The Birth and Death of Opera

Prior to this assignment, I never really understood what Operas were about or took the time to try and understand them. I have an entirely new opinion of Opera after watching this video explaining the origins of this art form. It was very interesting to learn that Opera was not immediately a hit with audiences and that it actually was pretty unsuccessful with its first two attempts. I think the biggest thing that I learned from this video is that Opera is extremely universal. It was very eye opening to see clips of Operas from countries around the world. The Operas were able to reflect the culture of the country it was presented. Each of the example clips from around the world had details included in the Opera that were unique to that country. I especially liked the very intricate costuming that was seen in the Chinese Operas. I think the important take away that I got from this video was that the lighting, costumes, and actors may not appear completely different but the viewer’s ability to identify the performance as an Opera remains the same no matter the country.