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A form of theatre in which all, or at least most, of the lines are sung rather than spoken. They are commonly written in Italian, German, and French. However, there are also Czech, Chinese, Russian, and English operas. Frequently, the three largest roles are given to a soprano, a bass, and a tenor.
A soprano is a female singer with the highest vocal range. There are, however, many different types of sopranos, each suited to certain roles.
A bass is a male singer with the lowest range. An example of a very good bass voice is Nicolai Ghiaurov.
A tenor is a male singer with the highest vocal range. Often, they are the hero of the story and are in love with the soprano's character.
The plots range from a light-hearted comedy such as "La Fille du Regiment" (The Daughter of the Regiment) to tragedies such as "Aida" or "La Boheme". The music is often difficult to sing, though some arias are easier than others. I would not recommend attempting to sing any of them without training, however. Contrary to what some people believe, singing opera takes a great deal of work and skill and hitting all those high notes, which many people refer to as shrieking, is certainly not easy.
If you intend to go to the opera, it is a good idea to read the story first. Whether you have the story in a book or find it online, it tends to be more enjoyable if you know the story. Especially if you aren't a great opera fan and are simply going because some one you know wants you to accompany them.
Notable opera singers are: Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Maryline Horne, Maria Callas, Renee Fleming, Angela Gheorgiu, Roberto Alagna, and Jose Carreras.
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A style of theater/drama in which the characters sing all or most of their lines.
The story is usually simpler than that of movie plots, since it takes longer to sing than to speak. The stories, perhaps melodramatic to our modern eyes, are as varied as movies; from lighthearted, romantic prances ("The Marriage of Figaro", "The Elixer of Love"); heartbreaking romantic tragedies ("La Boheme". "Madame Butterfly", "Aïda"); and some almost x-rated shockers ("Elektra"(much like the Mendez brothers case), "Salome"). Operas are often quite true to life and often deal with some of the most difficult choices that a person can make; matters of life and death, in other words. ...Of course, the plot is much more dramatic than in reality.
Opera relies on voice types (unlike movies, which rely on appearance):
Soprano: highest female voice; plays the heroine, the sweetheart, the victim woman.
Mezzo-soprano: medium female voice; plays the villainess, seductresses.
Contralto: lowest female voice; very rare, usually limited to maids, mothers, grandmothers, and witches.
Tenor: highest male voice: plays the hero, the lover, the doomed hero. Usually romances the soprano.
Baritone: medium male voice; plays the villain, evil prison wardens, and other mean ones.
Bass: lowest male voice; plays priests, kings, fathers, and the Devil.
Opera houses are theaters designed especially for opera... and don't be surprised to find a (rather sexy) tuxedo-clad ghost wandering the dark recesses of the opera house, living his life away on a lake beneath the theater.
Opera is a grim world; there's competition all over for parts... and not to mention some rather unusual situations: tantrums and refusals to do something that the director wants to be staged.
What's the difference between a soprano and a terrorist?
-You can negotiate with a terrorist.;)
"He's here! The Phantom of the Opera!"
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A superior form of entertainment in which most of the characters' lines are sung. Not many young people like opera, because their brains are so clogged by rap and sex that they are unable to appreciate the dignity and beauty of opera.
One famous opera is Don Giovanni, by Mozart.
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A style of theater/drama in which the characters sing all or most of their lines.
The story is usually simpler than that of movie plots, since it takes longer to sing than to speak. The stories, perhaps melodramatic to our modern eyes, are as varied as movies; from lighthearted, romantic prances ("The Marriage of Figaro", "The Elixer of Love"); heartbreaking romantic tragedies ("La Boheme". "Madame Butterfly", "Aïda"); and some almost x-rated shockers ("Elektra"(much like the Mendez brothers case), "Salome"). Operas are often quite true to life and often deal with some of the most difficult choices that a person can make; matters of life and death, in other words. ...Of course, the plot is much more dramatic than in reality.
Opera relies on voice types (unlike movies, which rely on appearance):
Soprano: highest female voice; plays the heroine, the sweetheart, the victim woman.
Mezzo-soprano: medium female voice; plays the villainess, seductresses.
Contralto: lowest female voice; very rare, usually limited to maids, mothers, grandmothers, and witches.
Tenor: highest male voice: plays the hero, the lover, the doomed hero. Usually romances the soprano.
Baritone: medium male voice; plays the villain, evil prison wardens, and other mean ones.
Bass: lowest male voice; plays priests, kings, fathers, and the Devil.
Opera houses are theaters designed especially for opera... and don't be surprised to find a (rather sexy) tuxedo-clad ghost wandering the dark recesses of the opera house, living his life away on a lake beneath the theater.
Opera is a grim world; there's competition all over for parts... and not to mention some rather unusual situations: tantrums and refusals to do something that the director wants to be staged.
What's the difference between a soprano and a terrorist?
-You can negotiate with a terrorist.;)
"He's here! The Phantom of the Opera!"
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A very fine browser, perhaps the best one out there, with nicer users than Firefox.
Opera's users don't try to forcefully convert people like Firefox's users.
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1. The fastest Internet Browser available. Faster than Mozilla Firefox 2 and Internet Explorer 7 in all tests, but still only 1% of people use it.
2. Some gay kind of concert that rich people go to where they have to wear special glasses just to see the stage.
Example 1:
guy 1: Dude! Firefox is the fastest browser on the planet. I can't believe you're still using IE7.
guy 2: Dude!! Opera 9 is the fastest in all tests, and is more cutting edge than both of them.
guy 1: Oh... well I'm just going off of what my Firefox cult tells me. They didn't mention Opera.
Example 2:
Guy 1: Dude! Where did you take your girlfriend yestarday on your date?
Guy 2: I took her to the Opera. I wanted her to assume I was both rich and an intellectual.
Guy 1: Well... Did it work?
Guy 2: Ohhhh yea!
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