misunderstanding . reminds me of shakespear plots with big voices

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  5. I’ve been to a few, but overall, I’m not a fan. I agree with Bill about operatic voices–especially sopranos in their high register.Very shrill and strident. That said, there is a lot a great music written for opera. I especially like operatic overtures.

    I’ve been to see “Carmen” in Chicagoland, and “Tales of Hoffman” in Duluth. “Carmen” is one of my favorites. Great music (so many memorable arias and the overture). It’s also an opera that you don’t really need the libretto to understand the story (Krista 🙂 )

    Chris in Owatonna

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  7. I sang when I was in Community College. 2 semesters in the concert choir and one in the chamber choir. then transferred to a Bible college and hated the music, so pretty much dropped out of choral stuff. Last week YouTube threw me a video of the Chamber Singers from Eastern Michigan University, and I became enchanted, coming to furiously regret my decision to go to Bible college for YET ONE MORE reason.

    Opera, I’ve never been able to connect, but a chamber chorale, it’s heavenly!

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    1. I loved singing in Manitou Singers at St. Olaf. I completely loved it. The St. Olaf Christmas Festival was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. I’m not particularly religious but the choral music just moves me to tears.

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  8. Rise and Trrrriiiiilllll on, Baboons,

    I have never had much feeling for straight opera, although I enjoy Gilbert and Sullivan no matter what category they occupy. Those shows are quite fun and silly. There is nothing about opera that captured me. The first opera I tended was at the small college I attended for2 years. The performance was quite a disaster, full of miscues and errors. Then after all that, an arch that made up part of the set came crashing down around the singers which put an end to the entire production. Remembering the scene still makes me giggle. Opera is not meant to be performed in a gymnasium.

    So then after declaring my disinterest, I love the piece that follows. It is devastatingly beautiful to me:\

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    1. OT, Lou’s cousin Kevin has been here this week, learning to provide care for Lou. He called us and asked if he could provide respite care for him! I was not about to say NO to that. Today they are out at the State Fair playing in the heat. They rented a mobility cart for Lou. Kevin sent a picture of Lou eating blueberry pancakes for breakfast, looking perfectly happy. I’ll bet that they are home by 2pm this heat being what it is today.

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  11. The college computer doesn’t like me posting to TB.
    I shared a Bugs Bunny link… it’s out in the ethernet somewhere.
    I don’t like most opera’s. The fat lady never sings soon enough. I’m sure i’ve talked about going to the opera movies now though.
    And there are a few modern ones that are a bit more entertaining. I go for the bucket of popcorn, and the recliner, and the scenery, costumes, and lighting. All of which may vary by the production.

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  12. I’m an unabashed opera buff. Not an expert, but I love it.

    I must have been about fifteen when I saw my first opera on TV. It was a black and white broadcast of Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, I have no idea from where, but I was intrigued. After that I’d check out recordings from the library of well known arias from different operas performed by famous opera singers. Maria Callas and Jussi Björling were two favorites. It wasn’t until I saw my first “live” opera at the Bolshoi Theater that I was truly hooked. The pure visual spectacle of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov paired with powerful singing was riveting. I was not familiar with the story, had no idea what was going on, but it made no difference, I loved it. Two other Russian operas that I can’t resist are both by Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin and Queen of Spades, they’re so beautiful and full of drama.

    During the recent pandemic the Metropolitan Opera gave free access to streaming of a lot of their performances, and I took full advantages of that. That’s when I learned that for me understanding the words or the gist of what being sung isn’t necessary or even desirable. The visual and the sounds were sufficient to enthrall me; understanding the words caused my rational mind to be in conflict with what I was seeing and hearing.

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  13. On my bucket list is to attend the entire Wagner Ring Cycle at Beyeruth.
    It’s waaaaay long.
    While working at Minot Air Force Base, PBS broadcasted the operas over an entire week. Watched most all of it. To this day, my workmate and great friend wants to know what happened to Brunhilda.

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  15. my son has an opera but they told him he didnt have the temperament to learn the german and Italian required
    ive been to a fistfull of operas and always enjoyed them
    for me it takes a while to get inside the composers head . i should probably listen to the first half again after the end . by the second half i am with the authors vibe and love it. i had trouble with nixon in China but now live that one too. i love the voices.
    josh groban is what my son reminds me of and while not your typical opera guy i think he is great. the play sweeny todd is a musical bit also an opera
    mighty mouse was my intro. did you ever notice not a single word was spoken but only sang in operatic fashion. i never got over that
    tom hanks in phidelphia made me cry.
    my song sings everything in that monster voice that blows me away
    i like getting seats where i can read the overhead translation at the minnesota opera
    gotta get back to it
    pj introduced me to being a light walker for the minnesota opera before the pandemic
    it was fin to be onstage and see all that then go back to see the performance

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  17. I’ve seen several operettas, but no actual operas. Naughty Marietta, Pirates of Penzance, Madame Butterfly. Probably a couple of others, but that’s what I can think of off the top of my head.

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  18. My mom wanted to be an opera singer, and ended up teaching grade school music. But she joined women’s music clubs where she could perform in small groups, and she had the lead in a Community Theater (Storm Lake IA) production of Carouse.

    I love the arias she would play and practice when I was growing up, but I never “caught the bug” like she did. I’ve enjoyed what opera I’ve occasionally seen, though don’t seek it out. But I LOVE hearing the things I remember her practicing. The one Jacque posted is one. Here’s another – from La Boheme:

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  20. I don’t know opera , but I remember liking a public TV production of Die Fledermaus that was produced aroud 1980 or so. Kiri Te Kanawa.

    tim mentioned Tommy….that was a favorite of mine.

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