BellaOnline Forums Books and Music Classical Music Anyone attend operas or ballets?

Does anyone here ever attend operas or ballets? Do you have a favorite? Where do/did you go to see it(them)?

I've never been to either, but I want to see an opera so bad I can't stand it! No one else I know enjoys classical music, so I'm on my own for this one. A girl can dream though...hehehe <img src="/images/graemlins/heart.gif" alt="" />

I'm lucky enough that Atlanta is only about 45 minutes away, and thanks to Robert Shaw (whom I'm currently working on an article about <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />), there has really been a major interest in all of the classical music arts.

The "Fabulous Fox Theatre" here in Atlanta is home to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as well as the Chorale and often hosts Operas and is home for the Atlanta Ballet Company. So we get it all!

Your little avatar doesn't say where you are from. Where's your closest "big city" they are bound to host ballet and opera. The other thing (that costs less), especially in ballet, is to look for colleges nearby that offer training in ballet - because they will often give recitals that are quite wonderful, and very educational for those just starting out and wanting to learn about the art.

And of course there is always the option of renting DVDs. You can find anything on video these days. I guess I should start doing some reviews of some good operas on DVD for those that don't have theatres nearby! <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I live in North Carolina, not very far from Charlotte actually. The city(Charlotte)has a rather large array of performing arts and I know of two centers that stage operas from time to time. I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and go at it alone! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The closest I've been so far is watching on PBS. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

If you've got single girlfriends you can talk them into going to the ballet with you by virtue of looking at the gorgeous male danceurs! Those tights do not leave much to the imagination. <img src="/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />

I don't know if you are married, but an opera that seems appealing to both sexes tends to be "Carmen" - its a more upbeat opera, with lots of action - Carmen is a woman who gets both a soldier and a bullfighter to fall in love with her! It also tends to appeal to younger audiences to.

So even if nobody you know "likes" classical music, you might be able to introduce them to it!

Actually a nice introduction to Carmen is "Carmen on Ice" with Katerina Witt as Carmen. There is no singing, or not much singing, only the music and incredible iceskating. The story is given in subtitles which helps to familiarise yourself with what is going on.

I think if you are familiar with the music belonging to an opera and love it, going to see it as an opera will make it easier to follow and enjoy.

The Nutcracker is always a reasonable place to start; just about every city in the country has at least their local ballet school putting it on before Christmas. This would be a cheap way to see a ballet for the first time.

Where do you live? It's possible that your local college or university has a music school where the voice or dance students put on recitals, if not full-length musicals and operas. This would be another affordable way to see a show, and likely a very high-quality one.

Before going to see a major opera (especially if you're spending money), you can often find a translation of the songs online or in the liner notes of a CD of that show. Figure out what they're going to say first, this will help you during the full-length production.

Megan, you've got Christina waiting a whole 'nother year before she goes to the ballet! LOL

We want her dragging her friends butts in NOW! "Sleeping Beauty" or "Cinderella" would be excellent choices for the beginner to go see during the non-holiday season. Although I have heard that they did a ballet of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" that I have been dying (no pun intended) to go see! That would be cool!

Hi everyone - I danced in both the Nutcracker and Carmen when I was a performing ballet dancer in the 60s and 70s. Ballet is a wonderful discipline that carries over into academic learning with the rhythms and phrasing being akin to language and of course counting and sets and shapes in math.

I love classical music and listen to a light classical station on the radio all day - thank goodness my hubby likes it too!

Sometimes a local high school will host a monthly concert series - I've always enjoyed attending those!

I love ballet. I love classical music. Not that wild about opera, though. Check out the summer schedule for ballet studios, or college; here they have special classes with guest artists from, possibly, Atlanta Ballet or New York City Ballet, etc. We get guest dancers for the Nutcracker every year. We have quite a few dance studios here, and some of them (unfortunately not all) have very excellent dancers. Mom and I used to attend all the dance recitals; then we narrowed it down to the ones that were really good. I took ballet for almost 25 years, and finally quit dancing when I was 28 and four months pregnant. That, however, was flamenco, not ballet. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
See if your TV station carries Classic Arts Channel, it shows videos of ballets (Rudolph and Mikhail!) along with the music, and other wonderful music. One day they showed "The Snowstorm", and the ballet dancers were dressed up like trees. It was beautiful and I checked the next day at the same time; sure enough it was on again and I taped it!

As someone who used to perform opera professionally, I encourage you to find a way to see one, then another, and another! It is an amazing art form, that includes elements of all the other arts - visual, dramatic, dance, as well as music, of course. For your first opera, I would suggest something by Mozart. Someone suggested Carmen was an upbeat opera...I wouldn't necessarily say that. It is a very dramatic, tragic opera, with lots of drama, action, and great music. It is a fabulous opera to experience, but just don't go into it expecting lighthearted fare. There are some fun moments to it, but it is ultimately very tragic.

If you are in Charlotte, Opera Carolina is a good place to check out. See what their season entails, and maybe even talk to someone there and their suggestions on what to see for your first opera. Good luck!