Hi! Just wondering if anyone has been to the opera in Rome? I am staying near the opera house and am considering buying a ticket to a performance. Do you need to dress up or is casual ok? It would be an evening performance, but I would have balcony seats. Thanks!!

It depends on whether you like opera, but I try to attend an opera in every city I visit, if possible, and I've always enjoyed the experience.

I'm not terribly well-schooled in opera, so I try to prepare in advance by listening to a cd, and even renting a dvd, when available. I've stretched my musical knowledge this way, and it's fun.
Barb

I'd prefer to grab a pair of knitting needles and jam them in my ears.

Who can ever answer an "is it worth it?" question about travel? Do you LIKE opera wherever it is that you live? If not, will this be a big stretch for you in terms of cultural experience?

Are you asking strangers if this will be a great experience for you? How would we know?

Go. How bad could it be? You could always tell people afterwards I went to the opera in Rome and it wasn't worth it.

DD went to an opera in Rome and she LOVED it. But she loves opera. If you love opera, it will probably be worth it, if not, don't bother.

We went to the opera in Florence and loved it (Tosca), and saw all kinds of attire--from jeans (not just on students) to long formals. We were very comfortable in simple, but dressy attire.

I have seen all types of attire at musical performances in Europe. I thought the audience in Vienna might have been more toward dresses for the ladies and ties and jackets for the men, but we saw a little of everything.

Before I bought a ticket for an opera, I would want to know which one it was. I have my favorites and also some unfavorites. If the opera was Madame Butterfly, I would not go unless two well known singers were doing Cio Cio San and Pinkerton (e.g. Daniella Desi and Fabiano Armiliato). On the other hand, if the opera was Carmen, Aida, La Traviate, La Boheme, Tosca, or Turandot, I would go. Others would depend on the cast.

It's a bunch of fat blokes yelling at one another in front of cardboard trees. And they get the hump if you sing along.

CW - not a fan.

Good question. Opera and Ballet are in the first rank of local premier cultural events. Opera and ballet events vary from low comedy to high drama. Check the schedule, inquire about their content. Our local house is usually 'sold out' well before a performance date! Dress to suit your party. You've come xxx thousand miles to view another culture, be bold, do another mile!

I like this post:

>>>It's a bunch of fat blokes yelling at one another in front of cardboard trees.<<<

Obviously, the only opera this guy has ever seen was a high school production in Plettsmouth, Nebraska.

elcon, go and enjoy. And dressing up is part of the fun.

elcon,
are you an opera fan, even a little? If so, I'd say yes, go. If you really, really don't like opera but you think this might be an interesting experience, I'd suggest you use your money for something you'd enjoy more.

I love opera and would love to see it in Rome and especially in Verona, but I never seem to be anywhere in the right season, so I envy you this opportunity. Which opera(s) do you have a chance to see?

Fat blokes are history, CW !! Now, the fashion is handsome, thin, gym-type blokes !! And beautiful, curved ladies too

Hi elcon,

here's another vote for YES. Because of the vagaries of the Bristish transport stystem, it's almost easier and cheaper [and more fun] for us to get from here in Cornwall to major foreign opera houses than it is to get to Covent Garden.
so far we've done Prague, budapest, Venice, Madrid, and florence. apart from florence which was a little-known work of Mozart's which IMO is destined to remain so, they were all cracking good performances in beautiful surroundings.

Let CW stay at home with his flower arranging.

regards, ann

Just coincidentally, I'm going to see a matinee of Eugene Onegin today -- have never seen it before!

It ain't over till the fat lady sings!!

which opera? and which company and who's singing? And, how much are the tickets? add all those up and see what you come up with. That said, if it broadens your horizons, and you can afford it, why not?

Goddess : Curious to know what you thought of it. My voice teacher wanted me to go see 'La Boheme' broadcast live from the Met yesterday aft. or failing that, to see EO today. She is an opera fan and I am definitely not. But I'd have liked to have seen the venue of where you were today.

Elcon : Dress up and go. Not to the nines maybe, but in the balcony to the fives should be fine and comfortable. Think of it as an event and enjoy it. I like visiting the opera in the Arts capitals of the Europe and I am far from being an opera fan. Now I can quite enjoy some of the popular lighter ones and even some of the contemporary ones which can be staged very interestingly.

For Opera fans: this summer the Puccini Festival is celebrating the Maestro's centennial with a new theatre overlooking the lake where he lived, near Lucca and Viareggio: Torre del Lago Puccini. check out the website www.puccinifestival.it for latest info.
Definitely world class opera!even if in the summertime.

Well they are not ALL fat.

Take a look at Maureen O'Flynn or Patricia Racette, or Frederica von Stade or Denyce Graves, or Renee Fleming, or Mary Dunleavy or Catherine Malfitano. To go back a few years, Beverly Sills, Tiri te Kanawa, Tatiana Troyanos, Roberta Peters, Patrice Munsel, and (my favorite) the incredible Rise Stevens.

I would call none of these opera stars anything but slender.

Granted Jane Eaglen and Jesse Norman are a bit on the pudgy side, but they are almost the exceptions.

Mathieu,
Well, I can't say Eugene Onegin is now one of my favourite operas but I did enjoy it, mostly because it was fabulous looking. Not only was the set unique and quite beautiful in its various changes but the lighting, costumes and staging were gorgeous.

And all the while I was thinking about the 'fat blokes' comment -- the two main male characters were great-looking. Daniil Shtoda, who played Lensky, is as handsome as a movie star and has mesmerizing eyes! And Brett Polegate who played Onegin has the body of a dancer. The two women were beautiful too, and neither was the slightest bit heavy. I think the fat-lady-in-a-horned-helmet idea of opera is pretty old thinking.

Here's the website and you'll find the photo gallery at the right hand side.

http://www.coc.ca/performances/onegin.html

I assume (could be wrong) that you are an opera fan, and that led to the purchase of your ticket. To each his own. Guess I found it fascinating to attend a performance in Verona at the coliseum, and returened on a day trip a year later to another. Just for sheer pleasure--and sampling--I was finally able to attend teatro colon in Buenos aires, and was surprised of the beauty at teatro municipal in Sao Paulo, and their accoustics. So if you want to sample, explore and enjoy, it will be worth it. Have fun dressing up!