Ms Bridges, Ms Hughes and Ms Goldman took the Year 12 English Literature students to the Royal Opera House (ROH) on the evening of the 18th of July to see Verdi’s Otello (Othello). Othello is a set text at A level, and this was a wonderful way of seeing a different interpretation of the play.
As we were waiting in the foyer, Satyam, who is not a Literature student, turned up. He had heard about the event and arrived on the off chance there might be a spare ticket. There was – and at the end of the performance when I asked him if he was glad that he had come he replied, ‘It was the best decision of my life.’
This seemed to sum up the feelings of the sixth formers in general.
Verdi’s beautiful music is mostly also easy listening and the opera had superb crowd scenes where the multitude of voices soared. The whole performance was utterly wonderful and got the kind of whooping standing ovation the ROH audience is so good at delivering – this time including our students!
At English A level, our motto is ‘the more you know, the more you know.’ We try our best to discourage the notion that an English A level consists of set books; we try to get the students to understand that just reading the set books does not make for an education in any real sense of the word. A night out at the opera was a fine example of the wider cultural exposure we love.