Events: Opera Night

 

It happened, I can’t believe it actually happened!

On a rushed Monday night I had the opportunity to go to Milan and hope that there would be a ticket for me for the Teatro alla Scala’s performance of the opera L'Elisir d'amore. Exhausted from my back-to-back art filled days in Spain and Germany, I really wanted to relax at home. (Art people get tired of cultural events from time to time). However, I was reminded that life is worth taking risks and the chance to see an opera at Milan’s prestigious theater was one I might not get again.

So I went. Without a ticket. Running 20 minutes late. I went.

Boy, am I glad I risked it! When we got there, there were no tickets left, but somehow through the magic that is persistence, a ticket 'appeared’. So I headed up to my balcony seat, not exactly sure what to expect, but excited nonetheless.

On a sidenote, I would like to remind my readers that I started this blog to help ease newbies into the art world. I know some events can seem intimidating, but the silver lining is always there – the art. Having said that, the opera crowd is not my scene. I was a little uneasy to be around the more established (aka older) audience members at Milan's Teatro alla Scala. 

Called La Scala to most, Teatro alla Scala is the center of the Italian opera world. In a video about this year's production, the lead male tenor from L'Elisir d'amore, Rolando Villazón from Mexico City, Mexico called it "la cattadrale della lirica" (the cathedral of lyric). His female counterpart was Nino Machaidze a soprano from Tbilisi, Georgia. Paired together and with the help of an energetic cast this production of L'Elisir d'amore proved to be a fantastic interpretation of the amusingly touching romantic comedy. 

Originally written by Gaetano Donizetti in 1831 and set at the end of the 18th century, this year's production was set in the 1950s. Although I could tell that some of the traditionalist opera-goers in the audience were not amused by this interpretation, I thought it was a wonderful way to modernize a work that is well-known amongst Italians, especially those who regularly attend the opera. 

L'Elisir d'amore was wonderful. I would recommend it as the perfect opera for someone unfamiliar with this scene, but willing to try. It is lighter than most operas. The language is not overly difficult to understand, in Italian of course. And best of all, the acting is very funny at times. 

The theater is spectacularly fitting. The interior architecture gilded in gold and the antique lighting immediately recall all the women and men from centuries back who had watched the same opera and sat in the same balcony seat as I had that night. There is something very zen about visiting such an established place in Europe and knowing that you are only one small cog in the history of a place that has celebrated the efforts of composers, playrights, musicians, and actors since 1778.