more about opera: smotret' or slushat'?

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Inna Caron wrote:

> Here's another controversial item, also likely to be written off as an
> archaism.
> 
> When I was a little girl, my parents always corrected me when I said "my
> smotreli operu," - "Operu ne smotryat, a slushayut." Now it would be as
> difficult for me to use "smotret'" (regardless of how pompous and
> pretentious it may sound to other native speakers), as to accept the
> legitimization of neuter for coffee, and not mentally wince when someone
> says "moe/chernoe kofe."
> 
> So, I'm wondering - and this is not the matter of conducting a research
> - just plain curiosity:
> 
> 1) Do other native Russian speakers use "smotret' operu," or "slushat'
> operu," when referring to live (not recorded) performance?
> 
> 2) Do native speakers of English say "to see" or "to hear" in the same
> context?

I agree with Sara that I would "see" the performance (or a DVD or VHS 
tape) but "hear/listen to" an audio recording. "I saw Carmen at the Met" 
is perfectly natural, but "I heard Carmen at the Met" is somehow 
peculiar (even though I personally would focus on the sound). If I 
wanted to emphasize the sound, I might say "I heard Callas sing Carmen 
at the Met," but I still would not be surprised (merely dismayed!) to 
hear someone use "saw" here.

For that matter, I find it peculiar that anyone would cast (e.g.) a 
chunky dowager as Carmen solely for sake of the voice, because it would 
subvert the author's intent for the character. Opera is supposed to be 
both visual and auditory.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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