Is it safe to say that the best place to learn Italian opera is in Italy and German opera in Germany?
Most operas are in either Italian or German. A person once told me that if you want to study opera, it's better to study in Europe. And since there are more Italian and German operas than any other operas out there, you should definitely choose either Italy or Germany. The decision should be based on your type of voice and repertoire. If you want to study Italian opera, you should go to Italian conservatories. If you want to study German opera, you should go to German conservatories. I know there are a lot of good music schools/colleges in Italy and Germany to study opera. But what about conservatories in other countries/continents, such as UK, Russia, Austria, USA, Japan, Australia etc? Surely Italy and Germany are not the only places in the world to study opera, right? If you happen to meet an aspiring opera singer, would you also recommend them to study in Europe? Do you also agree that Italy and Germany are the best places in the world to study opera? What is your opinion on that? Thanks. Oh hello, mamianka! Long time no see LOL. Glad to hear (or read) from you again. @Tinpanallycat : I understand your point. Yes sometimes it does help to learn opera in its roots a.k.a back to its origin place so we're able to get the soul of it. It's like you can learn the technique everywhere, but the authentic feeling of it, sometimes you can only get it in its native land.
Performing Arts - 3 Answers
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1 :
No, as there are people who perform operas around the world. Being in Europe doesn't make them any better at opera than standing in a garage makes me a car.
2 :
This is hogwash. I learned to speak German in Hartford, CT, understand Italian opera in NY, and how to make Polish pierogi in New Bedford, MA. The world gets smaller everyday - and so do some people's minds. Nobody is going to *stay where they ought to* or *go back where they came from*. Most countries - especially in Europe - expect their native ethnicities to be a *minority* in a few decades. The quality of education is dependent upon the quality of THAT SCHOOL you attend - be it in London or Indianapolis. Yes, there are people who *enjoy* studying abroad, especially if it gives them an opportunity to practice speech in a certain language, with native speakers - but it is not necessary to be able to speak Italian, just sing in it - ditto for all the other languages. My husband improves his Spanish by speaking to our landscapers - we have *native speakers* living across the street, and can find at least TEN languages in the neighborhood, all spoke by natives. My adult son is a basso with a full-voice low C (yup - 2 leger lines . . ) and for a while in college he dated, a Russian piano student. Somebody got things confused about his having a Polish/Slavic Mom (his last name does not reflect this) and thought HE was Russian - because with that low voice, he sang so much of that literature. Nope - just a freak. Study with the BEST TEACHER and BEST PROGRAM you can find - and if you are learning German opera in Cleveland, or Italian opera in Milan - so be it. Two of our other family members who were opera majors, and the side of the family that is Italian, DID study in Italy - but then, again, so did another member whose major is business. Hey - Semester Abroad is a wonderful thing. Go where the QUALITY is - not necessarily based on an ethnic choice.
3 :
I just LOVE these people who have never been outside their own country and NEVER LIVED in Europe who are so full of how great it is to study in Amerika. If you want to study GERMAN opera.. the best place is AUSTRIA.. Vienna is preferable but Salizburg is cheaper and smaller and you will actually learn more. As for ITALIAN.. you definitely need to live in ITALY and I would suggest FLORANCE because that is where the best opera is done. What these people who have NEVER LIVED IN EUROPE don't understand is.. there is MORE to learning a language or opera than just learning the WORDS.. It's the SPIRIT of the land.. the feeling you get from generations of musicians and perfumers who have come before you.. CENTURIES BEFORE AMERIKA and you take THAT into your soul.. something that AmeriKans would NEVER UNDERSTAND because with AmeriKans.. it's all about THEM and they don't have any sensitivity to OTHER COUNTRIES AND CULTURES. Nothing can compare to sitting in La Scala and hearing an Italian opera or in the Vienna Opera House and hearing an performance in German or being in the Paris Opera House during a performance of something like Manon Lescout IN the original FRENCH. The rest of the world knows that AmeriKans have no HEART and no SOUL and it shows in everything they do.. such as MAKING WAR just because they CAN.
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