+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
categories = "Op-ed"
date = "2013-12-18T18:22:00-05:00"
lastmod = "2018-01-03T09:58:00-05:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1514991482663/2018-01-03---Apologist.jpg.jpg"
publishDate = "2013-12-18T18:22:00-05:00"
related_articles = ["articles/another-opera-apologist-part-2.md","articles/another-opera-apologist-part-3.md"]
short_description = "It&#039;s simple enough: there&#039;s something just neat about it. People are up on stage doing weirdly supernatural things with their voices. Voices of all sizes and shapes, too; beautiful, floating sopranos and, big, hollering baritones. "
slug = "another-opera-apologist-part-1"
title = "Another Opera Apologist (Part 1)"
+++

### Opera? Why?

It's simple enough: there's something just _neat_ about it. People are up on stage doing weirdly supernatural things with their voices. Voices of all sizes and shapes, too; beautiful, floating sopranos and, big, hollering baritones. On top of that, a whole hoard of people beneath the opera stage are playing as one, all of them looking up at one special guy with a [stick](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0REJ-lCGiKU). But most importantly, the music written underneath the words gives us subtext, depth to the story. Music can tell us if someone’s [pious](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pesXB2rtMBw), [thoughtful](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg3UCgMLXhE), [drunk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or9azZtZdKk), if lovers are [doomed](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tit166NS67c); it's the equivalent of understanding someone's joking because you saw a hint of a smile. The product of music and words together is a specific, dramatically nuanced telling of a story; and the cool part is that the best operas make you forget about the lines between talking and singing.

But perhaps it’s true that opera comes with [connotations](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CEmP21mTvI) of stuffy old hat ladies and pretentious intermission chat. Don’t get me wrong; opera snobbery is despicable. It’s basically just negative thinking done by people who are less informed than they think they are. Just as bad are those die-hard purists, uppity bores, really; they’re the ones who freak out about new concepts for their favourite opera, or get scared of [pants roles with love interests](http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/02/22/terence-corcoran-la-demenza-dellopera/).

But the canon of operatic repertoire needs a fresh set of eyes. The historical significance of, say, Donizetti’s set of three operas about [three different queens](http://voices.yahoo.com/donizettis-three-queens-6557828.html), is lost on most people. But a great production of Anna Bolena could stand as a riveting piece of drama, even blind to the surrounding history. There remains the offence of great pieces set to bad productions; but, to analogize, you wouldn’t stop watching TV because the Fonz [jumped the shark](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpraJYnbVtE).
