“Night time sharpens heightens each sensation….” the song keeps repeating in my head after watching the Phantom of the Opera, the most classic and moving opera I have watched so far.
Music of The Night: The Phantom of the Opera from YouTube
I had heard a lot about this well-known opera before I actually went there to watch it. Almost every friend of mine and the reviews on the web are highly recommending this opera. Now I have to say, I really love it. The plot is simple but profound. It takes time for viewers to digest the philosophy of love behind the stage.
As I said, the story is easy to understand. Christine, a new in the chorus of the Paris Opera House, made amazing progress with her singing these dasy, giving credits to the ghost (the phantom of the opera) who had been abandoned by his parents because of his ugly looking and living in the basement of the House with his mask on. Everynight, the phantom taught her heaven’s music and fallen in love with Christine.With his help, Christine triumped in the gala. Her childhood friend Raoul recognized her and two of them soon fallen in love. The phantom’s heart was broken and began his revenge.
After the opera, Iwas trying to figure out what the true love is on my way home. Is phantom really love Christine? I remembered the lyrics (shown below), it seems to me that what the phantom really loved is his “mask” -the appearance of Christine, the one can bring his songs and voices to the stage. He devote a lot to explore her talent, to train her and lead her to success. What he loved was all his devotation to Christine.
(Christine): Those who have seen your face draw back in fear–I am the mask you wear
(Phantom): Its me they hear
(Together): you spirt and my voice in one combined
Love seeks no reward, love is its own reward. Loving someone and all your efforts is not to expect the one to love you back or they do the same thing to you but because you love he/she on its own rights. While phantom thought all his efforts to make Christine success deserved her love, which drove him crazy when he saw Christine and Raoul falling in love.
Post from Official website
Well, there is another version of love expressed in the opera. What if Christine did not take off phantom’s mask? What if she did not see the his real face? Before that, Christine so admired phantom’s voice and kinda falled in love with him till the moment she took off his mask. I am not sure if she’s still leave him if phantom is person with handsome looking like Raoul.
The last scene made me cry when phantom leted Christine go and marry Raoul after forcing her to kiss him. Weeks later, he was found died and only left his mask in the chair….The phantom was eventually abandoned by the world, by love….. everyone in the theatre stood up and applaued for the performers and the moving plot.
I will give 5 stars for this opera. The stage effects is amazing. The only flaw could be the singing of the performers, which not as good as what I had expected.
