# Do you have a "standardised" procedure for our contest listening here on TC ?



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Do you have any system to how you listen to the opera excerpts, when you evaluate the contestants during our game on Talk classical ? 

I ended up having one. I look up the libretto, do automatic translate if the English translation is unavailable, get a sense which words of the orriginal language correspond to what meaning. After this I play the music on youtube. I have a premium membership, so I can play it on the background, while following the libretto with my eyes on the same screen. 
I mostly do one listening of each only, but it is not a rule, especially when I am not certain whom I like better. Then I do the writing and voting without seeing what others did. (Or at least I try). And afterwards, I have fun reading the impressions and insights of others. 

I try to have a quiet time, which is sometimes at night. But if I am sleepy, I do not take pianissimi well, so sorry about Caballe 

When I think of it, it is different to my normal way of processing opera. I would normally watch the singers on stage or on video, although I strongly prefer to have subtitles / surtitles there, too. Or I would do some hosework and listen to the music as the background. Or let the opera lull me to sleep in my bed, with the headphones on.

My contest procedure is not a hard and fast rule, for instance I did the housework during one round of "Oh perfido", because it is a long aria and I already remembered reasonably well what it is about. In the Halloween round, Seattleoperafan wanted us to watch, so I went along. Other time I was waiting for my daughter to finish her after school activity, and there was actually somebody practicing a violoncello play behind the next door  , but I was bored, so went ahead with the contest  . But I think I miss a lot of stuff during these atypical sessions. 

How do you do your contest listening ?


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> Do you have any system to how you listen to the opera excerpts, when you evaluate the contestants during our game on Talk classical ?
> 
> I ended up having one. I look up the libretto, do automatic translate if the English translation is unavailable, get a sense which words of the orriginal language correspond to what meaning. After this I play the music on youtube. I have a premium membership, so I can play it on the background, while following the libretto with my eyes on the same screen.
> I mostly do one listening of each only, but it is not a rule, especially when I am not certain whom I like better. Then I do the writing and voting without seeing what others did. (Or at least I try). And afterwards, I have fun reading the impressions and insights of others.
> ...


Oh honey... you made this little Southern boy's day!!!! Thank you for the care you put into this and for creating this thread!!! I know others who also really take this seriously and sometimes listen several times. Bless you!!!! I think all of us can learn more about opera by comparing how different singers sing the same aria. We also learn a lot about our fellow forum members. We all bring something different to the table. I listen very differently to singers than most of you as I usually go by the sound not the words as I am largely too lazy to consult a libretto but I feel proud that more often than not each contest stimulates insightful responses from many of our members. I thank all of you who so faithfully participate in you own unique way.
Every now and then on arias that require a lot of physical involvement I suggest that people watch and consider the movements as that is a part of their art, but in general if there is a video most just consider the vocals to be fair if other contestants are audio only.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

@Seattleoperafan, do you ever listen to arias while following the libretto ?

Edit: I see now, You write you usually do not.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Actually, maybe the things became overcomplicated with the libretto. I might skip it next time. The "Fruhling" went just fine without it, I still don't know what the song is about, except of Spring playing some role


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Depends on how well I know the piece and who the performers are. For some I will only have to hear the first few phrases to know who I’ll vote for. Others take longer. Sometimes if I am familiar with the music I will listen to important sections to save time. Some I can easily discount after the first notes, others like Netrebko etc. I won’t bother listening to at all and if they are paired with an equally poor artist I won’t participate as I know I won’t enjoy either.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Listen to opera while doing housework? Anatema su voi!!! 😂😂😂 I could never do that… especially if it is M.C. She demands my total concentration.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> Listen to opera while doing housework? Anatema su voi!!! 😂😂😂 I could never do that… especially if it is M.C. She demands my total concentration.


You might put comet on your antiques


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

MAS said:


> Listen to opera while doing housework? Anatema su voi!!! 😂😂😂 I could never do that… especially if it is M.C. She demands my total concentration.


I listened to M.C. when I was writing my thesis. I often granted myself with _D'amor sull alli rosee _or _Casta Diva _when finished a piece of it.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

ColdGenius said:


> I listened to M.C. when I was writing my thesis. I often granted myself with _D'amor sull alli rosee _or _Casta Diva _when finished a piece of it.


Listening to her you started out writing about electrical engineering and ended up with a thesis on art theory


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Listening to her you started out writing about electrical engineering and ended up with a thesis on art theory


Everything was much more prosaic, it began and ended in natural science. Opera and art in general are not connected to my profession, it's a kind of amenity.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

ColdGenius said:


> Everything was much more prosaic, it began and ended in natural science. Opera and art in general are not connected to my profession, it's a kind of amenity.


I was just being silly. Thanks for participating in the contests.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I don't exactly have a process, but I always listen without watching the singers, unless SOF says that he would like the visual element of the performance to be considered as well.

I listen to each one and then write my impressions straight away and sometimes I write whilst listening. By the end of my writing I have usually come to a judgement.

N.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I just sit and listen, usually to the whole selection, and without watching the video. I might look up the text if I need to. Sometimes I'll need to listen more than once.


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