O IS FOR OPERA AND OVERTURE
I know a lot of people do not like opera, but bear with me for a moment please. This video clip is of what I consider to be one of the saddest pieces of music I have ever heard. Even now when I hear it I get prickles down my back. You don't even have to know the story to hear the sadness.
It is the overture to Verdi's La Traviata. Even if you don't like opera, just give this piece a try it's only three minutes and see if you can't hear the poignant sadness that is in the story about to be performed. Of course it is a story about true love that is doomed from the start and ends in the heroine's death and the hero's devastation.
I learned to love opera in high school where our school choir performed several. I also learned to love it from my father who had a variety of pieces recorded on His Masters Voice and would play them over and over again. I'm sure he didn't realize that I, as a ten year old child, was absorbing them without knowing and cultivating a love for such music. I certainly didn't realize it.
I actually like a lot of different kinds of music, including the Beatles, the Mamas and Pappas and the Beach Boys among many others.
This is my entry for ABC Wednesday, for the letter O. Why not click HERE and see what other topics our participants have chosen for their 'O' entry. You won't be disappointed.
Thanks Mrs. Nesbitt and Roger Owen Green
19 comments:
This is the only opera I have ever heard in my life. I loved it! Thanks for this post to remind me of it.
Right from the beginning, it sounds so sad...yet beautiful somehow. I have La Boheme playing on my slideshow today!
Leslie
abcw team
AH, FROM MY COUSIN, JOE GREEN. YES, IT'S A SAD PIECE
ROG, ABC Wednesday team
Un Bel Di from Madame Butterfly has me sobbing. I LOVE opera.
Jane x
Oh Chris, isn't music a vehicle for emotions. So very sad. You don't need words or the story to feel it right down to your toenails. What a great post for O. I need to get out of the kitchen...HaHa.
Beautiful and heart rending music. I have to admit opera isn't my listening choice but I do enjoy bits and pieces now and then.
Not very fond of opera but I can listen to it.
O is for....
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team
My wonderful working class parents sacrificed to give me the piano lessons that led to a career teaching music, but they knew little of opera. I didn't grow up loving it, but all the more pleasure now :) I really enjoyed this post. Apart from the beautiful tenderness of the music, I loved the close-ups of Sir Georg Solti conducting not only with his hands but with his eyes.
Hello Chris.
I love CARMEN. I watched this opera on the TV, with Placindo Domngo and Julia Miguenez Johnson. It was very beautiful.
I lve the Beatles, the Mamas and the Papas and the Beach Boys too.
.
I like. I am a fan of certain opera and particular arias from them, many are full of emotion. I was lucky enough to live in London whilst still childless and my first wife and I were able to go to Covent Garden and various other venues to watch live opera and ballet quite often. My personal favourite that I think is the most emotionally charged aria is ‘Chella mi creda libero e lontano’ or ‘Let her believe I’m far away and free.’ Ramerrez is about to be hanged and is singing this to the officials in the hopes his girl never finds out his true fate. It has a real punch to it.
Oh Chris! I am with you! I love opera. I have got many DVD's of Mozart operas. I saw Le Nozze di Figaro and enjoyed it from beginning to end.Thanks for this post.
Wil, ABC Team.
Call that sad? THIS is sad! ;)
PS. I'm not a huge opera fan but Vesti la giubba and Au fond du temple saint are favourite pieces.
A beautiful overture. I do love opera but rarely have the chance t see it live nowadays.
Oh this is so beautiful!! We have several members of our church choir who perform in the opera--I love when they sing individually.
Ann
I have everything from the 60s to classical to opera-like to current songs in my playlist! It's good to be versatile. I appreciate all genres of music.
Oh AJ! You are so funny!! And of course you are right...however... the clown's tears don't make me FEEL so sad as the violins of La Traviata do. Not sure why, except perhaps one is the person in the story and the other is the music itself.
Wonderful post for 'o' ~ lovely ~ and fun ~ (A Creative Harbor) ^_^
Wonderful to meet another fan of opera! I can never understand why everyone is not moved by the stories and the music. And of course, the piece you chose today is brilliant.
This post made my day...:)
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