Brief plot synopses are available in your opera brochure, but cramming in the details five minutes before the curtain rises will not be helpful. A thorough read a day or two before the show, will aid you in following the sequence of events on stage, even if the language remains a mystery. Remember that the majority of people in the opera hall don t understand what the performers are singing either. For true opera lovers, it is not what the performers are saying, but how they say it. And the two principal modes of communication for opera singers are arias and recitatives.
Arias are the showstoppers of any opera.
They are the pieces that have a defined beginning and end, and often demonstrate the performers well-refined singing skills. Wild applause and cries of Bravo will almost always follow a good aria. Needless to say, arias are taxing on the performers and they couldn t possibly sing with such gusto for two straight hours. The plot needs to move forward, however, and that is done through recitatives. Recitatives are the sung dialogue of the opera.