Ramblings of a Fangirl: Opera Peeves

So, don't get me wrong, I am a huge Phan.

. . .

A fan of Phantom of the Opera.

A phan.

All of it. 

The book. The Broadway. The movies. The spin-off plays and musicals and books.

All of it.

NOT Love Never Dies. 

May the Hero Otto Webber rest in peace.

(Some of you understand what that means and I commend you.)

But there's something that really irks me about the play and the movie.

They used fake operas.

In a tale that takes place almost entirely in an opera house, there's not a single real opera in it.

There is in the book and in other versions: they perform Faust multiple times, which is actually far better suited to the Phantom than the fake ones, but that's a rabbit trail you don't want to see me go down.

But I checked on the operas, because Il Muto sounds hilarious. 

But alas, it does not exist.

The fact that they're all English should have tipped me off, but it didn't.
It irked me for a while, but then I forgot about it . . .
. . . till I saw the opera scene from Fifth Element.
Not sure I would suggest the movie, but for those of you who have missed this glorious scene, you can thank me later:

Yeah.
Is that not beautiful?
And here's where it gets even better - IT'S REAL.
It's from Lucia di Lammermoor, and this is the famous "mad scene".
You know, the "mad scene"?
Like THE "shower scene" . . . ?
No . . . ?
Oh.
Okay.
Anyway, this happens right after Lucy marries the guy she doesn't want, kinda snaps, and stabs him.
On their wedding night.
With all the guests downstairs.
Yeah . . .
Awkward.
But she's calling for her true love when she sings this.
Um . . . drenched in blood. . .
But here's what I don't get . . .
. . . a play about an opera ghost can't take the trouble to fit a real opera into the play somewhere, but a sci-fi movie that has nothing to do with operas does. . . ?

My Thoughts on . . . Fidelio

Fidelio is one of the best operas ever.

Like, legit.

It's awesome.

The plot's a bit convoluted, and I don't want to spoil anything by trying to explain it, so I'm just not going to. 

It sounds kinda rough, but that's just because it's in German. After a while, you get used to it, but there is this really funny part right at the beginning where this guard's trying to woo the jail keeper's daughter, and she's so sick of it that she pounds the table over and over shouting "Nein nein nein nein!"

Funniest. Opera scene. Ever. 

And it only works in German, so yeah.

But it's an awesome love (and sort of a spy) story, but not mushy. Totally not mushy. 

I'd give it a 5/5.

It's really that great. 

Any thoughts on my review? Did I miss anything or not give it enough praise? Comment below!

My Thoughts on . . . Carmen

So, Carmen's pretty much one of the most famous operas ever. 

Meh.

What would I rate it?

Gosh, probably a 2 or a 3 out of 5. 

I'm really not a big fan of it.

Why?

Well, not because it's "too mainstream" -- that really doesn't bother me. 

It just feels like there's something lacking in the ending, and if you don't know the ending, I'm certainly not going to spoil it for you. Go watch it yourself.

(Though I did stick a hint in the tags . . . )

The music is wonderful, and although the overture and music from the first and last acts are the most famous, there's some pretty good stuff in between, too. 

I have to admit, though, that the first time I watched it, I was struck by the irony . . .

It's an opera set in Spain, where they speak French, performed in Germany, while I was watching it in America, with English subtitles. 

(Oh yes, I do suggest watching operas with subtitles - very helpful. Unless you're actually going to one, in which case I'd suggest sticking a libretto in your mother tongue in your bag.)

But yeah, something just seems missing to me. And it's a bit overused (not the same as mainstream).

Overall rating: 2.5/5

Any thoughts on my review? Did I miss anything or not give it a fair shot? Comment below!

Next . . . Fidelio . . .

(Opera) Bucket List

Just a short(?) list of operas I want to see . . . eventually:

Tosca

Werther

Eugene Onegin

Marriage of Figaro

Lucrezia Borgia 

Rigoletto

Elektra

Pelleas and Melisande

Rusalka

Die Fledermaus

Der Fliegende Hollaender

Tamerlano

Aida

Lucia di Lammermoor

La Clemenza di Tito

The Capulents and the Montagues 

Orlando Furioso

Ernani

Semele

(Update! 11/15/12 - I knew I had more of these floating around in my head!)

Katya Kabanova
The Capulets and the Montagues
Semele
La Finta Giardiniera
The Tsar's Bride
Virginia
Flora
Nabucco
Anna Bolena
Roberto Devereux
Francesca da Rimini
The Elixir of Love
La Sonnambula
Marie Victoire
Manon
La Traviata
Macbeth
Daughter of the Regiment
Il Travatore
Hippolyte et Aricie
La Cenerentola

(Soon to come: my favorite operas!)

Got any favorites of your own?

And THIS is why I love OPERA . . .

^-^

Yay!

Really makes you want to go see Lucia di Lammermoor, doesn't it?