Yesterday

This thursday I watched an opera for the first time. My husband, John, is really passionate about operas, in a way it's like opera is for him what movies are for me. Once we watched a La Bohème version filmed by Zefirelli and he weeped in the very end. We went to see La Traviata, and we almost missed it because of some GPS system adversities, and the lack of parking spots. I left the car in an urge and hadn't noticed my gloves falling on the ground (over 3 hours later, they were there, beside the car, frozen and apparently one size smaller), I began to run thinking about Four Weddings and a Funeral's first scene, and why we are always so late in such occasions - this, luckily, wasn't a family celebration, far from it, no need to shake a sea of hands... We arrived in the exact starting time, not a second earlier, not a minute later, but the house was obviously crowded, from the balconies to those very expensive rows, those with nothing but the orchestra and the stage ahead. Before the show started, a lady entered to announce the singer who was supposed to play Violetta was sick, and so was her substitute, but they had found someone named Victoria Loukianetz and in the words of Franco Zefirelli - "I have had three genuine Traviata experiences: Callas, Stratas and this ..." I don't know how to judge opera singers, I found everyone was great, but John was only mesmerized by Victoria's performance ("Alfredo's dad wasn't so impressive" blah blah blah), I loved everything. Movies are wonderful, and can be as real as magical, nevertheless, the actors are there, nothing but celluloid dreams. In a real stage, it's another picture, it's so warm and alive. In a single word: beautiful. It made me think of Moulin Rouge. Perhaps was Baz Luhrmann inspired by one or two operas? It seems like someone is always meant to die in the end, usually a beautiful young woman who begins to cough in the first act. Then something will make the lovers apart ("I love him, but he must not know it") followed by "I'll love you forever" and bang, death and tears. John doesn't like Moulin Rouge, he finds the singing annoying. I love everything about it. And I loved La Traviata. Funny how an old man near us didn't stop snoring from the very beggining to the end.