On Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:58:12 -0400, "Sir Grand Duke of Marmalade, Reginald
P. Smithers III The Great, Esq. LLC" wrote:

hk wrote:
Eisboch wrote:
"hk" wrote in message
. ..

Eisboch wrote:
STOP. I have this bizzare image of you on stage with one of those
pointy Viking hats with the horns on the side, hands clasped before
you, belting out a "tune".

Eisboch



Wish it were so. These days, I can't carry a tune with a bucket. Back
in junior high, though, before my voice changed from boy soprano to
gravel, I could sing. A little.

At that first opera, we had seats on the side of the house, probably
the second balcony, and one of the female leads had absolutely
spectacular cleavage. That hooked me. The same weekend, we got to see
"West Side Story" on Broadway.

I think the kids in the choir were charged about $20 for the whole
trip, including trainfare. The school picked up the rest. That was in
the days schools had a little money.

Opera has fascinated me for a long, long time. Virtually every aspect
of it is way, way, way over the top.

BTW, if you want a real treat, listen to Anna Netrebko's "Violetta" CD.
Violetta Valery, the woman who "strayed." Some of the most beautiful
vocal music ever.



No thanks. Opera does absolutely nothing for me. However, I *can*
understand your early introduction to it.
My intro was the Boston Symphony Orchestra, probably at about the same
age. The power of the orchestra blew me away and stuck in my head.
Even today, once in a while, Mrs.E. and I get tickets and journey into
Boston just to hear a beautifully played piece of music.

But .... NOT opera!

Eisboch



A lot of people don't like opera until they go to the right opera.
Seriously. I like some of Wagner's music, but I cannot stand sitting
through his operas. If you went to see the Magic Flute or La Boheme or
any of several others, I bet you'd enjoy it.

I didn't like ballet until I was about 30. Then I went to one here in DC
and got hooked.

Try these two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSX3HyWBqW0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4sONjSaHWA


The latter has Netrebko when she was a young girl...the last few bars of
her as a coloratura soprano are just incredible for such a young singer.
She does an even better job of it now...her range and phrasing are just
remarkable.



Nah, now this is OPERA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHjWD...eature=related


True art. The last few bars of the helicopters strafing the coloratura
soprano are just incredible for those young Hueys. Today's helicopters
would do an even better job. Their range and phrasing are totally
remarkable.

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:58:12 -0400, "Sir Grand Duke of Marmalade, Reginald
P. Smithers III The Great, Esq. LLC" wrote:

hk wrote:
Eisboch wrote:
"hk" wrote in message
. ..

Eisboch wrote:
STOP. I have this bizzare image of you on stage with one of those
pointy Viking hats with the horns on the side, hands clasped before
you, belting out a "tune".

Eisboch


Wish it were so. These days, I can't carry a tune with a bucket. Back
in junior high, though, before my voice changed from boy soprano to
gravel, I could sing. A little.

At that first opera, we had seats on the side of the house, probably
the second balcony, and one of the female leads had absolutely
spectacular cleavage. That hooked me. The same weekend, we got to see
"West Side Story" on Broadway.

I think the kids in the choir were charged about $20 for the whole
trip, including trainfare. The school picked up the rest. That was in
the days schools had a little money.

Opera has fascinated me for a long, long time. Virtually every aspect
of it is way, way, way over the top.

BTW, if you want a real treat, listen to Anna Netrebko's "Violetta" CD.
Violetta Valery, the woman who "strayed." Some of the most beautiful
vocal music ever.


No thanks. Opera does absolutely nothing for me. However, I *can*
understand your early introduction to it.
My intro was the Boston Symphony Orchestra, probably at about the same
age. The power of the orchestra blew me away and stuck in my head.
Even today, once in a while, Mrs.E. and I get tickets and journey into
Boston just to hear a beautifully played piece of music.

But .... NOT opera!

Eisboch


A lot of people don't like opera until they go to the right opera.
Seriously. I like some of Wagner's music, but I cannot stand sitting
through his operas. If you went to see the Magic Flute or La Boheme or
any of several others, I bet you'd enjoy it.

I didn't like ballet until I was about 30. Then I went to one here in DC
and got hooked.

Try these two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSX3HyWBqW0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4sONjSaHWA


The latter has Netrebko when she was a young girl...the last few bars of
her as a coloratura soprano are just incredible for such a young singer.
She does an even better job of it now...her range and phrasing are just
remarkable.


