Opera for beginners (2001)
taleofgenji.org
taleofgenji.org
A list created in 2001 naturally misses some amazing resources. Robert Greenberg's epic "How to Listen to and Understand Opera" is a wonderful, approachable primer to the subject and is a steal for 1 Audible credit (about $15 on the cheapest plan).
Amazon Prime video has a solid collection of free video - I happily paid $25 for the version of Cosi Fon Tutte they have freely available - and you can practically find the entire operatic repertoire on YouTube. The Met Opera has a well reviewed streaming service - http://www.metopera.org/Season/On-Demand/Learn-More/.
And this is lame, but even the best Blu-Ray performance/recording can't match the experience of live opera yet. I'm actually fascinated to see if VR narrows the gap, but there's currently not anything like feeling the performers' presence, hearing the unique acoustics of a world class hall. And opera crowds, while usually greying, often add a lot to the experience - there's something about sharing the experience, like being at a movie on opening weekend.
Learning (or, for some, tolerating until they "get") opera requires a very different frame of reference than learning pop music, or even understanding subgenres of more popular genres. It is one of the more difficult concepts I have had to wrap my head around for some reason.
Out the other side of it, though, I am happy I gave it a go. As an example, the San Francisco Opera is a great company, and as opera patrons age into oblivion these institutions will be finding themselves without an audience if younger generations do not take the time to give opera a go. It is not what most people think; everyone I have run into in the opera house has been courteous, and I haven't detected a hint of snobbery. A night at the opera costs you about as much as seeing a major film, and the sound is pretty magical.
Thanks for the recommendation of Amazon Prime! I have it, but rarely use it. This'll give me an opportunity to.
I find that most of my beginner friends tire quickly of the long, drawn-out, exaggerated drama and dramatic music of Italian operas (i.e. Tosca, La Bohème, etc.). Some comedy sprinkled in together with an interesting plot can keep newbies interested for much longer.
I would recommend starting with some of Mozart’s lightest and craftiest operas (e.g. Cosí Fan Tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute). And of course, watch Amadeus first.
Me aside, The Marriage of Figaro is the first one I tell people to see if they can. Act I is engaging from the beginning, and I think does a good job of bringing people into the right mindset to appreciate it even if they don't get opera.
It may be a very common example, but its is regularly cited because it is a masterpiece of the art.
I agree entirely about starting with Mozart. I prefer the soprano arias in The Marriage of Figaro to pretty much anything else in opera, and Figaro's arias are outstanding too.
"Amadeus" is OK if you don't imagine that it has any particular relation to reality. A friend with an interest in musical history got out of the theater and said, "Well, where should I start?", i.e. to enumerate the absurdities.