I admit, when I signed up to go to the opera, I had no idea what I was in for. I didn’t even know the name of the opera we were seeing, not that the name would have helped me. It was only afterward that I learned that Madama Butterfly is apparently a very famous opera.
The Opera was not exactly what I was expecting. For one thing, the opera building was new construction and very modern, one of the most modern buildings I have seen in all of Florence with lots of clean lines. Not exactly the opulent gilded stages are shown in movies. This was probably a good thing though because the new building had a screen above the stage that showed the lines in Italian and English as the words were sung. Without the translation, I would have been lost.
While the opera itself was not exactly to my taste, tragedies never having been my favorites, the experience as a whole was amazing. It was fascinating to see the set move and the way the orchestra and the actors worked together to perform songs. I am so glad I went and can’t believe there were only three students who attended. The Opera should not be missed.
Wednesday afternoon, contrary to all weather predictions, we had a brief rainstorm. The wind and the rain were a nice break from the heat and I hope that this means the heat wave is over, but unfortunately, I am not very optimistic. Still, the rain was a nice break from the heat and humidity while it lasted.