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Turandot: An Opera Noob Review - Page 2

post #16 of 21
1/23/10 at 1:22pm
I'm pretty sure most live performances will have subtitles, even if the opera is in English. Around here, even the smaller companies like the Virginia Opera and Wolf Trap Opera have them.
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post #17 of 21
1/23/10 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scompton View Post
I'm pretty sure most live performances will have subtitles, even if the opera is in English. Around here, even the smaller companies like the Virginia Opera and Wolf Trap Opera have them.
But the quality of a lot of opera DVD subtitles are so poor that they're barely better than having no subtitles. I especially hate the way most of the duets/trios/quartet/quintets/etc have no subtitles.
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post #18 of 21
1/24/10 at 3:09pm
The subtitles you have to watch out for most are the literal transalations. You end up losing at lot regardless of the intention to make it more friendly for the viewers. The biggest offender of this are usually Wagner's operas.

Then you have the the subtitles that try to insert more than is really there. A case in point is the Met's production of Turandot, which started this thread. I attended yesterday's performance. For example, during the riddle scene Turandot sings, "Straniero, ascolta!", which translates as "Stranger, listen!". Instead, the Met titles show, "Stranger, listen and answer." Also, at the end of Nessun Dorma, Calaf sings, "All'alba vincero! Vincero, vincero!", which translates as, "At dawn I will win! I will win, I will win!". The Met's translation is something along the line of, "At dawn she will be mine! I will win, I will win!"
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post #19 of 21
1/24/10 at 3:31pm
That's not usually a problem here in DC, especially with Wagner. You're lucky to get a line or two every couple of minutes. Usually just enough to follow the story line. Pretty easy to do with Wagner since it's so drawn out. I tend to get bored reading a libretto while listening to Wagner. I keep reading ahead and losing my place. Even without knowing German, it's drawn out enough to get back in sync.

The only operas I've seen that were heavily subtitled were the comedies. Hard to get some of the jokes if you can't read the whole thing.
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post #20 of 21
1/25/10 at 7:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by zotjen View Post
Since you're a noob I'll be very kind.
Thanks

Quote:
Since you were sitting in the Family Circle, you didn't even get to see the top half of the set. It is huge. An earlier performance was broadcast in theaters in HD and will be shown on PBS later this year so you will get to see what you missed.
At some point (maybe when my finances are more stable) I'd like to spring for some top seats just to see an opera from the best possible vantage point. That will at least give me a benchmark and I can make an informed judgement about whether or not it is worth it to spend a couple hundred dollars for a night's entertainment.

Quote:
Maria Guleghina is hardly an ideal Turandot....

From what I heard of Salvatore Licitra over XM, he sounded a little strained at some points and was really pushing it....
Any music lover of any genre who has had the opportunity to listen to studio recordings, live recordings and attend live events, has probably experienced the phenomenon of things sounding better live, when you're actually there, than when you listen to as a recording, or in your case as a simulcast. When you are watching something live, you are not as critical in your listening, even if you really try to be. I think you are probably distracted by the visuals and if you are with enjoyable company and generally having a good time this will color your perception of the music. When I was younger I loved to go to rock concerts but rarely did I enjoy the concert recordings as much as the studio version, with a few notable exceptions.


Quote:
The story isn't that complicated.
I understood the story perfectly well. I was commenting on the fact that it was a little silly actually, with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek.
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post #21 of 21
7/12/10 at 9:14am

Watching an opera live in person is inexplicably compelling.  It is like the difference between seeing an NFL game in the stadium or watching a replay on TV.  If you know you are going to an opera, take time to read a review or a synopsis, or ask a friend to tell you about it.  There will probably be surtitles, but the less you have to depend on them, the better.  They won't say everything but they will tell you what is important.  And when the singing repeats, the surtitles may not repeat since you have already read that part.

Yes, plots are often silly.  But the music can be some of the most sublime you will find anywhere.  That's why the good ones are still popular centuries after they first appeared. 

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