Operas and musicals

[Notte stellata]

I wonder how many people like operas and/or musicals, and if you like both, which do you prefer? I'm not going to ask about specific works/composers/singers as there are too many, but feel free to talk about your favorite ones in the comments.

I've been a musical fan for many years but only started to seriously appreciate operas recently (though I watched a few operas long ago and was familiar with some of the best known arias). At this point I still prefer musicals, but I think I'm liking operas more and more. One reason I prefer musicals is the melodies are much easier to learn (I like to sing along), whereas I may watch an opera a few times and still can't recall or recognize 95% of the tunes. Also, sometimes an opera has several arias that I really like, but the rest of it isn't that impressive to me.

My favorite operas so far are Carmen and Madama Butterfly (I think Carmen has the most memorable tunes among all the operas I've watched). I also like Werther a lot, mostly because I was deeply moved by the tenor Jonas Kaufmann's portrayal of the title role. My all-time favorite musical is Les Miserables, followed by Miss Saigon, Avenue Q, Sweeney Todd, and Phantom of the Opera.

What about you?

[Notte stellata]

I find male voices much more tolerable than female ones when it comes to opera

I prefer male voices too. My least favorite voice is soprano, though as I listen more, I've found it not as bad as I used to think, and there are even a few soprano arias I quite like. I definitely prefer mezzo-soprano when it comes to female voices (contralto seems pretty rare in operas), but unfortunately most female leads are sung by sopranos (Carmen is an exception, which is one of the reasons I like it). I like all the male voices, but tenors, just like sopranos, get most of the big arias.

[Mycroft is Yourcroft]

I love both equally! And I like many of the works you've already listed, though I quite like 'The Magic Flute' too :)

[Autumn Sunrise]

When I was a teen/young adult I didn't care much for opera, although I loved to sing and had some training. I think what really changed my perception of opera came rather later, when I had a couple of really good singing teachers, which helped me to develop my voice beyond the "pretty schoolgirl" style of singing, and to realise that I could actually sing operatic arias. Later, I had the opportunity to sing with an amateur opera company, and to sing some amazing roles and learn to create a character on stage. This was a fantastic experience and I just loved it! I think the roles I liked best were probably Mimi in La Boheme and Desdemona in Othello.

After several years of this, the company folded when the director became ill and was unable to continue, but I will always be grateful for having had this opportunity, and I still love opera.

[Tja]

Autumn Sunrise, you're so cool! 8) :D

I Puritani was my first opera. Loved it! Now, I'm hooked. My favorite, so far, has been Lucia Di Lammermoor, followed closely by Electra, Madama Butterfly, and Tosca.

I prefer opera, but still enjoy musicals. Rent and Phantom are favorites. While I loved the 10th anniversary stage show of Les Miserables, I found the actual musical disappointing. Just didn't care for it.

I do try to go to every production of Hairspray, when I can. It's so cute, with good songs. Just fun!

[Squirrel Combat]

I don't get to watch very many operas or musicals (because they're expensive), but I have complete recordings of some operas (so it's almost like the real thing except the stage settings) and I play medleys of famous musicals in my concert band I'm in.

[poisonrose]

I have two favorite musicals, wit no three no four oh god I can't decide. Erm some I like then: Phantom of the opera, Les mis, cats, Jesus Christ superstar, Evita Sweeney Todd, and the Starkids musicals. Oh and I forgot Blood Brothers

As for operas I've not heard or seen many but my fave is Mozart's The magic flute, I love the queen of the night's arias, especially if it's Diana Damrau singing the part

[korik]

I say "other" on operas, because there are a lot of opera "overtures" that I really enjoy. But once you add the voices, I can't stand it!!

I like a lot of musicals, but I certainly don't like all of them!

[drjohnhwatson]

I'm literally listening to opera right now, haha.

I prefer musicals, though. My favourite is Phantom of the Opera, but I also adore Les Miserables, Sweeney Todd, and Wicked.

:D.

[knout]

I can appreciate opera, but I'd most likely rather hear it than actually watch it.

I just seem to dislike all musicals I run into, although I'm open to the idea that one day I'll find one I like... Hedwig and the Angry Inch was kinda close

[Kitteridge]

It makes me so happy to see awesome people here who like opera. :D

I know barely anything when it comes to musicals, but opera is my favourite genre of music. Although I still feel like somewhat of a newbie since I haven't been into it for years and years.

The Golden Cockerel is my favourite, partly because it was Rimsky-Korsakov's music that got me interested in classical/opera. But overall my favourite composers are Verdi, Mozart, and Donizetti.

[Notte stellata]

I know the result of this poll is probably biased (people who like musicals or operas are more likely to vote in the first place), but I'm still glad to see so many musical/opera fans. :) It's hard to run across any in real life.

