This week the entire blogosphere, including Facebook and a variety of other platforms, has been ablaze with a story generated in opera reviews in Great Britain. Apparently, every one of five critics had something to say about one of the character's "body type." Among the comments included:
"Tara Erraught’s Octavian is a chubby bundle of puppy-fat..." Andrew Clark in the Financial Times
"This Octavian (Tara Erraught) has the demeanour of a scullery-maid...." Michael Church in The Independent
"It's hard to imagine this stocky Octavian as this willowy women's plausible lover. Erraught is clearly a hugely promising mezzo, but she seems miscast." Andrew Clements in The Guardian
"Unbelievable, unsightly and unappealing." Richard Morrison in the Times
And the most heinous of them all: "The other problem is Tara Erraught’s Octavian. There is no doubt of the talent of this young Irish mezzo, based in Germany, who sings with vibrant assurance and proves herself a spirited comedian. But she is dumpy of stature and whether in bedroom déshabille, disguised as Mariandel or in full aristocratic fig, her costuming makes her resemble something between Heidi and Just William. Is Jones simply trying to make the best of her intractable physique or is he trying to say something about the social-sexual dynamic?" Rupert Christiansen in The Telegraph
To be totally honest, I find miss Erraught quite attractive. Of course, I'm an "eye-guy" and hers are particularly expressive and beautiful. And, judging from other reviews, she is quite a singer and that's great.
The entire furor boils down to the contention that opera fans tell us that we need to forsake the conventions of theater and simply focus on the voice. We're told that too many are bound up in the current definition of "beauty" (I'm assuming that eating disorders are probably included here). But the question remains: exactly how much of reality are we to suspend?
Ask any group of non-musicians in a typical "music appreciation" course (and I've taught enough of them to almost offer statical data) how many hate opera and almost all hands will go up. Asking how many have actually seen an operatic performance and nearly all the hands go down. Anecdotal evidence indicates that opera has a perception problem. The current generation (our audience of the future) sees the art form as large women attired in horns and breastplates, shrieking in an inaudible language. Oddly enough, there seems to be more affinity for male singers (I think it's a tessitura thing), but still, the prejudices remain.
As for the argument that "it's all about the voice," this just doesn't wash with me. In her later years, Callas had become a caricature of herself; the aging Pavarotti would appear on stage with just about anyone to come across as cool. Very rarely have great singers--like their more wealthy artists on the athletic fields and courts--left the art form in their prime. Exceptions come to mind: Sills, Quasthoff, and a handful of others, but they are in the minority. Many singers--like the Roberta Peters I heard in the late 70s--are just all sung out.
One of my Facebook friends (and we're really friends) repeated much of the furor in a recent post. In his initial post, he wrote:
My response (after several vitriolic agreements): "Much ado about next to nothing. Just another reason opera is out of touch with contemporary culture. As much as I may love the art form, I wonder how much l longer it can last." And his reply: "I dunno, Brian. I think "contemporary culture" is a culture of niches, a culture where all different kinds of culture are allowed to thrive side-by-side, because the internet (and other things) have enabled the "long tail effect," where less popular things can thrive because everything is more accessible. I think the market share of opera may become a little smaller, but opera definitely isn't going anywhere. It's too damn awesome to go anywhere, and has too many rabid fans like me."
I cannot agree. The niche is too small and growing smaller. I recently read that the U.S. isn't even in the top 20 in terms of opera productions per capita (Austria is a strong number one). At the Metropolitan Opera, the budgets have increased 50% since Peter Gelb's ascension to the throne. Current contract negotiations are going to get ugly, as they should: with salary and benefits, the average member of the Met Chorus rakes in $300K. And ticket sales are decreasing at an alarming rate. It's just too damn expensive.
Now before I am slammed as a naysayer, know that I love the opera, ever since my first immersion into the world of Carmen at age 18. The Lansing Opera sponsored a young people's performance in which a speaker came out and explained the ensuing action and the understudies sang in English. My friends and I were so moved (by the spectacle as much as the music?) that we came back for the real deal, with the professional cast singing in Bizet's French. Of course, the language barrier was no problem for us: we knew the story.
Every time I visit Europe I make the opportunity to attend as much opera as I can, for it is not readily available in the Heartland.
- In the 1990's, I experienced my first Wagner (Das Rheingold) at the National Opera in Budapest, one of the most beautiful houses in the world.
- In Prague, I've seen the most performances, including a stirring Boheme at the State Opera and Don Giovanni at the Estates Theater, the very house where Mozart's masterpiece has its premiere.
- I've seen Elektra at the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg.
- I was a guest of the director of the National Opera of Romania for three productions.
And the list could go on.
But, I am quickly approaching the median age of opera and classical music attendees. Very few parents are going to steep their children in these classics (my daughter's first opera was Bergman's Magic Flute on DVD--her choice, not mine). I do fear that the niche for this art form may one day disappear.
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