# What makes you come back to Talk Classical/Opera?



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Straightforward enough question: what brings you here?


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## david johnson (Jun 25, 2007)

I stop by each day to see if something I find interesting is up.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

for myself 
1) Almost no one my age likes opera. Even during my brief stay at vocal performance school, maybe around 3% of the music students and around 7% of the vocal performance students had much real understanding of it. 
2) Most of the people here have properly developed tastes, and even when I disagree with them, they're generally reasonably articulate (there are a lot of things you have to get right to be an opera singer, and some people simply way certain factors more heavily than others).
3) The general conversation breaks the stereotype of opera afficionados being pretentious. I'm not necessarily talking about being a snob. In fact, I think it's a good thing to be a little bit snobby provided you're honest, can back it up with good explanations and remain relatively polite. What I'm talking about is people who speak in vague, fake language, lack a genuine interest in opera for its own sake and/or speak without any real gut level understanding. For example, even the people who place less importance on consistent technique have a kind of self-awareness of "I know this is objectively bad, but I love it anyway because of ___". To use myself as an example, I'm well aware that Ewa Podles has bad technique (most notably some severe ingolata), but her timbre sounds like a sickly old witch singing to you from the bowels of a cave and I'm sorry but...that's just cool. When you consider that most of the roles she sings are old crones, witches, etc, that spooky quality generally adds rather than subtracts from her appeal.
4) Somewhat ironically, it's....pretty low drama around here.


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## Shaafee Shameem (Aug 4, 2021)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> for myself
> 1) Almost no one my age likes opera. Even during my brief stay at vocal performance school, maybe around 3% of the music students and around 7% of the vocal performance students had much real understanding of it.
> 2) Most of the people here have properly developed tastes, and even when I disagree with them, they're generally reasonably articulate (there are a lot of things you have to get right to be an opera singer, and some people simply way certain factors more heavily than others).
> 3) The general conversation breaks the stereotype of opera afficionados being pretentious. I'm not necessarily talking about being a snob. In fact, I think it's a good thing to be a little bit snobby provided you're honest, can back it up with good explanations and remain relatively polite. What I'm talking about is people who speak in vague, fake language, lack a genuine interest in opera for its own sake and/or speak without any real gut level understanding. For example, even the people who place less importance on consistent technique have a kind of self-awareness of "I know this is objectively bad, but I love it anyway because of ___". To use myself as an example, I'm well aware that Ewa Podles has bad technique (most notably some severe ingolata), but her timbre sounds like a sickly old witch singing to you from the bowels of a cave and I'm sorry but...that's just cool. When you consider that most of the roles she sings are old crones, witches, etc, that spooky quality generally adds rather than subtracts from her appeal.
> 4) Somewhat ironically, it's....pretty low drama around here.


Almost nobody in my country even listens to opera.í ¾íµ² I joined just 2 days back, after spending a good while reading the posts around here as well as those from other forums, and as you say I have found a high level of tolerance and discipline here than elsewhere.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> for myself
> 1) Almost no one my age likes opera. Even during my brief stay at vocal performance school, maybe around 3% of the music students and around 7% of the vocal performance students had much real understanding of it.
> 2) Most of the people here have properly developed tastes, and even when I disagree with them, they're generally reasonably articulate (there are a lot of things you have to get right to be an opera singer, and some people simply way certain factors more heavily than others).
> 3) The general conversation breaks the stereotype of opera afficionados being pretentious. I'm not necessarily talking about being a snob. In fact, I think it's a good thing to be a little bit snobby provided you're honest, can back it up with good explanations and remain relatively polite. What I'm talking about is people who speak in vague, fake language, lack a genuine interest in opera for its own sake and/or speak without any real gut level understanding. For example, even the people who place less importance on consistent technique have a kind of self-awareness of "I know this is objectively bad, but I love it anyway because of ___". To use myself as an example, I'm well aware that Ewa Podles has bad technique (most notably some severe ingolata), but her timbre sounds like a sickly old witch singing to you from the bowels of a cave and I'm sorry but...that's just cool. When you consider that most of the roles she sings are old crones, witches, etc, that spooky quality generally adds rather than subtracts from her appeal.
> 4) Somewhat ironically, it's....pretty low drama around here.


Everything you say x 3. Also, people have been very supportive of me when I was having doubts about being able to launch a contest series and that will stay with me for years. I feel appreciated here even though my taste can be idiosyncratic LOL. I have two opera friends but none are as knowledgeable as most of you people. I have learned so much from this forum! I learn a lot even from my contests I've created.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

1. There's no longer anyone living close enough to visit that I can enjoy music with, much less opera or, heaven help me, lengthy Teutonic mythological music dramas.

2. I love putting words together, and responding to others when they do it. Doing it online hasn't the pace and immediacy of conversation, but it does have its compensations. I suppose one of those is having other members dredge up stuff we said five years ago and throw it in our faces. It's a great test of our self-esteem and presumably builds character.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Shaafee Shameem said:


> Almost nobody in my country even listens to opera.������ I joined just 2 days back, after spending a good while reading the posts around here as well as those from other forums, and as you say I have found a high level of tolerance and discipline here than elsewhere.