I say "other" on operas, because there are a lot of opera "overtures" that I really enjoy. But once you add the voices, I can't stand it!!

I like a lot of musicals, but I certainly don't like all of them!

Haha I'm the opposite. I always prefer vocals to instruments (I also like a cappella which is purely vocal), so I'm not a fan of the instrumental kind of classical music. I do like some of the opera overtures though.

I don't like all of the musicals either (e.g. I don't like Rent or Jesus Christ Superstar). You don't have to like all of the musicals to be a musical fan, just like a movie fan doesn't have to like every movie. :P

I can appreciate opera, but I'd most likely rather hear it than actually watch it.

I'm opposite to this too. I enjoy watching the acting and comparing different productions (I find it a bit strange that there are so many more opera recordings than musical recordings - you may find 10 different DVDs for a popular opera, but some of the best musicals, like Les Mis, only have concert DVDs). The variations among productions (including different settings, costumes, interpretations of characters, etc.) are very interesting to me.

Speaking of which, what do you guys think of those "modernized" operas? For example, I came across this production of Madama Butterfly, which is plain weird to me. The setting isn't visually pleasant, and it's not romantic at all to sing the love duet under neon lights and billboards. It's also hard to believe a modern girl would get married at 15 and wait for her husband for three years without hearing from him directly (why doesn't she email or Skype him?). I think more often than not it's not a good idea to move the story to modern times because there are usually some elements specific to that time period.

[Kitteridge]

Speaking of which, what do you guys think of those "modernized" operas? For example, I came across this production of Madama Butterfly and it's just weird to me. The setting isn't visually pleasant, and it's not romantic at all to sing the love duet under neon lights and billboards. It's also hard to believe a modern girl would get married at 15 and wait for her husband for three years (why doesn't she email or Skype him?). I think more often than not it's not a good idea to move the story to modern times because there are some elements specific to that time period.

I'm not against trying moderised productions, but I agree with your comment.

Reminds me of a comment on another site complaining about modern opera making long death scenes seem silly. They mentioned a production of Un ballo in maschera in which characters could be seen using cell phones. When the king is wounded nobody took their phone out and called 911, or tried first aid.

[JAKQ7111]

I know the result of this poll is probably biased (people who like musicals or operas are more likely to vote in the first place), but I'm still glad to see so many musical/opera fans. :) It's hard to run across any in real life.

I say "other" on operas, because there are a lot of opera "overtures" that I really enjoy. But once you add the voices, I can't stand it!!

I like a lot of musicals, but I certainly don't like all of them!

Haha I'm the opposite. I always prefer vocals to instruments (I also like a cappella which is purely vocal), so I'm not a fan of the instrumental kind of classical music. I do like some of the opera overtures though.

I don't like all of the musicals either (e.g. I don't like Rent or Jesus Christ Superstar). You don't have to like all of the musicals to be a musical fan, just like a movie fan doesn't have to like every movie. :P

I think I'm with you, Starrynight. I generally prefer vocals by themselves over instruments by themselves, though I do really like the mixing of the two. A cappella is really cool, and I constantly kick myself over my multitudes of botched a cappella auditions over the last few years. I am in my school's select Chamber Choir, which sings unaccompanied, as well, but a cappella choral is somehow different. I love both opera and musicals, though. If I had to pick a favorite opera, it would probably be Carmen (the Habanera is one of my favorite arias of all time) and my favorite musical right now is probably Jesus Christ Superstar.

I remember you mentioned your least favorite voice type is the soprano, and in that realm I do disagree. One of the big reasons I don't listen to as much opera as I would otherwise like (and a huge part of why I can't get a role to save my life) is that my favorite voice type is the bass (my own) and my least favorite is the (favored) tenor. I also have a deep love of contraltos (girls who can sing nearly as low as I can make me weak-kneed) and they don't get nearly enough love. Coincidentally, I've only ever dated sopranos, oddly enough.

Modernized operas I think can work, but they need to be done tastefully. I saw a wonderfully done video of Tales of Hoffmann done in a steampunk aesthetic, and it worked really well. It helped that one of the characters in that opera was already a life-sized mechanical doll, so it was a stone's throw away from steampunk already.

[Winnie_A]

I like musicals, but I'm not a huge fan of operas, mainly because I prefer the more casual singing style rather than the "classically trained" way.

