|
|
Post by roly on Nov 21, 2020 4:57:21 GMT -5
I seem to be short a couple genes.
I have no problem recognizing the skill, talent, whatever you chose to call it, but I just don't care for either.
Am I alone?
|
|
MoJoe
Wholenote
Posts: 855
Formerly Known As: quiksilver
|
Post by MoJoe on Nov 21, 2020 5:09:07 GMT -5
I'd rather go see the dentist.
|
|
|
|
Post by ninworks on Nov 21, 2020 5:09:29 GMT -5
I am right there with you roly. There are pieces of music scattered through a number of musicals that I like but watching an entire show is annoying to me. The same applies to operas.
|
|
|
|
Post by fkaJimmySee on Nov 21, 2020 5:49:40 GMT -5
Opera? I saw the English National Opera's full production of Gershwin's Porgy & Bess last year at the London Coliseum -- twice. It was sensational. Can't make generalizations about music. Depends on the show and the production. Other wonderful evenings we've enjoyed along the way include Mama Mia on stage in London, Sunny Afternoon (the Kinks musical) in London, Phantom of the Opera three weeks after it opened all those years ago, again in London, Evita in New York, Anything Goes starring Patti LuPone at Lincoln Center, Strauss' Salome with its Dance of the Seven Veils at the Vienna Opera House, a revival of Hair at the Old Vic in London where I was seated on bleachers on stage(!), productions of Gilbert & Sullivan (some wonderful, some creeky), La Boheme at La Scala in Milan, and many others. Lots of duds along the way, too, but you gotta kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince (or princess). When you categorize music, you risk missing a lot. sunnyafternoonthemusical.com |
|
MJB
Wholenote
Who's we sucka? Smith, Wesson and me.
Posts: 634
|
Post by MJB on Nov 21, 2020 5:52:12 GMT -5
It depends I guess. Tommy? Hair?
|
|
|
|
Post by roly on Nov 21, 2020 6:06:32 GMT -5
Well Mr. See.....appears you have my missing genes.
Please return them.
|
|
|
|
Post by rickyguitar on Nov 21, 2020 6:12:57 GMT -5
Not for me, you can have my ticket.
|
|
|
|
Post by gato on Nov 21, 2020 6:24:56 GMT -5
I was raised on classical music and opera. Never went to see an opera, but plenty of classical concerts.
Musicals: I enjoyed Hair, Cats, Ramona, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and the live performance of the Rocky Horror Show (movie kinda sucks in comparison)
|
|
|
|
Post by Rick Knight on Nov 21, 2020 7:40:40 GMT -5
I'm with Roly - recognize the talent but not a fan.
|
|
|
|
Post by Laker on Nov 21, 2020 8:50:04 GMT -5
When I was in college I took an elective course titled Music History and Appreciation where we studied classical music as well as opera. The opera I seemed to like the most was Don Giovanni.
As for musicals, I really enjoyed the old ones like West Side Story and South Pacific and newer like Cats, Jersey Boys, etc. There is so much great music that has come from these productions.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mfitz804 on Nov 21, 2020 9:09:01 GMT -5
I love musicals. Which is good because my daughter is in them all the time, but it predates her. My wife and I used to take advantage of the student rates that would be offered and we saw tons of Broadway shows, including Les Miserables at least a half dozen times.
For me, I enjoy watching music be performed. Even if it’s a genre I wouldn’t usually listen to. So going to a musical, hearing the orchestra, watching some phenomenal singers do their thing, you, I love that.
Opera, however, is a no for me. Hearing women sing in that very high pitched voice, often using a language I don’t understand, I have no interest in that. We have a friend whose daughter is an amazing opera singer and she sounds terrific when she does it, but the genre just doesn’t do it for me.
I would point out, as the above demonstrates, the two forms noted above shouldn’t be lumped together, they don’t relate at all in my opinion. It’s like asking “How do you feel about peanut butter and jelly or a chicken parmigiana hero?”. Both are sandwiches, but have nothing to do with each other aside from both being lunch.
|
|
Bopper
Wholenote
Motor City USA
Posts: 506
Age: 72
|
Post by Bopper on Nov 21, 2020 10:18:54 GMT -5
I like opera, musicals not so much. women sing in that very high pitched voice, often using a language I don’t understand
How's this? (from Rusalka, by Antonin Dvorak)
|
|
MoJoe
Wholenote
Posts: 855
Formerly Known As: quiksilver
|
Post by MoJoe on Nov 21, 2020 10:27:11 GMT -5
Like fingernails on chalkboard and the singing saw combined. 🎃
|
|
|
|
Post by RonC Picker on Nov 21, 2020 10:34:24 GMT -5
Eh. Not so much of either,but...I loved The Sound of Music movie, and really enjoy the story and singing/music of the opera Carmen. Go figure. Maybe I gotta be into the story. Some of West Side Story appeals a bit too since I was a New York City kid in the 50’s. Lots of Puerto Rican classmates and friends in my neighborhood.
|
|
|
|
Post by FlyonNylon on Nov 21, 2020 11:04:47 GMT -5
Not a big fan of musicals but can definitely get into opera,
The arias of bel canto (18th century Italian opera) are some of the most beautiful melodies ever written.
