Mrs Wood and I went to see Madame Butterfly at the London Colisuem this weekend.  We had great seats, champagne in the interval and of course the theatre itself is incredible.  I'd not been to an Opera before so was really looking forward to the show with the promise of fine music, singing and stagecraft.
 
Apologies to Puccini fans, but I came away disappointed, so wonder if I'm missing something key here?  Compared to symphonic music, the score itself was entirely unmemorable - few melodic pieces, a lack of dynamic range, and only two sections that made me lean forward with any interest.  The soprano was good, the tenors merely ok when you could hear them above the drone of the orchestra.
 
And what really killed it for me was the veneer thin plot, and above all the completely immersion breaking lyrics that I can't help feeling might have embarrassed a 7-year old's Nativity play.  That sounds harsh, but sitting there listen to two men singing "Would you like another Whisky?", "Yes, I think I will" is absurd.  The two genuinely good moments were Butterfly's solo (which is the piece everyone knows - even the man two rows behind me who started humming!), and a short section near the end when both tenors and Suzuki have a three-way counterpoint.
 
I'd like to go again - but can anyone here advise me on something that's a little...er..better?  I'm not necessarily after The Ring, but a decent plot and some inspirational music would help.
 
 

Le Mis?

bapu
Le Mis?

I'm after a more classical opera if possible.  But your comment did get me thinking that maybe what I saw is the 'style' of opera anyway.  I think I shall browse through popular music streaming sites and see - there's 300+ years of the genre to choose from!

Wood67
Mrs Wood and I went to see Madame Butterfly at the London Colisuem this weekend.  We had great seats, champagne in the interval and of course the theatre itself is incredible.  I'd not been to an Opera before so was really looking forward to the show with the promise of fine music, singing and stagecraft.
 
Apologies to Puccini fans, but I came away disappointed, so wonder if I'm missing something key here?  Compared to symphonic music, the score itself was entirely unmemorable - few melodic pieces, a lack of dynamic range, and only two sections that made me lean forward with any interest.  The soprano was good, the tenors merely ok when you could hear them above the drone of the orchestra.
 
And what really killed it for me was the veneer thin plot, and above all the completely immersion breaking lyrics that I can't help feeling might have embarrassed a 7-year old's Nativity play.  That sounds harsh, but sitting there listen to two men singing "Would you like another Whisky?", "Yes, I think I will" is absurd.  The two genuinely good moments were Butterfly's solo (which is the piece everyone knows - even the man two rows behind me who started humming!), and a short section near the end when both tenors and Suzuki have a three-way counterpoint.
 
I'd like to go again - but can anyone here advise me on something that's a little...er..better?  I'm not necessarily after The Ring, but a decent plot and some inspirational music would help.
 
 

You write about opera like Larry Crane writes about a piece of recording equipment!  :D:D

eph221
 
You write about opera like Larry Crane writes about a piece of recording equipment!  :D:D

Ah, sorry about that.  Once a Tape Op...  :)
 
In all honesty, I'd put off going to the Opera for years because I always preferred instrumental and was worried that the content of the singing would jar.  Which unfortunately it did.  I'm also thinking that it was a slight mistake to see it at the English National Opera as they always translate to English.  Perhaps in Italian, with English sur-titles would have been better. "Voresti un whisky" already scans, and rhymes, better!

Larry Crane is a savant and I really enjoy reading his stuff.  It's all good.  Everyone has their own unique trip with music.  I've always had sort of a poetic relationship while some people have a more concrete, scientific relationship.  It's all a really interesting universe to me.  I've always envied folks that have such a grasp on things that everything's tinged with a little nudge of humor.  :D:D
 
I'll NEVER forget going to hear my composition teacher and his WIFE perform Pierrot Lunaire while I was high.  Absolutely hilarious!
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsIATAaR-X0
 

bapu
Le Mis?

Gosh, I wish they had video'd "The Damnation of Faust" directed by Terry Gilliam in London ... that would have been an opera worth seeing, just for the ... everything and the kitchen sink in it ... but as far as opera on the stage these days, there are very few operas I would bother trying to see, but conventional poop is not on my agenda, and seeing even The Met ... redo the same crap over and over ... is pathetic and a sure way to kill the art form.
 
