A Night at the Opera

Today's adventures began with a trip outside the city of Rome to Ostia, an ancient port city of the Roman Empire. This city was covered in silt from the harbor, which kept it well preserved for thousands of years. Today, Ostia is open to anyone who wishes to explore the remains of the site. Our tour included visits to the forum and a Roman theatre, both of which were in excellent condition. Additionally, mosaics made of tile were still as beautiful as when they were first created. After our tour, we ate lunch in the cafeteria, and then headed back to Rome.

Tonight was expecially exciting for me, as I was fortunate enough to attend a concert of famous operatic arias, sung by members of the Orchestra I Musici Veneziani. These accomplished vocalists and orchetra members from Venice performed selections from Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, Rossini, and Bizet, inside the magnificent Church of St. Paul Within the Walls. The performance itself was very interesting, and the four vocalists rotated between solos, duets, and group numbers. Though the crowd was very receptive, constantly taking pictures (with the flash) and shouting "bravo" at ever opportunity, the performance did have some minor issues. The chamber orchestra often had intonation issues, as did the soprano vocalist, and the balance between the orchestra and soloists was inconsistent, and often overpowering for the vocalist to be heard. There were many good qualities, as well, including excellent theatrics on the part of the baritone, but, overall the performance was not of the professional quality I was expecting. One thing I found particularly interesting was the ease and conviction with which the soloists delivered the text. I then remembered that many of the arias were Italian, meaning that the soloists and the audience could understand what was being expressed. No subtitles were necessary.

For lunch, as I already mentioned, we ate at Ostia. For dinner, however, we ate at an excellent cafe. I had noodles in a cheese sauce with black pepper and bacon. Thanks, and have a Good Night!