Koloraturen Review: Five Minutes of Crazy 1930s Opera Singing

Skip this immediately if you hate opera or old, crackly black-and-white clips. But if you want a quick, fascinating 1930s time machine, Koloraturen is absolutely worth five minutes of your day.

It is basicly a music video before music videos were even a thing, featuring the soprano Gitta Alpar just doing her absolute best. People who love historical vocal talents will be glued to the screen, while anyone looking for an actual story will probably throw their remote at the wall.

There is zero plot here, let's be real. Alpar just stands in front of a painted backdrop and sings her heart out.

But man, those vocal runs are wild. She does these insane coloratura trills—hence the title—where her voice bounces around like a pinball.

At one point, she hits this incredibly high note and her eyes widen so much I honestly thought they might pop out. It is a level of theatricality you just do not see anymore.

The sound quality is pretty rough around the edge, which is expected for something this old. You can hear this constant hiss in the background, like a steak sizzling in another room.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Koloraturen (1932) through its definitive frames.

It reminded me a bit of A Master of Music, though that one has slightly more going on visually. This one is just pure, unfiltered Alpar.

There is also this hilarious guy in the background playing the piano. He has this deadpan expression like he would rather be doing his taxes.

I found myself watching his hands and his bored face more than her during the middle section. The camera actually pans slightly to the left at one point, almost like the cameraman got distracted too.

If you have ever stumbled on old shorts like French Dressing, you know how these things go. They were just meant to fill time in theaters, but now they feel like weird little museum pieces.

Alpar's voice is so sharp it could probably crack a modern smartphone screen. Some of the high notes are so piercing they actually made my dog perk up her ears.

Still, you have to respect the raw, unedited talent. No auto-tune, no fancy editing, just a lady and her giant lungs.

It is over before you even have time to get bored. It is not a masterpiece, but it is a cool little artifact that makes you appreciate how weird early sound cinema could be. 🎶