By Natalia Dantas-Teatro Persio Flacco-(pictured of Volterra (PI)--
Some advice with a pinch of irony: “rules”Although dictated by very good sense, admit many exceptions.
Rule # 1: Listen to the Opera House, from any source, is not suitable for those who want to approach it from profane but seriously: the work you enjoy at the Theatre: Theatre was born and it is right approach going to the theater. You can't go to the theater today, for whatever reason? We are going tomorrow ... In the meantime, then, you prefer videos to CD or other sound source only: the Opera is also show. Only those who have experience of Opera which Viewer conscious can afford to separate the sound from the image.
Rule # 2: Never go to the Opera with a heavy heart because you drag your girlfriend or mother-in-law ... There could be worse approach.
Rule # 3: Be motivated to go to attend an Opera. Never go unprepared, attendendoti of being boring, or maladjusted “outside environment”: the results would be devastating.
Rule # 4: If you've never listened to anything and, barely, you are the toast of La Traviata from your cousin's wedding video, count yourself lucky. Instead, if you fed so far on bread and Callas and/or any other myth, forget it when you go to the theater for the first time ... Don't ever be disappointed and unhappy, and attackers find the CD to habituation and preference to Theatre: it must not happen!
Rule # 5-Book your ticket on time; for once, at least for the first, give yourself a good place: stay perched at a column of the Gallery, in balance so as not to fall down into the stalls, but in an effort to get to see something, it would benefit your theatrical approach.
Are not recommended in the first place: the acoustics improves by moving away from the stage (and prices fall). Choosing your seat in the stalls in the middle of the room, or, in stage, up to the third order and not too much lateral: otherwise, will you come back home with the neck burning and cross-eyed. In the stands or the balcony, according to the structure of the theatre, choose the second or third row: If large in stature, the sooner you may fail to “railing” too high.
Prepared to endure the noise 1,000 card candy or even the ringing of some phones (you'll turn off your already before entering the room or you'll get at least cleared the ring tone and not going off for no reason other than a phone call vital ... ever, then, being found out busy playing with mobile phone at the theater, even during intervals!) : the rude are everywhere, even at work ... be tolerant. Spiritually prepared to not kill your neighbor coughing worse than Violetta Valery or you blow your nose by covering the sound of tuba: a theatre grows also the virtue of patience ...
Rule # 6: Never go to the theater without having full knowledge of what you're going to see.
Choose, for the first time, a work “slight”— neither too gloomy or too tragically far-fetched: waiting – But when they all die and so finally ends ...??? – It would be unnerving.
Rule # 7: Choose, if you can, for example, “Il barbiere di Siviglia” by Rossini; or “L'elisir d'amore” or “Don Pasquale” by Donizetti; or still “L'italiana in Algeri”, always lively, colourful, works by Rossini: upbeat: you won't get bored more than necessary. If you prefer the dusky go have sex starts with “Il trovatore” or the “Rigoletto” of green or with “La Traviata” of the same. If you love the glitter of show business, combined with prudence to “Aida”so there is much spectacle, but also moooooooltaaaa music: four acts on the banks of the Nile and then to despair, straight over the North Sea to rehab ...
Be wary of “Carmen” It might at first glance continue blathering: is long and with spoken parts (if you don't know French, that bore the mandatory supertitles first approach at work! If you're in the front rows of the audience, you're going to the eye doctor the next day). Verdi avoids “Don Carlo” (very long and hard), don't trust “Nabucco”: is heavier than it looks, exclude “Falstaff”: you wouldn't understand it (I'm sure) you'd hate Peppino with all your strength. Highly discouraged is Wagner (too heavy, for starters, and in German) ... Discouraged even Bellini, especially “Norma”: do not be mislead by the bliss of “Casta Diva” at the beginning of the first act ... There is a long ' (even if the acts are two) ... And light is not long and difficult Work is: avoid to help your first time in theater: you'd be bored and end up hating even Bellini. Puccini? Difficult, although very exciting: at your own risk. Then, if you decide to start with the Queen of spades by Tchaikovsky and get positive results, so be it!
Rule # 8: Choosing the work of the great day, booked a ticket in time stage or audience or grandstand, begins to read up.
Never mind the essays culturally at the very top of “say anything pretending to say everything”… Avoid reviews from critics accredited: from now on, thanks to progressive accumulation of the experience, the best critic is you. Read fewer magazines can: could mislead your judgment. Don't listen to the neighbor telling you that the edition of the work that you're going to see it does pity or that is wonderful. Notes always with your eyes: often those of others are nearsighted or, better, absolutely incompetent. What is given to ugly by others can be beautiful for you and vice versa.
Rule # 9 : To read up at best, starts reading the biography of the author: inquadrerai the period in which the work was written; If you will please you will find some interesting tidbits about “first performance” and the moods of the public and the critics of the time.