Even Franco Zeffirelli tried to direct a few of them, and you can see the movielike version ... and they did not make it ... but even one of those on the stage would be far more entertaining ... but if you get totally bored ... sit down with a video called "NOT MOZART" ... and be prepared to be shocked by insanity ... and I would imagine would be something that would help bring people to the theaters again, but cold day in hell that the Met, or London or anywhere else would ever consider it. Heck, I would like to ask Peter Greenaway to direct an opera. That ought to shake some cobwebs! 
 
Btw, with today's recording abilities and staging sound situations, an orchestra drowning out a voice is not appropriate and it would make for a bad show ... and if those fools that put it together did not replace the conductor and 25 musicians with 2 synthesizers, they screwed up, because a good mix would have made the whole thing even better heard and understood. MB is not one of Puccini's better opera's in my book. Turandot and Tosca are the ones to see, but Turandot would take a movie behind it, or casts of hundreds and too expensive, and the only version of Tosca worth seeing was my copyright'd movie version that I gave a portion of to Peter Mark of the Virginia Opera (emeritus now) and he did not have the courage to try it, then, and today, it would be a nice way to help get people back into the theaters.
 
I've also sent a copy of that to a couple of places in London, and there was no response ... but I guarantee you that if I do it, it will be Peter Brook all over again, and I will blend film and stage to knock people's imaginations and sock's off.
 
Just tired of Hollywood ... make belief that so much of this cheap theater crap continues doing. It's almost an insult ... they might even try Peter Hammill's The House of Usher ... but noooooo ... do a cheesy version of yet another opera no one cares to listen to anymore.
 
Bad artists and folks that "never made it", and continue to think they are the masters of the arts. More like masters of crap!

Moshkito

bapu
Le Mis?

Gosh, I wish they had video'd "The Damnation of Faust" directed by Terry Gilliam in London ... that would have been an opera worth seeing, just for the ... everything and the kitchen sink in it ... but as far as opera on the stage these days, there are very few operas I would bother trying to see, but conventional poop is not on my agenda, and seeing even The Met ... redo the same crap over and over ... is pathetic and a sure way to kill the art form.
 
Even Franco Zeffirelli tried to direct a few of them, and you can see the movielike version ... and they did not make it ... but even one of those on the stage would be far more entertaining ... but if you get totally bored ... sit down with a video called "NOT MOZART" ... and be prepared to be shocked by insanity ... and I would imagine would be something that would help bring people to the theaters again, but cold day in hell that the Met, or London or anywhere else would ever consider it. Heck, I would like to ask Peter Greenaway to direct an opera. That ought to shake some cobwebs! 
 
Btw, with today's recording abilities and staging sound situations, an orchestra drowning out a voice is not appropriate and it would make for a bad show ... and if those fools that put it together did not replace the conductor and 25 musicians with 2 synthesizers, they screwed up, because a good mix would have made the whole thing even better heard and understood. MB is not one of Puccini's better opera's in my book. Turandot and Tosca are the ones to see, but Turandot would take a movie behind it, or casts of hundreds and too expensive, and the only version of Tosca worth seeing was my copyright'd movie version that I gave a portion of to Peter Mark of the Virginia Opera (emeritus now) and he did not have the courage to try it, then, and today, it would be a nice way to help get people back into the theaters.
 
I've also sent a copy of that to a couple of places in London, and there was no response ... but I guarantee you that if I do it, it will be Peter Brook all over again, and I will blend film and stage to knock people's imaginations and sock's off.
 
Just tired of Hollywood ... make belief that so much of this cheap theater crap continues doing. It's almost an insult ... they might even try Peter Hammill's The House of Usher ... but noooooo ... do a cheesy version of yet another opera no one cares to listen to anymore.
 
Bad artists and folks that "never made it", and continue to think they are the masters of the arts. More like masters of crap!

...and I thought I hated opera. ;)
 
But seriously, except for parts of Figaro being used in movies the only operas I 'know' were written by PDQ Bach.

I've seen opera once and thought it was great. What I'd really like is a collection of all the classic aria's. For me the opera is like flying in an airplane. Mostly boring but there are a couple times in the experience where your interest is piqued. 

i don't understand opera but there is a piece I have always loved from the first time I heard it from the driving miss daisy movie: rusalka's song to the moon by Dvorak  https://youtu.be/mzywCB32zK8