Opera: It’s Not for Wusses

By Mollie Fager, 6-27-06

When I tried to convince a friend of mine to go see Madame Butterfly last year at the Central City Opera in Colorado she remarked, “What for? If it’s like all opera there is a lot of dramatic singing, unrequited love and then a tragic death in the end.” I was forced to admit that she had a point, having been a soggy eyed observer of many an opera death myself. However, I remained steadfast in my support of the art form and have related the main points of my argument here below. Employ them freely in your own endeavors to convert the opera pagan.

Four reasons why opera rules:

1.) Sporting argument: Professional opera singers are athletes. You try singing a single word that covers multiple octaves, musical notes, must be heard over an entire orchestra and reach the ears of thousands, often unamplified? Oh—and yeah, could you make it beautiful while you’re belting one out for the crowd?

2.) Cultural efficiency argument: Opera is not just singing. Really good opera involves a great story, good acting, complicated and lovely sets, gorgeous music and occasionally some interesting choreography. If you play your cards right you’re getting big stage music, theater and dancing all in one. So that $100 you paid for your opera ticket was well spent considering all of the other shows you would have had to pay separately for.

3.) You know you want to do it argument: Let’s face it. At some point in our lives, we’ve all secretly wanted to sing opera. Who hasn’t been so lovesick that they didn’t want to do a deal with the devil to win their true love? And haven’t we all known the overseas soldier who wins our heart, begets a bastard child and leaves us for the girl next door? Admit it. You wanted to tear your hair out, beat on your chest, fall to your knees and cry “Suicidio!”

As much as non-believers pretend to eschew the dramatic flair of opera, it’s this very drama that marks the brilliance of the discipline. It captures the depth and range of human emotions in their most primal form. The voice.

4.) Opera is for the advanced cultural appetite: There’s no question that it’s not an easy art form. Opera is a defining moment for the cultural palate. For many people opera is like drinking eggnog over the holidays. You only do it once a year and it tastes better with brandy. For us practiced users, we wander around in a daze wondering why something so delicious and rich isn’t for sale year round (and for all you opera loving but eggnog hating fans out there, my apologies for this analogy)

Well—long story short, my friend still doesn’t like opera. She did date someone who loved opera and experienced a short-lived enthusiasm for it but our friends and I sniffed her out faster than you can say “Figaro” (over and over again). We knew the truth when the romance ended and I offered to take her to “Norma” as consolation. The result? Utter rejection.

And anyone who caught Opera Colorado’s staging of “Norma” this past year in Denver knows full well that passing that one by was just, well, crazy talk.
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