Opera

[Gefechtsgruppe10]

I've really been trying to 'get into' opera lately.  I've listened to 'classical' (and I use this as a blanket term to encompass all pre XX century orchestral type music) since I was a kid.  My mom tried to get me to listen to opera, and legions of idiots constantly imposed "Phantom of the Opera" upon me (it seemed they only recommended it loudly in public, so everyone could see how sophisicated they were...)  That turned me off in a large part because I don't generally follow the recommendations of shallow people with shallow thought processes.  After having watched the movie "Amadeus" again recently my interest was sparked.  The movie, although its historical accuracy is doubtful, is a pretty badass movie and it definately highlights some of the most powerful moments of Mozart's operas; the movie seems to imply, through Salieri's character, that Mozart's operas were his most enduring and powerful works.  So because of all that I have been listening to Mozart's "Figaro" and "Don Giovanni" as well as Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (with noted National Socialist Karl Boehm conducting) "Lohengren" and "The Flying Dutchman".  I've always liked Wagner... at least, I have had several CD's with ochestral selections (overture's, etc) from his operas that I've loved dearly since I was a kid, but this is the first time I've gone through complete operas.  Several things strike me after this initial, and very limited, exposure to opera.
1.  They seem to wear their librettos like shackles.  Too often the voice is used merely as a plot device.  Instead of voices being just another instrument, they too often become a distracting narrator... "now this is going on, and some shit happens man, and then here were are...."  It seems to be program music in a very bad sense.  Or maybe like a shitty tour guiide - "if you look out of your left window you will see Mt. Rushmore."  In Mozart's requiem and the 4th movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony it is the exact opposite... it doesn't matter what the voices are actually singing, the notes they are using and the melodies and themes they sing tell the story in a perfectly clear manner.  Beethoven didn't need someone singing about walking to a folk festival and then hearing a thunderstorm at night or how leaves on a tree can be seen as individual and subtlely changeing leitmotifs in his 6th Symphony... its just obvious.  This leads me to
2.  The librettos are pretty stupid for the most part.  Like lots of metal lyrics, you sit down and actually read them they come off as moronic.  Fortunately in metal the vocals are mangled by screams etc, or in black metal often done in a foreign language.  The rapsing/growling is definately to my liking as it turns the voice into another instrument so the literal words are not as important as the underlying ideas of the music as a whole.  There are many parts of operas where the vocals are done in chorus or done with significant symphonic backing which I think is good, as it does away with the egotistical humanist element engendered in most 'lyricism'.

Maybe I am off base here.  Ultimately, I would like to hear other's thoughts on this.  Hopefully someone knowledgeable could point me more in the right direction as to what would be the most rewarding listening.

[ChapelOfTorment]

I started listening to opera with Wagner, but he really isn't the best place to start. I'm still trying to figure out ("get into") the ring cycle, and I've owned the complete Karajan recording for four years now.

A better beginner opera that's still rewarding years later is Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle. Rather than being shackled by the libretto, the music is very expansive, with lengthy purely instrumental sections. The story only features two characters, and the staging is fairly simple (seven doors and colored spotlights), so the whole thing is driven almost entirely by musical rather than visual or verbal aspects. It's also a great deal shorter than most operas (it all fits on one disc), which makes it fairly accessible to someone who is more into symphonies and sonatas than opera. I've listened to it at least once a day for the past month or so, and I still find something new in it every day.

I haven't checked out the recording posted here in Audiofile, but this recording is really well done. I'll upload it in a bit, but I'd recommend actually purchasing the recording to get the full effect. The booklet is very informative and interesting, and helped me understand the piece a lot more.

[Plagabraha]

As for getting into Wagner's Ring, I haven't even bothered reading much of the libretto, but a synopsis should suffice. The cycle is one of my favorite pieces of music ever. Karajan's recording is far from being one of the best not because of Karajan's conducting, but the cast is less than desirable. Bohm's 1966 account is one of the ideal recordings. I remember liking the music itself even without having any idea of what the story was about, but it might be a good idea to learn about Wagner's leitmotifs, some of which he uses many times throughout the cycle. To get a vague idea about leitmotifs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bniQNm0eNeQ