YCN - More Research
24 years here.
Why do I go to see opera?
Because I love it. The music is what hooked me in the first place, but I keep returning because I want to see new things. If I've never seen an opera before, I'll go for the first time. Didn't like it? Fine, but I least I tried something new.
Even if I've seen an opera I love 10 times, I'll go back and see it for the 11th time because it's always a new experience. It can be the same theater, same sputnik chandeliers, same Zeffirelli production; but I keep coming back.
Also how would you modernise opera, ie by getting more 20-30yr olds to go and witness it?
I don't think that modernizing it is the answer. I've loved productions that have remained untouched for decades (Turandot comes to mind); and I've hated "modern" productions (Decker's clock Traviata).
Do you think that young people can be pushed to watch Rigoletto if you change Mantua with Las Vegas? I'm not sure
TL;DR: Sorry but I don't think I can help you with the answer you seek. IMO The best way to get more young people into opera is to make them fall in love with it, just like I did.
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I'm 31. I've been into it for almost 20 years. I think modernising only works for certain pieces. I love modern Rings, but works that portray historical characters/events or use stuff that simply went out of fashion (like child labour) should be left as-is. Also, there is a difference between a modern performance with a well thought-out concept and some Eurotrash trolling that's about on the level of a B (C?) horror.
I think the answer to getting young people into opera is hot singers, diversity, and REALLY bringing out the subtext that's already there for most operas.
For me, all it took was reading a book on operas when I was about 12, liking the stories and wanting to see one live. Trovatore was my first and I immediately fell in love.
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I'm 22. I've been into opera since I was 16. I fell in love with the resonance and vibrato in the singers' voices- it wasn't like anything else I'd ever heard. Now I study classical singing in college.
I go to see operas live because I want to support the art form, and also because I think the experience is better than listening to recordings.
I'm generally skeptical of people who claim that opera needs to be modernized because usually it involves things like singing with a straight tone and amplification, which is sad. I think the reason why people in their 20s don't tend to go see opera is because they have misconceptions that haven't been corrected.
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Perhaps this may be a little off-topic, but I remember going to an off-Broadway performance of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I in which, though all the other characters were dressed as you’d expect them to be, Prince Harry (who was a bit of a rebellious type) was wearing a modern leather jacket and jeans. I suppose this was an effort to attract younger audiences. Personally, I found the anachronism ridiculous.
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Been going to opera since I was a teenager back in the 60s. I work as a presenter of Surtitles now and wouldn't miss the opportunity to see the same opera at least 6 or more times. The work just opens up to me every night and I appreciate how deep one can dive into this pool. Any other Surtitles workers out there?