Immediately after, get the plot of the Opera. It's fundamental. Read it carefully, fixed in mind the main characters and the main events of the story. Often the plots are difficult and tangled, sometimes exaggerated or absurd: do not issue judgments and patient staring in mind the key data: you will need. No matter the Division into acts that will find: often the directors have virtual intervals between one place and another. What matters is that you understand where the story takes place, who is singing, what you're saying. If you want perfection, read the “booklet” of the work, or the full text with the exact words that will be spoken in the song. Don't feel it unnecessary: the good singers so are for their diction: you'll understand better what they say as they sing. You can easily find the booklet attached to any recording or musical or shop at a flea market or, even better, on the Internet.
Rule # 10: Fixed in mind the texture, combined with prudence to listen to some tracks of the work that you are going to go see. Be careful not to overdo it: don't pretend to listen to the entire nor understand it at first listen: preserve your physical and mental forces for the show at the theater. If you know any famous song, listen to it as well: you will and you will be more familiar.
Rule # 11: Now fateful day, prepared with joy to listen to. Try not to get to Theater stressed by traffic or excited about the delay: If the show begins, you will have to wait until the Act ends: If you're in the audience or in public gallery won't let you in. Try instead to be serene and aware was going to come into contact with something unique: the work is a world of its own.
Read, at least for knowledge since you are a neophyte, who are the performers and connect them to their characters; informed as well as to who is the conductor: is basic, ever in the background as it might seem: the 50% and more of the success of the show depends on him. If it's famous, though, don't expect chissacchè ... It also happens that the “large” Sometimes they sleep on our laurels. Sit in your place with soul free and clear of snap judgments and considerations of others and then wait for the show to start.
Rule # 12: Often, indeed almost always, opening the curtain is preceded by a “Overture” or “Symphony” If you want, exclusively instrumental. Listen carefully, if you haven't done at home: often summarizes the “reasons” the most important music of the Opera. A kind of “Summary” music-only. Often the symphonies are beautiful, especially in Verdi and Rossini: didn't anyone reach ever.
Rule # 13: Started the work, don't make the mistake of “wait” the songs you know ... Everything else seems boring or at least you would fall into the background. The work is not made only of air that famous you already know: it's all a unique musical show, compressed air. It is important! Learn to recognize a work by most famous songs: often there are others that you're going to love even more. But it is still too early to talk about this topic during approach at work. For now, just know that between a famous and the other there will be rivers of wonderful music and singing: must not “pass” unheeded.
Rule # 14: It sometimes happens that in main form of “factions”: don't get swayed ever or push to blatantly of whistle or, conversely, of screaming invoking an Encore: in case of dissatisfaction limited to refrain from applause. The singers are humans and they might get sick or go wrong: you don't bitch about never against them. In case of triumph, peeled your hands, ask politely for seconds if you want, but you don't give up to exaggeration.
Rule # 15: Don't be discouraged: inevitably the show will seem infinite and heavy to “Digest” in full. This does not depend on the work, but from you: your inexperience that you are still addicted to the rhythms of that kind of show. But don't give yourself's mate or don't give it to anyone who loves the work so attractive and flutters, Levitating, the Chair next to you, when you're sitting there for two hours, still ending up not happening and you feel the thorns under the rear ... It's completely normal, I guess. Be patient, don't watch the clock, rilàssati, watch the show and especially listen: it's not useless: you'll need.
Rule # 16: To show finished, feel risuonarti in my head a hodgepodge of reasons, notes, treble? If you look in the mirror I look like a veteran from Viet Nam war: staring eyes, dilated pupils, greenish pallor? Don't worry: all normal: about three hours have passed since you sat down ... Hope you stretched in a range: If you haven't already, learn to do it: even the physicist wants its share. You you will reside with renewed lena.
Rule # 17: Did you come home; You parked the car, you've swallowed something (hunger, if you haven't had a snack before the show, we will have persecuted ... Avoid it, next time). It's about one in the morning and you're lying, unpacked, still dressed, on your comfortable bed. I know ... You feel a tawny owl: don't remember neither a note nor a Word ... Mental confusion is strong. And yet ... And yet ... There is something that makes you feel good ... But yes ... It was great! Those scenes, those costumes of brilliant colors, those lights ... But above all that music. Bella? But yes ... Beautiful sometimes ... too bad I don't remember a damn thing!
Rule # 18: So what was it? You wanted to learn something ... And not have you got anything? Error! The conscious human mind is similar to a recorder. Get a good night's sleep and you'll see that tomorrow, putting up the disc that you had listened to before going to the show, you'll find many of those notes and musical phrases that you thought you had lost ... Listen again the air you knew: now you see it, as well, in remembrance ... Remember the movements of the soprano, the input of the choir, the gestures of the conductor. If so, you will be soon a desire to return to the theater and hear it played back the whole, the work in question. And then, after “absorbed” intimately, switch to another. Of falling in love ... And if that happens you're lost ... The Opera House has acquired another melòmane! Try now ... Try to deprive you of going to the theater ... Try not to listen to Opera music for a whole day ... IMPOSSIBLE! Is it bad? No! IT IS WONDERFUL!
© Natalia Dantas