Nah, now this is OPERA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHjWD...eature=related


True art. The last few bars of the helicopters strafing the coloratura
soprano are just incredible for those young Hueys. Today's helicopters
would do an even better job. Their range and phrasing are totally
remarkable.

They still have some Huey's in the Atlanta area, I love the sound. You
can hear them for a long time before they come into view.

On Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:52:05 -0400, "Sir Grand Duke of Marmalade, Reginald
P. Smithers III The Great, Esq. LLC" wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:58:12 -0400, "Sir Grand Duke of Marmalade, Reginald
P. Smithers III The Great, Esq. LLC" wrote:

hk wrote:
Eisboch wrote:
"hk" wrote in message
. ..

Eisboch wrote:
STOP. I have this bizzare image of you on stage with one of those
pointy Viking hats with the horns on the side, hands clasped before
you, belting out a "tune".

Eisboch


Wish it were so. These days, I can't carry a tune with a bucket. Back
in junior high, though, before my voice changed from boy soprano to
gravel, I could sing. A little.

At that first opera, we had seats on the side of the house, probably
the second balcony, and one of the female leads had absolutely
spectacular cleavage. That hooked me. The same weekend, we got to see
"West Side Story" on Broadway.

I think the kids in the choir were charged about $20 for the whole
trip, including trainfare. The school picked up the rest. That was in
the days schools had a little money.

Opera has fascinated me for a long, long time. Virtually every aspect
of it is way, way, way over the top.

BTW, if you want a real treat, listen to Anna Netrebko's "Violetta" CD.
Violetta Valery, the woman who "strayed." Some of the most beautiful
vocal music ever.


No thanks. Opera does absolutely nothing for me. However, I *can*
understand your early introduction to it.
My intro was the Boston Symphony Orchestra, probably at about the same
age. The power of the orchestra blew me away and stuck in my head.
Even today, once in a while, Mrs.E. and I get tickets and journey into
Boston just to hear a beautifully played piece of music.

But .... NOT opera!

Eisboch


A lot of people don't like opera until they go to the right opera.
Seriously. I like some of Wagner's music, but I cannot stand sitting
through his operas. If you went to see the Magic Flute or La Boheme or
any of several others, I bet you'd enjoy it.

I didn't like ballet until I was about 30. Then I went to one here in DC
and got hooked.

Try these two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSX3HyWBqW0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4sONjSaHWA


The latter has Netrebko when she was a young girl...the last few bars of
her as a coloratura soprano are just incredible for such a young singer.
She does an even better job of it now...her range and phrasing are just
remarkable.


Nah, now this is OPERA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHjWD...eature=related


True art. The last few bars of the helicopters strafing the coloratura
soprano are just incredible for those young Hueys. Today's helicopters
would do an even better job. Their range and phrasing are totally
remarkable.

They still have some Huey's in the Atlanta area, I love the sound. You
can hear them for a long time before they come into view.

For about six months I was a lucky boy. I got to ride in Hueys at least
twice a day and got paid extra for doing so.

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
m...


Being the father of a musical daughter, I have listened to all the genres
of music. Some opera is good, if you do not have to watch it. As to
Ballet, is amazing the athleticsm of the dancers. Daughter was also into
ballet, or I had to watch a lot. Still not my favorite entertainment.


As for musicals like "West Side Story", some of them are good, but IMO
they aren't Operas. They are Musicals.

We often went to the local Music Circus to see performances such as "Man
of La Mancha", "Paint Your Wagon", and "Bye Bye Birdie".

I don't consider them Opera.

Thinking about it though, I have often listened to opera singers ....
female and male .... performing individually. Some of that is very good.
I guess what doesn't excite me is sitting through 2 hours of story telling
through song.

Eisboch




Bad stories also. Was the soap operas of the time.

Calif Bill wrote:
"Eisboch" wrote in message
...
"Calif Bill" wrote in message
m...

Being the father of a musical daughter, I have listened to all the genres
of music. Some opera is good, if you do not have to watch it. As to
Ballet, is amazing the athleticsm of the dancers. Daughter was also into
ballet, or I had to watch a lot. Still not my favorite entertainment.

As for musicals like "West Side Story", some of them are good, but IMO
they aren't Operas. They are Musicals.

We often went to the local Music Circus to see performances such as "Man
of La Mancha", "Paint Your Wagon", and "Bye Bye Birdie".

I don't consider them Opera.

Thinking about it though, I have often listened to opera singers ....
female and male .... performing individually. Some of that is very good.
I guess what doesn't excite me is sitting through 2 hours of story telling
through song.

