I went to the opera of La Boheme in our Krannert Center today. I don't have a classical music education, but there is something about opera that gets me. The direct exposure to the music that comes not from a man-made instrument, but from flesh and blood. This was actually my second experience of a live opera. The other one was Oedipus a couple of years ago. Although the performers of Oedipus were well known, and La Boheme was produced by the theather department in UIUC, but I liked it better.The pick of the show for me was in the first act when Rodolfo was telling Mimi of his love for her and she would reply back, all happening under the gentle mist of the moonlight. As their voices went higher and higher I could feel something building in me, like a fire ball of passion that would expands till the point that it wanted to burst out of me, like a crazy flow in my blood vessels that would rise up each second with the music.
What an amazing feeling. What a wonderful performance.
-An economic footnote: Did you know that in 18-19th century the word "Consumption" was used to refer to Tuberculosis!
-A technical footnote: The opera had real time English super-titles. It was much more convinient than looking into booklets as we had to do in Oedipus.
7 comments:
Salam Jeer Jan:
I am so glad you enjoyed the opera. Thank God for supertitles! Did you know that an Iranian invented supertitles? I'm not kidding! His name is Lotfi Mansouri, and he was Director of Canadian Opera Company in Toronto and then Director of San Francisco Opera for a number of years, until he retired. Take a look at his website here:
http://www.lotfimansouri.com/biography/index.html
and look at Wikipedia to see about his invention of supertitles here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotfi_Mansouri
I hope you are enjoying your weekend my sweet and intelligent friend. I do miss you very much.
Nice Blog :)
hey!
So nice to see you enjoying Operas!
I'm still wishing for attending a real Opera! Up to now, I have always had the chance to watch the movies of some Operas, but it still entices me more for being at a real one... :)
I have also had the same experience with the 1 and a half! operas I have seen. One was a prestigious group when we were at Yale. I didn't like that one much, because I couldn't understand what they are saying. There was no translation (neither in book nor on the screen) But the other one was free and performed in open space in the common area of the city. They didn't perform the whole play but only parts. This one was really good. It was translated on big screens and it had hints of comedy underneath the apparent tragic story (I think there is a name for that which I don't remember)
I never got opera, not yet ... some times i enjoy it in the middle of a movie (Philadelphia , madame butterfly) ... but otherwise i am hopeless (well, i liked bizet's carmen, but still the main thing was music not singing!)
Smart idea our Mr Mansoori implemented; thanks for the info Nazy Jan.
Lmira Janam, someday you'll go to an opera, i pray someday soon:)
Roya Jan, yes although the singers were grad students but they really had put all they had in there. The result was impressive.
And finally Reza Jan, it's time you went to an opera my friend, it is time!
wow we're totally synched!!
I went to watch Rigoletto last saturday in Calgary... and it was wonderful. Fully agree with you about the wonder of the uhman voice.
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