In this lighthearted opera, some meows are long and drawn out and others are quick and similar to real cat sounds.
Cats are known for being fluffy, cute and ...notorious. They warm the cockles of our hearts when they decide to choose their humans and stick with them through thick and thin. For ages, felines have also served as muses for artists, poets, and musicians. Thanks to them, we have some of the best artistic creations like Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s 1887 art, Julie Manet (Child with Cat), Broadway plays like Cats, and T. S. Eliot's Macavity the Mystery Cat. One of the most intriguing examples of 1800s opera pieces is Duetto buffo di due Gatti which is a rather peculiar composition with uncertain roots. The literal English translation of this opera is Funny Duet for Two Cats. Previously, Duetto buffo di due Gatti has been variously credited to Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse, Gioachino Rossini, and Robert Lucas de Pearsall.
In a viral YouTube video that has garnered the attention of over 2 million netizens, two choir boys can be seen performing this lighthearted opera. They do nothing except meow in a melodious manner. Some meows are long and drawn out whereas others are quick and very similar to real sounds made by a cat. The musical meows are accompanied by a person playing the piano on stage.
We can even hear some of the audience laughing but it’s pretty evident that they are enjoying the music. According to My Modern Met, there is no official credit given to anyone for composing this hilarious meowing opera. However, it’s assumed by many that the piece was originally written by the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, who wrote the comedic opera, The Barber of Seville. Someone also believes that the feline-inspired tune was composed by another person but is based on Rossini's 1816 opera, Otello.
As the two young boys continue meowing throughout the performance with straight faces, we can’t help but laugh out loud at how funny it sounds. Several YouTube comments pointed out that one boy was perfectly holding his composure whereas another one was trying really hard to hide not flash a smirk mid-performance.
According to Barihunks, the opera performance is actually from Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois, who were presenting a concert in Seoul, Korea in 1996. The dark-haired boy from the video is Régis Mengus is now a 32-year-old opera singer and used to be a childhood internet sensation.
Among thousands of comments on YouTube, @user-dn9oj4um2m wondered, “I’m just trying to imagine how it was for these boys’ families when they rehearsed this.” Another @coachlover1000 wrote: “The boys' voices are so beautiful but so damn funny! Gives me goosebumps, whilst pissing myself laughing! Meeeooowww!"
These boys sure deserve a pat on their backs for delivering a performance with pure dedication that is funny enough to make us die of laughter. Check out their performance below.
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