Originally Posted by
combiblock
Is opera a must? is it like a broadway production but in italian language? if I were to go to youtube and look for one, any link to recommend to get the "feel"?
Hi,
Opera performances in most international-level houses are usually performed in the original language that the creators used. So an opera like the 'Troyens' mentioned a few posts above is done in French, 'Peter Grimes' in English, 'Lohengrin' in German, and so forth.
There are some similarities in the staging and use of "spectacle" on the stage, but the main difference is that singers in Broadway musicals are heavily miked, while opera singers are not amplified at all. Also, the Broadway orchestras are very small and there is some use of taped music, while the opera orchestra is full-sized,with the opera conductor having a much bigger role in how the whole thing comes together.
Some YouTube links:
The 'Troyens' (this Youtube was from London where the same production as LaScala was done):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln_bFvrZiLY
This clip (finale of Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims) shows some excellent exterior and interior images of LaScala, and shows somehumor - opera is not just heavy tragedy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuVrTSEBWXk