The Flying Dutchman--OH What a MAN!

I went to see The Flying Dutchman on Sunday. I know some of you might be wondering why
I would be interested in the opera since I cannot hear worth a darn. I must first elucidate a bit about hearing.

Sound is made up of two components-- volume and pitch. (In truth, it's way more complicated than this, but we won't go there today-- if ever.) Volume, as you know, relates to the loudness. Pitch has something to do with the frequency of sound vibrations. We hear pitch as sound
differentiation-- the difference between a piccolo and a tuba, for example. If you think about a piano, there are keys that make high pitched sounds and keys that make low pitched sounds. If you strike a piano key hard, this will make the volume of that key louder than if you strike it softly. A very high-pitched key can be struck hard to create a loud high-pitched sound. In life, some loud high pitched sounds might be sirens, fire alarms and telephones. High-pitched does
not always mean quiet. Sometimes people have a hard time understanding this, and assume all high-pitched sounds are quiet.

Low pitched sounds can be very quiet. A lawnmower makes a low-pitched sound, and is loud when you are right next to it. But if the lawnmower is mowing on the next block it could be a quiet low-pitched sound. A school bus is low-pitched and is very loud if you're right next to it, but three blocks away it's much quieter, yet it is still low-pitched.

You might be wondering why I'm explaining all this. It's critical to understand, because people who have hearing loss do not often hear all sounds equally. A person with normal hearing will have a flat horizontal line running along the top of their audiogram somewhere between 10-20 dbs. Others can be profoundly deaf in some frequencies (pitches), moderately deaf in other frequencies and have perfect hearing in still other frequencies. In fact this is quite common.

My hearing is near perfect in the low tones (pitches), but I'm deaf to high tones. So what does this means in terms of the opera? It means I can hear most everything below middle-C pretty well with my hearing aids.

I heard Greer Grimsley's base-baritone voice just fine, and OH! He was SO fine! I'll take him over Johnny Depp any day. Unfortunately for me Jay Hunter Morris' voice was drowned out by the orchestra. He was the tenor who played Erik, Stenta's jilted boyfriend.

I was curious how the others perceived his voice so asked the couple we went out with about
this. They have perfect hearing. (My husband, like me, is losing his hearing, which is why I didn't ask his opinion.) The other couple felt Morris' volume was just as loud as Grimsley's. This was how I knew the problem was with my hearing, not Morris' performance.

I always keep my opinions about the music and performances to myself for this very reason, because I can't trust my ears. Still I was not disappointed in the production. I hear horns, but not piccolos; drums, but not violins. Wagner is heavy on horns and drums, so this opera was much more musically enjoyable than usual for me, even though Erik's (Morris') voice was drowned out. Grimsley and what I heard of the orchestra was fantastic! Also there were some good chorale parts. Again I picked up on the baritone harmony. Our friends mentioned the chorus of women in the workshop. Lost on me.

One really nice thing about opera is the sets and costuming are so very creative, colorful, and visually stimulating. I love to watch the way sets change and to note any small symbolic details. I am fascinated by the way simple tricks of lighting or props can suggest changes in space and time. The stage challenges my imagination in ways film can't.

Finally, my hometown opera offers subtitles, so I don't miss a bit of the story line. Since I can't go to plays (they do not usually offer subtitles), this is one great way for me to enjoy the arts! And I love it!

Afterwards we all went to dinner at a Thai place. I made everyone shift seats until there was no glare behind any heads or shadows running across lips. Then I ordered a tofu dish with only one star because my delicate constitution couldn't handle any more heat after Grimsley's blazing performance. Oh my!