La Boheme
Thursday night we went to the opera!
Just the 4 big girls and me.
It was the final dress rehearsal, so the tickets were super-duper cheap, and we got to see a working rehearsal in action. The conductor stopped the performance several times, gave instruction, repeated scenes, and generally kept us fascinated.
The bummer was that Mimi, the star soprano, didn't sing because she had a cold. She was saving her voice for opening night. It was very odd to watch love scenes in which Rodolfo sang his heart out and Mimi only mouthed the words.
(What was even funnier was when we could hear the conductor singing along to keep everyone's place in the music. Her face, his voice. It was hilarious.)
It was sung in Italian, but the theater had tiny screens for each seat on which were shown English translations. Sometimes the music was powerful and soaring and gorgeous, and the singers' voices were powerful, soaring, and gorgeous, too, but the lyrics were mundane. I laughed over and over again and the bizarre juxtaposition of music and meaning.
It's supposed to be tragic, but it was hilarious!
My favorite line? "They call me Mimi. I don't know why."
Perhaps I'm not giving proper operatic respect, but that's just a goofy line, and it still makes me laugh to think about it.
My girls had a blast. Their favorite scene was when the 4 bohemian men are dueling, playing, and dancing in their apartment just before the dying Mimi shows up.
I have to agree--it was a very fun scene.
And as Mimi actually died, then as Rodolfo and the others showed their grief, I teared up a bit.
We left the theater both satisfied and hungry for more opera!
We'll have to do this again (but maybe at a real performance so we're sure to hear everyone sing).
Just the 4 big girls and me.
It was the final dress rehearsal, so the tickets were super-duper cheap, and we got to see a working rehearsal in action. The conductor stopped the performance several times, gave instruction, repeated scenes, and generally kept us fascinated.
The bummer was that Mimi, the star soprano, didn't sing because she had a cold. She was saving her voice for opening night. It was very odd to watch love scenes in which Rodolfo sang his heart out and Mimi only mouthed the words.
(What was even funnier was when we could hear the conductor singing along to keep everyone's place in the music. Her face, his voice. It was hilarious.)
It was sung in Italian, but the theater had tiny screens for each seat on which were shown English translations. Sometimes the music was powerful and soaring and gorgeous, and the singers' voices were powerful, soaring, and gorgeous, too, but the lyrics were mundane. I laughed over and over again and the bizarre juxtaposition of music and meaning.
It's supposed to be tragic, but it was hilarious!
My favorite line? "They call me Mimi. I don't know why."
Perhaps I'm not giving proper operatic respect, but that's just a goofy line, and it still makes me laugh to think about it.
My girls had a blast. Their favorite scene was when the 4 bohemian men are dueling, playing, and dancing in their apartment just before the dying Mimi shows up.
I have to agree--it was a very fun scene.
And as Mimi actually died, then as Rodolfo and the others showed their grief, I teared up a bit.
We left the theater both satisfied and hungry for more opera!
We'll have to do this again (but maybe at a real performance so we're sure to hear everyone sing).
When I was in high school we bought season tickets to the final dress rehearsals for the opera. They are still some of my fondest memories. I want to do take my children this year. Glad you had fun, and got some culture :-)
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