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Commentary, June 2008
The first job of opera is . . . can you guess?
“To be or not to be, that is the question,” Hamlet asked in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name.
We might ask the same of this genre we call opera: “To leave it be, or not to leave be, that is the question.”
God knows, directors are constantly looking for new ways to present centuries-old stories. Some, as we noted last month, go too far; others, don’t go far enough as we suggest in this month's feature on Carlisle Floyd's "Susannah." A couple years ago eyebrows were raised when English National Opera gave us the controversial, “Gaddafi: A living Myth.” One might argue, what’s the difference between this and Handel’s “Giulio Ceasar” in the hands of, say, someone like Peter Sellars? Whether old or new, in the wrong hands, new productions can be disastrous. Audiences can be funny that way.
Contemporary composers, also have an influence on the future of opera, and just as directors, they can sometimes venture into the extremes. Take, for example, the case where a composer combines classically trained voices with a contemporary Hip Hop sound and creates a hybrid called “Hip Hopera,” thinking this will bring in younger audiences. The most recent we know of being produced by the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto. “Deconstruction-Reconstruction: A Hip-Hopera for DJs and Operatic Voices.” It’s the story of the challenges faced by an interracial couple . . . ho hum.
In spite of the rather large failure rate of new productions, we like to spread the word here of new operas because we appreciate the fact that composers and companies, that can afford it, are trying to expand the base. That’s why we promote new productions like, “Madame White Snake,” “The Fly,” “The Minotaur,” “Bonesetter’s Daughter,” “The First Emperor,” and “Appomattox,” to name a few that have been featured on our pages. Like everyone else, we’re always interested in seeing if one of the many new productions catches on and ignites an audience’s imagination and makes it onto the short list of standard opera repertory.
Few do, because few contemporary composers understand what an audience likes, and if they do understand, they seem to think that what the audience likes is pedantic and far too simple-minded for them to lend their GREAT talent or waste their valuable time. Apparently, audience just don't "get" the brilliance of what composers are trying to do with their abstract, grating sounds. Melody, to some cpmposers, is so unhappening. Apparently, profits are too.
Still, the effort is being made. The problem is, while much of what is new just doesn’t catch on, a fair amount of what is old, really needs to change to stay current with contemporary audiences. For years, we have argued that trouser roles, vocal styles like the countertenor, and the ascending and descending, staccato sixteenth vocal scales popular in the Baroque era, just don’t sell to young audiences. The sound doesn’t fit with the times and some compositions can stand -- well, modifications.
We note that the Met recently brought back a scaled down and limited run version of Tan Dun’s musically challenged “The First Emperor,” and from what we’ve read, while the overly-long opera has been cut some 30 minutes (It now runs a little over two hours plus, less intermissions) nothing has been done to fix the horrendous score – and that’s a shame. And remember Anthony Davis' much anticipated "Amistad?" Yeah, one production cycle at Chicago Lyric and it died, much like we think is going to happen to Tan Dun's multi-million dollar flop, "First Emreror."
It seems to us here at OperaOnline.us that whether it's a new productions or old, those who fund opera still don’t get it. To borrow a phrase: it‘s the music stupid! You can change the era and modernize the costumes all you want, but the music has to appeal to a large audience to be counted a success to ensure not just its own survival but the future of this art form with a new generation. Hip-Hopera isn’t the answer, and neither is much of what we hear passing for musical compositions today in the form of contemporary, modern, challenging and musically and melodically defiocient opera. Solid composition and pleasing scores are what bring audiences in and keep them coming back. Broadway composers have understood this for a long time; opera composers, seem not to care – or maybe they just don’t have the talent.
The first job of opera, to answer the above, is to entertain the audience with memorable musical numbers. Or are we too pedantic in even bringing it up?
