im terribly late with these and im so sorry!! my internship has been crazy lately and im also balancing a part time job :(( thank you to everyone who tagged me and a big thank you to @opera-my-beloved for running this- ill catch up quickly by combining the days i missed here:
What’s a production you’ve seen that changed your whole opinion of an opera?
2017 rosenkav (aka the one that launched a thousand gifs)- I already adored Strauss's orchestral works (the two years i studied his oboe concerto were so worth it) but this production somehow made a story which felt very remote to me hit home and cemented rosenkav as one of my favorite operas
What is an opera composer you’re trying to explore more?
just to list a few- Massanet, Donizetti, Handel (mostly composers i haven't been exposed to as much through orchestra, wind quintet, and solo oboe rep)
Did you discover any new favorite singers?
so many!! juan diego flórez, natalie dessay, deborah voigt, piotr beczala, isabel leonard, and ofc elīna garanča <3 also gained even greater appreciation for renee fleming, dmitri hvorostovsky, and joyce didonato
What’s an opera (or production) that you wish you could watch again for the first time?
nothing will ever top that 2007 eugene onegin- tchaik's music is always an incredible emotional journey and i was literally in a state of semi-shock the whole time
Out of all of the new productions/operas you’ve seen, what has been the most meaningful?
2007 eugene onegin; quite literally life changing
What’s an opera that changed your opinion about a composer or genre?
Rossini's la cenerentola- ngl i had (and still have) a bit of a grudge against rossini for that hellish la scala di seta excerpt but this opera won me over completely (he still did not have to inflict la scala on me though)
Are there any operas that you'd listened to but never seen on stage before?
eugene onegin (which really showed me the visual power of opera)
What's an opera you would love to see performed in-person? (even if it was in the past)
eugene onegin w fleming and hvorostovsky, rosenkav w fleming and elīna garanča, elīna garanča's carmen...
Are there any operas you strongly associate with a specific time in your life?
prokofiev's war and peace in feb/march because i read the book over those months and watched the opera for the first time (idk why the met doesn't have any recordings available though)
Do you know the next opera you want to discover?
i have a running list but the one on top is la forza del destino
Are there any operas you'd write fanfiction for (or you wish had more fics)?
rosenkav, esp because there's plenty of room for very queer reinterpretations
What is your comfort opera?
kind of weird, but cavalleria rusticana (its cathartic or something) and for something lighter, la cenerentola
What’s an opera that became an unexpected favorite?
def dialogues des carmelites (though i should have known bc i love poulenc so so much) just bc it seemed so heavy and dark
Are there any operas you cannot get into no matter how hard you've tried?
the ring cycle- i have tried but it just does not do it for me (also has the unfortunate association w this weird philosophy major who asserted this was his favorite opera but had never listened to like,, tristan und isolde; pls do not try to flirt w me this way)
Do you have any opera comfort characters?
carmen (i could talk for hours abt her!! but succinctly: girlboss), the marschallin, octavian, santuzza, tatiana...
What’s an opera/production that you'd like to get teleported into?
if we're talking about aesthetics: 2017 rosenkav, 2018 samson et dalila, 2012 manon, marnie
the actual world of the opera: capriccio (what could be better than living in luxury, being courted, and enjoying art? the dream life)
