We're Sooooo Cultured (A.K.A. Chuckie's Birthday)

Charles had seen a poster for an opera being shown in the center of Roma so he decided that for his birthday we would go to this opera for an “adult” evening that would surely be culturally uplifting as well. A friend with a school id card got us the cheap student tickets and so we didn’t have to pay full price which saved us about 20 euro. The opera was Don Giovanni with the music of Mozart, we dressed up and set off for the show which began at 9pm. The plan was to enjoy the show and then after go to a pizza place nearby that Charles had been wanting to try.

As usual, we arrived a little early and had a chance to enjoy the beautiful venue the opera was in. It was held at Cortile di Sant’Ivo Alla Sapienza, meaning in the courtyard of the church. We really had high hopes for our first opera. After about thirty minutes we were both bored but still with hopes something interesting might happen and our minds wandered onto other subjects. After an hour all hope of something exciting happening had left us. After an hour and half, Act 1 finished and we bolted for the door never to return.

So after escaping the excruciating boredom that was Don Giovanni we sought the refuge of the Abbey. We had a few beers and then went off to get a couple pizzas. The pizzas were very good so the night wasn’t a total loss!

So the opera experience led to a single question in my head. Do people that go to opera actually enjoy it or do they go to impress other people by telling them that they have in fact ‘been to the opera’? We both spoke with our students about the opera and they asked which we had seen and once we said Don Giovanni they all said that the music of Mozart was boring and that Don Giovanni wasn’t a great one.

Apparently there is another big opera coming to Rome to a place near our house so we may check that one out. We were told that this particular opera has lots of action and is much more exciting. Depending on the night and the price we may check that one out so we haven’t completely written off the opera based on this one experience.