Italian Arias
Last night at a local service organization's awards banquet, I was treated to four Italian arias by a local music professor. She sang acapella, had a wonderful voice, great expression, and did the gracious thing by telling her audience the words in English before launching off into the aria. I watched folks around the room nodding appreciatively as some even mumbled the words in English as she sang them.
What a talent!
What a voice!
What a treat!
Okay, I won't keep shovelling it because those folks who know me also know that my opinion of opera is rather low. Frankly, I don't understand it. No, I don't understand people wanting to sit through a couple of hours of slow moving melodramatic acting while opera singers assault the eardrums of innocent cockroaches*. Really, if we wanted to listen to music in a foreign language, wouldn't it make more sense to turn on your radio and find a Tejano or Rap station? At least you could punch the buttons every so often and get a breath of live giving classic rock or Celtic music, saving yourself from hours of tedious musical flagellation.
I do appreciate the talent it takes to sing opera. I appreciate the intricacies of mastering Italian, French, German, or whatever language the opera is being sung in. Maybe what I don't appreciate or should I say "can't appreciate" is the idea listening to such caterwauling is considered being cultured. Yeah, call me a Bubba because, yes, I would much rather listen to music I understand, watch plays that have an interesting plot and enjoy witty dialogue. Egads, I am practically a libertine. Perhaps deep down I am really just jealous of those who can understand and enjoy a good Italian aria... nah.
Now excuse me as I purge my soul with a dose of Lynard Skynard.
* Do cockroaches have eardrums? Are there really innocent cockroaches? Questions to ponder in another post.
What a talent!
What a voice!
What a treat!
Okay, I won't keep shovelling it because those folks who know me also know that my opinion of opera is rather low. Frankly, I don't understand it. No, I don't understand people wanting to sit through a couple of hours of slow moving melodramatic acting while opera singers assault the eardrums of innocent cockroaches*. Really, if we wanted to listen to music in a foreign language, wouldn't it make more sense to turn on your radio and find a Tejano or Rap station? At least you could punch the buttons every so often and get a breath of live giving classic rock or Celtic music, saving yourself from hours of tedious musical flagellation.
I do appreciate the talent it takes to sing opera. I appreciate the intricacies of mastering Italian, French, German, or whatever language the opera is being sung in. Maybe what I don't appreciate or should I say "can't appreciate" is the idea listening to such caterwauling is considered being cultured. Yeah, call me a Bubba because, yes, I would much rather listen to music I understand, watch plays that have an interesting plot and enjoy witty dialogue. Egads, I am practically a libertine. Perhaps deep down I am really just jealous of those who can understand and enjoy a good Italian aria... nah.
Now excuse me as I purge my soul with a dose of Lynard Skynard.
* Do cockroaches have eardrums? Are there really innocent cockroaches? Questions to ponder in another post.
posted by Frustrated Writer | 4:37 AM
6 Comments:
Oh you Bubba, you!
Some people would have you believe that, if cockroaches had eardrums, they would die listening to opera.
I'm not one of those people by nature, but I just thought I would point that out. =)
I enjoy having opera on in the background, but not as the focal piece for the moment I'm in.
Id have to say that Deep Purple scores just as high as opera in the music department. Ritchie Blackmore is no Pavarotti, but hes more interesting and less corpulent.
I've always thought it would be fun to hold a dinner party with all guests in attendance being opera singers, and require that all conversation be held in song. I suppose this could work with Italian aria-belters too.
T'would be terrible on the ears, but oh what entertainment!
Actually, I have done that. Had the dinner party where all conversation is in Opera. It was kind of fun, once we got over the self consciousness of it, but it didn't really work like I thought it would. It started sounding like a 50's musical. Say, seven brides for seven brothers, that sort of thing.
After about an hour, we mutually called it quits, and put on a couple of records. As I recall, we played Skynard. No really!
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