How does one develop an appreciation for Opera?

summation: How does one develop an appreciation for Opera?
Opera: how to appreciate?
I would like a guideline to appreciate opera, besides going to one. And where would be a nice city to live that’s full of classical music, etc? Are we to read about an opera before going? Is knowing the plot/understanding Italin necessary? Tell me what is prerequisite in appreciation of opera. And…don’t forget to recommend some.. And oh, I want to know because others have loved opera and I never really had the knowledge to understand why.
thanks in advance.

Answers and Views:

Answer by killhannahluver46
Stick your Ipod buds in your ears when no one is looking, and crank up tha music! just pretend to like it.

Answer by Gr8 F8
go to opera, but it is real boring, like how to develop taste for whiskey, some do , some don’t

Answer by HappyHeather
The best part of this question is that you are expressing an interest in how to appreciate opera, rather than how to block it out and pretend to be enjoying yourself. Depending on where you live, you may be in a great place to enjoy an opera without traveling too far. Bigger cities, such as Chicago and New York have amazing opera companies, but with that talent and name come a big price; maybe one that is too steep to convince a first-time opera go-er to try it out. Good opera can be found in mid-size cities, as well. I live in GA, and the Atlanta Opera is quite good, for example. Most cities with a decent size semi-professional orchestra will also have some form of opera, maybe with a short season.
As far as reading about it first, and/or understanding the language, thankfully, any opera worth going to will have a program and super-titles. If you get to an opera a few minutes early, you should have time to get comfortable in your seat and flip through the program. Somewhere in there with the cast members and the orchestra, you should find a synopsis of the opera. Reading this beforehand will help you get an understanding of what you’re about to see. During the opera, there will be a small screen at the top of the stage, and as the singers perform, the translation will appear overhead in the form of super-titles.
All of this, of course, is assuming you are attending an opera live. It is also quite possible to have a very enjoyable (and less expensive) experience watching a DVD or listening to a CD, both of which should be available from your local library, if you can’t convince yourself to make a purchase just yet. These would most likely either have subtitles on screen, or translations in the liner notes of an audio CD.
Other than that, there are no prerequisites to enjoy opera, other than an open mind. If you really want to enjoy the orchestra, then bravo! To me that’s the best part. The sets and costumes are generally very beautiful, so enjoy the visual aspect of it. The magic comes when all of that is put together into an amazing production. It’s really no different than watching a movie, just one in a different language. Enjoy the plot, listen to the “soundtrack” and read the subtitles. By the way, there are operas that are in English, such as “Porgy and Bess” by Gershwin, or “Candide” by Bernstein. If you want to try it, go for the classics, such as “The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart, or “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini (which will have familiar music to Bugs Bunny fans), or “La Boheme” by Puccini, which is the same story as the Broadway musical “Rent,” and the movie “Moulin Rouge.”
Hope this helps!

Answer by snide76258
Some other things you can do are to listen to recordings, hopefully with a translation and synopsis, watch operas on DVD (there are lots to choose from) and read books on opera, especially those with plots.

In opera, unlike the movies, most people know the plot ahead of time. Opera can be pretty complex sometimes, but that’s part of the fun! There are plenty of websites with opera libretti (that’s the plural of “libretto” which is the “script” of an opera) as well as synopses.

Opera isn’t for everyone, but those of us who love it can’t live without it! Some of my favorites are Carmen, The Elixir of Love, and almost everything by Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi! Make sure you mix up comedies and tragedies. Not all operas are sad, you know!

Answer by firefly
Start with operas that are performed in English! The Magic Flute is a wonderful, comical, and often-performed opera.
Before you go, read the story of the opera, so you’ll know what is going on. If possible, bring someone with you, who has seen the opera, and have him or her whisper (quietly) about what is going on and what’s about to happen.

I don’t know how large an area you live in, but I live near Washintgon, DC, where everything is available, and CHildren’s operas are WONDERFUL and a terrific way to build appreciation. If you’re at all embarassed, borrow some children to take along with you!

Answer by lovebluenfluff
To me, I came to appreciate opera because I am a classical flute player, and I played some opera overtures when I was in a high school youth orchestra. I personally fell in love with the instrumental music first. If you like music, especially classical music, it might be good for you to find recordings of opera overtures or selections from popular operas. Try Carmen, La Boehme, The Magic Flute, Madame Butterfly.

