Opera - love them or leave them.

Flipping through channels today, my eyes caught a program on PBS. It looked as though they were going to be showing an opera. I usually keep flipping, but the title was "The Barber of Seville." I stopped. It got my attention because in high school marching band we played music from that opera. I wanted to watch it.

For the next two hours I read and listened to the opera. It is the story of a Count who falls for a maiden who is kept locked inside her guardian's house. The barber (why a barber, I don't know) helps the Count rescue her, so they can live happily ever after. It was very well preformed. I liked the solo by the barber the best. I think it is the most known aria of the opera.

The thing about operas is that they sing the same words or phrases many times. In another language it isn't so bad. I imagine in English it would sound really silly. "I want to walk to the park, I need to walk to the park, need to walk, want to walk, need to walk to the park, to the park, to the park, the park. I want to walk to the park!"

Although Gary was napping for most of it, he had to endure the last 30 minutes. He is glad I don't care for all operas. At one point I left the room for just a moment, and he had muted it.

Another opera from which we played music is "The Marriage of Figaro." Interesting. I just looked up both operas, and "The Marriage of Figaro" is a sequel to "The Barber of Seville." And I found out why a barber is called to help win the lady. He used to be a servant in the guardian's house.

Well enough culture, back to cleaning the house.