Opera

[tinhuvielartanis]

It's not bloody music. How can anyone think it's music? If I want to hear people screaming and wailing like they're having their bits twisted, I'd better damned well be watching some really good BDSM porn, where people are actually having their bits twisted and are enjoying every excruciating minute of it.

Opera and Country Music: wastes of auditory space. Just my not-so-humble opinion. *snort*

Comments

[irenes.livejournal.com]

I disagree ... but can totally understand and respect why you would feel that way ... but before you write it off completely you should really check out "Nessum Dorma"

I like some opera ... most of the happy crappy stuff doesn't do much for me ... but their are some pieces that just ... I don't know , can't put it in words. But if you don't get it by listening to Nessum Dorma then my words won't express it either :)

Here's a link to pavarotti doing it on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONUCPKdGcrk

listen to the whole thing (only 3 minutes or so) because it's towards the end that it really gets me.

[lindsaybits]

Nessun Dorma's beautiful, but Pavarotti's overrated.

Then again, i'm biased, being somewhat disinclined against tenors. More of a bass/bass-baritone fan, m'self. Sam Ramey = teh hotness.

[irenes.livejournal.com]

yeah, it wasn't the pavarotti I was pointing her at ... just the nessum dorma. I don't know enough about opera to have known who to look for.

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

Nossir, I didn't like it. But I don't like the Opera voice. There's vibrato, there's too much vibrato, and then there's ridiculous, which is Opera vibrato. Sorry, it's just not my bag.

[irenes.livejournal.com]

;) To each their own ... just didn't want you to give up on it without having heard that.

[lindsaybits]

Now i'm afraid/curious: which opera were you listening to? O.o

I'm a bit of a fan of the genre, but hell, just like any other type of music, some of it's better/worse than other bits.

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

It was something featured in the movie The Life of David Gale. I don't even know the piece, but Opera all sounds the same to me ~ wailing people with too much vibrato.

[lindsaybits]

From what i've been able to find, the opera in that movie is "Tu Che Di Gel Sei Cinta" from "Turandot". I've seen Turandot, and it's... aight. So i've pulled up a version of it as sung by Maria Callas, considered one of the best opera singers evar. As she's singing it, i wouldn't call it screechy, but 1) it's not a great "introduction to opera" piece, and 2) i can see how it would be VERY easy for a less-awesome singer to make that sound painful.

S. Ramey & K. Moll "The Commendatore Scene" Don Giovanni - good stuff right there.

Another version of Nessun Dorma, as sung by a rather odd looking chap on Britain's Got Talent. The reactions to him give me chills:
Paul Potts sings Nessun Dorma. Now, that's a good version, but what really threw me off was finding a version of Nessun Dorma by Manowar. Actually not bad at all - Ben tells me the dude's had no small amount of classical training. Weird. Eerie.

In any case, you're perfectly welcome to hate each and every one of these, as taste in music is entirely subjective. I grew up around this stuff, so i'm used to it and even like a fair bit of it.

[zoethe.livejournal.com]

I felt the same way until my 3-year-old daughter fell in love with it. Out of a sense of maternal duty I found checked out operas from the library. And after a short time I fell in love with them, too.

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

Yet another reason to be wary of children! ;p

[zoethe.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[morriganwind.livejournal.com]

parental units played operas for me as a child to force me to be well-rounded. That being said, I like some operas/classical music, and abhor others.

Nessum Dorma makes me cry.

Eh, different strokes and all...

LOL...what you feel about Opera is what I feel about Hip Hop.

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

hahah! I'm fond of Hip Hop. Classical music is, for the most part, quite lovely. The only Opera I've ever come close to being able to tolerate is the brief piece featured in the movie Hannibal. The singers aren't shaking so hard from forcing too much vibrato, so it sounds a bit more natural than Opera usually does. It still sucked, though.

[morriganwind.livejournal.com]

That it did suck! We can definitely agree on that.

