Bonfire of the government arts funding

[killer b]

It's true that opera is a minority interest, and if left entirely to market forces would probably disappear altogether - but the purpose of arts funding is surely to support minority interest arts isn't it?

 

[MickiQ]

Nobody actually likes Opera

I'm sure some people must just not me, don't really see the point of watching a musical where you can't understand the lyrics.

 

[killer b]

I'm sure some people must just not me, don't really see the point of watching a musical where you can't understand the lyrics.

The ENO perform in english tbf

 

[quimcunx]

The ENO perform in english tbf

Although IME* the lyrics are incomprehensible in English and you still need the surtitles, making going to ENO a bit pointless IMO. I'd rather see it in the original.

*my experience being seeing one opera at ROH which I enjoyed and one at ENO which I didn't enjoy.

 

[Pickman's model]

I'm sure some people must just not me, don't really see the point of watching a musical where you can't understand the lyrics

Even if you watch eg the magic flute and can understand German the way it's sung must be pretty much incomprehensible.

 

[killer b]

Although IME* the lyrics are incomprehensible and you still need the surtitles making going to ENO a bit pointless IMO. I'd rather see it in the original.

*my experience being seeing one opera at ROH which I enjoyed and one at ENO which I didn't enjoy.

Fair point - I'd imagine all opera performed in Britain atm in languages other than English will have surtitles

 

[hash tag]

I'm sure some people must just not me, don't really see the point of watching a musical where you can't understand the lyrics.

Even if you watch eg the magic flute and can understand German the way it's sung must be pretty much incomprehensible.

Opera often has subtitles showing overhead. I have and enjoy loads of music where I can't understand what is being sung in English, yet alone other languages. I listen because it's a pleasing sound. The chorus of the Hebrew slaves can be a thing of sheer beauty. The Magic Flute is one of my faves.

 

[Pickman's model]

Opera often has subtitles showing overhead. I have and enjoy loads of music where I can't understand what is being sung in English, yet alone other languages. I listen because it's a pleasing sound. The chorus of the Hebrew slaves can be a thing of sheer beauty. The Magic Flute is one of my faves.

Yeh. Not sure what that's got to do with croydon

 

[hash tag]

Don't they have opera in the Fairfield Halls?

 

[Raheem]

.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Don't they have opera in the Fairfield Halls?

Not recently. Not since the "refurbishment".

 

[hash tag]

Not recently. Not since the "refurbishment".

The good people of Croydon were never that cultured I guess.

 

[Plumdaff]

In reality, an attack on one section of the arts you may not like, leads to an attack on it all.

Indeed. Urban is usually pretty good at resisting divide and conquer tactics. This is all this is. It's an attack on the arts from classist philistines who don't give a fuck about arts provision full stop, even though it's a major UK industry.

 

[Red Cat]

Opera often has subtitles showing overhead. I have and enjoy loads of music where I can't understand what is being sung in English, yet alone other languages. I listen because it's a pleasing sound. The chorus of the Hebrew slaves can be a thing of sheer beauty. The Magic Flute is one of my faves.

Opera has had subtitles for a long time, I've only been once, I think it was Cosi Fan Tutte, in Manchester 25 years ago. I'd go again to a Mozart opera, I loved it, I don't know why I haven't really other than life gets busy.

And I don't really care about the words. I listen to Bach's St Matthew passion in German even though I'm not German or a Christian.

 

[hash tag]

Opera has had subtitles for a long time, I've only been once, I think it was Cosi Fan Tutte, in Manchester 25 years ago. I'd go again to a Mozart opera, I loved it, I don't know why I haven't really other than life gets busy.

And I don't really care about the words. I listen to Bach's St Matthew passion in German even though I'm not German or a Christian.

My unidentifiable lyrics include a lot of heavy metal which includes German, Finnish, Russian, Swedish and some and I also love Bangla and Bhangra music both in Indian languages.
It's about the sound, the feel, the melody, the harmony. For people who want to listen to lyrics we have Morrisey, the Beatles, Floyd Etc. It is difficult not to be moved by something like this
If you listen to classical music, there are no lyrics to listen to.

