Concert review , 1300+ words, 2 concerts = 1 Review

#2

Music Appreciation

Verdi: Il trovatore

My first ever experience at Houston’s Opera, any opera, for that matter was

absolutely exquisite. I had many stereotypes that were surely busted once the

doors closed and the lights dimmed. I had the pleasure of seeing Il Trovatore at

Houston’s Wortham Center on the 26th of April First, I purchased the tickets for

my wife and I to have a nice evening out together while also getting credit for

class; I cannot think of a better win-win situation. As the opera neared, my wife

had to schedule other plans and I was a bit upset I would have to attend the

production alone. I ended up inviting a friend at the last minute and to my

surprise he was ecstatic to attend his first opera experience as well with me. We

both arrived early hoping to get our tickets quickly and then go get some food

prior to the start of the opera. I was told that the doors close on time and that we

would not be allowed in once it started if we were late. Our tickets were not there

yet and the time allowed to eat was dwindling quickly. I attempted to go upstairs

to purchase food at the Wortham building, but I was told that you must have a

ticket to go upstairs; which is where the restrooms were also positioned. Once

our tickets arrived my friend and I rushed upstairs to get some food. By the time

we ordered and it was prepared and then brought to our table; we heard the 5

minute warning. We both scarfed as much as possible and ran to the opera

house in order to not be shut out. We hurried to our excellent positioned seats

and waited to take in something that we were not prepared for.

As the lights dimmed, the audience started to applaud and I could not see why.

Eventually, we saw the orchestra’s Maestro, Patrick Summers, appear. I assume

the balcony seats were able to see him first prompting the early applause. Once

the Maestro started the production, I was in complete shock! It was absolutely

amazing! He flung his arms around with such finesse at times and then would

transition to throwing his arms with such vigor. I was simply impressed purely by

his movements. Once the full opera joined the music, I was once again taken a

back because I was unaware that operas are similar to a play or dramatic piece. I

had the impression performers stood still on stage and sang along with the

orchestra. I had the assumption I would be bored and struggling to stay awake,

but the contrary. I was so glued to the stage and wide eyed; I was astonished

from the start all the way to the end of the production and ready to experience my

next one. The production was in Italian, which from what I understand is what

most operas are performed in, and subtitled in English. At times it was easy to

keep up with what was going on stage because the repetition of the words sang

versus the subtitles; yet at other times when the characters were having

conversation I was glued to the action on stage and would forget to continuously

check the subtitles; surprisingly I was able to keep up with the story line even

though I could not understand the words. The surprise in the story line with the

mix up between the two young boys and the Gypsy actually raising the Count’s

son, Manrico, until he is killed and she then shouts that her mother finally has

had her revenge was excellent. I truly wanted to be in a balcony seat because I

was unable to observe the orchestra which was located in front of the stage, but

below ground level. From what I did get to observe after the performance was

over, the musical ensemble was smaller than I anticipated. I have not been to a

live orchestra either, but I have seen pictures and movies which allude to a much

larger collection of instruments and performers. Although the ensemble was

smaller than anticipated, they were dressed as I assumed; all wearing black, men

most in tuxedos and the women in dresses or slacks. The music sounded string

biased with a wonderful complement of some wind and brass. One of the main

female characters, Lenora, sang in the soprano range and was wonderful to

experience. Her change in dynamics and ability to express different inflections

when duplicating the pieces was magical. Manrico, the count’s son, the

troubadour, sang in the pitch of tenor, which I was confused on because I

thought he sounded more like a baritone range to me. I

find it amazing that these burley men are able to reach such high ranges. The

Gypsy has a wonderful range and was able to be a few octaves higher than

Lenora, which puts her in a higher range, mezzo-soprano. The count was deeper

and in the baritone range. The two main male performers complimented each

other superbly in my opinion and being they were in two different ranges, it was

great to listen to them sing in conjunction. Rounding out the main performers is

Ferrando, which I took to be the Count’s main military leader. He was the first to

perform as the show started and is in the lowest range of the performers, a bass.

It was satisfying to hear the bass performer first because it was closer to the

assumption I had in mind when it comes to my initial vision of the male opera

performer.

