Getting My Snob On

For Christmas this year, my in-laws gave me tickets to a couple of the Metropolitan Opera's live broadcasts!  In case you're not familiar with this (and in case the name didn't explain it enough), you go to a regular movie theater and get to watch a live opera being performed at the Met!  I was pretty excited-- I used to go to operas with my Mom in Seattle and always enjoyed it.  But I was also a little bit nervous.  I hadn't seen an opera in ten years (and the last one I saw was atonal and I think Craig and I were so bored we left after the intermission).  What if I'd lost my love for opera?  What if I didn't like it any more???

I shouldn't have worried.  The first one I saw was The Pearl Fishers by Bizet (of Carmen fame) and I LOVED it.  There are several big choral numbers in it, and also a very famous lovely duet sung by two best friends, and especially during those parts, I sat mesmerized by the beauty of it all (and, truth be told, enjoyed not having to worrying about keeping little children quiet and/or happy!).  It was all so very lovely.  I left energized and refreshed, and excited to see the next one!

I convinced Craig to go with me to see Turandot.  This was perfect because it was a huge elaborate production, and during the intermissions, the broadcast featured Renée Flemming interviewing various stage hands and props people.  (We saw her perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for their Christmas Concert back in 2005 when we were first married, so we're basically old friends.)  All the backstage stuff is Craig's favorite part-- he was originally signed up as a theater major, in fact-- so we had a great time with that.

Next I saw Manon Lescaut, which was great, although probably not my favorite, mostly because I wasn't as familiar with it.  And finally, I knew I had to see today's production of Madama Butterfly, since it's so well known, but I'd never seen before, which sort of embarrassed me.  Like any respectable humanities major, I know "Un Bel Di" and couldn't wait to hear it performed in the context of the whole opera.

There are several more productions in the season still to go, but this is all I'm going to see this year.  I'm starting to feel guilty for ditching Craig and the kids for five hours on a Saturday.  But I feel very renewed by the whole thing; it's nice to get back to my humanities roots and the snobbery my Mom (and sister Leah) instilled in me growing up!  I'm already looking forward to next season!


Thanks, Tom and Donna, for such a wonderful, thoughtful gift!