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Jan. 3, 2010 The other day I saw a TV commercial for a financial organization which used an operatic parody to promote itself. It showed a group of chubby people dressed up in pseudo Viking costumes singing a catchy melody about what this firm can do for you financially. So what?, you might ask. Well, I've been a passionate opera fan for more than 40 years, since I was a teenager. Commercials like this do nothing but stereotype a great art form which has been in existence since the early 17th century, and give people the misleading idea that opera is nothing but a joke. But opera is no joke, even though there are some very funny comic operas. It's a magnificent combination of music, drama, scenery and costumes which has been thrilling audiences all over the world for centuries. It has inspired so many great composers to write some of their most magnificent music; giants such as Mozart,Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Richard Strauss and Benjamin Britten, to name only a handful. It's an incredibly potent combination of music and drama which creates a synergism between the two. And if you have never attended an opera performance, or seen one on DVD, PBS telecasts or HD in movie theaters, you'll learn that the real experience of opera is mothing like the stereotypes of it. Instead, you'll see stories of all kinds of people; kings. queens, aristocrats, peasants, soldiers, politicians, priests, etc, virtually any kind of story. Opera is about life. And you won't see any one in the kind of ridiculous pseudo Viking costumes of opera spoofs, but people wearing the clothes of virtually anywhere or anytime in world history, even modern day dress. For example, Verdi's Aida takes place in ancient Egypt; Bizet's Carmen is set among Spanish Gypsies, bullfighters and soldiers, Puccini's La Boheme takes place in 19th century Paris, and Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana is the story of Sicilian peasants. Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky is a story about a Russian Tsar who actually existed. Opera deals with the same things that concern us all- love,hate, jealousy, revenge, rivalry, murder, treachery, intrigue, cruelty, kindness, sacrifice, courage, cowardice, political ambition, religious conflict, you name it. And while there are and have been some decidedly overweight opera singers, they come in all sizes and shapes, ranging from very tall to petite and from chubby to supermodel gorgeous. The late, great Italian tenor Franco Corelli was so handsome and athletic-looking that women opera fans not only loved his voice but swooned over him. Today, we have female opera starts such as Anna Netrebko, Renee Fleming, and others who are drop-dead gorgeous! Angelina Jolie has nothing on them in sex appeal. You won't laugh when you today's great opera singers perform; you'll not only marvel at their gorgeous voices but their acting ability.
So if you have never experienced the joys of opera, now is your time to get to know it. Check you local movie theaters for HD performances from the Metropolitan opera and get DVDs of operas, which are so easy to obtain at amazon.com, arkivmusic.com and elsewhere on the internet.
And you can google the many websites devoted to opera. What are you waiting for?
A former free lance French hornist who has performed with numerous orchestras, opera companies, concert bands and chamber music ensembles. Also a former substitute music teacher at varous public schools. Has served as music critic for student newspapers at Queens college and Hofstra university and currently involved in music appreciation programs for people with diabilities and the elderly and infirm. Has performed in Italwy, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa.
Classical music blog The Horn, at blogiversity.org. Discusses all aspects of classical music, orchestral, operatic, chamber music etc, music history, theory, current events, composers, conductors, instrumentalists, singers etc, and much more.
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