Yeah, we're polite even to those who think the golden age of opera is now. A few months hanging out here and their innocence will be lost forever. :angel:


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## Shaafee Shameem (Aug 4, 2021)

Woodduck said:


> Yeah, we're polite even to those who think the golden age of opera is now. A few months hanging out here and their innocence will be lost forever. :angel:


Hello Woodduck, wonderful to speak to you. I greatly admire the eloquence of your posts. Consider my innocence lost already, as I believe all of us were deprived of all but a faint shadow of the true golden age, by which I refer to the very few post-prime recordings made by Patti, Litvinne, Santley, Battistini and the other 19th century artists, who were the last heirs of the great bel canto tradition that is now extinct.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Inertia! Apathy! Sheer bone idleness! These are what keep me on TC.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

There are plenty of reasons why I click on TC multiple times each day; opera is not one of them.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

As in all opera forums there are always a few rather comically pretentious posters who "think" they know a lot by expressing in pedantic terms and require the need to see themselves in print. It's fun sifting the wheat from the chaff.
I also find this forum a calming influence on me with its more kindly posters (can you say_ Seattleoperafan_?) after coming from next door where they really know how to stage a true food fight and throw politeness to the wind.
But the main reason I come to this forum is to learn (as in next door with some extremely knowledgeable posters there) and I cannot think of a better place to fulfill my needs than to read a "Woodduck specialty" each day.


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## ScottK (Dec 23, 2021)

A lifetime of carrying a passion for classical music around inside, particularly opera, and just far, far, far fewer opportunities than I'd prefer to let it out....feel the satisfaction of actually stating opinions I've carried in my head....feel the ego glow when I think I've said it better than I usually do, feel the ego cringe when it's already down and I start to say "maybe I didn't give that one enough listen!!"....start to think differently and listen differently because of all of the things others say.....Feel names of posters take on three dimensional form as you read their posts again and again......find new music and new singers..........find MORE new music and more new singers!


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

Discussing passions with others who share them is fun, and with something like classical music/opera most of us are not surrounded by people who share our passions, so TalkClassical is the perfect forum. Personally I come-and-go with forums in general just because life gets busy and I don't have the free time to spend, and if the choice comes down to cutting into the time I spend with music (or film, video games, & literature) or cutting out the time I spend discussing those subjects, I'll always choose to nix the latter. My interests also come-and-go in waves, so I may go for extended periods without listening to much music while I focus on something else, and I tend to come back here when I'm in a very musical mood.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

I have my favorite posters. I like reading what they have to say and acknowledging enlightening posts with likes.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

The pandemic. 

There’s nobody to talk to but myself, and I’m an idiot.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Barbebleu said:


> Inertia! Apathy! Sheer bone idleness! These are what keep me on TC.


How could I have forgotten those? And may I add Covid-19? This is the only place I can go where it's safe to breathe.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

NoCoPilot said:


> The pandemic.
> 
> There's nobody to talk to but myself, and I'm an idiot.


I talk to myself because it's usually the only intelligent conversation I get. Please don't tell my wife!


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Barbebleu said:


> I talk to myself because it's usually the only intelligent conversation I get. Please don't tell my wife!


It's okay to talk to yourself.

It's okay to interrupt yourself.

It is NOT okay to interrupt because you weren't listening.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Barbebleu said:


> I talk to myself because it's usually the only intelligent conversation I get. Please don't tell my wife!


Your wife can use a computer and read, can't she? Or are you actually telling the truth?

Never mind. It's none of my business. Sometimes I'm happy to be single - and talking to myself.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Talking to oneself is merely the first step on a journey that invariably ends in a rubber room with no sharp edges in sight!


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> Your wife can use a computer and read, can't she? Or are you actually telling the truth?
> 
> Never mind. It's none of my business. Sometimes I'm happy to be single - and talking to myself.


She happily lets me while away my days on TC and has absolutely no desire to find out what I'm talking about or with whom I'm conversing, fortunately!

Oh, and she is actually pretty bright and has a fantastic sense of humour, up to a point.:lol:


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> How could I have forgotten those? And may I add Covid-19? *This is the only place I can go where it's safe to breathe.*


That is definitely not true of some threads!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Becca said:


> That is definitely not true of some threads!


Definitely. And my memory of those threads grows ever dimmer - unless it's just my memory in general...


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

To me, it’s like a refuge and one of the only places that offer stimulating reading about opera. I joined originally because it had conversations about the Callas Remastered set and it was full of exciting comments about it and a cast of characters that spanned the globe. Some of the characters, alas, left, but others remained whose opinions I was happy to read and learn from.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

The noble, passionate, inspiring, moving things the wonderful people have written, some of which are unforgettable:
"I didn't touch Wagner for the first 10 years of my listening. He resided in the shadows waiting for me, until I was ready." -Couchie
"Why, I wonder, couldn't I have been captivated at age 15 by Howard Hanson or Georg Philip Telemann? It didn't happen. Wagner it is." -Woodduck


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## Music Snob (Nov 14, 2018)

I hope everyone is having a happy new year. I check in everyday- I value everyone’s opinion about music in the opera forum even if I have little to contribute.

