Cincinnati Opera at Music Hall
I’ve written before how I’ve never enjoyed opera.
I could be the curmudgeon who compares everything to rock and roll – that bombast with undecipherable lyrics, but I’ll refrain tonight.
It was dress rehearsal for Aida. Dan had a pair of tickets as he’s not only performing, but he’s actually on stage! In costume! [ Go here to view the above photo uncropped—it looks better that way. Hover over the image to see where he’s standing, then zoom in to realize you can’t really see him at all, but all the costumes are awesome anyway. ]
Mom joined me for the evening. I hadn’t known she’d seen this particular opera back when she was a kid—following along with a translation under the guidance of a particularly inspired language teacher. You just can’t shake good learning experiences. (But I wouldn’t want to give up the projected subtitles they have these days)
When Dan’s stint was over, we considered leaving after the second intermission but hem-hawed only briefly. We really wanted to watch the entire performance.
This is a first for me.
Maybe it was having my mom there, or the sets, or the costumes, or having dancers from the Ballet onstage, or the music. Maybe I’m gaining a better understanding of performance in general because of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Whatever the combination, I quite enjoyed this Cincinnati Opera.
3 responses to “Aida”
That photo is gorgeous – did you take it, or is it a publicity still?
Hi Todd!
I did indeed take it. From the third balcony no less with a totally inappropriate (portrait) lens – which technically I shouldn’t have had in the first place.
I forced my mom to bring a big purse because I really wanted to capture Dan’s first time on stage at the Opera.
The guys in the center background look like they’re carrying really big gingerbread men (persons?) on long pikes.