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Anyone who has taken a chance to see opera performed in the Roman Arena in Verona will know that the weather plays an important part in all the arrangements. Natural optimism, however, lulls one into a sense of, "it won't happen to rain when I go", and we travel miles to enjoy the romance of beautiful music performed in an ancient setting. On Friday 28th June I was privileged to join a host of others for a performance of Bizet's Carmen. The weather had been stormy during the past twelve hours, but at nine o'clock on a lovely hot evening the sky was clear. The overture introduced us to the theme music and the first Act got under way to enthusiastic applause. Was that thunder in the distance? Concentrate on the music! It may not come this way! The first Act had almost finished when the heavens opened. Such flurry of activity while people put on raincoats, put up umbrellas, bought cheap plastic macs from arena attendants and settled themselves for a wait of, "how long?" while the rain washed down the ancient stone steps from top to bottom. The orchestra and singers, of course, had long disappeared into the dry tunnels at the end of the arena.
As the opera had started, the only thing that we could do was to wait, as 'tradition' demands that the show will recommence once the rain stops. The largest proportion of the audience had come into Verona on coaches which were parked on the outskirts of the city and would not leave until the designated time, or until and unless it became evident that the opera would have to be abandoned. Our tour guide had told us earlier that she had once attended an opera here when it did not finish until 3.am.! On Friday 28th June the delay proved to be about one hour; half an hour of pouring rain and half an hour while the scene shifters cleared the stage area; including using enormous squeegees to get some of the water out of the carpeted front of the stage. When the final applause sounded, I think that we were all applauding ourselves as much as the musicians and singers. What a contrast on Saturday 29th when we watched Franco Zefferelli's new production of Verdi's Aida staged under a clear starry sky. Such an imaginative setting and such superb singing left one breathless and made the whole trip worthwhile. I have been to Verona before, but I think my experience in June 2002 will be the one that comes to mind most, the contrast between the ridiculous and the sublime. WINIFRED MANCZ |
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page last updated 27 AUGUST 2002 |
