A Night at the Opera

I stole the name to this post to what probably is my favourite film from the Marx Brothers, and one of my favourite films over all but in this case I’m not writing about movies but about the actual Opera. As described in one of my previous posts, the Royal Opera House is a majestic building in London, and now it was a time to check it from the inside – well, I had actually already visited it to see the ballet a couple of times but this was the first time to watch the Opera.

As any performance in this city, the tickets to the Opera get sold out really quickly, especially the affordable tickets as sitting on the stalls costs an absolute fortune – so if you’re keen in going to the Opera and/or ballet it’s worth becoming a member (http://www.roh.org.uk/support/membership) so you will get access to pre-sale tickets. But well, the investment even if it’s for one time only, it’s absolutely worth it.

   

Last night was the turn for Le Nozze di Figaro, one of Mozart’s Italian operas. It helped me to read the story beforehand (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Figaro) as even if there is a screen that summarises in English the dialogue that the actors sing, it’s good to be able to just concentrate and enjoy the music. The whole experience of the Opera is quite mind blowing, even if you’re knowledge –as mine – is quite limited, as not only the actors can sing but also the production is quite stunning.

 

To top up the visit to the Opera you can make any bookings on the restaurants and/or bars before your visit (http://www.roh.org.uk/visit/restaurants-and-bars) or just arrive early to enjoy a glass of champagne at the Amphitheatre bar where you don’t need to book. Also check how long the interval would be as you may like to book food and drinks for then, and avoid the hassle of queuing between the acts.

 

DETAILS:

Royal Opera House - http://www.roh.org.uk/ - Bow Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD