For his birthday, my husband scored us ridiculously reasonable tickets, in good seats, to Beethoven’s opera Fidelio.  We know that we are in the minority among those our age, taking birthday cash and heading to the opera, but we like it that way.  Fidelio has neither the same floating lyricism of Mozart nor the monstrous proportions of Wagner; it holds a unique place in the history of Western music as Beethoven’s only completed opera.

Most people do not know a lot about opera, have not seen many operas, perhaps not even a single opera.  They do not enjoy opera, or so they think.  Actually, most people probably have seen opera and enjoyed it, because musicals – think Fiddler on the Roof or Les Miserables – are a major form of opera, but that’s for another post!  And another good reason to look into Unit 13 of Discovering Music – what you learn may surprise you!

But why does opera seem so inaccessible?

One protest people have, if they’re honest, is that they don’t care for the operatic style of singing.  And while it might be an acquired taste, it’s worth acquiring.  The sheer physical feat of singing a part in an opera inspires wonder.  I marveled, sitting in that concert hall, that the soloists were filling the hall with sound – the sound of their own voice – without any amplification technology whatsoever.  And in some cases, their voices came to us over the sound of the 50-plus-piece orchestra, perhaps even over the sound of the orchestra and the chorus.  Admittedly, the famous opera houses were constructed with engineering and acoustics to aid them in their efforts, but it is an amazing display of virtuosity nonetheless.

That said, I would much rather watch opera than listen to it.  This is not surprising, since opera is staged drama and was meant to be seen, not just heard.  The very word opera comes from the Latin word opus, meaning “work” – a staged theatrical work.  Opera contains all the arts at once: visual, musical, dramatic, kinetic and poetic.  Removing one of those pieces from the rest inevitably strips the art form of its full impact.  Unfortunately, a lot of people merely hear opera before they see it, and based on merely hearing it, they decide it’s just not for them.

Which brings me to my second reflection: seeing a fully staged performance of an opera is preferable to a “concert” performance.  As we settled into our seats, we didn’t realize just how eagerly we were awaiting that moment when the curtain would lift, revealing the set, transporting us instantly to some other place, some other time, setting us up for the story.  That moment never came.  We didn’t know it, but we were attending a “semi-staged concert presentation.”  The music was amazing, the performers were outstanding, but it just wasn’t fully opera.

You may be thinking, “Take them to the opera?  Seriously?  How much will that cost?”  Don’t despair; kids can easily and cheaply experience outstanding fully staged performances of opera.  Recorded performances of many operas are available through the library (don’t overlook interlibrary loan); we recently watched Giuseppi Verdi’s Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar) on DVD.  It was amazing: the costumes, the set, the story, the singing, the music.  There’s also the Internet.  I have a friend who has her kids watch various live performances on YouTube during lunch.  They recently amazed a visitor by asking, “Mom, can we please finish watching The Magic Flute?  Whatever you do, don’t write off opera because that opera solo track on the “various classical music” CD does not thrill – yet.

I’m hoping some birthday cash can buy us tickets to a fully-staged version of Fidelio – perhaps even in Germany or Austria!  Which will probably have to wait until the youngest is in college.