fergus wrote:I have read this thread with interest and well done to Jared for his efforts. Being relatively new to Opera and still finding myself preferring to listen to it rather than watching it (???) I would like to ask the question whether a poor stage performance would put one off an opera more than a poor musical performance. I have watched a few operas and have not liked about 50% or more of the productions that I have watched and based on Jared's descriptions of many of those above I know that I would not like them either. I accept that this is strange for a genere that is very visual but I do feel that it is holding me back somewhat from progressing in this area.
Thank you Fergus, I don't think my efforts in conveying my feelings have amounted to much compared with Pepe's comments and I really do understand all of your concerns. I genuinely have a real emotional dichotomy when it comes to opera, which I'm going to try and explain in point form. This isn't trying to be self-indulgent, as I'm trying to understand myself where the problems actually lie! All I can say is that I will never be in a position to be able to pass personal comments and criticisms on the genre if I haven't given it a jolly good try, so here goes:
1) Pepe's comment about 'how many times would you sit and watch a DVD' is of course, absolutely right. Fergus, as you know, I have always had a soft spot for World Cinema, when the only way of accessing a film was to buy the DVD. I would watch it twice, then put it on ebay because I knew I wouldn't want to watch it again in a long time, and it would only take up space and collect dust in the mean time. This is one of my overriding concerns about Opera Blu Rays. They are (for me) expensive and would represent considerably less value for money than a 3CD boxset, which is why I have said I'd be happy to lend my BRs to any of my friends on this site... as I know you'd only want to watch them once.
2) So, why have I gone down the Blu Ray route? Well, there are several reasons. Firstly (and I know Pepe is going to slay me for saying this) I have always struggled to listen to opera and frankly, this isn't about to change any time soon. If I was to buy some classical CDs of the human voice, then Requiems, Oratorios, Renaissance and even Lieder would come much further up the list of purchases than an opera because sonically, it is a medium I struggle to understand or get much pleasure out of. Furthermore, the later the date of the opera, the worse the problem becomes. There is no doubt that I find Baroque Opera easier to listen to than anything post-Mozart, so if I am going to try to understand Verdi, then I have to do it through the visual medium.
3) So, I find a Blu-Ray for £12 2nd hand. I don't know how this works in Dublin, but if I was to go down to my local multiplex cinema to watch a new production from the Royal Opera House or Glyndebourne on the big screen, then the tickets are £12, and I get to watch my BR in the comfort of my own home, as many times as want, to familiarise myself with the work. When I sit and watch an Opera, I try to take in the stage set (often absolutely brilliant it has to be said), the direction, acting performances (such as they are) and overall atmosphere of the occasion. When I was younger, I used to love to visit the theatre, especially to see Shakespeare plays, and I guess I'm trying to tap into that same sense of wonderment, when I see the whole package.
4) I will be quite honest with you, it will be a very long time before I buy a CD set of Verdi's Falstaff because by and large I find the music fairly unexceptional and can think of far better ways of spending my money. That said, I already knew the basic storyline, because it's taken from 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' and as a consequence, I really enjoyed the Operatic version of Falstaff's antics and will no doubt watch it again. The stage set was superb, the way it was brought from 1400 into the 1930's was highly imaginative and for me, well worth the money; it's a keeper. I think both you and Sean were both quite right when you said 'pick your operas carefully' because the enjoyment from the Italian and Russian operas I have seen so far, has hung on the strength of the plot rather than the music. Eugene Onegin for instance has a taut plot, full of suspense and realistic drama, right up to its fine ending, which to me makes it well worth seeing. In it's own way, it's rather a savage indictment on the attitudes of the Russian Aristocracy during the mid 19th century which must have caused ripples in its day and still stands up as a high quality work for today. However, would I want to own a 3 CD set? I simply wouldn't.
5) Now, the baroque opera I have seen so far is wholly the other way around; I really don't know what happened to opera around the time of Mozart!! Handel's Ariodante for instance, is much more pleasurable on the ear, and I can understand why people would prefer to listen to it. It's problem is it's actually rather tedious to watch because the arias are very long (as Pepe rightly says), the story line fairly formulaic, slow paced and in my view uninspired, resulting in a work which is altogether hardly the most exciting 3 1/2 hours you'll ever spend.
These are my initial thoughts on the genre Fergus, but all in all I understand I have a long way to go in trying to do the medium justice. I realise its a terrifically expensive and time consuming medium to produce, which has meant that (in the UK at least) always maintained an air of elitism, meaning that most of us aren't introduced to it when we were young and as a consequence perhaps trying to acquire a taste for something this outlandish when you're in your 40's isn't as easy. I'm trying to remain open minded, understand it from it's cultural and historical context as best I can, and will continue to post a few thoughts every so often, as and when I watch a new one.