 

[Serge Forward]

Opera is ace (apart from some of it going on for far too long and causing numb bum syndrome... and I'm not keen on Wagnerian stuff). Meanwhile, looks like some dickhead had a go at the black kid singing in Alcina
Heckler gets life ban from Royal Opera House for shouting ‘rubbish’ at child actor

 

[Pickman's model]

 

[hash tag]

Opera is ace (apart from some of it going on for far too long and causing numb bum syndrome... and I'm not keen on Wagnerian stuff). Meanwhile, looks like some dickhead had a go at the black kid singing in Alcina
Heckler gets life ban from Royal Opera House for shouting ‘rubbish’ at child actor

On a tour of Versaille's opera house a few years back, we were informed that the opera's lasted for a few hours. Everyone attending was required to perch on
their seats in order to keep oe eye on the king and one eye on the stage - ouch!

 

[Reno]

Although IME* the lyrics are incomprehensible in English and you still need the surtitles, making going to ENO a bit pointless IMO. I'd rather see it in the original.

*my experience being seeing one opera at ROH which I enjoyed and one at ENO which I didn't enjoy.

Every major Opera house supplies subtitles now.

edit :not the first to point it out:

 

[quimcunx]

Every major Opera house supplies subtitles now.

edit :not the first to point it out:

Yes. The RoH had surtitles when I went there for aida and ENO had them when I went to whatever the fuck that was. They were useful both times because, as was my point, translating to english does nothing useful IME and IMO.

 

[Serge Forward]

It's all about the music, voices and emotion. Translation is useless, especially as the words and story are generally crap.

 

[ViolentPanda]

The good people of Croydon were never that cultured I guess.

The people mostly have been, strange as that might seem. It's the local authority that have been the barbarians pretty much across the sweep of cultures. They've lost music venues, libraries and -very nearly - the Fairfield Hall themselves, with the council either standing by, or actively assisting. Lambeth may be shits, but they know which side their bread is buttered, regarding culture.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Indeed. Urban is usually pretty good at resisting divide and conquer tactics. This is all this is. It's an attack on the arts from classist philistines who don't give a fuck about arts provision full stop, even though it's a major UK industry.

The only place art seems to have in their lives, is to show that they've "arrived", whether that means attending an opera or a classical music recital or having an expensive painting on their office wall. It's not a new trait in Tory MPs, either. When Thatcher talked about thinning out the government's art collection, her MPs, mostly philistines, caused an uproar. How would people know how important they were, if they didn't have a "distinguished" painting in their office?

 

[hash tag]

Croydon council is broke!

 

[pinkmonkey]

Never been to an opera but my working class school cleaner nan took me to the ballet at Leeds opera house, regularly. I wasn't really interested, but she needed an excuse to go. The place was full of working class nanas with their grandkids all wearing their hand knitted mohair/angora cardis. So I never saw theatre as a class thing, you were either interested or you weren't.

 

[Reno]

Never been to an opera but my working class school cleaner nan took me to the ballet at Leeds opera house, regularly. I wasn't really interested, but she needed an excuse to go. The place was full of working class nanas with their grandkids all wearing their hand knitted mohair/angora cardis. So I never saw theatre as a class thing, you were either interested or you weren't.

As someone who comes from a country where opera and ballet aren't tied to class and whose working class dad introduced him to opera as a kid, I always found it dismaying how people in the U.K. have a chip their shoulder about it.

When I lived in London I didn't go to Covent Garden much because it was expensive, but the ENO always had affordable seats and I always thought the productions were more interesting anyway. If I still lived in London, I'd be incredibly sad to see the ENO go.

 

[Serge Forward]

And back in the day, the Halle orchestra used to do cheap workers' concerts in Manchester. These days, I can see classical music concerts at De Montfort Hall in Leicester from a fiver. La Boheme is around £30. Oh, and one of our union reps is a member of one of the resident orchestras there.

This is hardly music for the residents of Upper Poshington.

 

[Plumdaff]

It's not difficult to find records of opera recitals at Miner's Welfare Halls.

 

[muscovyduck]

This thread's got me putting "go to an opera" on my bucket list

 

[newme]

Nobody actually likes Opera

Didn't she support Dr Oz?