The wonderful duets, trios, and works by the chorus kept me on the

edge of my seat all night. I initially asked myself how I would endure an

approximated run time 2 hours and 45 minutes, but shortly after the lights

dimmed to start the performance the curtain dropped for intermission. Once

back in our seats for the remaining acts the show was over before I knew it. It

was a wonderful experience and I surely will be back.

What I must say, with my little knowledge of the musical world, I do

know it is suggested to be able to perform to your full potential and reach your

full range that you are capable, you should stand. I observed these performers

not only performing at their full potential while standing, but also in difficult

positions as laying down and sitting and they were still able to project their voices

and hit very impressive notes. Also, there is no electronic help that is provided to

these performers. I thought they would all be wearing some kind of microphone

or some kind of electronic device to help the whole house hear well due to the

size of the performance hall. All these performers sang naturally and everyone in

the house was able to experience the performance as they were in the first row. I

am absolutely impressed with the reduced orchestra, the composer, and all the

voice talent. I am glad this assignment opened my eyes to the wonderful world of

classical performances.

#3

How I was converted to an Opera Believer Dread.

An unmeasurable amount of dread is what I started feeling when I realized I

would have to attend an opera as one of my assignments. I consider myself a

very unpretentious person, and unfortunately, opera aficionado is not part of

my description. I knew this would be something that would cause me to step

out of my circle of comfort. It would be unchartered territory, and having no

experience in this realm of music before, I had no idea what I was getting

into. My only connection to Mozart and his music is the classical playlist

that I have when I put my baby to sleep. However, after being an audience

member at the Houston Grand Opera’s rendition of Mozart’s “The Marriage

of Figaro”, I can honestly say, that although I am still not an opera

aficionado, I have been converted and will gladly enjoy an opera

occasionally.

To begin my journey into my opera conversion started with my wife’s

enthusiasm over this particular assignment. As an ELA teacher, she has been

part of the humanities circle for a while and has enjoyed the theater district a

lot more often than I have. When given the choice to attend with my

classmates, or with my wife, I decided to invite her to be part of my journey

since she wouldn’t stop going on and on about shows she had seen in the

past. As much as she had experience in this area of artistic expression, she

too had never gone to see this particular opera. We both didn’t know what

we were about to encounter once we stepped inside the theater. To not ruin

our experience, my wife did not allow me, nor did she allow herself, to read

anything about “The Marriage of Figaro”. We were to go into this opera

with no set ideas, preconceive notions, or preset thoughts of what to expect.

It was going to be a memorable experience for both of us one, way or

another. I have never stepped foot inside the Wortham Center.

As a native Houstonian, who lived about 10 minutes away the majority of

his life, my wife said I should be considered a travesty. I had no idea of what

to expect, what was to come or how to behave. The sense of doom continued

to deepen when my wife donned on a new dress, heels and make up. Not

only would I have to sacrifice four hours on a Sunday afternoon, (did I

mention that it was Superbowl Sunday; and I am a football aficionado, some

say it might even be my passion?) but now I had to wear dress clothes as

well? With the thought that if I am going to do this, might as well get it over

with, I rushed my wife along and proceeded to head towards Houston’s very

own theater district located in the heart of downtown. Each minute that

passed, was a minute closer to my doom. I was getting anxious and more

uncomfortable as we drew closer. In contrast, my wife’s smile kept getting

bigger and bigger the closer we got.

My wife guided me to park in the underground parking lot right across the

Wortham Center. This too was a labyrinth, an unknown land, and the lower

we got into the parking lot, the more lost I seemed to get. Normally, I am

very good with directions. Stick me in the middle of nowhere with a

paperclip and shoestring and I can McGyver my way out of there. Yet, here I

was in the middle of an underground parking lot, in the heart of Downtown

Houston, and I could not tell the difference between up and down or left and

right. I saw nice cars, nicely dressed couples holding hands, fathers in tuxes

leading the way to equally adorned sons, mothers in pearls holding the hands

of beautiful little princesses and here I was, dreading to step out of my car.

My wife capped her lip gloss, smiled at me and asked if I was ready. I was

not. To continue the sense of doom, how was I supposed to get out of the

parking lot and into the Wortham Center? Again, I was lucky to have my

wife. She taught me the secret of the underground; the tunnel that connects

you from the parking lot right to smack in the middle of the lobby of the

Wortham Center. Her enthusiasm was palpable, felt in each bouncy step she

took. My dread had me sinking and stumbling over my own feet. Her smile,

normally contagious, could only get a small wisps of a smile from my own

face. I thought to myself, it’s only three hours left. The worst that can

happen is that I will have spent three boring hours next to my wife, (the

weekend before Valentine’s Day) and I have just scored major points. This

thought gave me hope.

