(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.)
I watched an opera in person for the first time.
I had always wondered what opera was like and how it differed from musicals, so I decided to find out.
In opera, performers basically do not use microphones, whereas in musicals, they do. Opera mainly uses classical music, and the lines are sung rather than spoken. In musicals, a variety of music styles such as pop, jazz, and rock are used, and the dialogue and songs are usually separate. In opera, singing is the most important element. In musicals, however, not only singing and acting but also dancing plays an important role.
The opera I saw was held in Ishikawa, Japan. There were about 600 people in the audience, roughly half adults and half children.
The performance lasted one hour, but it felt like two hours because I experienced so many things.
The title of the opera was The Red Demon Who Cried, which is based on a Japanese children’s book.
The story is as follows:
There once lived a red demon and a blue demon. The red demon was very kind and wanted to be friends with humans. However, humans were afraid of demons and avoided him.
A blue demon, who was the red demon’s close friend, felt sorry for him and wanted to help. He came up with a plan: the blue demon would scare the humans, and then the red demon would appear to stop him and protect them. In this way, the humans would come to like the red demon and become friends with him.
Although the red demon felt conflicted, he followed the plan. As a result, he became friends with the humans, but…
Then the opera began.
I was very excited.
First, an adult female fairy wearing a green costume and sixteen child fairies dressed in green appeared on stage. The child fairies danced happily, and the adult fairy began to sing.
Her voice was powerful and deep. Both the audience and I were amazed. I realized that this strong, resonant voice is a unique feature of opera.
The adult fairy explained the situation through her song.
Then, the red demon appeared. He walked a little, paused, and after a few seconds, began to sing.
His voice was powerful, deep, and strong. I was amazed by his incredible singing. I had never heard such a deep voice before.
I didn’t know humans could produce such voices. It felt like a “circus of voices.”
After that, the blue demon and other performers appeared on stage. Their voices were also wonderful.
A little girl sitting in front of me leaned forward, watching the opera intently.
Because it was a live performance, the audience watched very seriously. If it had been on TV, we might not have paid such close attention.
There was also live music. Six musicians (violin, clarinet, piano, and percussion) performed, expressing the scenes.
It was a luxury to watch live acting and listen to live music at the same time.
In one scene, the red demon was sleeping. A woodcutter and the fairies tried to wake him up, but he wouldn’t wake.
The adult fairy then asked the audience for help. She said, “Let’s wake up the red demon with our singing and dancing.”
We practiced singing and dancing with the fairies. I moved my hands and sang. I felt a bit embarrassed, but I joined in. The children around me participated happily.
An elderly woman sitting next to me also danced shyly.
We tried together, but the fairy was not satisfied, so we practiced again. Then it was time for the real attempt.
We sang and danced together, but the red demon still didn’t wake up.
The fairy got a little angry and encouraged us to do better. Her way of speaking was funny, and we laughed.
We tried again, but still no success.
Then she said, “Everyone, let’s give it our all this time. Please do it fortissimo.” Fortissimo is a musical term meaning “very loud.”
This time, we sang and danced with full energy. Our voices were louder than ever before. The performers and the audience became one.
Finally, the red demon woke up, and the audience erupted in cheers.
This scene was the climax of the opera. The performers and the audience created the moment together, which was wonderful.
In the final scene, golden confetti fell from the ceiling. It sparkled under the lights and looked beautiful—almost like heaven.
Then the blue demon appeared again.
He had frightened the humans to help the red demon, but because of that, he became hated and had to leave the village.
He looked very sad. The little girl in front of me said, “I feel sorry for the blue demon.”
Then the opera ended. The curtain fell, and the audience applauded loudly.
The story did not have a happy ending. It taught us that life includes both good and sad moments.
Surprisingly, the curtain rose again, and the performers bowed deeply in a line. We applauded even more.
Then the opera truly ended.
As I left the venue, I heard a small child singing one of the opera’s songs, which made me smile. I also heard someone say that the story was sad.
This was my first opera experience. The audience participated in the performance, making it a very special experience. I was especially impressed by the performers’ voices.
I would like to watch opera again.