It's all about the music

Have you ever noticed that when you go to an opera, even if it's in English, that you get a synopsis of each act? They give the ending away! We know that the lady coloratura is going to go off the deep end, or the lyric is going to die of lung disease and that the tenor is going to stab himself and continue to sing for fifteen minutes but we watch anyway, and somehow we're still intrigued. I suppose it's similar to the movie Apollo 13; unless you are completely devoid of any historical knowledge, you know that they're going to get back and they're going to be okay. (Sorry if you are one of those people.) Still the drama is so exciting that I get drawn in every time. Is Steven Spielberg just that much of a genius, that he can keep us engaged in the story, or is simply a good performance. I'm not writing this blog to analyze Steven Spielberg, but I think it is a worthy comparison. I can't count how many times I've seen Traviata but every time I'm enraptured in the music. Though I haven't seen all of The Aspern Papers I can see how this would also be the case. Just from these two scenes I found myself completely absorbed in the story even though what they were saying was not particularly interesting or deep. It was definitely the music that pulled me in and held me leaving me wanting more. And when you think about it, that's what opera is, a story that is amplified by the music. The music makes it a better story, or why else would we spend all of our time doing it? Argento has certainly proved himself an apt composer for incorporating bel canto elements into a more modern style. I would like to hear more.