[Skycaptain]

definitely musicals, not leas5t because I have yet to encounter an opera where I have understood any of the words. Sorry opera buffs, but to me their singing sounds almost like white noise- the sound and pitch is there, but nothing I can discern as words. It is strange, because I can quite happily listen to the music from operas without the singing

[9Lives]

My parents took me to the opera and to classicsl concerts as soon as I was old enough to sit quietly for two hours straight, and I still love it. My favorite opera is Mozart's "Don Giovanni", other than that, give me any Verdi opera and I'm happy. I am, however, allergic to modern and post-modern interpretations of classical operas. If chickens are being slaughtered live onstage, the characters of "Ariadne auf Naxos" lounge around in bathing suits or if Lady Macbeth is cast as as a topmodel, count me out. I have no qualms about leaving during the middle of a performance.

[Notte stellata]

Reminds me of a comment on another site complaining about modern opera making long death scenes seem silly. They mentioned a production of Un ballo in maschera in which characters could be seen using cell phones. When the king is wounded nobody took their phone out and called 911, or tried first aid.

LOL, that's hilarious to think about! I haven't seen a so extremely modernized production yet. I heard that the Met Opera did a production of Rigoletto that was set in Las Vegas. It doesn't sound good to me, but I'm curious to see what it's like.

I think I'm with you, Starrynight. I generally prefer vocals by themselves over instruments by themselves, though I do really like the mixing of the two. A cappella is really cool, and I constantly kick myself over my multitudes of botched a cappella auditions over the last few years. I am in my school's select Chamber Choir, which sings unaccompanied, as well, but a cappella choral is somehow different. I love both opera and musicals, though. If I had to pick a favorite opera, it would probably be Carmen (the Habanera is one of my favorite arias of all time) and my favorite musical right now is probably Jesus Christ Superstar.

I remember you mentioned your least favorite voice type is the soprano, and in that realm I do disagree. One of the big reasons I don't listen to as much opera as I would otherwise like (and a huge part of why I can't get a role to save my life) is that my favorite voice type is the bass (my own) and my least favorite is the (favored) tenor. I also have a deep love of contraltos (girls who can sing nearly as low as I can make me weak-kneed) and they don't get nearly enough love. Coincidentally, I've only ever dated sopranos, oddly enough.

Modernized operas I think can work, but they need to be done tastefully. I saw a wonderfully done video of Tales of Hoffmann done in a steampunk aesthetic, and it worked really well. It helped that one of the characters in that opera was already a life-sized mechanical doll, so it was a stone's throw away from steampunk already.

Habanera is one of my favorite arias too (I liked it before listening to the full opera). I like to watch how every Carmen flirts with guys in her own way while singing it, and how she throws the flower at Don Jose afterwards. ;)

I think Tales of Hoffmann is one of the operas that are okay to be modernized, because the story doesn't depend on a historical context, and the idea of a singing mechanical doll is pretty modern to begin with. :P

definitely musicals, not leas5t because I have yet to encounter an opera where I have understood any of the words. Sorry opera buffs, but to me their singing sounds almost like white noise- the sound and pitch is there, but nothing I can discern as words. It is strange, because I can quite happily listen to the music from operas without the singing

I know neither Italian nor French, so I have to watch with subtitles anyway, at least for the first time. But even if I knew the language, I suspect it would still sound like white noise sometimes, especially when the pitch is really high.

[daveb]

Dislike most operas and not a fan of musicals (but some are okay-ish).

Opera is one type of music in the really broad Classical genre that I really cannot get into very much. (I know 'Classical' refers to a specific period, but it's taken on a colloquial generalised usage as well.) There are a select few exceptions, pieces I can truly appreciate, and I find male voices much more tolerable than female ones when it comes to opera, but overall, not a fan. I grew up loving Classical music when it made me exceptionally uncool to do so (teen years), but opera has always just been void of anything that's been too interesting to me.

Musicals... eh. Some are alright. They're a little dramatic for my liking, though.

All of this!

I did enjoy Spamalot though. :D

I like some of the overtures, and the music used in animated media like Fantasia and Bugs Bunny (usually not a lot of singing, mostly they use the instrumental bits, so that's okay.).

[Autumn Sunrise]

definitely musicals, not leas5t because I have yet to encounter an opera where I have understood any of the words. Sorry opera buffs, but to me their singing sounds almost like white noise- the sound and pitch is there, but nothing I can discern as words. It is strange, because I can quite happily listen to the music from operas without the singing

Sadly, very often true, 'Captain - diction (or more correctly, enunciation) is not a strong point with many opera singers - too much else to think about, I suspect! But for all that, I do love opera, and I'll admit that knowing the story, and also having an informative program booklet, both help me to enjoy performances more :)

[Tja]

Love classical music, but not listening to the words of the opera...I can't imagine. As long as I have the gist of what's being said, the emotions and poetry of the words is phenomenal.

