Saw Rigoletto last night here in Nantes. Nice opera house. Have to say, didn’t get anything in terms of a coherent plot. The scenery didn’t exactly explain much to an opera novice like myself. It appeared at first to be set in a 17th century anatomy lecture hall, and never really changed too much after that. Sure there were fog machines and a boat in the end, but nothing ever really appeared different, they were always in that strange round room. Essentially it appeared like a series of tableaux of various contrasting melodramas without any kind of connection between it. Im not quite sure what happened, there was a kidnapping, and several people singing and then the lead lady dies laying down in the end by throwing her arms up and saying "bleaah!"

ok, the last bit i made up, but that’s what it seemed like, and there was definite arm moving going on. Anyway, the music was lovely, i want to get a CD of it, even if i couldn’t discern any kind of message or story. It was a pleasant exercise in abstracted contrasting histrionics.

And it reminded me of that euro-trash question on the recent meme i filled out.