Opera History Documentary

The word „opera“ comes from the Italian phrase opera in musica which means work in music. It stands for a theatrical work which is made of a dramatic text, also known as a libretto, which has been set to music and involves a stage that requires beautiful sceneries, flamboyant costumes and solo as well as choral singers on the stage who are backed by a group of instrumentalists who play offstage.
It has attracted many supporters and at the same time opera is known to have been criticized by many people because of the costs it involves. It is considered to be an expensive form of music which requires many people starting from the writing of the story to the enactment of the opera involving the music, singers and the dance. The producer has to ensure that everything falls in place perfectly and practice on the opera can vary from a few days to months depending on the complexities of the opera that will be performed.
In the course of history, opera has continuously shifted the balance that it strikes between poetry and music. What began as a seamless blending of the two where the performers achieved a language which was between singing and speaking, gradually moved towards the favor of music and the text became less pronounced. Some historical reforms in opera tried to reinforce the balance between the two but the manner in which opera and its creators continuously innovate to come up with performances that try to fulfil the tastes of the audiences and the changing attitudes of the patrons. At the same time, opera has also adapted to the different national preferences of the countries around the world surviving over 400 years in the Western culture.