Eisboch




Bad stories also. Was the soap operas of the time.




It's not that opera stories were "bad," generally, though some certainly
were. It's just that the story really isn't that significant a part of
the work in most of them. In most opera, the libretto is just a theme, a
beginning. It's the music, the singing, the show that is important. Even
in Mozart's time, the libretto for Don Giovanni was...bizarre. But the
work is one of the greatest ever written.

Consider the libretto for one of the greatest American musicals,
Oklahoma! Corny as Kansas, set in Oklahoma. Silliness. But...the music,
the singing, the dancing, the visuals are incomparable.

--
Republicans - They Take Special Pride in their Ignorance.

On Fri, 8 Aug 2008 13:24:41 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

Ha, ha, ha..... what a bunch of ****....perv.. I have to know if
there is one person here reading these fantasies, who thinks wafa is
"not" full of ****.. Go ahead, post up guys, who is falling for this
crap...?? Anyone? Anyone at all??? I won't hold my breath...

What is bothering you? What makes a simple mundane account of a
standard high school field trip a fantasy? I could give a **** less
about opera and the opera fans, but that isn't really the point. The
tale seems plausible enough, although it does not belong at this
newsgroup. How does it need boating free commentary? If everyone would
quit responding to off topic it would help, and if not, renaming
threads often enough would help a lot.

Boating content. Anyone have a clue as the weight of my 1979 22 ft
Starcraft. Trailer lacks brakes. A Ranger had trouble with it, but I
have a F-150 and a Navigator. I only gave two grand for the boat, with
a 170 hp sterndrive, and the trailer. I think a new trailer would be
cheaper than adding brakes.

On Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:52:05 -0400, "Sir Grand Duke of Marmalade,
Reginald P. Smithers III The Great, Esq. LLC"
wrote:

They still have some Huey's in the Atlanta area, I love the sound. You
can hear them for a long time before they come into view.

I used to live half a mile from the Des Moines Iowa airport. The Hueys
would fly over my house at three hundred feet.

Casady

On Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:23:54 -0400, hk wrote:


I'm not sure how important "the story" is for most opera, because most
opera stories are way, way over the top and, in fact, kind of silly. I
love opera for the singing and then for the music. Even if you don't
understand the language, you can understand the emotions being sung.

Right. But it sure helps to understand the words. Saw Andrea Bocelli
on PBS once and seeing the words scroll as he sang a song in tribute
to his recently dead father added much poignance for me.
Words do matter.
My favorite voice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OP22rETN-s

Imagine not knowing what the words meant. Though the melody
and voice are uplifting, the words are expressing utmost sadness.
True art.
Of course Roy is absolutely unique.

--Vic

Vic Smith wrote:
On Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:23:54 -0400, hk wrote:

I'm not sure how important "the story" is for most opera, because most
opera stories are way, way over the top and, in fact, kind of silly. I
love opera for the singing and then for the music. Even if you don't
understand the language, you can understand the emotions being sung.

Right. But it sure helps to understand the words. Saw Andrea Bocelli
on PBS once and seeing the words scroll as he sang a song in tribute
to his recently dead father added much poignance for me.
Words do matter.
My favorite voice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OP22rETN-s

Imagine not knowing what the words meant. Though the melody
and voice are uplifting, the words are expressing utmost sadness.
True art.
Of course Roy is absolutely unique.

--Vic


"Roy" was more than unique. Have you got the Traveling Wilburys CD?
Fabulous, and you sure can tell when it's Roy singing, though there are
no slouches on the CD. I like George Harrison's work on it, too. One of
my all-time favorite CDs.



--
Republicans - They Take Special Pride in their Ignorance.

"Vic Smith" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:23:54 -0400, hk wrote:


I'm not sure how important "the story" is for most opera, because most
opera stories are way, way over the top and, in fact, kind of silly. I
love opera for the singing and then for the music. Even if you don't
understand the language, you can understand the emotions being sung.

Right. But it sure helps to understand the words. Saw Andrea Bocelli
on PBS once and seeing the words scroll as he sang a song in tribute
to his recently dead father added much poignance for me.
Words do matter.
My favorite voice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OP22rETN-s

Imagine not knowing what the words meant. Though the melody
and voice are uplifting, the words are expressing utmost sadness.
True art.
Of course Roy is absolutely unique.

--Vic

Roy was opera trained. Has been said that he would of been of the great
singers of opera.