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Post by Jazz on Jul 26, 2009 21:15:59 GMT
This evening was the most remarkable live performance that I have ever experienced, my first opera, Madame Butterfly. The day before I had arrived in Verona, a beautiful town... I was totally unaware of the 2,000 year old Roman amphitheatre which was now a well known venue for opera. Although I was desperately excited, I felt that it would be imposible to get tickets. Not so! Within an hour I held two tickets in good seats for a mere 10Euro each. (yes, it is more expensive now) It was late September and since we were exhausted from exploring throughout the day, we went late afternoon to await the performance of Madame Butterfly. dusk and anticipation, The night was beautiful, warm and magical. The acoustics were perfect and I often found myself holding my breath at the fullness of the experience. Here is an engraving of the amphitheatre by Jean Barbault, 1750,
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2009 21:29:12 GMT
Wonderful! A couple of weeks ago, when I was in Avignon, the Orange opera festival was also taking place. One night, after finishing my theatrical day, one of the main television channels was broacasting a live performance of La Traviata in the Roman amphitheatre.
It was all I could do not to drive there (only 30 km away) and listen to the splendor, which I knew could be heard just outside of the walls.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 27, 2009 1:53:04 GMT
Jazz ~~ this is like a fairy tale! Thank you for the pictures, as I was having trouble envisioning how the opera stage fit into the ampitheater. You also immediately answered my question about acoustics.
How perfect and magical that your very first opera should be presented in such a setting.
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Post by imec on Jul 27, 2009 2:44:11 GMT
WOW!! This is incredible! I've never been to the opera - this makes we want to though.
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Post by lola on Jul 28, 2009 1:40:02 GMT
Oh, Jazz. Amazing. Gorgeous. Thanks so much. How great to know there is such a place, and that you got to go.
(Tip for choosing one's first opera: go to one you've heard of before. The old war horsier the better. Ignore critics raving about some really cutting edge piece; they have seen all the war horses a hundred times and are out for novelty.)
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Post by lagatta on Aug 5, 2009 19:34:57 GMT
I've been there too: it was over 20 years ago, more like 25. Lovely.
Lyon also has a classical amitheatre. In Italy, one almost becomes inured to Roman ruins, as they are everywhere.
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Post by traveler63 on Aug 5, 2009 23:09:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2009 2:35:17 GMT
A truly heavenly experience that must have been. Madame Butterfly is one of my favorite operas. To see and hear it in this venue as you did give me shivers thinking about it. I have looked at this thread a dozen times.,and remain stunned at it's beauty. I was very fortunate in that one of my earliest mentors in high school was an operatic buff and a small class of students would go every year to the Metropolitan in NY and see and hear an opera,my first being La Traviata. I was privileged to have heard some of the operatic greats and I fully agree with Ms. Lola's advice. Thank you for sharing this Jazz.
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Post by nic on Sept 8, 2009 2:56:27 GMT
Opera in Verona? Well, I never even thought about it. While I've seen a ton of opera here in the states, I having only seen opera at the "typical" places: Wien, Milano, Venezia.
That's a great set of pictures Jazz! Thank you for sharing!
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