The Science of Opera with Stephen Fry and Alan Davies

What does great art do to our bodies?
In an exciting world first, The Science of Opera with Stephen Fry and Alan Davies saw a team of medical scientists from UCL discovering what happens inside us when we go to the opera.
Opera lover Stephen Fry took his friend, Royal Opera virgin and QI panellist Alan Davies, to the Royal Opera House. They were hooked up with the latest medical gadgetry to record the physical effects on their bodies of watching Verdi's political masterpiece Simon Boccanegra.
The Science of Opera promises some landmark medical discoveries as well as answering some key questions; was Alan Davies won over by opera? Did Stephen Fry get shivers down the spine during the show? Did either of them fall asleep? And what could opera do to you?
www.roh.org.uk

[@mickmickymick6927]

Those hugs were so awkward, but yet it felt like that's how they normally greet each other.

[@misterhoeflak]

Stephen Fry looking mighty dashing with a beard!

[@ninajansson5826]

How does he do it? I know almost nothing of opera and am not that interested, but Stephen Fry made me watch the whole program. I am amazed at how knowledgeable he is in so many different spectra of our world and how we relate to it. I'm starting to fall in love with his mind!

[@lesserwhovian6175]

Spectrums isn't wrong

[@WOLFROY47]

dead easy, if you memorize the script with all the answers on

[@thomaskloos6409]

Spectra would be more correct, I think

[@ninajansson5826]

@@thomaskloos6409 You are right. I stand corrected :-)

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

He is actually just Very Very good at projecting himself as 'clever' I doubt if he knows much more than most of us do in reality.Yes he probably speaks latin better than me, but having seen his efforts on QI I would doubt that too. He has perfected the act, that is all. The more you watch him the more it is obvious. I like the bloke, but Pleeease! he is a showman. He has a gift for diminshing others to promote himself too, by talking down to them and treating them like mental inferiors. which they are not. If he doesn't know about something he changes the subject. It is actually quite offensive. but no one ever challenges him, because he is 'Stephen Fry' the tormented genius! Note when Alan mentioned Flamenco and Duende. He knew exactly what he was talking about, but Fry went off into Mongolian Throat music.! like a schoolboy trying to score points.It was clear he had no frigging clue about either! But he had heard of Throat singing, so he felt safe with that! Ask him about it and see. (the two are p[oles apart by the way.) No one ever does. . He would make a brilliant politician. Dodges everything with skill.

[@Alex-jg2bc]

Oh I just love Alan Davies

[@ShiitakeWarrior]

"If you want to live longer, listen to opera." That actually has a really good ring to it! =D

[@DavidSmith-yx7kn]

Your Golden

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

If you want to live longer and be miserable for all that time Possibly constipated, listen to opera.

[@sapphire962]

In contrast to the top comment whose negative implications soil the mood, I think Alan is wonderful at hugging, that he is a good friend of Frys' and the two of them made a very interesting program out of this. Positivity all the way.

[@8008boot]

dean winchestette I agree completely. I don't necessarily like him in QI, but I found him to be incredibly competent and a joy to watch in this!

[@livedandletdie]

+Ty Webb How dare you not like him in QI, the series would been so much worse without Alan. Sure he is somewhat childish, but he has a positive vibe which is infectious.

[@agnesbazsinka]

Alan is a good comedian, has an uplifting personality (I've seen him only on screen) and I guess he's lovely overall wih a sarcastic twist, which is kinda normal considering the nature of Brit humour :D

[@AechEye]

Stephen Fry is my absolute hero!

[@classiccandle27]

How wonderful. No regrets of watching it at 5am before concert day when we'll perform Mahler and Shostakovich!

[@openmusic3904]

The thing that amazed me beyond belief was not only that Stephen and Alan's heart synchronized, but when plotted on the graph the heart rates increased or decreased with the music. Looking at the graph it was almost as if the lines were depicting the direction of music itself.

[@sameole2005]

I may be missing something here, but doesn't the graph show that their heart rates were different (not in synch) but their rates changed by very similar amounts at very times......

