In movies such as The Phantom of the Opera, and Little Women, the characters are often seen dressing up and going to shows and the opera. However, this culture has lost its importance in recent years. Within the last 100 years, our culture has put more emphasis on cheesy movies and going to parties where you sit, eat and talk. Now, do not get me wrong, it's a great way to network yourself for jobs and to meet new people, however, the importance of such rich shows have been lost to the point of almost extinction.
In recent years, Broadway shows have become largely popular. With shows such as Wicked and Legally Blonde, actors and actresses have become well-known within the teenage community. However, classic operas such as Pirates of Penzance, and Madame Butterfly have lost their importance.
The idea of getting dressed up in expensive evening gowns to go to the opera on a Saturday night is almost scoffed at. To spend hundreds of dollars on a dress and tux, and then another couple of hundred dollars on the tickets itself seems preposterous to many people. However, operas are culturally enhancing.
Almost all operas are in Italian or French, because of the beauty of the language. It is much prettier to sing Je vous aime compared to I love you. The harsh vowels and constanents of the English language do not make for pretty songs.
Because most operas are in a different language, it causes the viewer to almost be placed in an alternate universe. Many classically trained singers are learning to respect the amount of training it goes into becoming a trained opera singer. It takes time and dedication to manipulating and tuning your voice to have that perfect sound quality.
Opera evokes the emotions of many people because of the emotions felt throughout the play. For example, Julia Robert's Pretty Woman is a classic example of the high emotions felt during an opera. At the end of the opera scene, Roberts is displayed crying hysterically, and remarking that she almost "peed her pants." She had no idea of the power behind opera. This is typical of many who have never seen an actual opera performed.
My favorite opera, Phantom of the Opera, is a powerful love story told through a series of operas and centered on an opera house. The music is beautifully written and powerful. The main character, Christine, is in love with her childhood friend, but is being pursued by the “phantom” of the opera house, who is in love with the idea of being loved despite his ugly exterior. She is also struggling with the fact that she is an orphan and was left in the care of the opera house by her deceased father.
This powerful opera evoke my emotions of being a daughter without a mother, who has struggled with the idea of being alone and without guidance for a while now. Christine has no idea what she should do; save the one she loves by giving her life up to the phantom, or to refuse to pretended to love the phantom, and sacrifice her one true love. Either way she is unhappy. She has no one to turn to, but through a series of events, she saves Raul, and gains her freedom from the phantom.
Another one of my favorite operas is Pirates of Penzance. It is a comical opera about pirates and their desire to marry the daughters of a wealthy general. I liked this opera because it was not just a sappy love story, but it had meaning, and made the audience laugh.
The Magic Flute is another favorite of mine because of its complex nature. It shows a classic representation of good vs. evil. How bad things can trick you into thinking they're good, but in the end you can always discover the falseness of those kinds of things. And how you can always bounce back and good always triumphs over evil.
The popularity of opera is dying in America, but it will always have a culture of its own. It is a matter of whether society learns to appreciate it or not.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/429776/opera
http://www.artdesigncentral.com/music/opera-music-history-evolution-and-rebirth/
Good.
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