Still Worked Up About Opera

STORY

Since I'm an instrumental musician, I always had a "that's nice" view of the opera. The music is fun to play sometimes, but can also be boring. Plus, the orchestra is paid to make their individual personalities subservient to the master plan (the director). We're down in the dark, wearing black, names in the program somewhere.

The vocalists are paid to have attitudes. They're performing characters, and if they aren't engaging to the audience, the audience won't connect to the opera. Not only that, but opera has faded as a popular entertainment from when Caruso had a much-listened to radio hour. So it warms my heart a little bit to hear about audiences who still get passionate about opera.

The news story is slightly thin on details, and there's no indication of why the lead tenor was booed offstage. The theatre manager released a statement which spreads the blame around.

But there's something funny to me about a performance of Aida, which is the "spectacle opera" to end all spectacle operas, being performed by a guy in jeans.

I also think it's funny that nowhere in the article is Verdi, the original composer, mentioned. I guess anyone who reads a story about Italian opera KNOWS it's not the Disney/Elton John version.