[@runningforest2421]

I love Alan because he is charming I love Stephen because he is smart and Im missing Hugh because he is not here

[@marmeecruz6191]

Love Stephen and his self-deprecating humor. He's witty, intelligent and obviously has a great appreciation for art and culture that he wants to share with us. Kudos, Stephen Fry and more power!

[@mikebarnes5097]

I got a personal tour of the theatre during my first visit to London and the building is one of the most magnificent pieces of architecture I have seen. I even got to walk on stage which was a thrill alone. There are so many hallways that go every which way, it would make it easy to get lost. Great video!

[@Bmoney902]

I'd love to see The Science of Ballet!

[@iopohable]

stephen fry is so glorious

[@jeremyelliot4831]

I love the props on stage.

[@nicosmind3]

As someone who suffers from autonomic dysreflexia, im shocked at how much the autonomic nervous system has been mentioned in this show.

[@PatriciaJimenez-td6ee]

Enjoyed thoroughly this funny but well illustrated document on opera and human emotions. Thank you for that. But was shocked by the fact that the scenario had a very well marked division between the gut sculptures of human parts and the beautiful dresses and colors used in theater! Mind blowing! Although the greatest part was watching Mr Fry reading with broken glasses just like me!! I am in love with this chunk of very smart actor. Thanks again for this program. Oh also in the end I might starting to appreciate opera too!!

[@TeachUBusiness]

Many people believe that opera is some sort of highbrow, inaccessible experience. This probably comes from the operas being presented in a foreign language. One run through an opera like Tosca or La Boheme or Madam Butterfly and anyone can see how digestible these productions are. They were written for the masses before movies and TV. Rent an opera and see for yourself.

[@TeachUBusiness]

André Villela Join our group (facebook.com/ExperienceOpera) I don't sell or advertise anything. You can rent opera DVDs---Amazon has quite a few. For only a few $$$ you can buy some very good ones ($12) Also, they come up on Ebay for cheap very often. So get in there and taste it!

[@eliascristante5306]

Totally true! pure human emotion

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

You are right that it is becauseit is in a foreign language.If you actually hear the lyrics in your own, most of them are rubbish! the arias are the high points,but the rest is crap! 'I am going to the bake'rs!''You are going to the bakers?'Yes! I am going tothe bakers!' ;the Bakers? Yes! The Bakers, the Bakers the bakers! 'They never say 'Can you get me a loaf?'

[@classicalperformances8777]

it especially confuses people when conductors try to "explain" the music. Just play it! we'll get it!

[@majidnba]

Anyone with a sharp eye and palate in eloquence and logic can benefit a lot from this guy. He can teach one to think wildly but voice it systematically. It's just a stab in the datk.

[@michaelmisanthrope]

Thank you for posting this. Fascinating. I am a cross between Fry and Davies and I found this to be Quite Interesting. TeeHee.

[@runningforest2421]

Time goes, these two stay the same.. adorable

[@JacksonCaesar]

Interesting...Might I suggest a book by the late Neurologist, Oliver Sacks: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. After reading this, you might get a different perspective on this documentary.

[@davidjames-maddaford4531]

Outstanding! Intrinsically, I have been “gob-smacked.” Having been a former Operatic Tenor for my career, my thinking had been (and still is ) very much in line with Miss Joyce, However thoughts for and upon why audiences would recall a section in which they mentioned an emotion recalled has now been, even though on an minute scaling. Well done all involved.

[@radash]

I'd be more than happy to volunteer for the goosebump test. I get them all the freaking time when listening to (the right) music! Sometimes for the duration of entire songs. Saw Phantom of the Opera a couple of years ago, and my hair was stood up for like 50% of the entire thing.

[@m0rpheus99]

I listened to this in my headphones, the sound in this vid is superb. Bravo R.O.H

[@tiffanyr.ragsdale2495]

This is really interesting. I always wondered about certain songs, and sets of notes, and how they create chills and goosebumps.

