Newsgroups: bit.listserv.games-l
Date:         Thu, 27 Aug 1992 14:50:43 -0500
Reply-To:     Undetermined origin c/o Postmaster <POSTMASTER@BROWNVM.BITNET>
Comments:     <Parser> E: Mail origin cannot be determined.
Comments:     <Parser> E: Original tag was -> SENDER: <>
From:         Undetermined origin c/o Postmaster <POSTMASTER@BROWNVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Returned Mail
X-To:         GAMES-L@BROWNVM.brown.edu

Recipient Merlo_Loretta@qmcumc.mail.cornell.edu is not a valid QuickMail user.
 Try a different address.

===== Original Message Follows =====
Received: by alsys1.aecom.yu.edu id AA26692
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4/AECOM-RIT for Merlo_Loretta@qmcumc.mail.cornell.edu); Thu, 27
 Aug 1992 13:05:29 -0400
From: James Swanton <swanton@aecom.yu.edu>
Message-Id: <199208271705.AA26692@alsys1.aecom.yu.edu>
Subject: RE:  RE- Getting hooked on opera (fwd)
To: Merlo_Loretta@qmcumc.mail.cornell.edu
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92 13:05:28 EDT
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL4]

andrew parks writes:
From postmaster%BRFAPESP.BITNET@UICVM.UIC.EDU Thu Aug 27 09:08:12 1992
Resent-Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 09:58 BSC (-0300 C)
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92  08:41:30 EDT
From: andrew parks <OPK@NIHCU.bitnet>
Subject: RE:  RE- Getting hooked on opera
To: opera-l@BRFAPESP.BITNET
Errors-To: postmaster@BRFAPESP.BITNET
Reply-To: opera-l@BRFAPESP.bitnet
Message-Id: <75C04FFA20001038@brfapesp.bitnet>
X-Envelope-To: swanton@alsys1.aecom.yu.edu
X-Vms-To: opera-l@fpsp.fapesp.br
Comments: @FPSP.FAPESP.BR - @FPSP.HEPNET - @BRFAPESP.BITNET - .BR gateway

I had forgotten I was subscribed to opera-l until this flood
of messages.  I've been enjoying reading them, and it has made
me think about how I became interested in opera.

I was not brought up with it.  Like Tom Jacobs, music in my
home was the standard "pop" stuff as I was growing up.  Lot's
of Sinatra -- a major heart-throb of my Mom's.  But she user
to usher at the Met when she was studying at Columbia, and no
doubt later we got a sampling from the radio on occasion.  But
no record collections, no big deal.  Later as me and my
brother and sister entered our teens, there was Peter, Paul
and Mary, Kingston Trio, Beatles, Hendrix, Dead. My sister
kept a little opera awareness alive when she got involved in
doing costumes or make-up for a local production of "La
Traviata."  I probably was shaking my head, but some seeds
were planted.  Both my sister and I were involved in live
stage productions:  she as an actress and me doing the scenery
and lighting.  Some of the productions were musicals ("Stop
the World I want to Get Off," "Mame") others were drama,
comedy, and Shakespeare.  I think we both got a healthy
planting of seeds for appreciating live arts through theatre.
I also got involved in Ballet -- I can't remember the first
time I saw a ballet production, but then I started doing
lighting for a local ballet company's productions, and _then_
I started taking lessons.  From that point on, I sure could
appreciate _that_ art form!!

Later, in college, I began trying new things.  Eventually I
got around to opera.  It started probably on a Saturday or
Sunday afternoon, when the radio was broadcasting an opera and
I tuned in and listened:  it was background music as I
studied.  I didn't know the stories and couldn't understand
the words.  It was beautiful music that occupied part of my
brain while the other parts tried to improve themselves.  I
began taping these productions off the air, so I could play
them later as I studied more.  My familiarity grew.  I got a
copy of Milton Cross, and learned the stories.  Then it became
hard to study with opera in the background.  The music became
much more involving.  I had to turn to something else to
listen to as I studied (alot of Bach and Vivaldi), and
eventually I stopped studying.

One of my first, and still one of my favorites, is "La
Traviata."  The seed sprouted.

My first live opera was "Tristan und Isolde."  Very beautiful.
Very moving.  I remember going home afterwards, trying to
grasp what I had just seen and heard.  It was beyond words.

I can't recall if I've seen any more than T&I and later "La
Boheme."  I was at Wolf Trap Farm Park for "Aida" when a
thunderstorm knocked out the power and the show was cancelled.
First time in Wolf Trap's history, I understand.

Regretably, there is no room for live opera in my life right
now.  Several years ago we moved from the Washington DC area
to Fredericksburg VA, where there were two radio stations.
One played country, and the other didn't.  One of the things
we gave up was proximity to live arts of all kinds, as well as
decent "classical" radio stations.  Oh well.  We sprouted four
kids and I work "up the road" in DC, so I rise at 3 am and go
to bed at 9 pm, and I just don't have time for anything else.
Part of the reason for the weird hours is that I have a sweet
deal getting to and from work.  I don't pay a thing to commute
-- in fact, I'm paid to go.  You see, I drive a bus.  Here's
the thread on opera being a common person's art form.  I'm
"just" a bus driver (as well as other things) and I love
opera.  One of the other drivers loves to sing arias...  I
don't know what his riders say, and I haven't heard him do it
on the CB.  On fridays I always take my portable CD player and
speakers on the bus and "treat" my riders to some music.  My
choice, of course.  This is when I become a DJ.  I try to mix
it up, playing Tex-Mex, Texas swing, Country, Rock-n-Roll, and
...  yep, opera.  My riders like everything.  Except the
opera.  So I've got to work on them.

I hope this recently enlivened listserv stays this way.  I
enjoy the reports from all over on whatever is happening.  (In
fact I post them to our in-house bulletin board on the
"Cultural Events" subboard.) I enjoy these "How I got hooked"
stories.  Let's keep it going folks!

Andy Parks / opk@nihcu / opk@cu.nih.gov



--
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.games-l