How to Go to (and Enjoy) an Opera

Guest: Joshua Lindsay, PhD, Director of Opera Theater, Brigham Young University Opera attendance has been on the decline in the US over the last decade. Only two percent of Americans will go to an opera in a given year. From one perspective, it's not hard to see why. Operas are long and a little stuffy. They’re almost always performed in a foreign language and the music’s just not as accessible as the pop songs most of us are used to. But if you understand opera and do a little preparation in advance, you’ll probably enjoy yourself. So, we asked BYU’s new Director of Opera Theater, Joshua Lindsay, to give us some tips. Want more of the music you heard in this interview? Here’s the full track list: 1.    Prelude from Bizet’s Carmen, directed by Sir Georg Solti 2.    “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” from Bizet’s Carmen featuring Tatiana Troyanos 3.    “C’est toi!” from Bizet’s Carmen featuring Tatiana Troyanos & Placido Domingo 4.    “Votre toast, je peux vous le render” from Bizet’s Carmen featuring José van Dam 5.    “Ella giammai m’amò!” from Verdi’s Don Carlos featuring Ruggero Raimondi 6.    “Stride la vampa!” from Verdi’s Il Trovatore featuring Fiorenza Cossotto 7.    “O soave fanciulla” from Puccini’s La Boheme featuring Mirella Freni & Luciano Pavarotti 8.    “Vissi d’arte” from Puccini’s Tosca featuring María Callas