[@AMLowellNY1]

As a singer/actress (everything from folk music to opera ... and comedy to Shakespeare) I found this fascinating.

[@bigludo22]

stephen looks like a history teacher in this

[@baronfonfriz]

Stephen n Alan' love them both' amazing awwww

[@timotje2564]

Rocking the beard for 'The hobbit' looks brilliant

[@Alasil]

The beard was for the play production of Twelfth Night I believe.

[@1truthplease]

Such an interesting conversation, thank you for the upload.

[@a.thomas6317]

Indeed. That is one of the variables that should be explored. Others include the time of the viewing, the length of the opera, or even the effect of dressing up (i.e. attending a gala) vs. going casually dressed.

[@keatsgipsy9991]

Absolutely marvellous conversation ❤️

[@AnHeC]

How could I live before I've discovered this channel?

[@sherlockholmeslives.1605]

I have cried to 2 pieces of music in my sleep, one is the ending to the Rimsky-Korsakov orchestration to Mussorgsky's Night on a Bare Mountain, the melody incorporated into the piece by Rimsky-Korsakov from Mussorgsky's Sorochinsky Fair. The other is to the 2nd Movement, of Beethoven's 5th piano concerto, 'The Emperor' in a bed and breakfast house bedroom in the village of Grasmere in the Lake District.. When I woke from the latter I really wanted to play that music on my Walkman but I did not have it with me. They are the only 2 times that I remember crying to music. Cheers - Mike

[@jsio3820]

This was fantastic! Thank you for this!

[@rgjmce666]

Very interesting to watch this. I do also think that really all is happening with the heart rates is more a change of volume or tempo in the music. I think that's why they were so closely matched to each other

[@JaniceLHz]

I was surmising the same.

[@felix_christopher]

After watching Stephen Fry on this, I can really appreciate the amount of effort, Sandi Torksvig put into re-enacting the speech patterns of Stephen on QI.

[@rufochka1]

i would love for them to also monitor the conductor during the opera performance. Should be interesting to see how the performers, audience and conductor react to the music.

[@theurbangentry]

Amazing video. Thank you so much for sharing. One thing, is it me or does one of the "ologists" look like the dentist chap from Marathon Man?!? Is is safe?!? LOL Best regards, TGV

[@whatsoperadoc7050]

Stephen should rock a full beard year round, even when he makes QI.

[@celanbryant3320]

Mozart in the Jungle brought me here. Thank you for this series.

[@boostedtoglobal]

only stephen fry can make someone listen to something like a podcast about sceince and enjoy it

[@michaeleverest7631]

I like the scene at 7.55 when Stephen is talking and Alan is looking down as it looks like a Father talking to a headmaster with his son sitting behind him!! LOL

[@IronDuke1815]

Blimey, at the beginning of this Stephen seemed to be incredibly nervous, I hope he was alright. Other than that, a thoroughly enjoyable program. :)

[@PollyJuice]

0:44 - the perfect image of a forgetful professor. So cute!

[@leereadman9940]

wonderful fantastic just loved it tfs

[@danielwmwolf]

Wow. Thank you.❤

[@SSSSBBBB81]

Not a big fan of opera but a fan of music in general so learning about what it does to us from Stephen Fry ? Why not lol

[@pashaparmar8690]

Alans too cute

[@TheWildheartmuse]

Shocked at how casually they are dressed! I didn't expect tuxedos but at least a bit less casual. I was raised to respect the work of the actors/players by dressing 'up'. Oh, I am old! Love this program.

[@naganokumas]

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I want to learn. The cerebrum (brain) is our artistic apreciation, planning, outside the box stuff. And our cerebellum (little brain) is the bit that keeps us alive and works on keeping everything going, even while we sleep (breathing, heart pumping, sweating, etc.) This clip suggests that emotions are more strongly attached to the cerebellum than the cerebrum. Should we expect our cerebrum to be on top of basic instincts? That seems to be the conflict we meet.