“Casta Diva” and “Vaga luna che inargenti” are two that come to mind off the top of my head.
I only know a little Italian but absolutely love hearing it sung.
If you look up the words you don’t know and are familiar with the stories (a lot are based on classic dramas from greco-roman literature so may be familiar) opera can be a very powerful medium.
|
|
matryx81
Wholenote
I think I know the reason but I can't spell it.
Posts: 773
|
Post by matryx81 on Nov 21, 2020 11:27:20 GMT -5
Opera>Musicals, but... Both are sandwiches, but have nothing to do with each other aside from both being lunch. Why can`t they be dinner? |
|
|
|
Post by Mfitz804 on Nov 21, 2020 11:35:25 GMT -5
Opera>Musicals, but... Both are sandwiches, but have nothing to do with each other aside from both being lunch. Why can`t they be dinner? Because its only 11:35 am here. Ask me later and they can be dinner. |
|
|
|
Post by NoSoapRadio on Nov 21, 2020 11:51:20 GMT -5
I'm also not a big fan of show tunes but I love a lot of operas - don't care much for Wagner. If not understanding the words is a problem (which is odd -- most of us listen to Bob Dylan, right?), I suggest giving Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" a chance. It's in English, but if you can't stand to listen to the wonderful Jessye Norman -- I don't think I can help you.
|
|
|
|
Post by Vibroluxer on Nov 21, 2020 12:36:21 GMT -5
I like both, but certainly not all.
Here is a beautiful Aria from Bizets "The Pearlfishers"
It's two long lost pals meeting up, telling each about their life and love. Turns out they are in love with the same girl. In the end, they decide to each give up the girl and remain friends.
|
|
|
|
Post by funkykikuchiyo on Nov 21, 2020 13:49:15 GMT -5
I would point out, as the above demonstrates, the two forms noted above shouldn’t be lumped together, they don’t relate at all in my opinion. It’s like asking “How do you feel about peanut butter and jelly or a chicken parmigiana hero?”. Both are sandwiches, but have nothing to do with each other aside from both being lunch. I agree completely. Opera is an art form entirely unique. Francis Ford Coppola stated that he felt it was the other art form to which movies most closely resembles. It doesn't shoot for realism, but a stylized, almost impressionistic version of it with a heavy emphasis on key emotional moments. I don't like all opera, but I have a soft spot for Mozart, Verdi and Puccini, especially Puccini. The super fluttery, lungs like a horse stuff has been tamed a bit in the past 35-ish years, so I've found that more recent recordings are more palatable for my ears. Musicals... meh. They're just campy movies/plays with musical breaks. The biggest difference between a musical and an opera is that in an opera the music drives the story, while in a musical the dialogue and action drive the story. In some cases the musical numbers will have next to nothing to do with the story and just be random interludes. It is like a bad action movie where fight scenes or car chases don't really seem to fit and are just shoehorned in. There is no reason they can't be good, and many are... Blues Brothers comes to mind as an exceptionally good musical (yes, it is a musical!). I don't mind the musical breaks from the "Road To" series. Only a monster doesn't like Wizard of Oz. But, most of the stuff out there...? No thanks. |
|
|
|
Post by Mfitz804 on Nov 21, 2020 14:17:15 GMT -5
I would point out, as the above demonstrates, the two forms noted above shouldn’t be lumped together, they don’t relate at all in my opinion. It’s like asking “How do you feel about peanut butter and jelly or a chicken parmigiana hero?”. Both are sandwiches, but have nothing to do with each other aside from both being lunch. I agree completely. Opera is an art form entirely unique. Francis Ford Coppola stated that he felt it was the other art form to which movies most closely resembles. It doesn't shoot for realism, but a stylized, almost impressionistic version of it with a heavy emphasis on key emotional moments. I don't like all opera, but I have a soft spot for Mozart, Verdi and Puccini, especially Puccini. The super fluttery, lungs like a horse stuff has been tamed a bit in the past 35-ish years, so I've found that more recent recordings are more palatable for my ears. Musicals... meh. They're just campy movies/plays with musical breaks. The biggest difference between a musical and an opera is that in an opera the music drives the story, while in a musical the dialogue and action drive the story. In some cases the musical numbers will have next to nothing to do with the story and just be random interludes. It is like a bad action movie where fight scenes or car chases don't really seem to fit and are just shoehorned in. There is no reason they can't be good, and many are... Blues Brothers comes to mind as an exceptionally good musical (yes, it is a musical!). I don't mind the musical breaks from the "Road To" series. Only a monster doesn't like Wizard of Oz. But, most of the stuff out there...? No thanks. There are a lot of musicals which are more operatic in that all of the dialogue is sung, rather than songs being inserted between scenes. See Les Mis, or Rent, which of course, is based on an opera. |
|
woody
Wholenote
Posts: 245
|
Post by woody on Nov 21, 2020 14:40:32 GMT -5
Don't mind listening to opera but I would not want to see it performed. Musical theater is absolute torture to me, especially live. I was dragged to see Les Misérables and prayed for death about a half hour into it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Leftee on Nov 21, 2020 14:41:13 GMT -5
I’m still waiting for Poop: The Musical
The writers must be constipated.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mfitz804 on Nov 21, 2020 16:35:48 GMT -5
I’m still waiting for Poop: The Musical The writers must be constipated. That’s how it goes, until it then just bursts out of you all over the place. The music, of course. |
|
|
|
Post by windmill on Nov 21, 2020 18:12:26 GMT -5
Like both opera and musicals, usually they are great fun.
