I'm not educated about opera, so I have the usual complaints, but Leontyn Price can make me tear up when I don't understand a word she's singing, and I always enjoyed Pavarotti who looked like he was in heaven when he was performing and had a fabulous voice. For some reason, I ended up attending about four performances of Tosca, which seemed to be all that was offered in the area at the time. A member of my congregation is an opera singer, basso, and off and on brings people to perform at church, once a whole opera without all the scenery. So I seem to be a permanent neophyte. I do find the prose synopsis of opera plots hilarious, much to the disgust of an opera loving friend. I could write a quick parody, but won't put you through that. The plots can be pretty convoluted and downright whacky. But yes, I like opera, inasmuch as I understand it, and sometimes when I don't, and I too can get bored. I like Mark Twain's quip, paraphrased, I love opera except for all the damned singing. I've always disliked Wagner, which always seems to be cranked out at full throttle dripping with false emotion. A composer friend tells me that is because it is always performed incorrectly, and if I saw it done right, I'd appreciate it.
