Never been to the opera? Ever seen Pretty Woman where Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to the opera for the first time? By the end of the opera, Julia is in tears with the emotion of the performance. They were watching La traviata, an Italian opera about a prostitute who falls in love with a wealthy man.
Here’s our guide to making your first time a great experience…
Reading
Read the synopsis. It will give you an outline of the plot. If you buy a program at the event, that will tell you the story too.
Listening
The Internet is a great source of opera information and music excerpts.
Download some excerpts or buy or borrow a CD from the local libray, they will have CDs and DVDs of loads of operas for free.
Being familiar with the music is going to make a huge difference to your experience. Its just like going to see a band you’ve never heard before vs. the knowing all the songs as they come up, it feels totally different.
Choosing an opera
What operas are suitable for opera virgins? There are no strict rules but operas by Mozart and Puccini are favourites. Maybe leave the more serious 16 hour performances of The Ring until you’ve developed more opera appreciation skills!
Try La traviata (which Julia loved in Pretty Woman) La Boheme, La Sonnambula, Carmen, Don Giovanni or The Marriage of Figaro.
Where do I go
Pacific Opera presents one major production and numerous events each year. Our productions are accessible, sung by young artists and full of energy and life. It’s a great place to start your opera journey.
What should I wear
Wear what you like! No rules here either. Come as you are or glam up – your choice.
What does it mean
Here are a few definitions from the world of opera:
- Aria
- a solo song sung full of emotiion. You’ll recognise some of them from advertisements or films e.g. O mio babbino caro (O my beloved father) from Room with a view. The Toreador Song from Carmen e.g. the Rolladoor ad.
- Duet
- two people singing together – think of that beautiful duet in the British airways ad – its really the Flower Duet from Lakme by Delibes.
- Bravo
- “fantastic”, “good one”, “awesome” – in other words it’s the Italian way to express your appreciation to a male performer – loads of Aussies use it too.
- Brava
- same as above for a female performer – if you really want to get gender specific.
- Bravi
- same as above for to two or more performers.
- Chorus
- a group of singers singing together – like a choir but they have to act too.
- Opera glasses
- dedicated little binoculars. You can take regular small binoculars to the performance if you want. They will help you see details of expressions, costumes and set design if you are towards the back of the theatre.
- Overture
- an orchestral introduction to an opera. Listen out for fragments of the tunes you’ve become familiar with in the opera.
Other ways to get at some opera
- Subscribe to Pacific Opera’s newsletter and hear about special offers, OperaUnzipped, an introductory lecture/demonstration, concerts, workshops, our gala fundraiser – there’s loads to choose from.
- Listen to radio 2MBS FM and or ABC FM 92.9
Helpful websites for opera virgins
- Operapaedia has loads of definitions – information about types of opera voices is good to know.
- Wikipedia has a good general page on opera with links to loads of other sites.
- Operaglass
- Listen to the Classic 100 opera moments as voted by ABC radio listeners.