Surprisingly enjoyable opera-marathon

[misslynx]

Today I went with my dad to see a live HD broadcast of the NY Metropolitan Opera Company doing Götterdämmerung (the final installment of Wagner's Ring Cycle) in a movie theatre - that is, it was being performed live in NYC and simultaneously broadcast into various theatres in other cities, so it was kind of like seeing it live at one remove

Comments

[sabotabby]

Haha, you should. That's why I love Götterdämmerung. The music is so brilliant, and the story-is like every story in opera, really, but on steroids.

[rackle]

I sometimes go to the Met broadcasts with my mum, and occasionally even see a live opera. Being close to at least two opera fans, I want to appreciate the art form on its own terms, and in my limited experience so far (starting with 'Turandot' in the '80s, through several well-known classics over the years, up to 'Tosca' at the CoC last Thursday) I have been enthralled by powerful music, virtuoso performances and spectacular sets. But I don't really connect with the characters and story, though I'm often intrigued by historical aspects. During 'Tosca' I thought, "Opera is emotionally voluminous and deals in grand gestures, and I prefer the depth and nuance of literary and cinematic forms, of being closer to characters as they develop and move through their stories." So while I can appreciate opera, mostly through the delight of those I'm seeing it with and sometimes by being caught up in the music, I'm not likely to ever share the enthusiasm full on.