Today in my mailbox was the 1951 Decca studio Meistersinger with Kna conducting. I’m probably one of about 12 people on the planet that thinks this is an incredibly big deal. The music of Wagner has been an endless source of wonder and joy for me... that pretty much makes me a freak to just about everyone except for most of us here in this wonderful forum.


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

Some lovely responses here and I can relate to many of them. It is many years(decades actually) since I had anyone with whom to listen, let alone debate opera, singers, or even classical music in general. Having lived alone in the Australian bush for over ten years the discusssion opportunities are largely non-existent. 

Although there have been a couple of posters in the past whose views I have found bigoted or even mildly objectionable, that is the rare exception. Most are highly knowlegeable, keen to share expertise and experiences and I sincerely think of them as real friends. I have learned a lot from them and this has extended my pleasure significantly

In a word - thank you
Alan


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

aussiebushman said:


> Some lovely responses here and I can relate to many of them. It is many years(decades actually) since I had anyone with whom to listen, let alone debate opera, singers, or even classical music in general. Having lived alone in the Australian bush for over ten years the discusssion opportunities are largely non-existent.
> 
> Although there have been a couple of posters in the past whose views I have found bigoted or even mildly objectionable, that is the rare exception. Most are highly knowlegeable, keen to share expertise and experiences and I sincerely think of them as real friends. I have learned a lot from them and this has extended my pleasure significantly
> 
> ...


Are you telling us that among all the residents of your neighborhood - the kangaroos, wombats, platypuses, emus, kookaburras, lyrebirds, cockatoos, sand goannas, thorny devils and saltwater crocodiles - there is not a single one interested in discussing the dramatic significance of tonality in the operas of Alban Berg? I'll bet some of them may know more than they're saying. These beauties sound better than a lot of recent opera singers:


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

The ability to hit high notes, loudly or not, does not suffice to make someone as a worthwhile opera singer. I could continue with comments about the irrelevance of how gorgeous they look (male or female), but I probably shouldn't!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Becca said:


> The ability to hit high notes, loudly or not, does not suffice to make someone as a worthwhile opera singer. I could continue with comments about the irrelevance of how gorgeous they look (male or female), but I probably shouldn't!


You're wise not to stick your neck out farther. You may already need a home security system, but possibly not a bodyguard, although a black wig and sunglasses may afford a sense of security at the supermarket.

Singers need to be beautiful only for the purpose of giving us nice avatars. We both have good taste, don't you think?


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> Are you telling us that among all the residents of your neighborhood - the kangaroos, wombats, platypuses, emus, kookaburras, lyrebirds, cockatoos, sand goannas, thorny devils and saltwater crocodiles - there is not a single one interested in discussing the dramatic significance of tonality in the operas of Alban Berg? I'll bet some of them may know more than they're saying. These beauties sound better than a lot of recent opera singers:


I could swear I heard a Nilsson-a-like, a Callas wobbler, and a Pons imitator attempting that high note.
These were simply great.
Thanks.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> You're wise not to stick your neck out farther. You may already need a home security system, but possibly not a bodyguard, although a black wig and sunglasses may afford a sense of security at the supermarket.
> 
> Singers need to be beautiful only for the purpose of giving us nice avatars. *We both have good taste, don't you think?*


Absotively, posilutely!


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

Woodduck said:


> Are you telling us that among all the residents of your neighborhood - the kangaroos, wombats, platypuses, emus, kookaburras, lyrebirds, cockatoos, sand goannas, thorny devils and saltwater crocodiles - there is not a single one interested in discussing the dramatic significance of tonality in the operas of Alban Berg? I'll bet some of them may know more than they're saying. These beauties sound better than a lot of recent opera singers:


Actually, most of the neighbours you mention are excellent company, especially my semi-tame possums. Also, the Kookaburras really do an excellent job of replicating the voices of many modern day singers, but their manners leave something to be desired - always interruping - reminds me of my ex wife, except she couldn't sing.

There do not seem to be any salt-water crocs in this area of the mountains - not many sharks either. That reminds me of a (true of course) story of a couple of beach types visiting a country pub. They were complaining about the beach being closed due to sharks. One of the local bushies comforted them saying "I never has a problem with sharks. We has an agreement. I stays out of the water and they stays out of the pub"


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Woodduck said:


> the kangaroos, wombats, platypuses, emus, kookaburras, lyrebirds, cockatoos, sand goannas, thorny devils and saltwater crocodiles


Isn't it ironic? Aussie shuns all those beauties and comes to TC to discuss the dramatic significance of tonality in the operas of a certain Dick with a certain Duck;




Look around your place, Mr. Aussie, your real companions may not be far away!



Woodduck said:


> We both have good taste, don't you think?


for Culture and Cuteness? Yes.


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## Bernamej (Feb 24, 2014)

Main reason for me is to discover hidden treasures. For example, my last doscovery because of this section was Enescu’s Oeudipe.


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