I don’t think you need to understand the language to understand opera. If you visit NYC, and go to the Metropolitan Opera House, there are translations on the seat in front of you that scroll across, so you can read along in English. You’ll probably find yourself not even reading. If you see opera in person, the music and the staging are supposed to really say what the words are saying anyway.

I do find it helpful to know the basic gist of a plot before I see an opera.

One recommendation I can make- do not see Wagner as your FIRST opera. That’s what I did. Big mistake. Die Meistresinger (sp?) was over five hours long, and I was only 16…yikes.

I do feel also that you need to develop an appreciation of opera, as in any genre of music. I didn’t like a lot of my favorite music the first time I heard it, but the more you hear things, the more details and intricacies you learn to appreciate.

Answer by beconsaw
Begin with familar tuneful operas. I recommend Verdi or Puccini for a start. My First was La Boheme! Melodies that you recognize will help. Also – GO to operas and make sure that you go were there are super-titles – understanding the words and the plot will certainly make it more enjoyable.

Finally, avoid Wagner until you are so in love with opera that you can NO LONGER RESIST the urge to see Wagner. THEN you will LOVE opera for the rest of your days.

Answer by Shawna
I don’t think that I truelly appreciated opera until I was in one myself…but if you aren’t a singer or an instrumentalist, then I’m not sure you can learn to appreciate. I do think that it helps to understand what is going on in the opera…whether it’s in English or not…it might also help if you went to an opera buffa(comic opera) instead of an opera seria (serious opera). The Marriage of Figaro is a good example of an opera buffa. If they’re funny, it’s easier to appreciate it. I don’t necessarily think you have to live in a city that full of classical music. The city I live in is a farming community in Central Oklahoma….population 2,800…believe me, this is not a place where people listen to classical or operatic music. I grew up here and I like opera…so my hometown had nothing to do with it. Just go to a few…don’t decide you don’t like it after just one…it could be that the one you went to wasn’t any good. Another opera buffa is Die Fledermous. I was in it in college and it’s pretty funny. Hope I helped!

Answer by musicaangelica
I didn’t get into opera until I started singing it. But that’s just me. For others, I recommend buying a CD that is a compilation of “Essential Opera” or “Opera for those who think they hate opera”. Something along those lines. I know they are out there. Those CDs are full of well known arias, choruses, etc. I also agree with the person who answered previously and said to start with English. I also recommend you start with light opera. Look around for a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. They are fun! The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, Pirates of Penzance, The Gondoliers are just a few. Be sure to read the full synopsis of each act. It’s often hard to understand the words, even when they are in English. That’s because the singers have to modify vowels to get the best resonance. We have to sing over the orchestra, so we try to get our pronunciation as clear as possible, but sometimes it doesn’t come out just right. And sometimes the music is just really fast!

If you’re ready for a foreign language opera, I recommend sticking to a opera or composer that sounds familiar to you. You don’t want to be stepping into the unknown, after all. That comes later. Once again, read the synopsis that should be listed in the program. If you know what’s going on, then you’ll be able to follow the story. You can almost tell what’s going on, even if you can’t understand the words.

I don’t know where you live, but if there is a university close by with a good opera program, they will probably do a performance of opera scenes at least once or twice a year. This is the very best way to get your feet wet in the world of opera. They will perform scenes from a selected operas, tell you exactly what’s going on, and will most likely do the scene in English. Some will be in their original language, though. Still, it’s one scene, fully explained, and will give you just a taste of opera, not a whole heaping plate full. If there’s not a university close by that does it, check with the nearby opera companies. They might do Opera Scenes as a fund raiser or community outreach. It’s definitely worth checking out!

Finally, check with local opera companies to see if they have a special lecture before or after a performance. Opera companies are all about education outreach and might have a director or professor talking about that particular opera or parts of it. Also, find out which of your local radio station broadcasts the live performances from the Met in New York. That’s a wonderful way to hear the music and have the story explained to you. Then when you actually see that opera later on, you’ll be somewhat familiar with it.

Some of my favorite operas:
The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
Cosi Fan Tutte (Mozart)
The Secret Marriage (Chimarosa)
Die Fledermaus (Strauss)
La Traviata (Verdi)
The Barber of Seville (Rossini)
The Bartered Bride (Smetana)
The Gondoliers (Gilbert & Sullivan)
The Magic Flute (Mozart)
Carmen (Bizet)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (Nicolai)
Lakme (Delibes)
The Tender Land (Copland)