A 24-year old's Survival Guide to 6 Hours of Wagner

I am 24 years old and I survived 6 hours of Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg last night, and you can, too. As I sat down next to my husband last night (6:15 pm) to watch an HD recording of the Metropolitan Opera's Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg, the lovely face of Reneé Flemming greeted us with enthusiasm from the screen. She gave a brief synopsis, praised John Levine's interpretation of Wagner, and then explained to audiences watching the broadcast in 24 countries around the world that they were about to enjoy 6 hours of Wagnerian singing. That is when my husband's face changed. He looked... a little pale. So why would someone my age sit through an opera of that length, or any opera? Aren't we supposed to be twitting or tweetering or something at the local bar? Personally, I enjoy opera because I grew up singing and listening to operas from a young age. I loved Mozart's Don Giovanni from the tender age of nine, and I wanted to watch the forbidden Tristan und Isolde from the first time my mother let me check out the cd from the local library. Without that preternatural disposition it would have been more difficult to watch those mastersingers take the stage until almost 1 am last night, though. So, for the sake of bold souls like my husband, I have compiled a list of tips to help more young people actually enjoy an opera of any length, because once you experience just one opera that you enjoy, they all can be quite magnificent regardless of one's age. 1.) Read about the libretto online before you get to the opera.  I made the mistake of trying to explain the libretto of Die Meistersinger to my husband by reading from my personal libretto library. I chose my favorite, scholarly volume with deep, analytic verbiage that captures my attention every time. It did not go over well for my violinist husband. If you enjoy web articles and videos, find that type of explanation. It helps to know the drama before you take the program notes from the attendant. It helps to already have an idea of what time period you will be watching, and why certain elements (like mastersingers) are important. If you do not know a little about the history of Minnesingers and Meistersingers there is going to be a lot less to find engaging onstage. (Here is a link for The Guardian's Top 50 Operas. One tiny paragraph is given for each synopsis.) 2.) If you are not a singer or someone who already loves vocal pedagogy, don't try to get through the opera just by focusing on how hard the singers are working or how skilled they are. You may be impressed, but you will slowly and surely fall asleep. 3.) Read about the history of the composer and the opera.  Who wrote the opera, why, and how was it received? In the case of Die Meistersinger, Wagner wrote this monumental work while he was composing the Ring Cycle. It is considered his most upbeat opera, and yet it has a sordid history of being used by the Nazi party as German propaganda. See? It is already much more interesting now. 4.) Engage. If you are checked out mentally, the entire experience will be lost. Use those critical thinking skills your high school English teacher harped on, and think critically about the characters, the historical setting, and what those characters might have been representing when they were written. Mozart's iteration of Figaro has a rich history of social statements as does the theme of Der Volk (The People) in Die Meistersinger. The internet will still be on your phone when you leave the theatre. That viral video, AV Club article, gamergate debate you are thinking about can take a backseat while your mind travels to something both far older and more present. 5.) Enjoy. Find a drink or even a snack to have before, after, or even during the opera. The Live in HD Met broadcasts are a wonderful commodity for young people who might like to branch out into the world of opera and ballet. You can actually have a beer and pretzel bites while you engage your mind with something new. I have so much respect for people like my dear friend Annie. She had never seen or even listened to an opera, but she seemed to deeply enjoy the broadcast of Carmen with me this season because she opened her mind to something new. 6.) Be forgiving to yourself, your attention span, and the opera. You may fall asleep. You may even fall asleep on your date or simply spend an hour thinking of anything but the opera in front of you, and that is also okay. This is the 21st Century and most Americans under the age of 50 have simply not spent their life engaging in events that require several hours of quiet appreciation. If you have taken the time to engage in an art form like opera, forgive yourself if you tune out or lose your attention, and forgive the composer if you find the work tedious at any point. Entertainment changes over time. I will never forget seeing John Levine, the maestro himself, speaking about the aesthetic qualities of Wagner while the booming bass of Smaug pounded through the wall of the adjacent theatre. Maybe that is a good metaphor for how us Generation X and Millennial viewers may be experiencing the serious art; a booming soundtrack in the background.