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La Boheme
Music affects our emotions and has much to do with our everyday lives. Music has always and will be a part of my life. I would have to say that without music there is no life -- something is missing in our lives without music. If there were no music society we would only have people speaking to each other, and there would be no entertainment. The form of musical entertainment that I attended was the opera, La Boheme, composed by Giacommo Puccini and Libretto by Giuseppe and Luigi Illica. The opera took place at The New City Opera on November 10, 2001. La Boheme takes place in 1830, 19th century Paris around Christmas time. This opera tells the tragic love story of a young Bohemian, Rodolfo, who finds a love interest in his neighbor, Mimi. The opera consists of an extremely talented cast with the accompaniment of an amazing orchestra.
The orchestra was well amplified throughout the Lincoln Center Opera House because it was clearly heard from our upper mezzanine seating. Sunken down below in front of the stage is where I found the opera orchestra. The opera orchestra, which is quite similar to a full symphony orchestra, was starting to warm-up as I entered the "jewelry box". In the orchestra pit I found aerophones, which included, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombones, as well as a flute, piccolo, english horn, bass clarinet, contrabassoon, bass trombone, and a tuba; chordophones, which included the first and second violins, violas, cellos, and a harp; membranophones were made up of the percussion and a timpani. The dynamics range from piano to extreme fortissimo throughout the four act opera. This helped the audience grasp the feelings and emotion that the characters were trying to displ...
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...more on the dramatic qualities expressed in the libretto Puccino created something unique and more acceptable.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed Puccini's La Boheme. After watching this opera I became much more familiar with The New City Opera and the Lincoln Center Opera House. I not only learned much more about opera itself; I also was able to discover a new personal musical liking. I have a found a new love interest in the opera. It is true to say that music has a large emotional effect on one's self. After exiting the opera I was in a completely different mind set than I was upon entering. Even though I had just sat through a tragic love story, I was smiling. I was smiling because as a result of my reaction to the opera, I realized that music does indeed have a huge effect on our personal life no matter what way you look at it, and this makes me happy.
Overall I truly enjoyed myself at the opera. It gave me a new perception on plays and operas, before I went I thought it would be cut and dry and I would be ready to leave as soon as I got there, but it was the complete opposite of that. I laughed, I wanted to cry (but I didn’t), and I felt the energy from the stage. I did recommend this opera to some of my friends and I will recommend it to more people because it was really, really good. All of the music was well executed and performed beautifully. I can see myself checking out more operas and plays here at USC, they are really good way to spend an evening enjoying classical music and a good show.
If you don't think this is romantic, consider that Jonathan Larson's sensational musical is inspired by Puccini's opera "La Boheme," in which the lovers Mimi and Rodolfo are tragically separated by her death from tuberculosis. Different age, different plague. Larson has updated Puccini's end-of-19th-century Left Bank bohemians to end-of-20th-century struggling artists in New York's East Village. His rousing, moving, scathingly funny show, performed by a cast of youthful unknowns with explosive talent and staggering energy, has brought a shocking jolt of creative juice to Broadway.
Musical performances are evaluated on many different aspects, including if the performance is historically accurate. The Eightieth century Opera was an up and coming genre that was spreading its way through Europe. Opera’s style and aesthetics in the baroque period could always be traced back to its Italian roots. In Ryszard Daniel Golianek’s article In Search of a Perfect Performance of the 18th Century Opera; Johann George Silzer’s Lexicon as an Aesthetic Guide he states “three general conditions of a good performance are mentioned: Deutlichkeit(Thoroughness), Ausdruck (expression) and Schönbeit(beauty)”. (p.150) Castrati were often used in lead roles of baroque opera. When performing baroque opera today, conductors are left with a difficult descion on how to replace the castrato while still attempting to remain historically true to the values of the composition.
...xcited to have this experience. Part of the drama of the concert at first is felt when the musicians come in and sit down and begin tuning up their instruments. I would not be able to comment on the performance of the orchestra. During the performance, I seen the audience were moving with the music, but I felt like that everyone seems knows more music than what I learned throughout this semester. After I went home and did some of the research on these music I finally understand why these people like to attend the orchestra concerto, it was because that every piece of music has a history behind it. The Los Angeles audience seemed to me to be people who know music and who will listen to something new in a respectful way. All the same, when the more familiar sounds of the last piece were heard, I could feel a little sense of relaxation and fun coming into the room.
Eastern Washington University Department of Music presented a program of Opera works by Giacomo Puccini, Aron Copland, W.A. Mozart, John Dowland, Franz Shubert, Maurice Ravel, and Robert Schumann on Friday, March 7, 6:30 p.m., in the Music Building, Recital Hall. These Opera works were sung by Senior Recitalist, Alexandra Rannow.
