I
went to this event the other night and learned a few things. The event was a concert of operatic
proportions featuring performances by Minnesota Opera Resident
Artists. Long story short, this event was a chance for library goers
to understand and learn about Opera. The introduction told by
the director contained what opera entails, including the fact
that opera, in its plainest sense, is a story told in music from either a
book or a play. Most operas include love scenes, a soprano is in
love with a tenor or vice versa, often times the soprano dies in the end, or
the tenor dies, or all the characters die. Most operas are
energetically filled with life and love.
The audience
was told they could ask the singers and opera coordinators open ended
questions. That being said, these were
the questions
What was your
first opera experience? A keyboard player who is also an Italian conductor
for the Minnesota opera told a touching story of how his early days of opera
enjoyment came when he listened to an album of a four hour long opera as a
child and was immediately amazed by it, and from then on would continue to
try to translate long operas in languages like German and Russian, he said he
took on the hard operas first.
What is your
favorite book? One such tenor commented "History of
Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson. The
audience was told they could ask the singers open ended questions that could
apply to all the performers.
How long does
it take to prepare for an opera performance? approximately 3-9 including
three weeks on stage getting into character and rehearsing followed by a
transition to the actual theatre for stage effects and occasionally for bigger
performances like Grapes of Wrath it may take an additional three weeks to
rehearse.
Overall
the performance was incredible and free, an opportunity for the community to
enjoy the opera in their own setting.
