Flying Dutchman Field Observation

The main attraction for myself was the non-evident combined aria and recitative in the production. In most opera there is an aria, or overflow of melody following the recitative. This helps express the appropriate feelings needed for the audience to grasp the key aspects of the opera. Also, it helps bring the plot to a halt and the characters then are able to reflect upon what is occurring in the story. Puccini was much more concerned with his librettos and would rather use the same material in each of his acts. At the conclusion of many songs I caught myself wanting to stand to my

The volume was good. All of the characters did speak correctly for the setting of the play. I think this because when I was watching it I was not trying to be able to hear everything because I could already hear everything. When I was watching the play I did not really realize any sound effects, but they did have a few songs. The opening song set the mood for the entire play which was a really good thing because it got the audience into the show. I could also clearly hear the performers and the pianist. The mood of the play was established in the very beginning and the

In Hamilton, some notes were held on to just a little bit too long and occasionally the violins pushed a little just a little bit, especially on their fast notes. Also, there needed to be a little bit more articulation in the orchestra. In William Tell Overture, the same problems occurred, and while the orchestras could have possibly been a little better, they could not have been much better because the piece was already amazing. In The Cowboys Overture, the only real problem here was that the violins rushed just a tiny bit every so often, and even though their pushing of the tempo was not too noticeable, it still existed and forced the rest of the orchestra to respond accordingly. Also, the dynamic contrasts here were already good, but if they had been emphasized just a little bit more, it would have been great. In all three pieces, there was great observance of the tempo for the most part and the style presented was great and appropriate. Additionally, the phrasing and dynamic contrasts were also amazing. Even better, there was great observance of the musical markings and great musical understanding on display from everyone during the performance. If there was anything that needed some adjustment, it would be keeping a steady tempo at all times, but other than that, this performance was absolutely fantastic all the way

I will be honest with you I had a lot of trouble enjoying the play, like I said the dialect gave me trouble, plus my seats were not that great. I did however like the movie quite a bit, but I realize I am a product of a different generation as well. I have been brought up around TV and movies rather than plays

Overall I actually enjoyed the piece more than I thought I would. It had a nice tempo that allowed listeners to be engaged and even when the volume dropped the violins played a softer texture as if they were inviting you to listen closer and pay more attention. Generally, the theme was also joyful which I took notice of and enjoyed. Lastly, I didn’t notice any musical mistakes, and thought the piece was well played.

As I have seen some performances prior to this one, my expectations are kind of not that high. As the play was prepared and performed by a team of theater students, I just expected there will be basic elements a play should have. I also did expect some extraordinary performances from the main actors because I got that every time I attended the plays on campus. LMU actors and actresses / theater-majors tended to surprise me every single time I attended their plays. I know they will eventually act for a living but the fact that they could memorize pages of script, successfully get into character and act all at the same time still baffled me very much.

Overall, the performance turned out a success. Both the symphony and opera act enhanced the audience with the feeling of warmth and laughter. The symphony made me to realize how each section is structured and in order, while the opera act was simple, yet made it very delightful to listen to. Also, It’s amazing how different the symphony and opera act turned out. The symphony followed a four-movement pattern: fast, slow, minuet/dance, fast, while the opera combined both musical and singing element. In essence, the combination of voice and strings as well as the unstructured nature and freedom of the opera led me to emotionally connect with all three pieces of the

As we dressed for the show, my thoughts were flooded with images and ideas. We descended the hotel stairs, hailed a taxi, and arrived at the theatre; while I remained in a pleasant daze. My first impression of the Nederlander met and exceeded all my expectations. I had envisioned an old theater, forgotten by the Broadway elite. As we walked to the door, we were able to see the wall signed by the cast and photos of the premier. The theater itself had a rundown feel to it and left you with the distinct impression that the magic was within the walls and on stage. As we entered the doors, I soaked in every thing. Our seats were located in the center, orchestra section, which gave us a perfect view of all the action.

