UPDATE Sept, 2014: I’m slowly coming around! Although NOT to Opera; at least vocal is starting to get through! A bit of Mahler here .. some Zelenka and Bach there! Who knows I may move on from Vocal to Opera one day.
During the 30 years of ‘inner promptings’ to listen to Classical music – which I pretty much ignored – I always said that I wouldn’t appreciate Opera until I turned 50. Well … 50 came and went and I still don’t appreciate it.
Why? There are two possible reasons. One is that I simply find the piano, violin, bassoon, oboe and other instruments much more appealing to my ear than the human voice. The other possibility involves a childhood trauma! In the 5th grade I sang in the choir. My voice was adequate/decent, but the choir ‘Mistress’ had it in for me. I can’t remember why she disliked me so. Nor can I remember the event that caused her to kick me out of the choir!
Update 2010: And another apology!
I recieved this comment the other day in the Post titled “Another Opera Challenge” and I quote:
Well Jim, Opera is not a genre of music. It is an entirely different art that blends music with acting, literature, visual art and all the stage arts. It is the Gesamtkunst. If trying to get into opera dont listen to the music, go to your opera house and experience a real production or at least watch the DVD.
I replied: This is so true! In my mind/ears I’ve divorced the music from the “production” Shouldn’t do that!