What I Would Do if I Listened to Terrible Opera Music

Just before we begin, I'd like to address yesterdays post. You may have noticed that the "What I Would Do if I Didn't Post" blurb that was made yesterday was actually made by me, although it was Laura's name that signed off at the bottom. Indeed, I was the one who wrote that post, although it was Laura who gave me the instructions on exactly what to write. As tough as it was to remember everything she said to do, i don't think I made too many errors. Don't blame her for the short post (or me for that matter), as she's now off in Asia somewhere galumphing about with Julia and my dad. I highly doubt that she'll be posting anytime in the next week, focused on her travel as she is. It's just you and me, Russian robot.
Having missed my post a few days back, Laura assigned me the punishment of listening to some terrible opera music. This would be painful enough if it was simply left at that, as I rather dislike opera. Most people do, I think. The plot lines are too similar, the music all sounds generally the same to my untrained ear, and you don't even understand what's going on half the time. Laura couldn't let me suffer in peace, though. She correctly assumed that I'd try to play the music in the background while distracting myself with something else, and so told me that I couldn't multitask while listening. And so I'm forced to actually concentrate on the songs.
I must admit, I'm bending the rules slightly as we speak. I'm allowing myself to write this post as I listen simply because I want to better convey to you how miserable this music is. You take notes when listening to these things, right Laura? Imagine that I'm trying to do the same thing.
I do believe that I have an easier time listening to this then Laura did. The first and foremost reason for this is that while Laura can clearly hear that the singers in this opera are apparently no good, I cannot. They just sound like all the other opera singers; vaguely bored with forced and yet still almost non-existent emotion.
Indeed the only thing setting this aside from other operas I've heard is it's... unique instrumentals. Apparently when this opera was made they only had about five instruments, and only one was used consistently. To punctuate scene changes, perhaps, or just because the writer of the opera wanted to have a few vaguely interesting parts in their music, a couple string instruments come in and play together every once in awhile. Besides that, the only instrumental noise comes from some gentle strumming on an unknown device. If I didn't know better, I'd say that whoever was playing the notes was just making them up as he or she went along. Let me tell you, after a half hour of that strumming and opera singing it gets rather torturous.
I find myself trying to figure out a plot as I listen. As for characters, I can only pick out the different voices of about four. There's a male voice who sings more then everyone else who I can only assume is the moustachioed dude in the picture shown on the youtube video I'm listening to. The chick with the weird facial expression leaning awkwardly against him must be the girl that sings more then any other female.
There was also another female voice for about thirty seconds, who I'm guessing is the friend or servant of the main female character. Perhaps a dissaproving mother. The lead woman was probably singing of her love for the guy, and whether purposefully or accidentally the other woman happened to hear. I also heard another male voice who was a noticeably worse singer then everyone else come in at one point. I predict a rival lover, or someone that the female lead is supposed to marry but doesn't like. A disapproving father is also very possible. As I said earlier, all of these opera's tend to follow a similar plot line .
From what I've gathered, you always have a girl and a dude who love or pretend to love each other in operas. Then something messes it all up. This is usually in the form of a disapproving friend or relative because the love is forbidden or scandalous. If not, then one of the loving couple's members will think that the other is being unfaithful and that will be what drives a barrier between them. Sometimes they are cheating on the other, sometimes they're not, although the idea of it is all that really matters. To end off the play, somebody dies. Boom, 90% of operas have just been summarized.
All operas have at least a few of those plot points, and I guarantee that this opera does as well. I tried looking it up just now, but found that I couldn't even make it through the plot summaries without getting bored. Perhaps you can help us out, Laura?
I'll keep listening to this opera over the next few days, as much as I don't want to. Be warned, Laura; I gave you a kind "punishment" that would introduce you to some new music, and I didn't even give you any rules or regulations to follow. You thank me by assigning me this torture. But remember, what goes around comes around, and perhaps next time I won't be so lenient in my punishment. You've been warned!

Thanks for reading,

-Mark