Recently, I was sitting at Central Park with the playwright Lily Rusek. We paused and silently watched the traffic swirl around Columbus Circle. Then our eyes climbed the twinkling towers into the sky. As we stared at the beauty of the city, she made the comment, “You know, sometimes I forget I live in New York City.”
As practically impossible as this sounds, it is easy to do. After all, this is the most competitive place on the planet. Residents seldom have the luxury to stroll starry eyed around the city while craning their necks at the spectacular sights. Everyone is focused on the grind and fending for the survival of their lifestyles.
Monday I had a wonderful opportunity to step out of my 7-day workweek and take a break. Someone gave me a ticket to the Metropolitan Opera’s dress rehearsal of Gaetano Donizetti’s comedy opera, The Elixir of Love.
Opera remains the ultimate of the arts. Opera encompasses every means of expression: music, poetry, theatrics, dance, fashion and visual arts. Opera immerses the audience in a sensory extravaganza.
The power of the opera can be illustrated with a comparison to cinema. The musical scores for films set the tone for the scenes, touch the transitions with resonance and tighten the stretching strings of suspense. In opera though, music is not the accent, music is the rapture. Opera has the most dramatic imbroglios with plots riddled with clever turns and then the greatest musical composers bring this to life with the overwhelming flows of the most exquisite music. And upon these symphonic surges float the most magnificent voices to fill the air with song. At the Opera, the audience doesn’t listen to the music, the audience lives the music.
So, if you fall into the gloom of a winter slump, consider something besides your regular routine. Visit one of the world-class performance centers in the city. I know when I do, I am not only recharged, I feel like I glow for days. And there is no better way to remind yourself that you live in the greatest place on the planet than The Metropolitan Opera.
Garrett Buhl Robinson is a poet and novelist. www.garrettrobinson.us
