Opinion of the musical genre round 5: Opera

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Score so far:
Prog rock: 83.3% FG-16.7% HG
Country: 77.3% FG-22.7% HG
Pop-punk: 70.6% FG-29.4% HG
Techno 52.2% FG-47.8% HG

[morgieb]

I do respect the hell out of opera singers, but it's something I could never imagine listening to for pleasure.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Operatic vocals can be really great in a variety of genres including metal but on its own I just can’t get into it really.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I guess it's mostly a freedom genre to me overall.

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

[Boobs]

Freedom genre, one of the highest forms of art. A major issue I’ve noticed across American operas is that their translation of librettos is unusually poor, and by and large goes for the most direct and simplified pragmatic translation, which loses a lot of the lyrical artistry that usually goes into an opera. It is an undoubtedly dying art, which is sad to see.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Well, the thing about opera is that it is incredibly diverse. It's a musical drama arranged according to theatrical conventions (thus acts and so on) in which the parts are continually sung by classically trained singers and accompanied by an orchestra. An opera by Wagner does not sound much like a Mozart opera, a Britten opera does not sound much like one by Verdi, and an opera by Mussorgsky has remarkably little in common with one by Rossini.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I had a great-grandfather who was an opera singer in Italy and New York. He effectively lost his voice because of it.

[Electric Circus]

Ranks higher on my list in terms of live performances than recordings, but good stuff either way.

[LabourJersey]

A genre underrated by lots of Americans, especially younger ones. And I agree with the point that it's a more diverse genre than people think!

[TDAS04]

I don’t love opera, but I don’t dislike it either, and those who sing it are quite impressive indeed. So FG.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Well, the thing about opera is that it is incredibly diverse. It's a musical drama arranged according to theatrical conventions (thus acts and so on) in which the parts are continually sung by classically trained singers and accompanied by an orchestra. An opera by Wagner does not sound much like a Mozart opera, a Britten opera does not sound much like one by Verdi, and an opera by Mussorgsky has remarkably little in common with one by Rossini.

Why does no one on the forum aside from a few seem to understand that this is also VERY true of emo?

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Well, the thing about opera is that it is incredibly diverse. It's a musical drama arranged according to theatrical conventions (thus acts and so on) in which the parts are continually sung by classically trained singers and accompanied by an orchestra. An opera by Wagner does not sound much like a Mozart opera, a Britten opera does not sound much like one by Verdi, and an opera by Mussorgsky has remarkably little in common with one by Rossini.

Why does no one on the forum aside from a few seem to understand that this is also VERY true of emo?

Real Opera only consists of the early 17th century Italian opera scene and the early Romantic German opera tradition. What is known as "modern opera" is nothing but musical theater with questionable true opera influence. When people try to argue that works like Rent or Les Misérables are not real operas, while claiming that Wagner's Ring cycle is, I can't help but cringe because they are just as inauthentic as Rent (plus the pretentiousness).

Real opera sounds POWERFUL, EMOTIONAL and somewhat GRANDIOSE. Fake opera is weak, overly sentimental and a failed attempt to capture true dramatic force and vocal artistry. Some examples of REAL OPERA are Verdi's Aida, Mozart's Don Giovanni, Bellini's Norma and Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Some examples of FAKE OPERA are Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon and Rent.

OPERA BELONGS TO THE CLASSICAL TRADITION, NOT TO BROADWAY, ROCK OPERA, MUSICAL THEATER OR ANY OTHER MAINSTREAM GENRE.

[Kleine Scheiße]

A major issue I’ve noticed across American operas is that their translation of librettos is unusually poor, and by and large goes for the most direct and simplified pragmatic translation, which loses a lot of the lyrical artistry that usually goes into an opera.

I will never recover from that horrendous Lohengrin in San Francisco.

[Mr. Smith]

Extreme FF.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Well, the thing about opera is that it is incredibly diverse. It's a musical drama arranged according to theatrical conventions (thus acts and so on) in which the parts are continually sung by classically trained singers and accompanied by an orchestra. An opera by Wagner does not sound much like a Mozart opera, a Britten opera does not sound much like one by Verdi, and an opera by Mussorgsky has remarkably little in common with one by Rossini.

Why does no one on the forum aside from a few seem to understand that this is also VERY true of emo?

Real Opera only consists of the early 17th century Italian opera scene and the early Romantic German opera tradition. What is known as "modern opera" is nothing but musical theater with questionable true opera influence. When people try to argue that works like Rent or Les Misérables are not real operas, while claiming that Wagner's Ring cycle is, I can't help but cringe because they are just as inauthentic as Rent (plus the pretentiousness).

Real opera sounds POWERFUL, EMOTIONAL and somewhat GRANDIOSE. Fake opera is weak, overly sentimental and a failed attempt to capture true dramatic force and vocal artistry. Some examples of REAL OPERA are Verdi's Aida, Mozart's Don Giovanni, Bellini's Norma and Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Some examples of FAKE OPERA are Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon and Rent.

OPERA BELONGS TO THE CLASSICAL TRADITION, NOT TO BROADWAY, ROCK OPERA, MUSICAL THEATER OR ANY OTHER MAINSTREAM GENRE.

I love that literally none of your examples of REAL OPERA are from either the early 17th century Italian opera scene or the early Romantic German opera tradition. Nice touch.

Anyway, I like opera a lot. I saw Der Rosenkavalier at the Met for my birthday last year. FG.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

If I had to choose a single work of music to be buried with, I might choose this.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

Opera at its best is nothing but concentrated music and drama distilled into pure human emotion. It's impossible to dislike.

Okay this is the recommendation for someone to watch as if it is a movie, and see if they dislike it

[Statilius the Epicurean]

It's Puccini, so it's pure bottom of the barrel schlock, but we love it. (Okay upon review I sort of take this back, Puccini was a dramatic genius) And Callas is Callas. GOAT GOAT GOAT GOAT