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Claudio Monteverdi- L’Orfeo
Entering the LeFrak Concert Hall, I was amazed by the enormous organ; centering the auditorium. The audience seemed, alive, jittery; for the presentation to begin. I on the other hand- just wanted to get this over with. I asked the person sitting next to me, how long this was going to take- and suddenly felt depressed; I had just ruined my Friday night, watching an opera. My feelings quickly changed.
Noticing my professor playing the recorder, I felt a bit more comfortable; now knowing one person within the hundreds. The opera first began with the orchestra playing on the “organ level”. This consisted of trumpets, trombones, violins, and other wind instruments. I felt like I had the best seat in the house. I sank into my seat, and hoped that I would remember what the plot was, because I knew it wasn’t in English. But thankfully, there was a screen with the translations- so this saved the people sitting next to me having to bear with me snoring all through the performance.
La Musica began the opera, in a beautiful soprano voice, her skin very pale, almost as if she was not meant to be seen, but only heard. After a brief ritornello (which happens through out the opera), La Musica explains the power of music, and specifically the power of Orfeo (Orpheus), whose music is so powerful that it is capable of moving the gods themselves. After her singing, the prologue was done, and Act I began.
This is when I first saw Orfeo, and quickly, I understood why he is capable of “moving the gods”. When his voice travelled through the auditorium; it was as if fireworks were coming out of his mouth. I trembled, and really felt his strong tenor voice take over the audience. He was singing of happiness, since he was rejoicing of meeting Euridice, his love. During this Act, he marries her, and spends time dancing and receiving gifts from his friends. This act contained a lot of movement, choreographed dancing, and...