... as the music. James Levine, the conductor, as well as the entire orchestra really captured the essence of what each of the scenes in both acts were trying to convey as well the emotion. The orchestra played fantastically and the performers sang and acted beautifully. I thought the set, the scenery, and the costumes were very elaborate and decorative. I really enjoyed the story the opera told and the dramatics it involved. What really captivated me was that Cosi fan Tutte was also somewhat of a comedy. There were parts of the performance that made me laugh. I enjoyed the fact that it was not such a serious opera. The opera was light, enjoyable, somewhat comical, dramatic, and romance filled. The concert environment was intriguing. I really admired the Metropolitan Opera House. The design, architecture, overall appearance of the opera house. It was very exquisite.
Since the earliest days of human civilization music has been a key tool for communication of stories which carried emotions through them. If we think back to our youngest years of life music has surrounded us whether it was from our parents singing us lullabies or from some sort of toy that played music we can say that musical melodies have helped shape or lives one way or another. Once we start growing up and figuring out who we are our musical preferences change; some people like classical and some like punk. We start to befriend people who like the same music as us and eventually we may attend a musical event. Our lives somewhat revolve around the music that we listen to.
On October 12th, I saw Tosca by Giacomo Puccini held at Atlanta Opera. Tosca is an Italian opera, directed by Tomer Zvulun, accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Arthur Fagen, included a cast of Kara Shay Thomson, Massimiliano Pisapia, and Luis Ledesma (The Atlanta Opera). Opera is an art form in which singers act out drama through a combination of acting and vocal performance. Singers deliver conversation in a musical manner, essentially singing the conversation. Since we recently learned about opera in class, I want to explore the future of opera - where it will go next with the ever advancing modern technology, media and entertainment, and what researches are currently being done at both the industry and academic levels. I will briefly describe what the traditional opera is like using Tosca as an example. Next, I will look at modern opera after the World War II. I will also select one example from the industry and university that are experimenting with opera. At last, I will offer my imagination of what the future of opera may be.
...criticism. Thence, the Opera achieves an immense degree of complexity and artistry, which helps to explain why the play was so popular for so long. The Opera is entertaining for the masses, complex enough to engage the critic, and it was (in its own way) peculiarly patriotic during an age of immense English pride for native culture.
Music is one of the most fantastical forms of entertainment. Its history stretches all the way from the primitive polyrhythmic drums in Africa to our modern day pop music we listen to on our phones. It has the ability to amaze us, to capture our attention and leave us in awe. It soothes the hearts of billions, and it is so deeply rooted in my life that it has touched my heart as well. Everyday I walk to the beat of the song stuck in my head and hum along to the melody. For me, to listen to music be lifted into the air by the hands of your imagination and float around for a while. You forget about your worries, your troubles and find peace within the sound. Every chapter in my life is attached with a song. Every time I listen to a certain song, thoughts of my past come flooding back
Music has been known throughout time. It can help us through everything. There are so many solutions with music to help a person go through so many situations. Music can affect many people in many different ways. Without music some people would be lost and would have no motivation. Music can provide inspiration and insight through education. Music has influence on suicides, killings and shootings, and provocative actions. It can also influence good morals, respect, allowing differences, health, and much more. Music can come in many forms and categories and music is very good for the world.
Music combines with, adds to and enhances moving image in many ways. It can heighten and refine emotion as well as meaning. Music, through tone and instrument selection can create the mood of a piece and of and towards its characters. Music is commonly used to give a sense of continuity and unity to a production and to possible sequels.
There are many ways in which music affects and surrounds us. It is our creative outlet, our passion, our distraction, our night out or simply our moment of relaxation. Throughout the centuries, music has played a vital role in our lives. We as a society immerse ourselves in music day to day. From grandiose social gatherings and dances in the Middle Ages, to live concerts and monumental performances to date. Music is in films to elicit emotion and in television commercials to make us consumers of the newest technology. More importantly, it is in our preferred listening device because we choose the particular songs and artists we like and want to hear. The Marriam-Webster dictionary defines music as “sounds that are sung by voices or played on musical instruments; the art or skill of creating or performing music.” But why do we choose attend the Bruce Springsteen concert at Wrigley Field and not the Chicago Symphony Orchestra? What makes us enjoy one type of music or artist and not another? Whether you make music or simply enjoy it by listening to it, we are all connected to music in a variety of ways.
Music has always been a big part of my life. Music is not just a bunch of melodies, rhythms, and vibrant sounds. It is a comfort to me. The lyrics of a song challenge my intellect and the rhythms and beats affect my emotions. Music understands me when people don’t. At times it takes me back to an event in my life or even in history. Both consciously and subconsciously my mind remembers the emotions that are attached to a certain song. It can make me feel on top of the world or the complete opposite; music can change the atmosphere and also set the mood. Music has power over my human soul. It soothes it. I cannot imagine not having music to listen to. It is a powerful force and my love for it is incredible.
Music is an essential part of life because of the expression it allows people to have, its entertainment, and its therapeutic ways for the world.