The Meow Aria

As I was taking the bus home today, I saw this amusing broadcast on mobile TV. It's 1 of those "Just for Laughs" segments.

There was a man & woman who came out dressed formally and a pianist at a grand piano to accompany them. As they started their aria (oratorio-style), the words were just "Meow". It was very funny. So they went "meow, meow, meow...Meeooww..."!

After watching for a while, it occurred to me that it is actually the same with the actual thing (no offense intended)! How often, when we go to an opera, we don't really understand a word the singers are singing, especially when most of the time, they are in a foreign language. So it really makes no difference if they are meowing or singing normal words. What we understand most is the music itself, along with the players' gestures and expressions. Of course, if you understand the language, it is all the better, but by the way they sing it, it's sometimes hard to make out what they're singing. Even if you understand every single word they're singing, if there's no expression, then the words won't mean a thing coz the singer has not brought out its essence.

Just a thought.