Hi, Just wondered if anyone really disliked opera and if not which opera seems to be the most enjoyed!

i really can't stand opera!!!!

Nat

Thats Fair enough!If you don't mind me asking can I ask why you really don't like it?Im just curious as to what people think!

Love Carmen! I didn't used to like opera but I'm really getting into it .... I also Quite like Tristan und Isolde but it got a bit boring for me....

xx L xx

hello!

i'm currently doing jesus christ superstar, which suprisingly is an opera, and i think it's quite cool. to be honest though i dont like traditional opera stuff. i can't really follow it, but some of the music is lovely.

jaime

i cant explaing why i dont like it, i just cant stand it!!

I have respect for people who do like it though, everyone has there own different tastes in music. im not one of those people who slags off others just coz they dont have the same tastes as me!!!!!

Nat

I agree natalie and its nice to hear honesty from someone!

QUOTE (jaime @ Apr 14 2004, 10:06 PM)

hello! i'm currently doing jesus christ superstar, which suprisingly is an opera, and i think it's quite cool. to be honest though i dont like traditional opera stuff. i can't really follow it, but some of the music is lovely. jaime

I thought JCS was classed as a musical...

I love musicals, but I'm not keen on operas really - I think it's because they seem to be sung in a foreign language.

Salome!

Nat - I'm with you on this one! I really can't stand opera. Like you I can't explain why. It just gets on my nerves!

QUOTE (NIX @ Apr 16 2004, 05:48 PM)

I agree natalie and its nice to hear honesty from someone!

i actually always hated classical music!! but now i actually listen to before forming an opinion i loove it!! but i will never love opera!!

sorry opera lovers!

Nat

I think it's quite an aquired taste, and perhaps you need to understand a bit about it before you can appreciate it. which I don't!

I've heard JCS described as a Rock Opera....

QUOTE (Nicola @ Apr 20 2004, 05:57 PM)

I've heard JCS described as a Rock Opera....

Oh yes, that's true, so have I...

hello!!!

(on the topic of JCS) yep, its a rock opera. have you watched it??? i really enjoyed it!! i think its a opera, because all of the story is told through the songs. where as musicals have drama in between the piece with unaccompanied speakin???? anybody confirm??

jaime

I did study a bit of opera at A level and for my degree - I have to say I found the whole experience highly traumatic! lol!

Opera would be good without the singing!

Sorry opera fans. Just my personal taste.

Fiona

Following from my last post, I do quite like the music from operas.

I think it's all the high pitch singing and trilling that my ears and brain can't cope with ! lol

I don't mind the tenor voice though.

Fiona

I voted for Carmen as this is really the only opera I like. Apart from that I don't really like opera. It one of those things like ballet some people love it others hate it.

There is a great piece of music for the Flute: "Carmen Fantasy" on themes from Bizet's Carmen - by Francois Borne. Very difficult though.

I do like opera, my top 3 are Bizet's Carmen, Verdi's Aida and Puccini's La boheme. I belive that Lesley Garrett has made opera more popular as she explains the stories. The Penguin Opera guide by Amanda Holden explains the synopsis of the operas. Its one of those things you either like or hate

For me, it's between Carmen and Tosca. I like Siegfried, too. It's a bit heavy, but there's so much dimension to it.

I think opera is an acquired taste. When I started singing lessons I didn't care much for it, but as I was trained operatically, I began to appreciate the beauty of the human voice. I currently have a fetish for contraltos and bass/baritones, and have just discovered Jonathan Lemalu.

I'm not a fan of some of these classical crossover singers, though. Katherine Jenkins is not a personal favourite, even though I have two of her albums. Neither are Hayley Westenra or Aled Jones. They have pleasant voices, but I think they're overrated for what they do. To me, the real opera stars are the ones who are there in the theatre/opera house, prancing around the set, caked in greasepaint, and trying to battle with exhaustion, perhaps the onset of tonsilitus; costumes that either keep going missing or threatening to fall apart; a love scene with someone else's significant other, or a cue that doesn't come when it's supposed to; corpsing, fluffing a line; maybe a lighting guy who doesn't seem to know what on earth he's supposed to be lighting; conductors who won't allow them any leg-room, and if not microphones that keep crackling and cutting out (and I think they do use them at my local theatre, because the acoustic is so rubbish), then a 40-100-piece orchestra.

for me... Madam Butterfly

And for me. It truly is beautful.

Oh yes, I was looking for Madame butterfly, but it's not in the selection there. Anyway Carmen is also my favourite.

I voted 'dislike' as there wasn't an option for 'loathe'. ;-)

Opera's fine by me right up to the point where they start singing. I just don't like listening to those types of voices (either ###, but especially the ladies). My tolerance for female singers pretty much begins and ends with Emma Kirkby.

It's not just opera - I don't listen to any (classical) vocal music apart from cathedral (and similar) choirs and treble soloists (and even there I'm a bit choosy). I have a deep loathing of vibrato.

I don't mind choirs with girls on the top line, but listen only to ones with unbroken voices (usually boys) on the top line and men on the lower 3 parts. Adult SATB choirs with ladies on the top two parts don't do it for me.

Just personal preference...

T.

I've never watched a full opera, but I've sung arias from a lot of operas and I really enjoy that.
I might find it a bit hard to follow when watching, but I want to see: The Magic Flute, Carmen and Madame Butterfly

I can understand why some people wouldn't like opera - I used to hate all classical music. I've grown to love it.

I like opera! But I don't listen to what they sing. It just sounds nice and I enjoy listening even though I don't understand what they're singing about, or which opera it is.

Where's Tosca?!

None of the above! You've missed out so many good operas from there, and there's too many to create such a small poll out of!

My favourite is none of the above, it's Mozarts Cosi fan Tutte, but I also have a soft spot for Don Giovanni so I voted for that. I don't really like romantic operas, Mozarts operatic works are just fantastic, particularly the overtures! Favourite song from Cosi has to be either "Soave s'il Vento", or Despinas first aria "In uomini, in soldati". In don Giovanni I really like the "La ci darem la mano" duet.

Dido and Anæas

Today my favourite is Semele but that isn't on your list. I love Acis and Galatea and Cosi also. Opera is wonderful.

"Serse/Xerxes" is also good fun - or at least, the production I saw was.
Have to say, though, in general, I'm not a fan of opera - too many scary singers, and often so much wobbliato that I can't hear the tunes....more accurately, I'm not fond of opera if it's much after Mozart's time.

I love practically any type of music...except opera!
I went to see Tosca at the ROH a few months ago...and I thought the singers was excellent but to be honest I just couldn't stand it!
I don't know why either...

So much depends on the production - I've seen several productions of Tosca, most of which have been excellent, but unfortunately the one that sticks in my memory is the Opera North production which had somebody sitting on top of a cupboard all the way through the performance

I adore opera! My absolute favourites are Tosca and The Flying Dutchman, but I also love the Mozart ones and lots of Verdi (especially Il Trovatore). I don't think Tristan & Isolde is the best of Wagner - the Ring cycle and Meistersinger are much more fun. Don't really like Carmen, though. Favourite diva at the moment is Angela Gheorghiu - she is amazing!

Sad thing is, my husband and children don't really like opera. My brother and my niece love it, but they are up in Yorkshire so we don't get together very often.