Going to the Opera. Alone.

-image courtesy of Seattle Opera-

I have always disliked musicals. My parents were good about exposing me to all sorts of arts and culture as a child and from the beginning musicals always tickled my gag reflex. About six months ago, something crazy happened. I started listening to opera. And. Wait for it. I was really into it. How could this be? One day, I had the opera station on Pandora playing, and I decided I wanted to go to the Seattle Opera. And I decided to go alone.

Sometimes doing things alone can be an act of courage. Others, it is an act of self pity. I am not sure which my opera experience fell into. My boyfriend, 6 Par Farmer, lives in Montana in the summer and Arizona in the winter. I live in Olympia. You can connect the dots. That makes for a lot of solo time. I have travelled extensively alone, installed toilets alone, gone to restaurant alone, gone to funerals alone. I can manage pretty much anything alone, but I have come to realize my true joy in life comes from sharing experiences with others. So, whether I bought 1 single ticket to the opera, because I thought it would be nice to experience it alone, or because I was trying to make a point that I was experiencing it alone is up for discussion.

I sat in row E of the orchestra section. As good of seats as were available, and they were excellent. I was right behind Don Quixote's wife. (The things you learn when you are eavesdropping.) McCaw Hall is a beautiful, traditional space with modern touches. I assume there was some controversy over the screen atop the stage displaying subtitles, but I found it pleasant to read the bits of humor I wouldn't have otherwise gleaned from the French, and ignore the subtitles when I was captivated by the voices on the stage.

My disinterest in musicals carries over to certain parts of the opera. I don't care much for the over-dramatized, simplistic plot lines. What I love is the music. Don Quixote may not have been the best choice for my first opera, because it is a comedy and has less of the moving, powerful arias found in other operas (or so I have since read). The powerful bits of music were what I enjoyed most. The orchestra, the opera house, the larger than life voices. They were truly beautiful.

I will go back to the opera, but it will likely be to something sad, with long gut wrenching arias. And next time, I might buy 2 tickets. Because experiencing love, life, and death through French/Italian vocals is always better when you have someone next to you to nudge from time to time.