conversation about opera

The person I talked to about opera was my friend Garrett. I asked Garrett what he thought of opera, and he said that he has seen performances of the “Barber of Seville” and the “Magic Flute”. Garrett thought the “Magic Flute” was more entertaining and lighthearted, and saw the “Barber of Seville” as more intense and dramatic. He watched these operas performed in Italian so he did not know what was being said, but he was able to understand the plot based on the sets and movements of the performers. Next, I asked Garrett, “When you think of opera, what is the first thing that comes to mind?” He said that heavy vibrato was the first thing that came to mind. When I asked if Garrett enjoyed listening to opera music, he said that he can enjoy opera but it is not something that he would search out to listen to. He enjoys classical music and he would classify opera under the heading of classical music. Then I asked Garrett if he saw any connection between opera and time. Garrett replied that he can see a connection between opera and time, in that opera has changed over time. In opera, he said, there are more “fermata,” which means you hold the note for as long as you want and can cut it off when you want. The singer judges the time of the notes, and it is more free flowing than actual music.