[@jlee4039]

Great program, but please don't send Alan to Die Meistersinger or even Falstaff! If you wanna hook a newbie, you gotta start with Carmen. It's THE most accessible opera, followed by The Magic Flute, Madame Butterfly, and La Traviata. Then again, Stephen did take him to Simon Boccanegra (seriously?!?) as his first opera, and Alan seemed to enjoy it, so what do I know?

[@reetpeet]

Alan looks tiny! Although I have stood near to Stephen, and he's like a GIANT!! ;o) x

[@bessiethecow126]

I live in Kansas City. This makes me want to go see an opera at the Kauffman Center.

[@annemariefleming]

A good choice for a newbie opera-goer would be something like Don Pasquale or La Fille du Regiment, both easily understood, tuneful, light and joyful.

[@lelandd.295]

To make this study more substantial they would need to test many people of similar physiology while listening to many different types of music. I love Opera, but I also love pop music from the 80's. Does listening to one type of music have a greater physical effect than another? What effects are seen when listening to an opera which is full of emotion, especially sad emotion, like La Boheme, as opposed to a comedy? What differences are seen when listening to Heavy Metal vs. Wagner? Before you can really declare these assumptions with certainty, you must test more types of music. That being said, this was very interesting, especially that their BP were exact opposites through the opera and that their heart rates, although one was more rapid, followed the same pattern. Interesting.

[@aeromodeller1]

It would be interesting to compare the responses of different personality types.

[@flashgordonrocks]

I love Stephen and Alan

[@Ratedteen]

Did anyone else notice John sessions in the audience?

[@naganokumas]

Thank you.

[@tobyjack9608]

Thank you for giving me peak of their cloud :)

[@areyouoka]

Brilliant !

[@-Gorbi-]

16:14 "... made too show off his moobs as well". Lol I didn't notice until stephen pointed it out

[@KRIS-gr5hn]

must it be specifically Opera? or is Classical music enough... I love that.

[@garnettearledge9173]

Astounding. I'm going to sync my love for life with love of opera.

[@rosemorris7912]

Stephen just gives himself over to the experience totally, while Alan pays close attention to the action.

[@skaduskitai8721]

It's the brainstem, not the cerebellum that is sort of the 'control center' for the autonomous nervous system. The cerebellum is mainly about coordinating muscular activity, without it we would still breath and so but we would be terribly slow and clumsy. And yes, the limbic system is way more effective at controlling things like heart rate, sweat e.t.c. than the cortex is, if that's what you mean with your question. I think the limbic system is technically a part of cerebrum though.

[@prayandr]

Ppl mention wagners operas as somewhat inaccessible to newcomers but imho that really only applies to his later works. Id have no problem recommending tannhauser or der fliegende hollander to a newbie

[@akechijubeimitsuhide]

I did see Tannhäuser with a bunch of total newbies back in high school, and they all said they enjoyed it. I was already something of a veteran :D

[@Monkofmagnesia]

Fry was clean shaven when he watched the opera and has a full grown goatee when discussing the results. Did it take over a month to get the results in?

[@RoyalOperaHouse]

Hi, Stephen and Alan watched the opera in July and then the live event was in September. It really did take 2 months to analyse all the data! Thanks for watching.

[@gerardducharme6400]

As a scientist, I can concur that data verification takes a long time. My current research is currently working on quantifying our "day 1" sample while the experiment is already on day 20.

[@4Greyhounds]

An additional FYI, it's a Van Dyke. A Goatee has no moustache.

[@johannescuellar9021]

I volunteer for any subsequent studies!!

[@srothbardt]

Lenny Bernstein would just LOVE this! He barely put up with “science.”

[@trythinkingforachange4201]

Very interesting but the sound level is too low. I had to play it at max level to hear.

[@tobyjack9608]

These two are sooo allowed on my cloud :)

[@kwb60]

His next opera must be il Trovatore!!! It's just the BEST opera plot ever!!! Plus anvils!!!

[@ErianTrotland]

looking sharp with a beard

[@ChristinaGina]

Fry is amazing. So funny. Love this experiment. Amazing

[@lilletrille8998]

This was Qi - quite interesting!

