Ex Bibliotheca

The life and times of Zack Weinberg.

Saturday, 18 January 2003

# 8:45 AM

Dara got free tickets to see Madama Butterfly at the San Francisco Opera, so I and Robynne and Nathaniel and Dara all went.

I'd never been to a live opera performance before. I think this particular opera is atypical in some ways: the music didn't seem to fit the emotional tone of the action in several places, for instance. The story is tragic, which is common enough in opera, but interestingly it doesn't fit the Classical tragedy model. There is no tragic hero and not much in the way of catharsis. The ending is inevitable but does not feel appropriate; I was hoping the male lead would develop a sense of moral obligation at the last moment. Of course, he doesn't.

Having said that, it was a lot of fun, and I might consider going to more operas, especially if free tickets come my way.