Ask Dave: What's the Best Way to Get Into Opera--Recordings or Live Performances? 

I totally agree. My first experience was the Callas Barber of Seville. What amazed me was that I could understand the libretto by really hearing what it meant through the way it was sung. Same with her recording of Norma. However I got into Wagner through sitting in the theatre watching Siegfried without knowing the work. It was the prelude to Act 3 in the dark with the sound and vibration from the orchestra pit. I was totally hooked and then went through the recordings of the Ring

I think the best way to introduce people to opera is a live performance of Boheme. It's concise, there's both comedy and tragedy, and Puccini is easily accessible. The music can withstand mediocre singing, and so long as the production is not crazy, the debutant can get the visual experience as well without being distracted.

''Make sure you know what the screaming is about'' is tshirtable

The sad thing about these responses of how people "got into" opera is the few mentions of school/education in the way that Dave tells us he did. I got into classical music because of a wonderful teacher at school, who had come up with a brilliant programme for classroom music lessons at high school (aged 11 in the UK), with us "studying" a new piece every half term. In the first year was Danse Macabre, The Moldau, Sorcerer's Apprentice etc. The second year (aged 12) included Carmen and Pirates of Penzance. But by that time, I'd already been in two operatic productions at school: Amahl and the Night Visitors and The Mikado. Then, aged about 14, we had a school trip to Covent Garden to see Jenufa. And the following year, Glyndebourne opera came to the school for a day-long workship that culminated in seeing them perform Katya Kabanova at the local theatre. The following year, they did the same thing for The Barber of Seville. Now, we're in a position in the UK where most schools can't afford to put on productions, they barely teach music at all (the UK govt thinks the arts are pointless), school orchestras rarely exist, and Glyndebourne no longer gets the funding to go on tour every autumn, and therefore the outreach to regional schools doesn't happen either. I was lucky. What I came into contact with at school sparked an interest that I spent much of my teens exploring through the local library which had a good music section, and I'd go in, get something off the shelf that I liked the look of, and took it home for two weeks. I had no idea what I was doing, or what were famous works and what were not, so I ended up with obscurities like Verdi's Alzira (such a great starter opera, running at 90 minutes!), Offenbach's Robinson Crusoe, and Thea Musgrave's A Christmas Carol. Of course, I also got famous works, too. But I just think it's so sad that there is very little chance of a school kid now getting the same kind of spark as I did from my school teacher forty years ago. I sat here at home during Covid, wondering what the hell I would have done during lockdowns if that hadn't happened! The teacher in question is still going strong at 90, I'm pleased to say, and I will forever be in his debt.

Nowadays I would recommend that people just getting into opera do so by home videos. That way you get the best of both worlds: you get subtitles that tell you on an ongoing basis just what the piece is about and what is being sung, while you also get a good cast that is likely better than what you can see live unless you live in a city with a top-notch opera house. One of my all-time favorite videos was a 1983 "Carmen" from the New York City Opera which did relocate the plot during the Spanish Civil War, but (unlike the Met's recent "Carmen") actually incorporated the war in the plot (Carmen and the smugglers were running guns for the Loyalists and the army Don José deserted from was Franco's).

My first opera exposure was a live performance of Der Rosenkavalier when I was a high school student in Hong Kong. I was shocked to see a female acting as a male character. I invited a girl in my class to join me and I was therefore nervous the whole night. I think kids nowadays won't go to an opera in a date.

first path was hearing Joan Sutherland on the Ed Sullivan show on Sunday night. My parents were both NYC natives and felt that his show helped them keep in touch and also helped them teach me more about "living in a city" [NB we lived in Chicago]. I was stunned by hearing that voice the beauty of the sound. I was used to hearing great jazz singers and pop singers but Sutherland stunned me. I had just had my thirteenth birthday and went to Rose Records [unfortunately does not exist longer] to buy a record of her voice. The salesperson helped me find the right part of the store [it was four stories] and when I picked out the Sutherland recording the salesperson said "Oh, here if you like her you must buy this singer as well". That singer was Callas so I ended up with two of the greatest sopranos of the time [1960]. One additional thing that kept me listening and exploring opera after that was my father yelling up the stairs when I would play Callas "turn that screaming woman off". Most of my friends' parents had that reaction to rock singers.

