So after the horridness that was Aida at the Met Opera, I was a little apprehensive about the House of the Dead, and opera that I'd never heard of and hadn't been performed at the Met since forever...
IT IS THE BEST OPERATIC PERFORMANCE I'VE SEEN, EVER.
It was so amazing, at the end of the show the audience took a second to start applauding because we were all so blown away. It was the first opera I've been to in years where the standing ovations and bravos were well deserved. It had me sitting on the edge of my seat, they actually acted, and I'm still moved by the writing. Janacek, I had no idea you were so fantastic (For everyone, like me, who had no idea what this opera is about, it's set in a Siberian prison with an almost completely male cast of about a hundred singers). I'm actually tempted to read the book it's based on, also called House of the Dead by Fydor Dostoyevsky, so you know it's happy (ha! who's ever heard of a opera making you want to read a book! Could I get anymore bourgeoisie!).
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