I guess what I don't like about hip hop or pop is when the singers do that high-pitched screeching. That and the 'borrowing' of classics to use as a base to their own lyrics. I'm quite snooty about the whole, 'can't people play musical instruments anymore'?

That's just me being a musical snob pretty much. There are some older hip-hop songs I like, but I refuse to call them hip-hop, because I dislike the pop side of that genre.

[wikkidpixie.livejournal.com]

I used to think the same thing, of both categories, but I think The Marriage of Figaro is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever created. However, most of Wagner, ew.

I still agree on the Country front tho. ;)

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

Now, the Figaro pieces as performed by Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd are true masterpieces.

[polypolyglot.livejournal.com]

I like the music in some operas. The singing? Not so much.

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Opera would be perfect if those horrible singers would keep their traps shut.

Mostly agreed

[waterdawg.livejournal.com]

Well - to each his own...

Don't do opera cause I listen to music to escape - I don't want my brain in a knot when I'm trying to relax...

Country - I listen to music to lift me up - If I wanted to be depressed I'd listen to country (Ok I know there are a few...) - Basically play country music backwards to get your wife/husband, stuff back...

Give me good ole Rock & Roll...

Re: Mostly agreed

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

I know it's only Rock & Roll, but I like it!

[manifestress.livejournal.com]

I am in TOTAL agreement with you and have been for eons - except you put it much better!

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

Why thank yuh! We should get together sometime and not listen to Opera.

[brujah.livejournal.com]

I think there's something in each genre of music that I enjoy, including both opera and country. Though, they're not my preferred things to listen to, I do find myself enjoying a piece or two.

Like irenes, I enjoy Nessum Dorma, but I prefer the surprise Britain's Got Talent version with a mobile phone salesman (Paul Potts) singing it and making Simon do this: O_O

But that's just me.

As for country, I can't weed it out of my insides because it has been there since my formative years.

I like a little of everything, as I've said, but I find repetitious music to be bothersome in short order. One particular song that absolutely makes my brain bleed is Call The Ambulance by Busta Rhymes/Rampage.

I'll stop babbling now.

How you doin'?

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

I'm grooveh now that you're back around again!

[anomali.livejournal.com]

Even this?

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

I like Yanni's version of it better. The melody is lovely, but the Opera singing style sucks massive donkey balls.

[es-skysurfer.livejournal.com]

The only thing even close to opera i can tolerate is Phantom of the Opera :p

Country music... occasionally i will like the odd song, but for the most part it makes me want to chew off limbs.

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

LOL. You limb-chewer, you!

[es-skysurfer.livejournal.com]

Nutritious and delicious :D

How about this opera?

[janalyson.livejournal.com]

Re: How about this opera?

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

When I rub Aunt Tudi's back, I often give her the Bugs Bunny head treatment with musical accompaniment. Bugs can do no wrong.

[angstzeit.livejournal.com]

To me it is sort of like Indian pop music--very stylized. I like a number of pieces in both genres but often have to get past the singing style--if I can.

I've noticed that opera pieces often do very well when taken out of opera and performed in a different style--like Bugs Bunny.

And I'll always have a soft spot for Gilligan's Island putting Hamlet to the music of Carmen.

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

I love the Indian vocal style and can listen to that all day, but quivering, wailing vibrato is heeeeedeous.

[dostoevsky-girl.livejournal.com]

i'm biased- i grew up around opera, so perhaps that's why i like it so much. my big gripe about opera, amusingly enough, is how... simple the lyrics are. like you think it's going to be something as fancy as the singing and orchestration makes it sound, and then you read the libretto, and realize that 5 minutes of singing is something like "oh my candle's gone out it's dark" "your hand's so cold (hey she's cute i wonder if she likes me)"

i *do* have to be in the right mindset to listen to opera- it's certainly something where i find i have to sit down and give it my full attention- i can't just have it as background music while doing the dishes or something...

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

I'm glad someone likes it so I don't have to. If it comes in parts, you're more than welcome to my part. Freely, I give it to you!