Classical music played little part in family life and opera even less so. In my teens I had collected a couple of the 'Great Composer' magazines, when they brought out an appendix with opera recordings. I bought the first one (Carmen highlights/ Bernstein) as I thought I’d recognise some of the music (and did) but it wasn’t until the second edition (Magic Flute/ Böhm) that I caught the bug – Roberta Peters singing the Die Hölle Rache bowled me over; I had no idea that the human voice was capable of doing that!! I soon looked out a recording of the full opera (DG/ Karajan – very disappointing, loads of dialogue) but it wasn’t until my second full opera (Trovatore – DG/ La Scala/ Serafin) that I was hooked. I played it endlessly. It’s still my favourite recording of the opera.

My first live opera was WNO’s Traviata in1988, in my first year at uni, soon to be followed by their Falstaff (Bryn Terfel as Ford, if I remember correctly, and Donald Maxwell as Falstaff) and Rigoletto (Nuria Espert’s production) was my first adventure up to Covent Garden, which quickly became one of my favourite places in the world.

Back to Don Basilio’s initial post, I haven’t seen the ENO Butterfly, but a colleague at work, who’s not an opera buff, was taken to it last time round and thoroughly enjoyed it. She went to see Aida there before Christmas, but was not so enamoured. I think the story to Butterfly and the Minghella production were largely what won her over.

Christian du Plessis (and Rita H) were certainly in the revival of 1977, Rei (though Tom Smith was the tenor on that occasion). Bearing in mind how friendly Mr du Plessis was with some of the 'boys' in the Movement Group, I'd guess that he'd certainly been around for the previous run...

Ah I know it was intended for release, and didn't realise that it had been shelved.  I don't have it on DVD, but I'm sure I do have the off-air recording on VHS.  At the time of the broadcast I didn't have digital TV, as I was in the middle of a saga involving having put my name down for a PVR that was about to be released, and then the supplier went out of business...

I hope you have a magnifiicent evening - that may lead on to others!   

I'll let you know. As a godfather, I have been a complete loss (and that includes buying an icon of the Mother of God for her when she was still in the womb and I was on holiday on a Greek island).  But I have hopes regarding opera.

(I was out in there visiting my mother slowly recovering from her hip replacement and she was very informative.)

I wish I was taking her to Lucia, but I am going there all on my own next week, and she chose Butterfly herself.


(Just seen Ruth's comment.  As long as I can get the idea that opera is sometimes worthwhile, I will be very glad.  It will be good for me to go to hear a Puccini, a composer I do not warm to.0

I didn't see this thread back in January. It's interesting to read about everyone's first experience of opera. I have only a faint memory of my first trip to the ROH - I can't find the date but I think it was mid-60s and I was very small. I saw a dress-rehearsal of Benvenuto Cellini and I remember, a little while later, recognising some of the music when I heard the Roman Carnival overture on the radio. All I remember of the production was someone being whacked over the head by a picture... I think the story is that I ended up going there accidentally as I was out with my dad and he didn't have time to take me home before needing to be at the rehearsal so he took me along. Douglas Robinson, the chorus master, told him he could take me into watch as "I want you here more than I don't want her here." 

IIRC my next opera was Geraint Evans's Falstaff - late 60s? early 70s? I'm trying to find an online archive list of ROH productions with dates but without success. I'll have to ring my dad - he'll recall these productions and dates but I'll be on the phone for hours listening to all his ROH anecdotes! I don't have the ticket for Falstaff but after that, I kept all my ROH tickets in a series of scrapbooks, along with reviews - which I must rescue from a cardboard box somewhere in the garage. During my teenage years I visited over 100 times!

Well, I think niece was impressed.  I found I had to do all the talking, as possibly I have not got the hang of putting young people at ease at asking them about themselves...

One thing that she was quite definite about was the atmosphere in the auditorium with everyone attending (including more children than I am use to seeing in the audience.)

But I was absolutely delighted.  As I say I am not a great Puccini fan, but I thought it wonderful as a work.  I was even conscious of a tingle round the eyes in One Fine Day, and I have always prided myself on my dry eyes in conventional weepies.

I thought the Minghella production wonderful.  The concept bits were all subsiderary to the plot and music.  The puppet as the child was very touching, although I thought giving it a curtain call a bit much.

At the curtain calls, the tenor was slightly booed.  I said to niece it was bad form to boo singers, and we agreed it may have been a good natured response to the general spineless selfishness of the character.

The entrance of Butterfly and her friends was spectacular, and Judith Howarth fully deserved her own curtain call with the lights dimmed and full train to her dress.

A night to remember.

Pleased to read this DB.