[@ninelcond3275]

Love Opera!!! Fry was perfect for Oscar and love how he and Chris swept the floor with those below average theist!

[@SunriseWaterLily]

I would've suggested Bizet's Carmen to Alan since he likes Spain, Andalucía and Flamenco! I wonder what he thought about Salome though because when I saw it a few months ago here in Hannover, I thought this is the best Opera in history!! I was completely sucked into the world of it for the whole 2 hours...

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

Written by a man who had Never been to Spain! Shall we pass on that?

[@elenaxanthoudakisopera9279]

I would volunteer!

[@Lucifers-Stepdad]

So the opera is basically Oldboy?

[@Greseknoen]

Stephen Fry looks like Dutch-born, Swedish troubadour Cornelis Vreeswjiik.

[@dewaynewoods4788]

It's amazing how much Alan looks like Jesse Eisenberg at 16:09.

[@WOLFROY47]

stephen pointed out, the danger of being microchipped, and being monitored remotely by wi fi, the thought police, the last bit, of making the book compleat

[@RICKANDDIANNE]

Bravo

[@gagu8942]

I do wish he would be clean shaven more often in things like this. He's a bit too attractive with the goatee and it detracts from his words... But seriously, great segment, great motivator to go and make me find out if there's somewhere in a nearby city where I can buy a ticket to see something.

[@richarddavis5041]

Would like to see their reaction to Mdm Butterfly.

[@bshscly7020]

WHAT was the piano piece he played???

[@sameole2005]

I may be missing something here, but doesn't the graph show that their heart rates were different (not in synch) but their rates changed by very similar amounts at very similar times......?

[@bas8116]

I don't recall ever having cried or even tears welling to a piece of music. Often happens when I'm reading a story or watch a play or film though. I have had it when watching a landscape on occasion. probably something wrong with me.

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

Nope. we all react differently.You obviously work better with visual stimulii I was brought up on classical music; the kids at school laughed at me and treated me like I was weird because I didn't know pop songs. In actual fact it was their loss, because although I am no musician, once I did start to hear different genres I could not get enough. They are still stuck listening to the crap they heard as kids. And landscapes have made me cry too! Those are the memories!

[@andrenewcomb3708]

Opera is more vibrato than percussive. . .that is, constant contact rather than moments between tones. A bit like a caress excepting that the sound is penetrating/contact.

[@tjitse3916]

Interesting stuff, can't help feeling odd the first time I saw Alan Davies involved in this, too used to seeing him as the QI dummy. xD

[@rickhenderson2970]

Gosh, their heart rates were high! I wear a Fitbit and listening to music mine tends to drop and even out at between 50-55... but Stephen's was mid-80s up to 95? Listening to music? Wow! Mine doesn't even get that high when I'm doing most housework!

[@JaniceLHz]

Congratulations on having a fit cardiovascular system. :-) Some of us who are sedentary do unfortunately have resting heart rates in the 80-95 range.

[@classicalperformances8777]

"opera is what happens when miraculously things fail to go wrong:-) Terry Pratchett

[@FACELOWNER]

39:15 is that Johnny Sessions I see in the audience.?

[@peterdekker8545]

Yes, that's definitely him.

[@HENJAM48]

I have to confess I misread the title. i thought they were discussing the Science of Oprah... Still good... :)

[@AnnetteBond]

Anyone else accidentally read the title as "The Science of Oprah?"🤔 Perhaps it was just me.😂

[@Monkofmagnesia]

Two years later and that was what I originally thought it read

[@herbieshine1312]

Possibly the only good thing that has resulted from lockdown/ tiers is the amount of Stephen Fry videos I've found to watch and rejoice over. Oh how I wish I could spend time in his company. What a joyous delightful gentleman he is!

[@mooneyes2k478]

Interesting cut there, right at the beginning. Stephen Fry is alone on stage, cut to the audience, suddenly there are three men seated behind the table...

[@ErichBaltzellProductions]

I grew up in Kansas City and I didn't know that xD