# I don't like opera, but ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171 "2009-11-03T16:28:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/1 "2009-11-03T16:28:27Z")
… I do love _The Marriage of Figaro._ Couldn’t find a highlights album that had the snippet I wanted – “_Pace, pace mi dolce tesoro,_” from right before the finale – so I bought the full thing on three disks. Lovely, lovely, lovely music. Mozart knew at thing or two about writing tunes, eh wot? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/2 "2009-11-03T16:48:34Z")
Nope, sorry. You like Opera. You just don’t like _all_ Opera. And Wolfie could definitely write a good tune. (You have seen _Amadeus_?) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/3 "2009-11-03T16:52:18Z")
I used to listen to a lot of opera, but these days Verdi’s Otello is about the only thing I stick my finger in. Iago’s 2nd Act aria is a thing of (evil) beauty. Desdemona’s Act III “sea and sand” song brings me to tears. And the Willow song/Ave Maria? Fuggedaboudit. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/4 "2009-11-03T17:41:26Z")
If I may recommend, Don Giovanni is absolutely outstanding if you just skip over the bits that don’t involve the Don or Leporello… ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/5 "2009-11-03T17:58:11Z")
I don’t like opera but I love the aria from Madame Butterfly, Un bel dì vedremo, I have no idea what she is saying but I can feel the emotion and longing and it always brings tears to my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/6 "2009-11-03T18:02:27Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > … I do love _The Marriage of Figaro._ > > Couldn’t find a highlights album that had the snippet I wanted – “_Pace, pace mi dolce tesoro,_” from right before the finale – so I bought the full thing on three disks. > > Lovely, lovely, lovely music. > > Mozart knew at thing or two about writing tunes, eh wot? By the way, didn’t Bugs Bunny do a parody of Figaro? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/7 "2009-11-03T18:04:39Z")
I like the one with Elmer Fudd singing “Kill da Wabbit”… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/8 "2009-11-03T18:09:57Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > I don’t like opera but I love the aria from Madame Butterfly, Un bel dì vedremo, I have no idea what she is saying but I can feel the emotion and longing and it always brings tears to my eyes. Parallel translation to be found [here](http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/opera/qt/unbeldilyrics.htm) - it works well on its own, but in the context of the opera, where we, the audience, know full well Pinkerton ain’t comin’ back, it is heart wrenchingly beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/9 "2009-11-03T18:22:29Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I like the one with Elmer Fudd singing “Kill da Wabbit”… > 😃 That’s the Ring of the Nebalungs (spelling it wrong, I know), aka The Ring cycle by Wagner, which is actually 4 operas in 1: Das Reingold, Valkyrie (Bugs’ song is in this one), Seigfried and Gotterdamerung. Great stuff, but loooooong… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/10 "2009-11-03T18:27:23Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > By the way, didn’t Bugs Bunny do a parody of Figaro? That’s _The Barber of Seville_, whose name is Figaro. In the sequel, he gets married to the lady’s maid of the wife of his lascivious boss, the count. Hijinks ensue, but all ends happily. (The above-referenced _“Pace, pace mi dolce tesoro”_ translates to “Peace, peace, my sweet darling,” and it’s the section in which the count and countess resolve their differences. **blissful sigh** ) ETA: I am revelling in the moment in which **Wile E.** and **twickster** discuss opera, and yet remain true to their respective usernames. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/11 "2009-11-03T18:52:03Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > By the way, didn’t Bugs Bunny do a parody of Figaro? [Rabbit of Seville](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_of_Seville) ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/12 "2009-11-03T19:13:18Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > [Rabbit of Seville](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_of_Seville) I had already looked it up which is why I only said Figaro which is the character but The Rabbit of Seville does end with The Marriage of Figaro. > [@](#): > > Finally, Bugs ends the chase by offering Flowers, chocolates and a ring to Elmer, who ducks offstage and comes back as the blushing bride. The tune then briefly switches to the “Wedding March” by Mendelssohn, before finishing with Bugs carrying his ‘bride’ up a long flight of stairs, through a false doorway (opening up onto thin air), and drops Fudd down into a wedding cake labeled “The Marriage of Figaro”. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/13 "2009-11-03T19:45:12Z")
The Marriage of Figaro was my entryway into the glorious world of opera. The arias and music were so ravishing that I fell in love straight away. Maybe there’s more beautiful music out there, I thought. There was, and thirty-odd years later I still haven’t exhausted the supply. Welcome to the most entrancing, vibrant and powerful music on the planet, **Twickster**! Welcome to the world of opera. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/14 "2009-11-03T19:51:34Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > There was, and thirty-odd years later I still haven’t exhausted the supply. Welcome to the most entrancing, vibrant and powerful music on the planet, **Twickster**! Welcome to the world of opera. Alas, I don’t think so. I was first turned on to _MoF_ about 25 years ago, and haven’t proceeded further. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/15 "2009-11-03T22:26:29Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > … I do love _The Marriage of Figaro._ > > Couldn’t find a highlights album that had the snippet I wanted – “_Pace, pace mi dolce tesoro,_” from right before the finale – so I bought the full thing on three disks. > > Lovely, lovely, lovely music. > > Mozart knew at thing or two about writing tunes, eh wot? Figaro is incredible. Every note is beautiful beyond description. And the libretto – it’s funny, but there’s a lot beneath the surface. It’s all about forgiveness, if you listen all the way through, reading along with a translation. It’s a great love story (two great love stories, really), about real human beings with strengths and flaws and everything. And, oh my God, that music. _Voi che sapete_ perfectly captures the longing curiousity of an adolescent boy. The Countess, mourning the passing of her love, in _Dove Sono_ (nothing funny about that one). The Countess and Susanna conspiring to trick their men in that gorgeous duet (_Sull’aria_). And Susanna’s aria in the last act (_Deh, vieni, non tardar_), well, if that doesn’t move you to tears, you’re made of stone. And the Count, sincerely begging forgiveness (_Contessa, perdono_), and getting it (Piú docile io sono), that’s the message of the whole rigamarole. Forgiveness. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/16 "2009-11-03T22:53:14Z")
Have you tried oratorio? Handel’s Messiah is easily the most famous, but there’s Samson, Judas Maccabeus, and many, many more. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/17 "2009-11-03T23:01:34Z")
I loathed opera. Then, one semester short of my BA, I discovered I was short 3 units in “Music, Art, or other wastes of time.” The only class still open was one on “Appreciation of Opera.” \ One semester later, I still didn’t like it very much, but now I knew _why_. And I can run the category on **Jeopardy!** ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/18 "2009-11-03T23:09:08Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Have you tried oratorio? Handel’s Messiah is easily the most famous, but there’s Samson, Judas Maccabeus, and many, many more. I kinda like _Israel in Egypt_: the Ten Plagues set to music! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/19 "2009-11-04T00:11:25Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Have you tried oratorio? Handel’s Messiah is easily the most famous, but there’s Samson, Judas Maccabeus, and many, many more. Well, yeah, how can you not like the _Messiah_? (“For unto us a child is given…”) I also like Stravinsky’s _Oedipus Rex_, oddly enough. ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171/20 "2009-11-04T01:03:44Z")
I like Puccini’s La Boheme. I wouldn’t have seen it at all --I love all things rock and roll, but I’m such a RENT head, that I wanted to give it a try. I enjoyed it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-like-opera-but/516171.md?page=2)