Carmen

Yesterday I took my oldest daughter (the one who's 9) to see Carmen at the NY City Opera at Lincoln Center.

It was her first opera.  It was the first opera I saw too, but when I was about 13. The tickets were well-priced so I figured hey why not.  As long as we are living in NYC I'm determined to get my kids to see things they won't see very easily in other places. And then I get to go.

Even though I listen to opera regularly, and they pretend to sing opera, and they've even made up operas (when they make a big deal over little tragedies like a fallen cookie I've told them to make up an opera about it) it wasn't that easy to get her to go.  (By the way those little cookie and spilt milk operas really are hilarious.)

"Wanna go see an opera?"

"No. Why would I want to do that?"

"Well it's got gypsies and takes place in Spain and has bullfighters and stuff."

"Yeah so?"

"How about if I sing one of the songs from it?"

"OK."

[Me singing La Habanera somewhat breathily with a few squeaks. Not at all majestically or silkily as I'm getting over a cold.  Yeah that's it.]

"Oh I LOVE THAT SONG.  YES YES YES PLEASE????"

So we went.

During the first act, I was afraid to look at her.  I didn't want to see if she was bored or didn't like it.  But I looked anyway.  She caught my eye, my raised eyebrows.  And met them with bright eyes wide as saucers, nodding rapidly and beaming. 

Whew.

After the first act, I asked her what she thought.  She raved.  Said her best friend was wrong, that opera isn't boring at all.  We both recalled our favorite Bugs Bunny operatic scenes. And then.

"I'm not at all like her."  Meaning Carmen.

Pause.

"Am I Mom?"

How do you answer a serious  question from your 9 year old daughter comparing herself to a gypsy cigarette-roller and free spirited vixen in 19th century Sevilla without bursting out laughing?

"Ah no, you are not."

But you know, I thought this marked opera success.  When the lead character can get a kid growing up 125 years later to see herself somehow and question whether she's at all like her, now that's a great opera, and a great lead too.  (Actually all the actors/singers were great. The production was just a delight. I really do like City Opera in some ways better than the Met.)

My mission was complete.  Another opera lover made.

Today she told her best friend that he was wrong, and gave him her version of it.  Now he might even go again.

Heh.

Comments

[Publicado por: Caren]

Carmen was my first (and still favorite) opera experience too. I used to listen to it all the time in High School. I knew practically every word by heart, and it didn't hurt my grades in French class either. Congrats to bringing a new opera appreciator into the fold!