Complete this sentence: "I learned about opera from..."

wsuffa

wsuffa

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Bill S.
This question has been prompted by the music CD selection onboard my transatlantic return flight from Greece yesterday. There it was in all it's glory: Wagner, Die Walküre.

And it promptly stuck in my head the words that accompanied the tune of the start of Act III... from which I learned about opera. Then the rest came flowing back, especially the "Brünnhilde" part.
 
Bugs Bunny.... "Kill the Wabbit, Kill the WABBIT!"

<my mom was an opera singer, so I was exposed unwittingly as a child, but Bugs is what stuck the hardest>
 
Damn! I need to fully awaken this morning; I read it as "Oprah," you know -- the fat lady(seems to be gaining, lately) syndrome?

:o) HR
 
From my 6th grade music teacher, who had us listen to Mozart's "Zauberflöte". I still find myself humming some of the Arias from that from time to time.

I do listen to the Met broadcasts from time to time on NPR as well. Personally I love the intermission plot synopsis they do, especially for some of the Italian operas. those plots are better than any soap.
 
My mother, who was a musician in the local symphony.

And my wife, who is a classically trained coloratura soprano.
 
From my HS band teacher. He made us play and listen to all kinds of music.

My dad was also a big fan of Enrico Caruso and I would have to hear his record, on 78rpms, when I was growing up.
 
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Steve said:
My mother, who was a musician in the local symphony.

And my wife, who is a classically trained coloratura soprano.
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Steve:

You never told us this about Mary. Is there any chance we could persuade her to sing for us at Gaston's (and no, I am not joking)?
 
"Oh Bwunhilde, you'w so wuvwy!"
"Yes I know it; I can't help it!"'
"Oh Bwunhilde, be my wove!"

"Kiww the wabbit! Kiww the wabbit! Kiww the wabbit!"
 
Riding motorcycles in my misspent youth.
 
TMetzinger said:
Bugs Bunny.... "Kill the Wabbit, Kill the WABBIT!"
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That is my earliest recollection of opera.

I've been to more since then but....it's hard to beat first rate top quality stuff! (yes, I do have some culture but that's darned good stuff)
 
The Texaco Radio Opera, live from the Met, on Saturday afternoons (actually, mid-morning where I was in Anacortes WA), in the mid-70's -- I can still hear announcer Peter Allen's voice in my head. On nice days, I'd pull the stereo speakers out on the deck of my little shack by the Deception Pass bridge and eat brunch, sip coffee, and read the newspaper while listening.

I had some prior exposure, being in the band in my school days, but never really got taken until then. It is sad that in 2003 ChevronTexaco withdrew its support of this opportunity for people across the country living far from quality opera companies or unable to afford the price of admission to be able to hear the best opera in the world on free public radio.
 
Ron Levy said:
It is sad that in 2003 ChevronTexaco withdrew its support of this opportunity for people across the country living far from quality opera companies or unable to afford the price of admission to be able to hear the best opera in the world on free public radio.
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It is still on, Ron! The sponsor has changed (and will undoubtedly change again), and the participating stations do change, but the Saturday Met Opera broadcasts continue. On the radio and a live stream on the internet.

-Skip

http://www.operainfo.org/
 
I learned from TV that you shouldn't carry bottles of Bud Light in your pocket when you go to the opera.

Well, you shouldn't carry bottles of Bud Light ANYWHERE, but that's another issue.
 
This is long but it's within the thread scope. My aunt was Language Dept. Head at The Gilbert School, Winsted, CT from 1918 to 1951. She taught German and French.

One of the students was a Polish lady who had a magnificent singing voice. Teresa lived for her music. Well, one day Aunt Fannie was passing the music room and heard a familiar voice.

"Teresa, aren't you supposed to be in study hall?" There was somewhat of a low-key response from Teresa. Auntie, it seems, turned Teresa's name into the Principal's office; Teresa was remanded to detention -- whatever? -- at the end of the day.

Not long after, Teresa quit school. One day her home doorbell rang. At the door was a lady who said, in essence, "Are you Teresa Xxxxxx? My name is Xxxxx Xxxxx, and I've been sent by Mr. Arturo Toscanini to bring you to sing for him." Teresa, thinking it was a gag, slammed the door. The doorbell rang again, at length.

"What do you want?" Teresa said as she reopened the door. The emissary convinced her that she was for real, and Teresa went to sing for Toscanini ----- and toured with him for quite some time. She later spent years with the Vienna State Opera Company, and was multi-honored by the Austrian hierarchy. Later, she made her debut with our Metropolitan Opera Company.

I don't remember Teresa's full name -- Auntie has been gone for 30 years -- but somewhere along the early line of Teresa's career it was suggested that she change her name. She became Teresa Stich-Randall. She died in August of 2007. Toscanini claimed that Teresa was "the find of the century."

