I've decided to do this blog post in two parts because there is just soo much for me to say about Madama Butterfly. But I'll begin by explaining my interest in opera. Kind of.

This past Monday my opera class was lucky enough to attend a final dress rehearsal of Madama Butterfly (by Giacomo Puccini) at the Metropolitan Opera House. I've taken opera class for the past two years, and have seen Verdi, Mozart, Puccini, Wagner (pronounced with a V), and Zandonai. So far Puccini had been my favorite composer. His music is subtle and flows through you, unlike Verdi or Wagner.

I joined opera class out of curiosity and ended up loving it. The costumes, the drama, and especially the singing had me hooked. My school is fortunate enough not only to be near one of the best opera houses, but also to be the only High School level opera class in NYC. Therefore the Met sometimes treats us with specialty. Not only do we view the operas live in the actual theater, but we get backstage tours, and sometimes interviews with opera singers. My school also hosts monthly live simulcasts of Met operas in our auditorium. If you're ever in NYC and have a few bucks to spare I suggest going to see an opera at the Met. Because normal tickets are well over $200, I would buy rehearsal tickets. Dress rehearsals are the same thing as the actual performance, except that the singers may not use there full voice. However it is still worth it.

The Met Opera House is absolutely gorgeous. The walls are lined with velvet and a golden sculpture hangs through all four floors. And the inside of the actual theatre? Breathtaking. Everything is so decadent. It makes me feel as though I was transported back to a time of class and beauty. Unfortunately no photography is allowed inside the theater :( So the few pictures I have are pretty bad.

This is the ceiling. The paint is actual gold :O

No not fire works...When the opera starts these orbs of light rise up into the ceiling.

The hanging lights...I want one.

Le stage. This is actually bigger than it looks. I've seen the Met have everything from a revolving house (The Marriage of Figaro) to a Vegas casino (Rigoletto) on this stage.