My First Opera

Attending an opera at the Teatra alla Scalla in Milan was at first an intimidating experience. I approached the understated exterior of the building not knowing what to expect from this famous opera house. Upon entering the building I was amazed by its grandeur—gilded banners, red velvet chairs, chandeliers, not to mention the people. Rows of suits and ties surrounded me, and I was by far the youngest member of the audience that I saw. I pulled out my camera in admiration and a uniformed usher approached me: "Lady, no." I bashfully put my camera away and saw the usher move on to supervise that a man in my row delete a picture he had taken. I had expected to feel somewhat out of place at my first opera, but the opera was also in a lot of ways not what I had expected.

I had always expected the opera to be much more like a concert than a theatrical performance and was surprised to see such elaborate sets and almost melodramatic acting. Throughout the performance I was faced with the dilemma of straining my neck to see a screen with an English translation of the opera or to watch the actual performance itself. I found myself often relying solely on the performance for my understanding of the plot and was surprised how much I could get by with just that.  The curtains opened to a stage full of haystacks setting the tone for the age old story of a young man who was too poor for the object of his affection. This take of unrequited love was called “L'elisir d'amore” or The Elixir of Love. Another unexpected aspect of this performance for me was the element of humor. A doctor comes to town promising an elixir to cure all ills; to the audience he mentions his joy at leaving before the townspeople realize his falsities. When Nemorino asks for an elixir of love, he again speaks to the audience that the potion he gives Nemorino is but a bottle of Bordeaux wine. The young man gets drunk and this is but a few of the many comical scenes from the opera which I very much enjoyed, yet had not expected. The curtains closed to a room of standing ovations and Italians yelling "Bravi!" much different from the theatre I have experienced in London.

I loved attending the opera, despite my feelings of intimidation in the beginning. The singing was amazing, the story engaging, and the setting fabulous!

-Rachel Samec, UCSB