Hey everyone,
Guess where I went this weekend? to the Opera!
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| The Met at Night |
My Thomas Hunter Seminar next semester is on Don Juan in literature, so the professor recommended we go to the opera. I didn' t think it would be possible, but I ended up going to see Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera! And it was amazingggg. The music was beautiful, and the show is not only intriguing, but funny.
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| Chandeliers inside the Met |
But the operas really had an impact on me. I had watched an opera, La Bohéme, in my high school music history class, and to be honest, I wasn't crazy about it. It was a tragic love story, and it wasn't really something I could relate to. When my class went to the Threepenny Opera, I was expecting more of the same. I was pleasantly surprised! The Threepenny Opera is written by Bertholdt Brecht, who made drastic changes to the experience of going to a show. Up until his time, shows had to completely draw you in and make you forget that they were a show, that they weren't real. However, Brecht did something different--his characters would make comments to remind you that you were watching a show (if you want an example, look up the Muppets. I'm not kidding, we even watched some clips in class to understand what this effect is!). The show was great. I can't describe the whole show here; I would take forever! But I encourage you to watch it or, if you ever get the chance, to go see it. It will change how you look at operas, and shows in general.
The next opera we went to, Faust, at the Metropolitan Opera, was different. If you've ever heard of the expression "he/she sold their soul to the devil" ("O Brother, Where Art Thou", anyone?), you've heard of Faust's plot--Faust sells his soul to Mephistopheles in order to gain immortal life. It's a tragic story with a much more serious and reverent tone than the Threepenny Opera, but its definitely a good one. It brings up many questions of good and evil, and of humanity trying to conquer things we can't control. I even wrote my final paper on different interpretations of the Faust story (he was actually a real person).
Don Giovanni was about a womanizing noble, Don Giovanni (or Don Juan), who is pursuing a young, just married woman, while being chased by a woman he has just deserted. He is always accompanied by Leporello, who always runs interference for Don Giovanni to distract the young woman's husband or his angry ex-lover. The play begins with Don Giovanni killing Donna Anna's father in a duel, after which, Donna Anna and her fiancé, Don Ottavio, vow to avenge his death. I won't give away the end, but I will mention that there is a scene in which hell opens up, and you can feel the flames (even from the furthest ones, in the Family circle, where we were!). I just can't stop saying this, but it was amazing. The singing was beautiful, and the characters were engaging. They weren't just angry or sad, but they were funny and relatable too. If you do have the opportunity to go, you should (you can even get tickets for $15!).
Oh, and the people sitting behind us were speaking German. And I could understand them--that made me so happy!!! Just figured I'd add that, even though it's totally irrelevant. It just made my night even greater, because all that practice has finally been paying off! I've always felt like no matter how much I read or practiced, I wouldn't be able to understand a native speaker. But I did! Even though I didn't talk to them--still not ready for that.
Anyways, best of luck on your finals! Just one more week =]
G.
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