Google her name; there'll be a bunch of hits. A Juilliard professor, the late Paul Doktor(violinist) was a multi-year summer customer at my store. I once told him the above tale, to which he replied in his thick Austrian accent, "It would be easy for some to not believe that story. However, I have known Teresa for many years and I know that it is true."

Google will turn more hits on Paul Doktor.

HR

HR
 
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going to see "Carmen" for the first time and reading the subtitles. That ***** reminded me of my high-school girlfriend, and why I was so happy to get out of the trap.
 
The Rabbit of Seville. That, and we did something with Carmen in music class in middle school. Other than a two-disc "greatest hits" album, from which I copied two songs to my iPod, that's about it for me and opera. Too many fat chicks.:blowingkisses::D
 
Ken Ibold said:
I learned from TV that you shouldn't carry bottles of Bud Light in your pocket when you go to the opera.

Well, you shouldn't carry bottles of Bud Light ANYWHERE, but that's another issue.
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Carrying it isn't the issue -- drinking it is. Friends don't let friends drink light beer.
 
Ron Levy said:
Carrying it isn't the issue -- drinking it is. Friends don't let friends drink light beer.
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What if you prefer to sip Kahlua, straight?

It's more expensive than chocolate. It sure would taste great in my coffee, right now. I gotta spring for some coffee creamer along those lines.

Opera... The closest I'll get near that is Celtic Women. But, I wouldn't be attending for the music :D
 
Ron Levy said:
The Texaco Radio Opera, live from the Met, on Saturday afternoons (actually, mid-morning where I was in Anacortes WA), in the mid-70's -- I can still hear announcer Peter Allen's voice in my head. On nice days, I'd pull the stereo speakers out on the deck of my little shack by the Deception Pass bridge and eat brunch, sip coffee, and read the newspaper while listening.

I had some prior exposure, being in the band in my school days, but never really got taken until then. It is sad that in 2003 ChevronTexaco withdrew its support of this opportunity for people across the country living far from quality opera companies or unable to afford the price of admission to be able to hear the best opera in the world on free public radio.
Click to expand...

And in the mid-late 1970's, I remember babysitting the control board at the university's non-commercial radio station as the Met ran. I don't recall if it came on tape (I think it did) or live via phone line.
 
wsuffa said:
And in the mid-late 1970's, I remember babysitting the control board at the university's non-commercial radio station as the Met ran. I don't recall if it came on tape (I think it did) or live via phone line.
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It was live where I was, and (I think) most everywhere else.
 
I'll throw another vote in for 'Rabbit of Seville'. It's so sad that today's kids aren't exposed to classics like that. :(
 
CJones said:
I'll throw another vote in for 'Rabbit of Seville'. It's so sad that today's kids aren't exposed to classics like that. :(
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It's really sad that today's kids don't know that cartoons are supposed to be, you know, animated.
 
The local movie theater had a Saturday morning special for kids. Mom would drop me off so she could go shopping and I watched three hours or more of cartoons. Mostly the stuff with classical music in the background I never thought about. Also, I really liked the Lone Ranger. Imagine my surprise at a Chicago outdoor symphony when they played his theme!!

I dated a young lady that lost a lot of weight singing with the Mormon tab-and-apple choir!

Best,

Dave
 
smigaldi said:
or just fun! When did Saturday morning cartoons go away? And why did they all change into commercials for toys?

Thank goodness for anime and manga!
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Well, we lost one network when Disney bought ABC. All the cartoons are based on Disney movies and Disney shows with the single purpose of sucking more money from parents for more Disney products.

They theoretically backed off from 30 minute commercials interrupted with commercials and were supposed to have educational content, but it looks to me when I flip by that they must have fixed that with more lobbying money.

What sad is kids don't get that cartoons are not just stationary scenes with moving mouths on the characters. It's like everything is Clutch Cargo now.

Sorry. they do have the fast cutting stuff that goes from explosion STILL to explosion STILL because the kids all have ADD.
 
It was the Bugs Bunny and a Night at the opera. I couldn't wait to see the Barber of Seville when it played in Wichita, I was surprised when it wasn't that close to the cartoon.

My Wife is a big opera fan and never misses the show.

Kevin
 
You don't think it was her good looks and charming personality alone, do you? A masters in opera production from FSU is hard to resist. :smile:

It's not something that usually arises when talking flying.

Not sure if the Gaston's crowd is prepared for it. She already turns heads (like 6 rows down) at football games during the national anthem.:yes:

SCCutler said:
Steve:

You never told us this about Mary. Is there any chance we could persuade her to sing for us at Gaston's (and no, I am not joking)?
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Isn't "I learned about flying from..." about recounting harrowing tales of aviation gone wrong? Is this thread about poor decision chains that lead to harrowing opera experiences?

If not, then, well, put me down for Bugs Bunny, too.
-harry
 
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