Regarding Riverwinds quote about opera ;)

[fhunter]

After seeing Riverwinds quote (yes, I liked it)

Yes, Opera where the lead singer is the young beautiful 679 lb woman with the voice of an angle who can break glass at 40 paces.

RiverNot wanting to drift that thread... That quote reminded me...

Have anyone here ever heard Tarja Turunen (former lead singer of band Nightwish)? Really interesting sound and voice...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb2dlQFN5-c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56XHwnktSTo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxod9jF9c-s

[Riverwind (imported)]

Thank you, I am glad to inspire you.

River

[Paolo]

I LOVE the Tarja-era Nightwish! I have almost all of her albums.

Amazing voice!

[xsmasturbator (imported)]

Evidently, it has been a LONG time since Riverwind attended a live opera performance. Most of today's soprani are svelte and sexy. Even in the Golden Age of bellowing behemoths, there were slim soprani, such as Geraldine Farrar and Amelita Galli-Curci. And, even in those days, opera audiences didn't always choose to ignore excess avoirdupois.

At the first performance of "La Traviata" in which the consumptive heroine, Violetta was portrayed by the 300 lb. Madame Donatelli, when the doctor announced of Violetta that "She is dying of consumption", the audience rioted. All art forms require, in some way and to some degree, the "voluntary suspension of disbelief." But, even in the 19th century, when audiences were more willing to make allowances for the appearence of performers, the voluntary suspension of disbelief could be over-strained.

[Dave (imported)]

I must admit that years ago, I heard Maria Pelligrini who was the premier soprano singing MADAME BUTTERFLY at the MET in NYC and she was 20 or 30 years beyond the 16 year old Butterfly. MADAM BUTTERFLY is one of the standard operas that everybody cries over the ending. And the arias in the music are lovely.

So if you are willing to spend the time and effort to hear it... fine.

But sometimes I listen to country and western. No music is bad music if you enjoy it.

Except for Vivaldi's flute concerti which shouldn't even paper the bottom of a bird cage.

[Riverwind (imported)]

Evidently, it has been a LONG time since Riverwind attended a live opera performance. Most of today's soprani are svelte and sexy. Even in the Golden Age of bellowing behemoths, there were slim soprani, such as Geraldine Farrar and Amelita Galli-Curci. And, even in those days, opera audiences didn't always choose to ignore excess avoirdupois.

At the first performance of "La Traviata" in which the consumptive heroine, Violetta was portrayed by the 300 lb. Madame Donatelli, when the doctor announced of Violetta that "She is dying of consumption", the audience rioted. All art forms require, in some way and to some degree, the "voluntary suspension of disbelief." But, even in the 19th century, when audiences were more willing to make allowances for the appearence of performers, the voluntary suspension of disbelief could be over-strained.

I think you miss understood me, its not about the singers, its not about the music, its about Opera - I DON'T LIKE IT. I do hope its ok with you, I don't like most rock music either, or most jazz, and country but that is all personal taste. Why would anybody spend money to go see something they did not like? I don't like baseball either, boring which is how I feel about Opera. And yes I have listened to them, I even own a couple of them, I don't play them because the bottom line is I don't like them. They don't hold a hat to Chuck Berry or the final movement of Beethoven's 9th. It does not matter what they look like, they could be the most beautiful people in the world and naked I WOULD STILL NOT LIKE IT.

Let me say this one more time, just so there is no misunderstanding, I don't like Opera.

River

[Dave (imported)]

...

... I don't like Opera.

River

And that's OK by me.

I have tickets to the Pittsburgh Symphony and I've seen my share of opera live as opera and live as concert productions. I've heard the SYmphony do Ellington and Basie live as part of concerts.

Opera is definitely an acquired taste. Many of the different types of music are acquired tastes. Think about RAP and HIP HOP (which is interesting) or DEATH METAL (which I despise).

In High School, I played what we now called elevator music in bars and nightclubs for extra cash. It was lunch time and customers loved softer background music.

I still listen to the SINATRA channel on SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio.

It's a big, wide world out there.

[xsmasturbator (imported)]

No, Riverwind, I don't think that you had made that clear previously. You had made a point of exaggerating the singer's weight, and I had thought that was your main objection to opera. As I said, there's no disputing about tastes.