# A Growing Number Of Perverse Operagoers



## Xavier (Jun 7, 2012)

Last week culture and classical music blogger A.C. Douglas wrote the following in his blog:



> It never occurs to these perverse souls (or perhaps it's the very thing that does occur to them) that any staging of an opera - any opera - that requires unpacking in order to be understood is the very definition of what it means to be perverse as it reduces the music to the level of a mere soundtrack to the drama.



You can read the whole entry here:

http://www.soundsandfury.com/soundsandfury/2013/08/the-death-of-opera.html

I couldn't have said it better myself and it perfectly sums up what I find so incredibly annoying about many "progressive" opera fans today.

What is your view of this situation?


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## Xavier (Jun 7, 2012)

One opinion I have in general is that there's FAR TOO MUCH tinkering over the past few decades with the settings, costumes, etc. of stage productions. How about just setting the opera in the time and place it was meant to be set in - and doing a great job with that task? I say, *"get back to the basics!"*


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## rborganist (Jan 29, 2013)

I agree with Cerendy; as much fun as it can be to see Rigoletto set in New York City in the 1920s with Sparafucile as a gangster, I think it is unnecessary to "update" such a work. Directors are far too focused on trying to be "original"--whatever theymean by that--and not sufficiently focused on what makes opera great: the combination of music and drama (not to mention the visual arts in set and costume design). Fortunately, the great operatic masterworks can survive such nonsense. However, as an average operagoer, I would much rather see Rigoletto set in whatever century Verdi settled on (to avoid trouble with the censors) and let the director concentrate on teaching the singers to act (it can be done) and letting the music and the words speak for themselves. Directors should remember that the audience is not there to see their concept of the opera; they are there to hear the music and the musicians take priority. In the case of most operas, the audience is also not there to hear the orchestra, but to hear the singers, and conductors should remember that and not overpower the singers. Conductors who want the orchestra to produce an ocean of sound should go to the concert hall and conduct a symphony. Even Wagner's orchestra should not overpower the singers (at Bayreuth the orchestra is under the stage); his works are really concerti for voices and orchestra. I also agree with Cerendy's point about costumes; if I want to see people in modern dress, all I have to do is look around the theatre; on the stage I want the costumes and sets to transport me to another time and place while the singers and the orchestra tell the story.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

The very definition of perverse eh? I would think that would involve latex or a live squid or something.

What is people's problem with unpacking? It's like people have forgotten what it is to be a kid and the joy of unwrapping presents, the surprise and pleasure of something new. Instead an opera must be blatant and obvious at first glance. Art reduced to mere entertainment, pleasantly palatable and unsurprising.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

the death of opera will come when people stop going/listening. Until then, chacun a son gout.


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

deggial said:


> the death of opera will come when people stop going/listening. Until then, chacun a son gout.


Regie directors staging crappy operas using the piece as a stepping stone for theater fame and fortune and not caring about the material, or obviously hating it even, will be a reason for people not going to the opera as often. I avoid them like the plague.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

How does creating a crappy product act as a stepping stone?


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

quack said:


> How does creating a crappy product act as a stepping stone?


I think he means the buzz around the opera production will help said director get notoriety within the theatre community (since directing opera might be considered lesser than directing spoken theatre).

my first experiences with opera were through regie productions (some of which I liked, some I did not) and they have not deterred me. This is the order of things needed to get me into the opera house:

1. an opera that I love or like
2. singers that I love or like
3. travel feasibility
4. a conductor that I trust
5. a new production (regie or traditional is not an outright issue, but I would like a new production of some sort as opposed to one that's been around for 30-40 years and probably appears in many DVDs)

if the first 3 conditions are in place I will barely worry about the next 2, although they will effect my enjoyment to some degree.


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

I think it's just a case of the depends. The new Met production of Rigoletto set in 60s mob-ruled Vegas was terrific fun and went over well. That being said, I also enjoy the traditional setting just fine.

If the producer or director or whomever is too obsessed with making noise or blowing smoke, then it's very easy to screw up a superb original opera setting. But if the reimaging is clever and shows genuine respect for the original, it can be a treat and will add some variety to the performance.

I've seen opera re-makes that get in the way of the original content, almost seem to have disdain for it. I bought this Giovanni DVD with Keenlyside (whose singing was excellent) but the staging was awful. The terrific statue scene was replaced by this idiotic little voodoo figurine into which the Don put his hand, like someone reaching through the portal of a new Dyson fan. I've not watched that DVD since.

The small company in which I performed did a re-set of Giovanni, into early 20th century Mexico during the revolution, where the Don was a rich uncaring landowner and we poor peasants in the chorus revolted. At the end, instead of his being dragged down to hell, we came in wearing masks and put Don against the wall, shooting him with our stage rifles as part of the revolution. Kinda sappy. But at least, at the final rehearsal, we all did show up wearing custom t-shirts, "I Shot Don Giovanni" -- I've still got mine, a fine keepsake.

If a producer / director seems to be always shouting "Look at me! Look at how creative I am!" I know I'm in for a rough ride.

Sometimes re-imaging works, sometimes it doesn't. Depends.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

I don't object to updating an opera or changing the sets from the original location as long as the production isn't merely a collection of ridiculously arbitrary gimmicks . The recent Met Rigoletto was not objectionable because it wasn't merely stupid , unlike the new Bayreuth Ring , which appears to have been an unmitigated disaster . 
Dressing some of the chorus as rats in the recent Byreuth Lohengrin was ludicrous , as well as the decaying dead rabbits and topless overweight black women in the recent Parsifal there was just plain stupid .
And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the preposterous shenanigans there and elsewhere in Europe .


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

quack said:


> How does creating a crappy product act as a stepping stone?


By appearing avant garde and adventurous, turning a majestic opera into crap may sway those shallow and forlorn souls who are impressed by crap but treat it like innovative originality (e.g. regie theater), and make the director's reputation (he or she hopes), leading to the assignments that he or she desires. Also, it's easier than hard work, competence, true inspiration, respect for the audience and knowledge and respect for the work being staged. I consider that to be an immanent problem. That is what I meant.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I think productions like the current Met RIGOLETTO need to be relatively rare; sometimes we need updated or eccentric productions to "shake us up" and highlight certain aspects of an opera we tend to take for granted. But productions like that should be the exception, not the rule. Years ago in OPERA NEWS, Placido Domingo stated that young (or even older) opera-goers "coming to" an opera for the first time _need first and foremost to be captivated by the story _ -- and that means experiencing the opera in its original setting, with no elaborate updatings. He said that only when one knows the opera in its original form can one then really understand an updated presentation of it. I think this makes perfect sense; however, I do acknowledge that some of these modern directors seem more concerned with expressing their own neuroses, etc. than with illuminating an opera for an audience.


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## Eschbeg (Jul 25, 2012)

An opera director's creative license with, say, Verdi and Boito's _Otello_ isn't much more bothersome to me than Verdi and Boito's creative license with Shakespeare's _Othello._


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