Friday, April 22, 2005
Loud Gesturing
As an early birthday present, the mater familias is sending us to Lincoln Center this weekend
for a performance of the opera "Carmen". My mother is an opera nut. Repeated attendance at the same opera performace is de rigeur. When she describes the story behind the singing, it's not too long in her rendering that she starts to speak much quicker and that the tears start flowing. She doesn't speak or understand German, Italian, or French. She tends not to read the superimposed English translations either. It's the emotion of the singing and the performers' acting skills that get her full attention.
I have let hints from her about going to an opera go over my head. Emergency wisdom teeth operations had always come up the on the same dates as an opera she had suggested. I think she caught on after my tenth wisdom tooth
needed to be pulled, but she never let on. Personally, I never wanted to shell out that kind of money for a performance. Cost benefit analysis always resulted in my attending a jazz or rock and roll performance.
The last time I'd gone to (what was generously termed) an opera, the singers were belting out the arias in Croatian. The title, loosely translated was "A Hedgehog comes before the Judge". Catchy title, no? I forgot what the gist of the story was. The only thing I remember, aside from the ear-numbing sound of the singing, was that the main character in no perceptible way resembled a hedgehog. He looked more like a rotund baker. Since the singing was not understandable, which, I guess, qualified it as a legitimate opera, and the acting was statue-like, I was hoping that the costumes would carry me through the 2 1/2 hour performance. Luckily, a friend accompanied me and he was more than happy to poke me with his car keys whenever he decided I was dozing off. The yips and yelps I let out when prodded were not appreciated by my fellow audience members. Something about a lack of respect for the art.
My ever-loving wife, quite a bit more aware of this opera thing, assures me that "Carmen" is the opera to go to if you're not fond of operas. I asked her if there would be any hedgehogs making surprise appearances in this performance. She assured me that no rodents of the four legged variety would be on stage. I'll be keeping the car keys in my pocket. Slapping me with the program will be less painful.
As an early birthday present, the mater familias is sending us to Lincoln Center this weekend
for a performance of the opera "Carmen". My mother is an opera nut. Repeated attendance at the same opera performace is de rigeur. When she describes the story behind the singing, it's not too long in her rendering that she starts to speak much quicker and that the tears start flowing. She doesn't speak or understand German, Italian, or French. She tends not to read the superimposed English translations either. It's the emotion of the singing and the performers' acting skills that get her full attention.I have let hints from her about going to an opera go over my head. Emergency wisdom teeth operations had always come up the on the same dates as an opera she had suggested. I think she caught on after my tenth wisdom tooth
needed to be pulled, but she never let on. Personally, I never wanted to shell out that kind of money for a performance. Cost benefit analysis always resulted in my attending a jazz or rock and roll performance.The last time I'd gone to (what was generously termed) an opera, the singers were belting out the arias in Croatian. The title, loosely translated was "A Hedgehog comes before the Judge". Catchy title, no? I forgot what the gist of the story was. The only thing I remember, aside from the ear-numbing sound of the singing, was that the main character in no perceptible way resembled a hedgehog. He looked more like a rotund baker. Since the singing was not understandable, which, I guess, qualified it as a legitimate opera, and the acting was statue-like, I was hoping that the costumes would carry me through the 2 1/2 hour performance. Luckily, a friend accompanied me and he was more than happy to poke me with his car keys whenever he decided I was dozing off. The yips and yelps I let out when prodded were not appreciated by my fellow audience members. Something about a lack of respect for the art.
My ever-loving wife, quite a bit more aware of this opera thing, assures me that "Carmen" is the opera to go to if you're not fond of operas. I asked her if there would be any hedgehogs making surprise appearances in this performance. She assured me that no rodents of the four legged variety would be on stage. I'll be keeping the car keys in my pocket. Slapping me with the program will be less painful.
Comments:
<< Home Verging on Pertinence Just some more disposable thoughts clogging up the hinterlands
I enjoy listening to Opera when I'm doing household chores, makes all the elbow grease bearable somehow, but the only opera I have ever actually wanted to see performed is Viv Stanshall's "Stinkfoot" - very little chance of that ever happening, tho', unfortunately.
# opined by 
: 2:03 PM, April 22, 2005
: 2:03 PM, April 22, 2005
"Household chores"?! Yikes - that's when the heavy metal comes out (though now that I think of it, opera isn't that far removed...)
"Stinkfoot", "Hedgehogs" - those are operas I'd pay to see!
"Stinkfoot", "Hedgehogs" - those are operas I'd pay to see!
Dare anyone to follow with a "heavy ladies" pun.
Hmmm. Given a choice between waily incoherent jazz on the one hand, and and waily incoherent Mimi's on the other, I shudder to think which one I'd pick?
Fortunately, you're going to see Carmen.
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Hmmm. Given a choice between waily incoherent jazz on the one hand, and and waily incoherent Mimi's on the other, I shudder to think which one I'd pick?
Fortunately, you're going to see Carmen.
<< Home Verging on Pertinence Just some more disposable thoughts clogging up the hinterlands
