Opera, Ballet

I am making a great effort to expand my knowledge and experience of music outside of the confines of the course materials, and as part of this I have recently watched two recorded performances; an opera and a ballet.

The opera performance I watched was David McVicar's 2003 production of Mozart's "Die Zauberflote" (The Magic Flute), recorded at The Royal Opera House, in London.

This was my first complete viewing of an opera, and the fusion of music and stage acting was very enjoyable. I read a brief synopsis beforehand, and with the subtitles active I was able to comfortably follow the plot.

The ballet performance I watched was Anthony Dowell's 2009 production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake", recorded at The Royal Opera House, in London.

Again, this was the first complete performance of ballet I have seen. As there was no singing or narration, a reading of a synopsis prior to the performance was essential.

Apart from the obvious differences, I found there were many similarities between the two different art forms: both were driven by an excellent and powerful score, both had excellent props, staging and lighting, and both had a virtuoso cast of performers.

I thoroughly enjoyed both performances, and I am now spurred on to discover more. I am also trying to read lots about them to expand my knowledge in this area, and I'm actively seeking out a live performance.