Since some of the more popular and fun genres got taken by the time I found out about this week's blog challenge, I decided to explain a little about Opera.
I've mentioned before my love for it and how people don't understand. I recognise the difficulty in appreciating it - it's an extremely convoluted and some may say unnatural way of singing. The storylines are often ridiculous and sung in a foreign language - and even if you did speak the language, the vocal presentation means the words are often still incomprehensible. And to make matters 'worse', since voice is often considered more important than appearance (although this is changing, for the better or worse), the roles are often presented by plump people pretending to be young lovers.
People often snort when you talk about a voice that can bring you to tears. However, the form showcases what the human voice is capable of and in the words of dancinghula and Kt after their first opera, they felt a sensation of 'movement' when the singers were doing their arias - akin to being at a rave and the bass causing their internal organs to reverberate!
Anyway, here are a number of arias that illustrate 'movement'.
Viens Malika (Flower Duet) from Lakme by Leo Delibes, sung by soprano (Anna Netrebko) and mezzo-soprano (Elina Garanca).
O Soave Fanciulla from La Boheme by Puccini, sung by Pavarotti and Mirella Freni
Au Fond du Temple Saint from The Pearlfishers by Georges Bizet, sung by tenor (Roberto Alagna) and baritone (Bryn Terfel - enjoy the visual joke of little Alagna vs. big Terfel).
If you're willing to give opera a try and sit through a performance, I'd recommend Mozart or Verdi because a lot of their works have been ripped off for advertising/movies and are pretty recognisable.
Sull'aria from The Marriage of Figaro, sung by sopranos Kiri Te Kanawa and Ileana Cotrubas - used in The Shawshank Redemption
Der Holle Rache (ff to 2:50), from The Magic Flute, sung by soprano Diana Damrau
Der Vogelfanger Bin Ich Ja from The Magic Flute, sung by Bryn Terfel
Soave Sia Il Vento from Cosi Fan Tutte, sung by soprano (Miah Persson), mezzo (Anke Verdung), and Bass (Nicolas Rivenq)
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