I have no idea how many times I have seen Puccini's La Boheme on stage and on DVD and I have listened to it countless times as well. This evening we went to a superb and, for me, moving performance at the Napier Municipal Theatre as part of the City's Art Deco Week.
I am a pheasant........I have never seen an opera or heard one. Something i ought to remedy.
ReplyDeleteWell Adrian if you are going to listen to an opera this is a good one to start with from the music point of view if, that is, you happen to prefer Romantic to Baroque music.
DeleteGraham, I will settle for romantic as I don't know what the latter is. Don't know much about the former but I have a rough idea.
DeletePlease let me brag...I have stood outside that theatre. We visited Napier for a few hours on our way to Lake Taupo back in 2012. I have also seen "La Boheme" at The Buxton Opera House - the only opera I have ever seen. And more bragging...I once met The Queen Mother. That's it. Bragging over.
ReplyDeleteGosh YP we may have stepped on the smae piece of land and not even realised it. Where on earth were you going from to go via Napier on the way to Taupo?
DeleteI think I've only seen one or two operas live on stage. One was The Barber of Seville - I think. (If not, it was Figaro.) The other, on second thought, is probably counted as a musical rather than an opera - Les Miserables.
ReplyDeleteMonica I've never seen The Barber of Seville on stage although I think I've seen The Marriage of Figaro some years ago. I saw Les Miserables in Perth WA as it happens. It was as stunning a performance as any opera.
DeleteMy favourite operas are all by Verdi - no-one does it better than he, I think. But that's of course just my persoanl taste, and I can't even compare my Verdi experience to Puccini, since I have never seen (or heard) "La Bohème", except for the French song by the same name, sung by Gilbert Becaud.
ReplyDeleteI do remember something about the Art Deco weekend, though. If my memory serves me right, you posted about it a year or three ago.
Meike I've posted a lot about Art Deco weekend over the years. I can listen to some of the Verdi operas for hours and do. They do tend to have lots of memorable arias with a lot of joining music (if I might put it that way) and a lot more substance than Puccini has in the story but La Bohème has memorable and emotional music from beginning to end. I would have thought operas by Mozart and perhaps even Wagner might have appealed to you (although to be honest I can't cope with a Wagner opera).
DeleteOh, Mozart is great, of course; he was a genius, and I do love Le Nozze di Figaro. But Wagner? Yes, a great composer no doubt, but absolutely not my cup of tea.
DeleteI did once watch the first of the Ring cycle operas on TV - The Rheingold - all of it. But it was tough job. I had intended to watch the rest as well but never got round to it... ;)
DeleteNeedless to say, that particular opera is wonderful if sung strictly according to the composer's wishes. I love that theatre building and the advert on the car is the best. I am glad that you enjoyed yourself.
ReplyDeleteMrs Thyme I do seem to recall that La Bohème was unique among Puccini's operas for some reason to do with his personal overseeing of its production but I also remember that Toscannini conducted the first performance in the late 1890s and I can't imagine he would have had anything but strong view of his own. Anyway I'm not sure how the many versions I've heard conform or not and I still enjoy (most) of them.
DeleteI have never seen La Boheme at the theatre but I have watched it numerous times on DVD. That art deco theatre is something, isn't it?!
ReplyDeleteLiz I know that many regard this as a fairly 'shallow' opera but, for me (and I'm nowehere near alone) the music is emotional to a very strong degree.
DeleteEnjoy La Boheme as many times as you want in life....some folks like me have never seen it in the theatre...so enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few good movies that I would watch over and over because they are so good, so I totally understand where you are coming from in this regard.
You always find something new to admire or it moves you in a new way.
Virginia I do hope that you one day get the opportunity to see a live and good performance.
DeleteYou're having such a great time...good for you! :)
ReplyDeleteYes Lee. I intended to re-visit many places I hadn't been for ages or be a tourist but, in fact, I've just fallen back into my old life and it's great.
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