Through my explanations of art forms, opera still seems the most mysterious to me. To be fair, the closest I come to listening to opera for pleasure are the mid 70's Queen albums. I have tried to understand and listen to it when possible but it still puts me off a little bit. Do they really have to sing every word? Having to read what's actually happening on the subtitles also lessens the blow of the performance in my mind. Nonetheless, the artistry and talent of opera singers is never lost on me. I can hold a note pretty well but I couldn't last 5 seconds in an opera. La Boheme happens to be one of the most famous operas of all time! It was written by Giacomo Puccini and made its debut in Italy in 1896. The story, in true operatic fashion, tells the tale of a groups of friends who fall in and out of love under the lights of 1830's Paris. Rodolfo and Mimi have fallen in love but he is haunted by his old flame, Musetta. Mimi becomes sick but ultimately it's that appearance of fate that brings everyone closer together. Since its debut, the opera has been performed by thousands of companies all over the world. This time, it was performed by the Wolf Trap Opera, a summer program that serves to teach opera singers looking to start a career while performing iconic operas like La Boheme!
The opera truly was fantastic...just not my cup of tea. The NSO provided a wonderful music accompaniment and I honestly wished I could've appreciated the performance more! I thought the singing was incredible and they really conveyed the emotions of the characters well. The acting may have been a bit over the top but that's what opera is I guess! All the patrons seemed to like it and the house was practically sold out. A very easy show and the weather was super nice!
My favorite part of the show was when the main characters where in the market surrounded by all the hustle and bustle of shoppers and children. There were tons of people on stage and it really filled up the whole theater!
As always, looking forward to more shows in the future!
DC
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