With the beginning of the Welsh National OperaÔÇÖs new season; ÔÇÿFallen WomenÔÇÖ, in Wales Millennium Centre next week, the subject of operaÔÇÖs place in the young adultÔÇÖs life is questioned. Jordan Nicholls takes us through some of the myths that have popped up around opera, and why theyÔÇÖre false.
Many young adults are culturally curious, and enjoy activities such as trips to the museum and art galleries. Yet as soon as opera is mentioned they are quick to disregard it. But why is this? Is it ignorance, or perhaps the stigma attached to the genre? Despite opera companiesÔÇÖ best efforts to draw more young people into its audiences, youngsters are still hesitant to venture into the opera house.
This can be understood to some extent; for example, perhaps itÔÇÖs because of the fact that operatic music is given less press coverage and radio airtime. Young people are unfamiliar with opera, and therefore the prospect of sitting through a three hour production full of music in this style is daunting.
However, is opera really that unfamiliar? Many would be surprised by the amount of well-known tunes which are in fact taken from operas themselves or arias from these operas, including:ÔÇÿHabaneraÔÇÖ from Carmen, WagnerÔÇÖs ÔÇÿThe Ride of the ValkyriesÔÇÖ from Die Walk├╝re, or ÔÇÿNessun DormaÔÇÖ from PucciniÔÇÖs Turandot. ITVÔÇÖs hit reality television show, ÔÇÿPopstar to OperastarÔÇÖ, opened the operatic vocal style and music to the mainstream audience, and with classical artists such as Katherine Jenkins and Il Divo achieving enormous mainstream chart success clearly shows opera has a well-established place in todayÔÇÖs culture. Here are the common myths we├¡re about to debunk:
1. Operas are uninteresting or boring
Perhaps a vision of a large woman attempting to break a glass with her voice springs to mind. To say this is false is a bit of an understatement! Opera is full to the brim of action-packed drama; abduction, threat of imprisonment and deportation, and a sudden death (PucciniÔÇÖs Manon Lescaut) is a tad more interesting than your average episode of Eastenders. YouÔÇÖd also be surprised as to how strikingly relevant opera can be to todayÔÇÖs society. For example, the 2011 opera Anna Nicole by Mark-Anthony Turnage told the true story of the titular playboy modelÔÇÖs death of a drug overdose. Some of the most popular musicals today actually stem from operatic works. A prime example of this is Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain BoubillÔÇÖs hit, Miss Saigon, which is based on PucciniÔÇÖs masterpiece, Madame Butterfly. Similarly, the 1996 rock musical Rent by Jonathan Larson is in fact based on PucciniÔÇÖs La Boh├¿me.
2. I wonÔÇÖt understand whatÔÇÖs going on!
Fear not – the majority of opera houses now provide audiences with surtitles above the stage with direct translations throughout the opera and although you may think this would be difficult to follow or distracting, it really isnÔÇÖt. Admittedly it can also be an intimidating prospect for newcomers to the opera that the entire work is sung through. ┬áHowever, it is important to note that the complete sung-through approach is fast becoming the norm for musical theatre also, for example works such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Mis├®rables and Cats are all sung through musicals. Therefore the fact opera contains very little (if any) spoken dialogue is neither unusual nor difficult to follow.
3. I donÔÇÖt like that shaky-voice thing operatic singers do
VibratoÔÇÖs something that puts people off but itÔÇÖs a stylistic technique: it is primarily a way of emphasising libretto and creating dramatic tension, and isnÔÇÖt something to be intimidated by. Artists found that dialogue alone couldnÔÇÖt sufficiently express the drama of the stories they wanted to tell; and so, the operatic style was born. The use of vibrato merely reflects this drive for drama.
4. Opera tickets are way too expensive, and not worth the money
Perhaps this is the biggest myth dissuading young people to visit the opera; the typical vision of the opera audience are the rich and the old. But that is simply nonsense when the price of tickets for the opera are lowering all the time. Some of the top opera houses in the world, such as the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera in New York have begun to transmit live broadcasts of operas to cinemas throughout the UK in an attempt to make opera more accessible to all generations. ┬áThe Welsh National Opera currently offers everyone under thirty to attend any performance in its ÔÇÿFallen WomenÔÇÖ series for just ┬ú5!!! What else can you get, at that quality, for ┬ú5 these days?
5. I wouldnÔÇÖt know how to behave in the opera house
As with all other art forms, there is a level of etiquette expected from the audience, but this is no different to any other theatrical event, music concert, or even film screening. The idea of audiences being full of old, high-brow, upper class couples peering down a pair of binoculars in full dinner jackets and floor length evening dresses is simply untrue. You can wear whatever makes you comfortable, and whateverÔÇÖs respectful of the people around you. Turn off your phone and try not to do anything that would unnecessarily distract either the cast or the audience.
La traviata comes to the Wales Millenium Centre this month, from February 4 to March 11.
Verdi├¡s La traviata is part of the WNO’s “Fallen Women” series and is possibly one of the best operas for the newcomer. For ┬ú5, you’d be mad to let this opportunity pass you by!
La traviata follows the story of the courtesan Violetta who falls in love with the young nobleman Alfredo. However, Alfredo├¡s father does not accept Violetta into the family, and she is forced to break off her relationship with Alfredo. Too late, AlfredoÔÇÖs father realises how much he has hurt the young couple and tries to repent, but unbeknownst to them all, Violetta suffers from a fatal consumption…