To get caught up in the interplay of characters is the essence of opera. Their verbal exchanges, whether an interaction of love or hate, is thrilling!

[Kitteridge]

I don't mind not knowing the language, it's kind of soothing to me. Though I've been gradually learning words here and can pick them out easily.

I suppose it keeps me getting distracted from the music and voices. Sometimes I barely understand songs in English (mainly pop), and I get irritated not being able to figure out what the song is about. :P

[korik]

I say "other" on operas, because there are a lot of opera "overtures" that I really enjoy. But once you add the voices, I can't stand it!!

I like a lot of musicals, but I certainly don't like all of them!

Haha I'm the opposite. I always prefer vocals to instruments (I also like a cappella which is purely vocal), so I'm not a fan of the instrumental kind of classical music. I do like some of the opera overtures though.

I don't like all of the musicals either (e.g. I don't like Rent or Jesus Christ Superstar). You don't have to like all of the musicals to be a musical fan, just like a movie fan doesn't have to like every movie. :P

I do like some A capella music, too. but there is something about the singing of operas that just irritates me.

I listen to classical music almost exclusively while driving. (because it's a publicly supported radio station. no commercials. no annoying chit chat. no celebrity gossip.) So, I have come to greatly appreciate music without words.

[daveb]

Sometimes I barely understand songs in English (mainly pop), and I get irritated not being able to figure out what the song is about. :P

This

I agree with Korik, too!

:)

[5_♦♣]

I love musicals. Never seen an opera, except on tv shows, if that counts. But I doubt I'd like it, since it seems like nothing more than people screaming, albeit in song.

[Ficulnean]

Opera's to musicals, but I think that's because I associate musicals with tv shows more than theatres.

[Lizzytreble13]

I LOVE opera! I just finished a graduate level course on opera history, actually ^^ I saw Turandot on tv when I was about 8 years old, and I've been hooked ever since. I've seen over a dozen operas live! My favorites include Turandot, Carmen, and Tristan und Isolde, but really I love everything. Mozart opera is always fantastic - I'm playing in the pit for Figaro in the spring! I'm going to see Tosca at Seattle Opera in a few weeks and I'm sooooo excited! Strong, passionate female characters are my jam!

Musicals are fun too. It's just hard to match my obsession with opera! But I've been a die-hard fan of Les Mis since I was a kid (pre-movie). Ooo that's a good topic: Lovers of Les Mis, what are your thoughts on the movie? I thought it was good as long as your expectations were for mediocre singing, great acting, and abbreviated numbers. The one thing I can't forgive is when Javert sings the line "One day more to revolution" instead of "One more day to revolution" - unacceptable!

[Notte stellata]

I LOVE opera! I just finished a graduate level course on opera history, actually ^^ I saw Turandot on tv when I was about 8 years old, and I've been hooked ever since. I've seen over a dozen operas live! My favorites include Turandot, Carmen, and Tristan und Isolde, but really I love everything. Mozart opera is always fantastic - I'm playing in the pit for Figaro in the spring! I'm going to see Tosca at Seattle Opera in a few weeks and I'm sooooo excited! Strong, passionate female characters are my jam!

Musicals are fun too. It's just hard to match my obsession with opera! But I've been a die-hard fan of Les Mis since I was a kid (pre-movie). Ooo that's a good topic: Lovers of Les Mis, what are your thoughts on the movie? I thought it was good as long as your expectations were for mediocre singing, great acting, and abbreviated numbers. The one thing I can't forgive is when Javert sings the line "One day more to revolution" instead of "One more day to revolution" - unacceptable!

I saw Turandot (on video) back in college, and I barely sat through it. Nessun Dorma was the only aria I liked. I watched it again recently, and although I enjoyed it much more than last time, I still couldn't stand the story and Turandot's arias (see my latest status update :P). I like Tosca much better, especially "E lucevan le stelle".

I made a thread about the Les Mis movie long ago. I agree with you - it's good as long as you don't have high expectations on the singing. But for fans of the stage musical, the movie is probably not that impressive. I didn't notice that line of Javert though, haha.

[Kitteridge]

Mozart opera is always fantastic - I'm playing in the pit for Figaro in the spring!

Awesome :) It's so neat knowing that there are aces involved in opera/classical.

Though I agree about the story of Turandot being troubling. Haven't watched it all yet, and doubt I will. I'm not interested in most of Puccini's other operas, either.

[deltaX]

I absolutely love musicals! I had never really been a huge fan before, but in high school I befriended a lot of theater geeks, and hanging out with them got me super interested. I now go to plays and musicals whenever I can, even if my friends aren't around anymore to drag me to see them.

As for operas, I don't really know much about them. They're okay I guess, but not really my thing.