W.H. Auden said opera is the last refuge of the grand style. Well, the grand style doesn’t seem to be in much favor now, so we get Leonora in Verdi's Force of Destiny singing one of the grandest expressions of heart wrenching, inconsolable loss, as a bag lady pushing a shopping cart. Not to say bag ladies don't have deep feelings but they don't sing Verdi. When I got bit by the opera bug, I remember first listening to Aida on records, enthralled and excited. Then I went to see it. It was set in ancient Egypt alright, but what I saw was two people whom the music and the words said were a pair passionately, desperately in love standing 20 feet apart and not even looking at each other but facing out to the audience. Kind of disillusioning. I think the best recordings are a great way to get acquainted with opera with, as Dave says, libretto, text and stage directions in hand, with score if you like, and listen. It's true that you can let Meistersinger wash over you but you'll have more fun if you follow the words. The characters are interesting people saying interesting and often funny things. Ditto Verdi's Falstaff. Occasionally, you'll get a really vital, smart production if you see a live performance. (The Met's current Butterfly which will be shown in HD in theater's on Saturday is a great choice even though the puppet child personally brings out the Monty Python irreverent humor in me.) The great thing about Baroque opera, especially Handel, is, after a glance at the usually short aria text, you really can let the music and hopefully the fine singing wash over you because a single aria can sometimes go 7-12 minutes.

My preference is recording and libretto before live performance. My favourite Opera is Turandot but most live productions are truly abysmal and badly sung and based on them, I would likely drop it. Saw one recently on YT with Calaf & Turandot somehow having a car accident at the beginning and the setting seemed to feature one or both of them on the slab in an operating theatre throughout. Huh? Back to the CD, thanks.

My exposure was through the Met on radio and the Lyric in Baltimore at age 6. I’d add one thing to Dave’s suggestion. Translated libretto’s can often be somewhat difficult. When my wife was learning about opera, I had her read a good synopsis first to get the outline of the story and then follow that with the libretto. I think that makes it easier to really get the translation. Looking forward to the Santa Fe opera this summer with Don Giovanni and La Traviata. I just hope they don’t kill them with dumb staging to “freshen” the production. When you’re changing classic pieces to make it “more accessible” I’ve found they often destroy the beauty of the story with banal sets and bad costuming.

Dave, I caught that Spanish Civil War Carmen at the City Opera way back when, and call me crazy but I thought it worked pretty well. The new Met Parsifal on the other hand... Yikes! It's one of those post apocalypse scorched earth things that I have no use for, not a tree in sight. But, what do I know, aside from the fact that you are 110% right that going in you must have at least a passing familiarity with the libretto.

Interesting, and thanks. Growing up in a small Arkansas town, my first exposures were the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. Later, I followed many operas on record o provided with the libretto booklets they included.

Dear Dave, There are, of course, a lot of marvelous operas that haven't received much or any attention. Considering the 'wow-factor' of seeing these works being performed, have you ever done or would you mind doing a video on operas you have previously listened to, but of which there are barely any staged performances or of which there aren't any video recordings? Can you think of any relatively unknown operas that might deserve or benefit from getting a (decent/better) staged performance and/or video recording?

I would start maybe with a beautiful selection of different arias. First, to make sure that you love the human voice as musical instrument. And second, to discover your preferences. Are you more into verism? Mozart? baroque? Verdi? Rossini? Wagner? There are many works that can open the door to this fascinating universe. But either on stage or on cd (they are both complementary and necessary) it is important what Dr. Hurwitz says: to understand the meaning of the words. They express feelings and actions. Opera is music and drama, both equally important.

My own way was to watch opera videos. I can't just listen and read a libretto, not the first time anyway. It may seem redundant to say, but opera is meant to be seen as well as heard, and I can't just listen to one unless I already know it from watching a performance. Once I have, then yes, I can get a good recording, sit down with the libretto and go along. That's when I'm best able to appreciate how the music, singing and words work together, obviously because it's an entirely sonic experience, but if I'm trying that with a work I've never really explored I find myself trying to envision the action, so I need to see the action first in order to concentrate on the music. (Sometimes I can get the full musical experience upon first viewing, which is usually a sign that the music, libretto, performance, and staging are all terrific and working in perfect unison - as you say, anything out of whack with the production can be jarring to the entire experience.)