The local theatre group usually puts on a musical each year and they are usually very entertaining, not always for the intended reason, but who cares it is a good night out.
Took a while to come around to opera, mainly to appreciate the music rather than the derogatory stereotypes as have been mentioned.
They are just the same as musicials, intended as entertainment rather than intellectual exercises.
Operas, just like Musicals have "The Big Hit song", which everyone knows whether they realise it or not.
|
|
|
|
Post by HenryJ on Nov 21, 2020 18:38:39 GMT -5
. Operas, just like Musicals have "The Big Hit song", which everyone knows whether they realise it or not. Especially Bizet's Carmen, which is like an album that spawned several hit singles. If you don't like opera, listen to it for the orchestra. "Flight of the Valkyries" (aka "Kill the Wabbit") is from an opera. When I was in college, I played tuba in the pit orchestra for My Fair Lady. During one of the performances, the guy doing the lights inadvertently and carelessly dimmed them all at one time. They were off for maybe a second, after which the lead actor ad-libbed "Damned electricians!" in the upper-class London accent of the character he was playing. Of course, it got applause. The year before that, I was a stagehand for The Music Man. Another stagehand and I carried a pool table across the stage as the townspeople performed the proto-rap number, "Ya Got Trouble." I might post more random thoughts and memories as they come to me. |
|
|
|
Post by Harleyboy on Nov 21, 2020 18:43:16 GMT -5
I like most musicals, not all, but most..I watch Sound of Music at least once a year.
|
|
|
|
Post by Leftee on Nov 21, 2020 18:43:49 GMT -5
I’m still waiting for Poop: The Musical The writers must be constipated. That’s how it goes, until it then just bursts out of you all over the place. The music, of course. Here I sit all broken hearted Tried to compose and could’t get started |
|
Bronx
Wholenote
Posts: 273
|
Post by Bronx on Nov 21, 2020 20:51:57 GMT -5
Not a fan of musicals. I've never seen a real opera, but I like Gilbert and Sullivan, which I think are known as light opera.
I also love The Nutcracker, for the music more than the dancing.
|
|
Grizbear-NJ
Wholenote
"I'll do the BEATING around here"
Posts: 217
Age: 71
|
Post by Grizbear-NJ on Nov 22, 2020 0:49:30 GMT -5
Full Disclosure: I have played in a number of "Pits" for various styles of musicals;(drums & percussion, of course) and I am definitely not a fan of Opera. All of the shows I did were "Community Theatre" orientated, and in many cases performed in actual theatre's. The challenges I encountered really tested a my abilities. I learned a lot of new terms, like: "abbreviated pit", "blind pit", and "evolving pit". (Things you need to know before committing to any show.)
Believe me, you learn real quick to adapt, you never know what to expect. I worked with three different musical directors for a number of different shows who knew my abilities. I was also approached by an experienced director, teaching at a local college to do a show/musical at the college. I couldn't do it because of a schedule conflict. I latter found out he went on to work on Broadway. Oh Well!!
When you see what goes on behind the scenes, you develop a new respect for the singers/actors, and all of the technical people who are involved.
Normally a show/musical is initiated a full year in advance; to allow for actors and singers to audition, and then to start to rehearse. This also allows the various "stage" people to gather and manufacturer what ever is needed for the show. The musical director is there from day one. (Normally the Musical Director is the keyboard player) The different pit musicians usually get their perspective score (sheet music), about a month in advance; and if you are lucky, you might get a recording of the show to work with (a big help).
The actual members of the pit do not get physically involved until "Tech Week"; which starts the Monday before the opening (usually on the following Fri/Sat). On your first day (after set-up) the musical director gives you the "cuts" made to the score, and any "vamps" or "se-que's" that are needed. Organized chaos just about describes the setting. Oh! did I mention that the head director may want to change each song to a different style or rhythm (like Regae or Calypso). Better know as "Artistic Interpretation"!!!
Most musicals have maybe one or two songs which the audience might actually recognize; but the other twenty songs in the show are equally important. Different "genre's", musical styles, and show "era's" made you become a "Jack of all trades"; I did a lot of improvising. I will admit that between the musical shows and the different bands I was involved with, the experience was priceless.
|
|
