I wasn’t sure whether I would write anything today; but after attending Live from the Met in HD at our local theatre I had no choice.

Q #1
Why did they not offer music appreciation courses in my high school learning experience? Why did it take me until I was in my late fifties to discover that music is the only activity that stimulates development in both sides of the brain simultaneously?

Today was a special moment in my musical development and my brain certainly has been stimulated. For the first time ever for me, I witnessed an encore in the middle of a performance. It was in the wonderful chorus of the Hebrews near the end of the third act in Nabucco. It was deserved. Even in our theatre we were applauding at the end of the initial presentation. But there was so much more to today’s performance than the special encore.

To be frank, I must admit I had never heard of Nabucco and as I had not the time to do any research before hand, and I got to the theatre too late to get the little background blurb they usually give us, I really didn’t know the story. That is, until it started, and then I quickly recognized this as the saga of when the Hebrews were taken captive to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. Even though this is Verdi’s first opera, it is a masterpiece of music, choral pieces and staging. The story is relatively close to a Coles’ Notes version of the Biblical records. And knowing a bit of that story then allowed me to really focus on the way it was told, both in the words and music as well as in the dramatic singing by the various leads.

This performance was special. Each of the characters was well portrayed by the appointed singers and the individual arias and duets were spectacular. You could see and feel the passion in each performance, whether it was anger, love, mental anguish or political intrigue. Probably most amazing was Placido Domingo in the role of Nabucco. I was introduced to Placido’s singing in the early eighties when he put out an album with John Denver — I’ve appreciated his voice ever since. He portrayed Nabucco in all his many moods and settings with more than appropriate voice differentiation and power. It was a pleasure being in the audience just getting the opportunity to see/hear him perform. Bearing in mind that he is now 75, the most remarkable scene was in the second half when he is struggling to make a pact with God to restore his mind and his spirit. Part of that setting requires Placido to all but lay down on an upper battlement and sing a very emotional prayer. Most of us couldn’t even attempt to sing it while standing upright; Placido does it in a supine position and doesn’t miss either a note or a dramatic action.

It was also amazing to see the theatre 98% full. The Landmark in Penticton is a relatively new theatre and one can reserve seats. Thus I was able to sit in one of my favourite locations, back row towards the middle. Very quickly you begin to feel like you are sitting in the first balcony at the Met itself. For this production it was essential because the staging is so grand and the cast is very large. From my seat I was able to take it all in without distortion or any sense of being too far away. And the crowd was in it from the beginning — don’t tell me there is not a real Arts audience in Penticton!!

Another feature I really like about these broadcasts is the interviewing that is done during the break while the stagehands are rebuilding or re-configuring the sets. Today we were able to get some advance insights into the next couple of productions which also appear to be well worth watching. There were also some wonderful conversations with some of the actors. The best was a three-way chat between James Levine the conductor who is in his final season I believe, Placido and the General Manager of the Met. It was intriguing to hear how such a performance is brought together and what the various key personages need to do to make sure that their parts are done so as to get the maximum from the composer’s intentions. It was the first time this opera had been done at the Met since 1971 when I believe both Levine and Placido were also involved.

But why did I start off with a question about music appreciation and one’s basic schooling? Simply put, I should have been introduce to opera way back then. I’ll admit that I have been listening to live opera on CBC since perhaps the late seventies, early eighties but not in a serious way because I really didn’t fully understand it all — on many Saturdays it was simply on the radio that served as background in my office. And I didn’t go to my first live opera until maybe fifteen years ago. But had I been introduced to it, along with introductions to other kinds of music (some of which happened within my home anyway), I could have much earlier in my life ventured out to at least hear an opera or two. At that point I would have been better able to recognize the incredible beauty in this music. I’m not saying that I would have been as strong an attender at the opera as I am the symphony halls; but I likely would have attended about as often as I did folk and rock concerts as well as live musicals. Certainly I would have become a more regular patron of these Saturday events: Live from the Met. This I didn’t start doing until perhaps in the last five years.

It all goes back to my biggest complaint about my basic education. I did not get anywhere near the breadth of experience that I should have in order to become a reasonably well-rounded individual. I was allowed to take a music course in Grade IX, and my parents did have me in piano lessons while I was in elementary school. As well, because my father was a minister, I was introduced to good choral music and occasionally classical renditions (although in my youth these seldom were in a concert hall, but rather churches or community venues). But these approaches really only let the schools partially off the hook. I think of some of my classmates who probably were more musical than me who would have come to see the world of music much larger than our collections of the Kingston Trio, Al Hirt or even the Jefferson Airplane!!

I will say that I am thankful the local theatre regularly carries these kinds of presentations and allows us to reserve our seats. Over the past couple of years they have also shown plays from Stratford (Ontario) and the Globe in London, ballet from London, and there was even a series on some of the great composers. While I appreciate learning at this point in my life, it would have been even more beneficial if it had been a regular portion of a wider diet of educational offerings before I ever got through Grade XII. (Of course, my high schools wouldn’t even let me take Home Ec, insisting that I suffer through a couple years of Shop/Industrial Arts — as if I would ever own my own shop later in life, while I often found myself living on my own without any serious skills to cook let alone operate a household, even if it was just a two-bedroom apartment — I do think some school systems have finally corrected this problem — so let’s make sure they also have corrected the musical desert too!!)

A by-product of today (and several earlier performances) is that I have added to my meagre bucket list — I want to fly to New York one of these weekends and go to the MET to experience for myself what it is like to sit in that august hall and take in one of these exceptional operatic performances. For now though I am still basking in the joy of today’s Nabucco… thank you MET, that you to the Demarais Family of Quebec, the Neubaurer Family Foundation, the Toll Brothers…and all the other sponsors who have shared their wealth to make sure that we get to share in the music.

g.w.