The Future of Opera

[Norman]

I also live in Indonesia and have a few opera loving friends here, but as you say, not much to listen to around here.

[Nullifidian]

I can't believe I missed this thread until now! Yikes!
(considering I'm known as Opera-Gal in the blogosphere)

As host of What's Opera, Doc, I deal with trying to bring opera to regular people all the time.

There is no quick solution, and I applaud Peter Gelb (Met) for bringing opera into the movie theaters - the fact that EVERY SINGLE TICKET has sold says a lot about the demand.

I hate to pour cold water on this, but I have no idea why they're claiming every single ticket has been sold. When I've been there, in Lenexa, KS, there's been no problem getting tickets at all, and the theatre is about half full.

My understanding (which is culled from reading and opera-l) is that Opera in Europe/UK is more accepted as a popular art form, and that only here in the states has it been elevated to a "hoi-polloi" art form.

True, but it wasn't always a popular form. The interest in it eclipsed through the 1960s and 1970s (as did anything associated with bourgeois culture), and I hope we are going through just a temporary eclipse, but I am depressed to see is general managers doing the same things over and over again.

I think if I had my way, I'd go around every season and ask ourselves "Why are we doing this?" and "What do we really want to see?" rather than trying to get people to come to the umpteenth revival of Madama Butterfly and expecting to make a case to them why they should see it if we cannot make it to ourselves.

Perhaps I'm overly cynical, but at this point weighing my options, all my music professors want me to pursue singing, and yet I'm just thinking what a terrible and unrewarding slog I'm going to have.

[zlya]

I don't think the answer is in changing the repertoire. I mean, I don't want to see an opera about real life, here and now. I get enough of that just living! For me, opera is about escapism, huge, grandiose, gorgeous escapism to a world where people sing their emotions while time stands still. I want huge sets! I want red velvet curtains! I want black tie! To me, THAT is opera. I have no interest in seeing a minimalist production of random sixties politics and druggies. Give me Madame Butterfly any day.

Ok, so we want to make more people come. How do the Proms work? I know its not opera, but I saw thousands of people standing in line for hours to see classical music, real classical music, not modern art music. Is it just the cheap tickets? I would think one of the major obstacles to seeing opera for most people is the price. At least, that's the main reason I don't see more. (Well, that and living in South Korea, where I hear there are some opera performances somewhere, but certainly not in my little town).

[Nullifidian]

I don't write minimalist music, so my 1960s opera cycle would not be minimalist. And when you have people blowing up the U.S. Capitol building, I'd certainly say those are some big emotions.

I was using Butterfly as an example, and if you like it I'm sure there's no reason why you can't see it. I travel to get my fill of modern operas, and I've seen half a dozen this year, but I could have seen, in that time, twenty separate productions of Madama Butterfly alone in the USA. I did see one, which had all the traditional Orientalist cant and all the burden to justify why I should see this was shifted to the outreach department, not decided ahead by the opera board. I don't want to ban Madama Butterfly (although I'd be happy to not see it again in my life), but merely change the way we look at opera so that every season can be a journey of (re)discovery.

I do not think American opera companies should go on producing Madama Butterfly forever without addressing Said's critiques of Orientalism and America's own treatment of the people of Asia, nor without addressing challenges from people who would like to see other things produced (Chausson's Le Roi Arthus, for example, would be a wonderful piece to produce). The way the operas I see now go is that they are derivative of stagings produced 100 years ago, and do not address the changing moods and opinions (including political as well as aesthetic opinions) of the audience. It's the most reactionary art for I've ever seen.

[zlya]

I don't write minimalist music, so my 1960s opera cycle would not be minimalist.

Sorry, by "minimalist production" I didn't meant the music would be minimalist, I meant the PRODUCTION would be minimalist. In some earlier posts people were mentioning that they wanted simpler sets and costumes. That's what I meant by minimalist--almost empty stages with the actors all in nondescript black.

Now that I think about it, such a production style does work for some operas--Bluebeard's Castle springs immediately to mind.

I didn't mean modern operas are all bad, and I certainly have no way of knowing the quality of yours. However, at the end of the day, I hear about politics and terrorism every day in the news, and of course they contain lots of strong emotions. But when I go to the opera, I want to get away from all of that. I want fantasy.

I was using Butterfly as an example, and if you like it I'm sure there's no reason why you can't see it.

There is. Money. Both travel and tickets cost serious amounts.

I do not think American opera companies should go on producing Madama Butterfly forever without addressing Said's critiques of Orientalism and America's own treatment of the people of Asia,

That's an interesting point. Actually, Miss Saigon came to Korea last month. (Ok, musical not opera, but same story) I didn't get a chance to see it--money and travel again--but from what I heard they played it straight, focusing on the love story rather than the politics.

Hmm. Maybe I just don't like politics. Never did care for 20th C history. I suppose it's just a matter of opinion.

Personally, I love the glamour and decadence of the 19th C repertoire and fin de siecle inspired stagings. I guess there are those who don't.

[CMB]

Nullifidian - would like to hear your views on The Last Emperor.