Had
anyone previously asked me whether I fancied 'a Night at the Opera', I would
have thought they were meaning the seminal Queen album containing such
hits as "Love of my Life", "You're my Best Friend" and of
course "Bohemian Rhapsody", but although this evening was not a
Freddie Mercury & Queen night, I did feel somewhat regal as I took my seat
ready to break my operatic duck.
I have
always been a fan of music, having trained to play the keyboards for 6 years as
a teenager, during which time progressing to play a lot of classical music
but sticking to the very popular or those which had been used in adverts or
TV. I was therefore quite excited about seeing & hearing first hand
how the tunes I'd mercilessly butchered should sound as well as discovering new
ones. The feeling of pomp & circumstance surrounding the thought
of "going to the opera, don't you know" almost made me drift into bad
impressions of Noel Coward (minus the smoking jacket).
What a
fabulous evening this was. For anyone who can't tell their Tosca from
their La Boheme and who are certain Rigoletto is a starter at the local
Italian, I guarantee that you would certainly know all the tunes and I daresay
a lot of the words too. (although some may be the bastardised football
versions). Likewise, I defy anyone not to marvel at the sheer spectacle
of the costumes, the power of the voices and the spender of the occasion. The
programme contained music by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Rossini, Bizet, Offenbach
and many more; names which, had they been footballers, would be classed as
'Galicticos' - or simply put, mega-stars.
It's
funny how music, quite often the background soundtrack to life can suddenly
become the focual point and creator of memories. For over 2 hours I sat
in awe of this glittering concert, only punctuated by my possibly annoying
commentary of "oh I know this one" - needless to say, my guest for
the evening was equally enamoured with the sudden familiarity of the
hitherto unknown works. Complete with orchestral interludes adding to the
grandeur of occasion, I felt that I had been whisked away to the opera houses
of Venice, Rome, Vienna, Prague and Paris back in the 17th & 19th
centuries. Of course, no opera evening would be complete
without a rendition of Nessun Dorma from Turandot and I
have to admit, I felt a Gascoigne-like tear well up as memories of Sir
Bobby Robson, Rome and that oh-so-near (again) feeling flooded around
me.
Darlington
Civic Theatre played
perfect host to this sumptuous evening as tho it were designed purely with nights
like this in mind and I am sure, given the rapturous applause at the end,
that opera will be a very welcome addition to the annual schedules for
the South Durham public. The Civic scored very highly with my guest
too, for she had chosen to forsake her usual viewing pleasures in York to
sample the delights of Darlington; final score Darlington 1 - York 0 !
Personally
I would like to thank the cast, musicians and production for awakening in
me a real enjoyment of opera - it's like discovering a whole new world to
explore, one which has been around for centuries but just never before seeming
too appealing.
Additional
note: Since attending the show at Darlington Civic I have
found myself drawn to checking out the Sky Arts channel listings for the full operatic
works; so much so that my Sky + box is almost full, so I guess it will soon be
time to put on my Sunday best, take up my opera glasses and settle down to
enjoy another Night at the Opera.
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