My Sunday was beginning to look up after all. We took our seats. We were

seated in the center section, thirteen rows behind the orchestra. Being inside

the theater, I was starting to absorb it all. The orchestra members were

tuning their instruments as my mind began to sync itself to the violin. The

dynamics started to blend into one sound. I realized that the violin was not

playing to my ears, but it was touching my heart. The curtain was raised and

the audience drew in a unanimous breath.

The music started and I couldn’t help but close my eyes. I was no longer an

audience member in a very famous rendition of an Opera; no, I was alone

floating on a melodious cloud, where the winds that carried me where the

sounds from the string instruments. The cacophony that was flowing from

the orchestra pit helped me understand the Italian Opera. Even though I do

not speak Italian, the crescendos, the buildup and the rhythms created a

world that I was now part of.

As Figaro started making wedding plans with Susanna, I was engulfed in the

story line unfolding before my eyes. The ensemble and the angelic tones

only added to the drama going on stage. Was Susanna really being unfaithful

to Figaro with Count Almaviva? Was Countess Almaviva really that dense

and love sick? The director’s hands flailed about in a madness that seemed

to have no sense of direction. His arms went this way, and that way and only

seemed to be random flailing of arms. However, what I didn’t realize before

and only started to realize at that moment, was that the director was actually

only enhanced the musicality coming out of the orchestra pit. The timbres of

the trumpets, mixed in with the vibrations from the violins enhanced the

confusion of the Count’s courtship of an engaged woman. I couldn’t help but

be swept away with the emotions emanating from the stage, and smiles,

gasps and amusement crept on my face.

As the music and storyline progressed, I became part of what was going on

in the life of Figaro and those who surrounded him. Before I knew it, the

curtain was lowered to allow for the intermission. Time was flying by. Since

the story was already unfolding before our eyes, I was able to start reading

the program and was pleasantly surprised to see that a cast member was a

fellow Latina, Aylin Perez as the Countess Almaviva . It filled me with a

sense of pride to see someone from my culture being able to lead an

audience through such an emotional journey with her voice aided by the tone

set by the musical ensemble. It brought to mind how in the future, I would

want to be a tuxedo dressed dad guiding his little tuxedo dressed son to

experience Mozart in more than just his bedtime playlist.

The lights dimmed and the second portion of the opera was about to begin. I

saw that the director took his place on his podium and I eagerly anticipated

the conclusion wanting to know if Figaro would marry Susanna after all. If I

thought the first half was funny, I wasn’t ready for the humor that was

awaiting me in the second half. The director’ guided the ensemble to create

diverse tempos that heightened the humorous antics of Cherubino. The rise

and fall of the composition had me guffawing when Figaro found out that his

mother had previously attempted to coax him into marriage. The repetition

of Marcellina and Dr. Bartolo proclamation of being Figaro’s parents, was

also repeated in the music. Each repetition was met with laughter from the

audience. If it hadn’t been for the music, I do believe that the humor in that

situation would have fell flat. In the end, Figaro, Susanna and Countess

Almaviva were able to in a conniving manner trick Count Almaviva into

admitting the error of his ways. Mozart, in my professional opinion, is a

musical genius. The director was able to guide the orchestra and all of those

magical instruments to create a world that enthralled the viewer. Without the

different dynamics of the musical ensemble to help set the tone of what was

going on the stage, “The Marriage of Figaro” wouldn’t have had such a

powerful vivacity.

I am now converted and will listen to my wife when she wants to go watch

more operas, symphonies and other classical music performances. I can say

that I have experience Mozart in far more powerful ways than just putting

my baby to sleep. The dread no longer exists. In fact, I believe deep down in

my heart that if I have to do another assignment of the similar fashion, I

would be filled with excitement. In the end, Figaro gets married to Susanna.

Count Almaviva and Countess Almaviva reconcile. Cherubino and

Barbarina end up as a couple. Macerillina and Dr. Bartolo finally get

married. And my wife and I, also lived happily ever after.