Before I was listening to classical music I was listening to rock, metal and anime soundtracks. I was completely taken in by the size and scale of the drama, heavy use of distortion to the point of overwhelm, the plaintive melodies, and the absolute catharsis of someone feeling an emotion and screaming about it. Then I discovered opera, which seemed to do the exact same thing. I liked it so much I made it my career, becoming a soprano.
I wasn’t born into classical music, so I had to learn the rules, sometimes the hard way – Ihad to learn concert hall etiquette, the unwritten codes of which composers are mainstream, and which ones will suggest you’re a serious classical musician when you casually mention them in conversation, and how…