Wittgenstein’s Mistress required audience participation, something I was not used to. However, it added value to story and made things interesting. It was imperative that the audience paid attention because, anytime a cast member bowed, we had to applaud. In addition to that, we had to crumple our programs at the sound of words having to do with fire and burning, and make a “shh” sound when water based weather conditions were involved. The stage setup was quite strange.

The movie also contained several inadequate elements that failed to satisfy my expectations. I was disappointed with the stage that was designed for the play. The insipid set was sparsely decorated and highly monotonous. Although the stage was similar to the description Sophocles provided in the opening lines of the play, I believe that a more interesting stage would better capture the audience’s attention. I expected grand buildings and monuments since the play took place in the city of Thebes; however, the set was devoid of any structures besides the king’s castle. The costumes worn by the actors had little semblance of authentic Greek garments. After

I think that the performer’s ability was appropriate for their location and for their audience because the tone quality of the musicians sounded very rich and clean. When I listened to the performance, I was able to hear all of the different parts of the piece clearly, which has made me much more conscious of the balance and dynamics of each phrase when I play. The texture of the pieces played was very rich and full because an orchestral piece is designed to have a good balance of instruments and good range of frequencies of sound that has lots of different things happening at the same time.

In 5 words I would describe my experience as: not my cup of tea. Even after priming my subconscious with several opera YouTube clips, my fondness for the performance seemed to fall short. The show lasted almost 4 hours, which left my lower body numb. Furthermore, the constant repetition and melismatic singing aggravated me. As if these characteristics were not enough, the performers’ lack of experience, as well as the poor staging, represented the drop that made the glass tip over. For all these reasons, I will most likely never return to an opera; limiting my contact to YouTube videos

As I had no idea of what to expect when entering this concert I went in with an extremely open mind. Even leading up to the intermission I wasn’t convinced that I was understanding the structure of opera. However, even with my very limited knowledge of opera I could come to a few conclusions. Fortuna and Townsend evidently worked well together, they were always in sync and fed off of each others talent. As well it seemed as if Fortuna was using an aspect of call and response to enhance her production. Her call would be in the form of a story and she would then answer her call with her singing. The show was slightly disrupted in the first half with a large group of people that had been late for the performance, I couldn’t visually see any signs of fault on Fortuna’s behalf when this occurred. An interesting aspect of Fortuna’s style was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Fortuna would make stable eye contact with specific sections in the audience, this portrayed the feeling that she was singing for the crowd and not herself.

This bibliography is a source list that focuses on some of Wagner 's operatic works, like the Ring, Tristan und Isolde, and a few others. As many musicians know, the stories and events that transpired in Wagner 's operas were extremely controversial at the time. Wagner’s staged operas were a prominent source of entertainment for many people. With such controversial and sexual topics on display, there was social overlap. The Bayreuth Theatre will be mentioned as the only place in the world to hold performances of Wagner 's opera annually in this modern day.

To discover similarities in narratives in Romantic operas, I defer to Ernest Newman and George Upton, who are professional music analysts. Newman has written multiple publications on the “great” operas of Don Giovanni, Figaro, Turandot, and others. In his book The Wagner Operas, he analyzes nine of Wagner’s operas (Mastersingers of Nuremburg, The Valkyrie, Seigfired and Parsifial among others). A common theme in many of Wagner’s operas is that they involve the supernatural, and this is in agreement with the immense drama of the Romantic era operas. For example, in The Flying Dutchman, a phantom ship appears and a ghostly Dutchman (as the title suggests) requests the marriage of a sailor’s daughter to ‘redeem’ himself (Newman, 1963). Upton, has compiled plots and music of modern operas into a book published in 1926 as an addendum to his Standard Handbooks on Music. One of the operas he summarizes is that of Gioacchino Rossini’s William Tell. The death of a herdsman’s daughter at the hands of a tyrant’s follower results in the request to Tell to protect the herdsman. In a square, Tell refuses so succumb to the tyrant’s wishes and is jailed. The herdsman rounds up a rescue squad to help him and succeeds. This is a divergence from the Wagnerian obsession with the supernatural, but is still an excellent example of Romantic opera (Upton, 1926).