# Rate (for young minds) your favorite 5, or so, operas.......



## classidaho (May 5, 2009)

one of my sons says he loves a movie that scares him. I can't think of really being scared by a movie, at least not very often, but have been disturbed by many.

Many opera's subject matter and themes disturb me!  How would you rate your favorite operas on a standard moviescale?

Would you, do you, allow younger children to watch them? I generally listen only, but do occaisionally read along and I must say I am mostly into opera for music! 

I must add that I have really enjoyed opera movies and live opera that I would consider PG, mostly Italian on the La Traviata, La Boheme, Iosca etc that are only mildly disturbing.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

I do allow my young daughter to watch some of them. She started when she was 7 and is nearly 9.

Hansel and Gretel is definitely the favourite. Magic Flute (it does have its longueurs in the Sarastro bits), La Cenerentola, Giulio Cesare from Glyndebourne (we did have to skip some of the sad arias), Les Indes Galantes, La Fille du Regiment, L'Elisir D'Amore, Acis and Galatea (She likes the dancing).

We've branched out more recently - La Boheme, Traviata, La fanciulla del West. She now informs everyone that all operas are about love and death. Even though the music is wonderful I'll still avoid some like Tosca, Trovatore because fo the implied sex and violence - she takes the plots very seriously, and La Fanciulla was borderline.

All this is having an effect. For a project on successful people who worked hard to get where they are, she chose Anna Netrebko (hear that Alma?).


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

My story may be a bit more eccentric--more an anecdote than a recommendation. 

I still remember sitting on the living room floor with my three-year-old daughter, the two of us watching the Met production of Wagner's Parsifal on TV. I heavily edited and paraphrased the subtitles for her, but she got at least a rough, expurgated outline of the story--the "evil wizard" made a big impression. She made it through two long acts, late into the night, before falling asleep in my arms. 

This was the same girl who, not too many years later, at a picnic, told a group English graduate students the story of King Lear--pausing to ask if they wanted the happy ending or the sad one.

Unfortunately, you never can tell for sure how such early exposure to great works will pan out. She's in college now, a beautiful, intelligent young lady, but hasn't retained that interest in literature or classical music.

But all you can do is plant the seed. And who knows, maybe someday my daughter will rediscover, like old friends, the "evil wizard" and his operatic cohorts.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Hansel und Gretel, of course. The abridged Met version of The Magic Flute in English. Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilèges. The animated, abridged version of The Cunning Little Vixen. La Cenerentola. Other than these five obvious operas that appeal to children, the 9 years old daughter of a friend of mine was absolutely fascinated with Le Nozze di Figaro. There are other operas that are very "clean" and family-friendly like L'Elisir d'Amore, Les Indes Galantes, The Bartered Bride, La Pietra del Paragone, L'Etoile, L'Amico Fritz, Gianni Schicchi, Le Rossignol, and Lulu. Oh wait, not Lulu.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Almaviva said:


> Oh wait, not Lulu.


Silly! You meant Wozzeck.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

When I was a pre-schooler, I listened to "_Die Zauberflöte_," "_Fidelio_," "_Rigoletto_," "_Il Barbiere di Siviglia_," and "_Le Nozze di Figaro_" -- because these were some of my mother's favorites, and she'd listen to opera recordings while taking care of housework. I had some very fuzzy notions about the plots, which she tried to explain to me in a kid-appropriate manner, but really just liked to listen to the music. (And my folks had some scratched LPs as a consequence of my enthusiasm.)

Several years ago, a co-worker who knew that I'm an opera enthusiast asked me to recommend some opera videos that she could view with her six year-old granddaughter. The latter had been taken to a student performance at an area university, and had been absolutely spellbound. So I also suggested those based on fairy tales -- "_Hänsel und Gretel_" and "_La Cenerentola_," -- as well as "_Die Zauberflöte_." Since it turned out that her granddaughter really liked just listening to the music, I also suggested an audio recording of "_Carmen_."

Depending on the child's age, I would think any comic opera would be a fairly safe bet. "_Fidelio_" would be a "maybe," since Pizarro brandishing his dagger can be pretty scary business, but the opera does have a happy ending. With the tragic operas, one would have to know the child and have some idea how he/she is likely to react. The violence in "_Tosca_" and "_Salome_" would definitely be a concern to me.


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## hutchscott (May 13, 2011)

I cut my teeth on the Menotti "Amahl and the Night Visitors". I can imagine a young person being able to understand it. Single set, in English, small ballet.


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## classidaho (May 5, 2009)

oldest and one of the superest stories and should be one of the best for children. It passed thru Boise recently and I had to miss it......I won't let it pass again! (December)


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

"Where the wild things are" by Knussen. It's a very popular book, so there is the fun of seeing naughty Max brought to life.


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