Words by Rebecca Armstrong

Photos by Gabriel Varaljay, Giusi Borrasi, Kilyan Sockalingum (on Unsplash) and Lidia Crisafulli (supplied by The King’s Head Theatre)

Opera. What feelings does that word conjure up for you? If you’re anything like me a few years ago, it’s an odd mix of trepidation and curiosity. I wanted to enjoy opera, but I felt like it just wasn’t meant for people like me. But all arts are for all people, so I decided to find out more.

At that point I had never even been to an opera. I read books, websites and magazine articles. I went to see Carmen at the Royal Opera House (cheapest seats available, right in the rafters). But everything seemed to assume a certain amount of knowledge. It felt like gatekeeping – if you weren’t already a member of the club you couldn’t get in. And that’s why I launched Opera For All, to be the website I wish I’d had access to when I was learning more.

Throughout my career as a journalist I’ve always been told not to assume knowledge in your readership, and that’s exactly how I approach Opera For All. All technical terms are explained, English translations are always given and we provide a synopsis of the opera’s story – even if in the shortest way possible. I want to ensure everyone, even a complete newcomer, understands what we’re writing about and doesn’t feel left behind.

One of the things I learned through my research is that opera really isn’t as intimidating as you might think. For one thing, I bet you know more of the music than you think you do. Classical music is often used in TV adverts, and there’s no shortage of opera tunes that make their way into the public imagination in this way. You might not recognise the name, but the strains of Verdi’s ‘La donna e mobile’ (‘Women Abandon Us’) from Rigoletto will undoubtedly be familiar. It was used in a series of ads for Dr Oetker Risorante Pizza.

Another one that comes under the heading ‘a song everyone knows but doesn’t know the name of’ is Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ from Die Walküre’ (The Valkyrie), the second in the composer’s epic four-opera Ring Cycle. This rousing piece has been used in everything from car commercials to Marks and Spencer ads, as well as films including The Running Man, Apocalypse Now and even The Blues Brothers.

Then there are those numbers that just seem to be part of our musical background. For example, The repeated refrain of ‘Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!’ from one of opera's most well-known arias, ‘Largo al factotum’ (‘Make way for the factotum’) from Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), which even made it into a Bugs Bunny cartoon: The Rabbit of Seville. And, of course, The Toreador Song from Bizet’s Carmen, which has been featured in Sesame Street, among many others.

The best way to get to know opera (other than reading Opera For All, of course!) is to just go and see one. But which one? Anything by Gilbert and Sullivan is a good place to start. You’ll almost certainly recognise some of the music, while these operettas are shorter with lighter subject matter than full operas. They’re also sung in English, making them much more accessible to those of us who only speak English. Look out especially for The Mikado, HMS Pinafore or The Pirates of Penzance.

Similarly, the comic operas – opera buffa in the terminology – of Mozart or Rossini are very accessible. Try Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) by the former and the latter’s Barber of Seville.

One top tip is to do an internet search for the libretto of whichever opera you’ve chosen to see. Libretto is Italian for ‘little book’ and it’s essentially the entire text of the opera. The majority of the ones you can find online today contain both the original language and an English translation and they are very useful for getting to know the story before you go. That way you can just sit back and enjoy the performance.

Two of the main barriers to watching opera are cost and what to wear. It’s true that opera tickets can be massively expensive; the best seats at the Royal Opera House can easily reach £250. Those Carmen tickets I mentioned earlier set me back £45 each. There are various schemes in place to help you save money – cheaper tickets for the under 25s, for matinee performances in the week and so on – and it’s always worth looking for these. But they’re not available to everyone. This is where pub theatres come into play. Tickets for these venues are much more affordable.

One of my favourites is the King’s Head Theatre in Islington. I’ve seen some wonderful productions here, including an excellent HMS Pinafore and a modernised version of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love). These productions are mounted by professional companies and feature professional casts, although amateur opera is another great way of saving money on the cost of entry.

There are loads of pub theatres around London, so there’s sure to be one near you. These venues are very informal, which also helps solve the problem of what to wear – whatever you feel comfortable in.

But more traditional opera houses are also trying hard to shake their stuffy images and formal wear is no longer required. That said, it can be fun to dress up and there’s something to be said for putting on your best outfit and making a night of it. While it’s not quite anything goes, these days it’s a lot more relaxed so simply wear something you feel good in.

Whatever you go to see, whatever you decide to wear, just remember to enjoy your night at the opera!