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New to Opera, have some questions

I heard part of Carmina Burana last year and decided I really wanted to buy it. I have a few copies, and recently bought Der Mond.

I also bought a version of Carmen, but the surface noise was too much. I was disappointed because I liked the music, and singing.

I'm wondering what other Opera's people might suggest, and does it make any difference to most listeners if they can understand the language? I like Der Mond because I do speak some German.
uppermidfi

Showing 1 response by omains

omains
33 posts
 
I respectfully disagree with Ellery911 and some of the others. As a professional orchestral musician, I've sat in my fair share of orchestra pits, and I've had quite a lot of experience with opera. You DON'T need to know the language or have supertitles to the enjoy the opera. While nothing subsitutes for a real staged performance, there's plenty to be said for listening to the music without having a visual cue. In fact, opera singers perform arias all the time as concert pieces, with no staging.

There are some amazing operas out there, and some amazing performances. For me, Mozart has always been the pinnacle. The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute, as well as Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutti, are all great places to start.

Good luck!
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