summer sunday opera

I've always wanted to go watch opera at the Sydney Opera House. So it wasn't on an impulse that I braved the scorching Sydney summer heat all dressed up to make my way to town when I could have stayed home in the comfort of my air conditioned bedroom.

The result was a relaxing Sunday afternoon of ice cold beer, aromatic coffee and a 90 minute performance of best-loved opera classics. I was blown away by the power of the performers' vocals, especially the guest artiste Rosario La Spina who brought out all my goosebumps the moment he started to sing.

However, I couldn't quite appreciate the pieces played in the second half as they don't sound nearly half as romantic when sung in English. I will opt for Italian opera any time even though I do not understand a single word.

If you're interested in opera too, do check out their events calendar. A friend who also went to watch opera in that same weekend caught Carmen and was full of praises for it. I think that, or Madama Butterfly would have been more impressive than what I went for as these tell full stories with elaborate costumes and elegant choreography instead of just bits and pieces of songs as an introduction to opera.