Dear Dave, My first experience of a live performance of an opera was a quite unusual one: the French creation in 1983 of Die Soldaten of Bernd Aloïs Zimmermann in Lyon (Serge Baudo conducting in a stage production by... Ken Russell (!)). With regard to libretti, I shared the general view that to understand the text (and not only the plot) is an important element, at least when it is not purely a "pretext" for music like in some barock works! (p.s.: I remember some of your so funny description of what was happening in some of such operas). May I add that due to the presence of complete libretti and translations, I had to keep most of my LPs of operas.

I remember visiting a friend of mine who played Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle and while we heard it he explained to me what the moment was about and I was impressed with the record. Later, a day or so ago, I saw a televised performance of it and I was able to see the subtitles and watch it and listen to the music and it was equally as interesting. I won't say listening to it on a record was better than seeing the opera but I will say it was equally as good. The point for me is being able to hear the whole thing without scratches in the album that disrupts the flow. As long as I can hear the whole thing and follow the text, it's all good.

It was the television that helped me to like opera more. Like Dave said, the screaming on stage and silly stories had always put me off. Then I bought a cheap compilation CD, Golden Opera, and I liked most of the pieces. Then on a dreary New Year's day I was bored and I still had a television at that time and by chance I stumbled on Tosca, shot on location in Rome. I had lived in Rome so I was interested and watched. With the subtitles, the gorgeous music but mostly the drama unfolding right before my eyes, the characters came to life. The last scene before the interval “Tre sbirri… Una carrozza” got me completely hooked. The evil that Scarpia was oozing out could have been from a horror movie. After Tosca they screened Siegried but after 30 minutes it felt like my brain was melting, so Wagner was a bridge too far, and still is. After Tosca I have seen several operas live and really liked some and even got emotional during Madama Butterfly and Jenufa. A couple of times I could not read the surtitles and noticed that I got bored. I need to know what they are singing about. So besides CD's and live performances, television (or DVD's) are a good medium to get into opera. It is the perfect bridge for learning the music and understanding what is going on on stage.

I’ve never seen an opera in person. The first time I paid any attention to an opera was from watching The Ring on PBS. Levine, MET. It was subtitled so I followed that way. But at this point I don’t know what many of the operas I listen to are about. I’m listening for glorious singing and beautiful orchestral playing. I started listening to Italian opera a number of years ago and I don’t know what many of them are about. I have a handle on most Wagner works now more or less. Anyway, it’s certainly possible to get into the music of opera and not know what’s going on.

I recently bought a bunch of different DVDs (for cheaper than most classical CDs nowadays, weird). After I watch an opera a couple of times, I go listen to good recordings.

Hear, hear! You're right again, Lord Dave. Of course. One needs to know what's truly going on. Expression, and that's the real clue or key to it. I fell into a real appreciation of opera once again by seeing the scene with the Commendatore in K's Civilisation when I was a child. Subtitled on a little screen, yes, very much. But also with the intro and commentary by a talking head. How about making an IA version of Dave to take along then?

You can learn all you need to know about opera by listening to "Pal-Yat-Chee" by Spike Jones and Homer & Jethro. But seriously... Dave has some good suggestions here. Audio recordings, video recordings, and live performances are all good ways to get started. I agree that weird productions (Regietheater, or to use a popular derogatory term, Eurotrash) are best avoided by newcomers. I get the appeal of weird, quirky, and downright bizarre productions, but then, I've seen so many operas with traditional productions that I like to see something crazy to spice it up. If the craziness works well and complements the music, then that's great. If the craziness doesn't work, it will probably be unintentionally funny, and that's great too. (There are few things I love more in life than something that is so bad that it is funny.) Beginners will be better off sticking to traditional productions until they get tired of seeing the same 19th century style scenery over and over again. Only then should you seek out such things as Rigoletto in a Planet of the Apes setting (yes - this actually happened). Plenty of traditional productions are available on video. As for live performances, it likely depends on where you live. In the United States, it seems like most opera companies stick to traditional productions most of the time.

