If you think opera is boring, then you haven't really experienced opera.
With their stories of love, betrayal, heartbreak and angst, as well as music by world-class composers, fantastic costumes and oh, those voices, opera is anything but.
Three new operatic voices will be in Nanaimo this week singing favourites like O Sole Mio -- originally recorded by Giuseppe Anselmi in 1907, but performed by just about everyone: Enrico Caruso, Benjamino Gigli, Mario Lanza, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, to name a few -- Danny Boy and David Foster's The Prayer. First the three performers of It'za Romanza will perform with the 91原创 Island Symphony 7:30 Saturday night at the Port Theatre. Next week the three singers -- Philip Grant, Ken Lavigne, of Chemainus, and Frederik Robert -- will be introducing operatic arias to local school children at the Port Theatre.
A tenor's voice "is a very exciting sound for people," says Robert in a VIS press release. "It goes to a height that doesn't seem natural.
"In opera audiences, there's always the good old cross your fingers and hope the tenor hits the right note scene," he says.
"People like the excitement, the thrill of waiting for it.
The three members of Romanza had separately been performing across North America and Europe. At least one of the singers believe opera is not too dissimilar from heavy metal rock.
Grant started his music career performing heavy metal.
"The two types of music are closer than most people think," he says. "Like heavy metal, opera is so real, so emotional and technical. Music is to express and communicate emotions," says Grant.
"What we want to do is rearrange opera melodies and make them popular again. We want people to see that we are having fun."
Saturday's show will open with conductor Marlin Wolfe leading the VIS through Rossini's William Tell Overture and Verdi's Triumphal March.
Be at the Port a little early -- 6:30 p.m. -- and join in the pre-concert discussion with VIS assistant conductor Gerald van Wick.