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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not enjoy opera?

108 replies

Star555 · 19/04/2021 21:27

I love classical music but simply cannot stand operas in their entirety. Some songs are certainly magnificent vocal tours de force (like the Queen of the Night song in The Magic Flute, and the Flower Duet in Lakme). But for the most part operas are just hours of unnaturally high-pitched, incomprehensible singing (often people singing over each other and creating quite a cacophony, hard to understand the words no matter what language they're in, and having to look at surtitles is distracting) that isn't pleasing to the ear, barring one or two memorable songs per opera.

I say this as someone with years of classical music training and as a lover of symphony orchestra concerts, choral and solo singing, dramatic theatre and musical theatre. I will gladly sit through entire symphonies or Shakespeare plays or ballet performances or musicals. But entire operas I find intolerable!

OP posts:
MelissaVonStressel · 20/04/2021 16:13

"Well what’s the point of it!? It does two things badly. If I want a story I go to see a play; if I want to hear music I go to a concert. I have no use for is a ridiculous story sung at me by actors who can’t act, in a language I don’t speak for four and a half hours."

user1471523870 · 20/04/2021 16:28

I think unlike theatre or other form of entertainment you need to do some preparation to really enjoy opera. I am Italian and luckily there are many plays in my native language and that makes it easier for me to understand.
However, I wouldn't enjoy opera much if I didn't have the libretto with me or I knew -at least roughly- the plot in advance.
Then you can let yourself get entangled in the great melodies, overplayed expressions, big voices!

For instance, Radames singing to his Celeste Aida always makes me think of true love, I regularly cry at the end of Rigoletto and I find so sweet when Rodolfo and Mimi introduce themselves in the Boheme.

SisterMichael · 20/04/2021 16:34

@MelissaVonStressel
“Do you mum? When?”

Also “It’s not Puccini!”
“I DON’T CARE!“ Grin

newnortherner111 · 20/04/2021 17:02

I don't enjoy it, so I don't go. Leaves a space for someone who does. I recognise there is great skill, practice and time required to be a good opera singer, hence my comments that it is not to my taste.

As opposed to talentless karaoke artists such as Little Mix or One Direction.

Londonmummy66 · 20/04/2021 17:47

Handel operas are usually quite fun as he had lots of good tunes - Glyndebourne do them rather well as they often make them funny. But I'd run howling from Wagner....

To the PP above - the soprano at Prince Philip's funeral actually has a fabulous voice in real life (I've sung with her).

BashfulClam · 20/04/2021 17:54

Not everyone likes it. I’m not a fan, opera and jazz are two styles of music I don’t like at all.

Quincie · 20/04/2021 17:57

Do you go to operas or just listen to the music,
the Scottish chamber orchestra tours round normally to smaller venues, the actual live music played by real musicians is amazing (though they do mostly popular songs) and I could watch and listen for hours, I think I'd probably find live opera the same, pretty amazing.
Unfortunately it's not available out of London much I don't think.

Quincie · 20/04/2021 17:58

I thought the singing at Prince Philips funeral was exceptional - though normally I don't listen to hymns etc.

SleepOhHowIMissYou · 20/04/2021 18:16

Depends on the opera. Carmen is pretty recognisable all the way through. Likewise, the two most popular Mozart operas have largely familiar scores - Magic Flute, Marriage of Figaro.

I'm not a fan of obscure warbling in any form, least of all tedious R&B singers who take every opportunity to show off their scales (Whitney Houston was the worst for this in my opinion).

FOJN · 20/04/2021 18:32

I enjoy some of the more popular opera songs so I thought I'd go and see an opera in its entirety. I booked tickets for the Verona Opera Festival (was going to be there on holiday anyway) to see Aida, the tickets were expensive, I nearly died of boredom and left at the interval.

Is it usual in opera for the performers to take a bow when they are applauded at the end of every song? It really disrupted the performance for me.

BuyYourOwnBBQGlenda · 20/04/2021 18:58

I saw Aida at the Coliseum 3-4 years ago and was just in awe of the talent and beauty.

Then went to see Carmen at ROH a couple of years ago and left in the interval.

I think it depends on the production! If we had seen Carmen first I'd probably never give it a chance again.

1Morewineplease · 20/04/2021 19:04

I'm not a fan of opera but I do like classical music. However, there are some songs/arias that I like on their own.

DdraigGoch · 20/04/2021 19:11

Have you tried a comic opera? The Marriage of Figaro for example.

Treaclepie19 · 20/04/2021 19:12

I never liked opera singing or classical music until we went to see opera live.
Now I'd happily go to watch opera but wouldn't listen to the songs outside of that. So pretty much opposite to you!

Cam2020 · 20/04/2021 19:14

I've enjoyed seeing opera but wouldnt listen to it if not in that setting. There are some arias I like as standalone pieces: the aria from Madam Butterfly and the Flower Song are beautiful in different ways and the Clink Clink song is fun.

Totally OK not to like it though. No point subjecting yourself to things you don't enjoy.

notacooldad · 20/04/2021 19:14

Fair enough.
I do t like opera either.
In fact there's loads of genres of music that I just don't ikea no matter how hard I've tried.
I've accepted that I know what I like.

Releasethebreak · 20/04/2021 19:15

YANBU but it's not obligatory! And as pp said, there is a broad repertoire to choose from.

As with most things, the more you know about it, the more you grow to appreciate it. For example , I absolutely loathed the voices of male classical counter tenors but then I saw a documentary about their history:

www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160404-the-fascinating-phenomenon-of-men-who-sing-high

and after I understood it, I then (very unexpectedly) started to love it, and now I'm deeply in to Baroque classical music as a whole.

littleredberries · 20/04/2021 19:24

I have a first class honours music degree and I'm genuinely the same!
With the exception of Bartok's Duke Bluebeard. However, that's an ooperetta so it might not be counted.

grapewine · 20/04/2021 19:26

It's fine not to like things. I really wanted to like the ballet. I do not.

mathanxiety · 20/04/2021 19:30

I'm with you, OP.

Every year, my DCs' school sent the oldest grade (aged 13 ish) to a schools matinee production of whatever opera was showing, and every year without fail a certain teacher was photographed with his head back on his seat, snoring his head off.

TheKeatingFive · 20/04/2021 19:32

I can only handle the lighter stuff. Mozart, Rossini, Puccini. Wagner has me running for the hills,

SaturdayRocks · 20/04/2021 19:35

I’m inclined to agree with you, I don’t enjoy them on the whole.

The exception is La Traviata though - I was in a production of it when I was 14, we were a band of musicians playing music out on the street while Violetta was inside dying. It was an adult production - we were pulled in because our school music teacher got the call for some musicians.

I absolutely love it, probably because through all the rehearsals, I got to know the story. Which maybe suggests the same might apply to other operas...

jay55 · 20/04/2021 19:36

Same, I enjoy a good rousing chorus but Aria's do my head in. I couldn't sit through a whole one.

Oneeyeopen · 20/04/2021 19:39

I love Italian opera, Puccini and Verdi are my favourite.
I think Carmen, which is in French, is a good first opera to listen to.
I was brought up with opera playing in our house though.

I absolutely can't stand rap, garage, heavy metal music.
Everyone is different.

Oneeyeopen · 20/04/2021 19:40

Puccini and Verdi are my favourite opera composers.