For me listening at home without reading the libretto or even knowing what is the story about, but just listening to it as an abstract musical drama has been sufficient in many cases for greatly enjoying the opera. It has been so with Rossini above all, and Wagner or Verdi. This is because if the music is beautiful or wonderful, as it is in these caes, you should enjoy it as a purely musical experience. However, it does not work like this for 20th century composers, from Strauss on, where the music is more dependent on the story being told, and quite hard to follow without watching the drama going on.

Audio recordings of opera have not worked for me. Going to the opera was not something I ever wanted to do. My way into it was created by the Scottish conservatoire, which has a yearly tour of opera highlights featuring four students about to embark on their career, plus one pianist, performing opera highlights in the sticks. Which is where I happen to live: a village with an acoustically magnificent and large village hall, and fewer than 700 inhabitants. But they come. very two years. I went, I enjoyed it. Incidentally, one of those tours featured Nicky Spence, who was even then already quite a character with charisma dripping off him. The next step was harder. Actual opera performances? Too far away, too difficult to organise with the day-job. Audio recordings? Still no. Too easy to get lost trying to follow what the screeching is about. DVD recordings, however, DID now work for me. I have now seen a few (choosing carefully to not fall into the egomaniac director trap) and actually enjoyed them a lot. Four or five still in a pile for the not too distant future. It seems I'm on my way at last. At 62.

I went to see local production of Barber of Seville two years back, my first time hearing it. About forty percent of the words got supertitles. My guess is the the translations were done by some local guy. Like, I can tell the difference between Italian words being sung and vocal ornamentation. And almost none of the ensemble part where the music teacher gets "sent home sick" were translated.

Hello Mr. Hurwitz, i am just listening to Halévys La Juive by happy accident and noticed it's still great. But as i was listening i tried to remember other works of Halévy. Of course i couldnt. So i came to a Suggestion for a Video series: Classical One Hit Wonders. Maybe you could talk a little bit about the composer and the known work and give some Suggestion for further listening. Just an idea. Keep the good work up. Best regards

My first experience with the Barber of Seville was Bugs Bunny. Then the Cincinnati Summer Opera performed it (in English) and played for it's full comedic value. That performance had the audience rolling in the isles. I am not sure English superscripts would be quite the same. The reading would be a distraction from laffing. Not valid for more serious works.

Nice video! Will you do (or did you on past at your channel) recommendations and reviews of opera DVDs?

Recordings are a great form to get into opera. Operas will always be better staged in your mind.

Interesting. I didn’t get into opera until MUCH later than instrumental music. Instrumental music came naturally when I was a kid. Opera came in my 30s. But I never followed the libretti. I approached them as pure music. And I feel quite alright that way, as subsequent experiences live (the only time I care about the words and plot) have really cut both ways. For example, I think the music to Traviata is brilliant but that it’s dramatically meh. So I stick with the music.

For me, with records. Without great seats, opera is difficult without really knowing the work.

I seldom listen to opera on record, live experience and DVDs are superior IMHO.

As a beginner, I entered the opera world via Mozart of course... Very accessible music, extremely well known arias... Then Verdi... But with some composers I find it extremely difficult to sit trough an entire opera. For example Strauss I find very hard to listen. It looks to me that the music goes one way, the singers go the other way, there are no arias, no tunes, a lot of noise... except for a few passages here and there. And Der Rosenkavalier, Jesus... over 3 hours long, the story is stupid, I never understood why the composer chooses a woman to play the role of a man, never did... So how can I enjoy a Strauss opera, as a beginner? If you find a video performance online it could be more interesting. You watch Salome like you watch a horror movie... But to sit trough 3 hours of an audio recording of Der Rosenkavalier I find it to be a chore. And I would really like to 'learn' to listen to this stuff but it's to much for me... It is easier with (some) Wagner, I enjoy The Ring cycle very much, I've seen many Ring cycles (on video) but so far not one audio recording of the Ring. I'm planning to listen to the Solti Ring someday though...