The Daily Beast: When Michael Marcotte did the best show of his life his friends hated it. When Kamala Sankaram wanted to be a composer her parents made her do a practical masters degree. When Beth Morrison realized she'd rather produce opera than sing in it, she found nobody wanted to work by her revolutionary new model. They are just three of the bright young things of the opera renaissance in New York City: a generation of performers disillusioned by Broadway musicals, gambling their careers on producing contemporary opera.
8 comments:
This makes me feel incredibly lucky, that I get to be alive on the brink of an artistic revolution. I respect classic artistic interpretations, but I also believe that the point of art is to glance to the past while moving stalwartly into the future. Seeing this transformation of the operatic culture feels like I am watching the Beat Poetry movement begin, or being present for the birth of Jazz. Music, theatre, literature and culture have always existed and, with a few exceptions, they continue to use the same tools as ever. This cultural transformation is all about how an artist learns to use them. I like the blending of genres, and the fresh views that Opera newcomers can bring into a sometimes lethargic medium. Paying homage to tradition while being on the cutting edge of design, theatrical style is what creating art is really about, and is something all of us, especially here at Carnegie Mellon, strive to do.
For a long period of my life, I had never seen an opera production. In my mind it was often something that I was not meant to see, for some reason. As I got older, I started to begin to attend opera events, and slowly began to like them. I like this article because it bridges the gap for me between opera and business, something I’m interested I’m in. Producing is a fascinating part of the industry, something that we often don’t get to hear about. It was wonderful to hear about in relationship to opera as well. Overall, it is delightful to hear that opera is changing. The art form has upheld such a rigid tradition for numerous years. To see them adapting gives me hope for current audiences. It is not necessary for all entertainment organizations to adapt for the young adult audience, however it can certainly help.
When people say, "Opera is boring," I get really offended. You simply can't shut out an entire genre of performance. Yeah, I've seen some boring operas, but I've seen some really cool ones (Il Mondo della Luna anyone?). And while I haven't been to the MET, I don't think I would be bored. Last year, I commented on an article about making opera relevant again, and I'm happy to see some really passionate individuals trying to make that happen. One thing that I didn't realize when I was comparing Broadway and opera is that the standard opera doesn't include anything past 1924. I really don't know why. Is opera trying to maintain a "classical" approach to its art form? Because they're shutting themselves out to a field where writers, musicians, and artist could really shine. Why aren't we using media design and other technological achievements in classical operas today? Are we that stuck in the past? Anyway, it makes my heart soar that this art form has gained a breath of fresh air, and I look forward to seeing one in the future.
This article has proved my tastes wrong; I've always strayed away from opera, probably because I always thought it painfully dull and required too much of my time for not a lot of understanding. I do, however, love the fact that young artists are taking to opera and making it their own, especially by producing new operas that appeal to the tastes of citizens their age. I think when we heard the word 'opera' we immediately see Lincoln Center, a bunch of fat people, and songs that are sung so impossibly high and fast that we cannot bear to listen to them anymore. Not to mention that most of these operas are in an entirely different language. The word, I think, needs a bit of a make-over. Hell, even some of our musicals have a very opera or operetta type feel! Take Rent or Jesus Christ Superstar for example; there's little to no dialogue, yet every absolutely loved it. People need to stop holding their noses so high up about the old opera and start to embrace the revolution. I'd love to see an opera that engages me, rather than puts me to sleep. No matter how high the quality supposedly is.
"The hip new operatic age is upon us." This article characterizes a much broader event that is spreading throughout America - progress in the form of an artistic revolution. Interestingly, new operas are rising up from composers of a much younger age, than the traditional, older (and seemingly wiser), writers. These changes will further the popularity of opera, allowing it to become more accessible and understandable to new generations of theatre-goers. Personally, I have yet to attend an opera (in so far that I can actually remember), but since reading this article, I would love to travel to NYC and attend one of these new operas, written by a youthful, emerging composer, filled with performers who are both young, old, classically, and Broadway-trained (per say), allowing myself to experience the birth of a new generation of opera - one of inclusion of the masses.
Kevin Paul (54-102 :: A, Acting 1, Cameron Knight)
I’ve never seen an opera performance before, but I know the reputation that they hold of being old, kind of stuffy, and only appealing to older (and wealthier) audiences. That is why this new kind of opera is so exciting to me- I hope these new imaginations can create something outside of the old opera sphere. I think what the author says about the name “opera” is very true. She points out that by labelling something an “opera,” expectations and assumptions are made that relate back to the older understanding of what opera is. However, with all of these new artists breaking the box, I hope that they can redefine what audiences perceive as “opera” without the use of a prefix or suffix becoming necessary. It may be a slow process, but I hope that with new ideas and a rush of modern influence they can change the perception of an “opera” performance so drastically that it becomes something unexpected.
One thing this article made me aware of was what was defined as the standard repertoire of operas, which was any work before 1924. Surely though, there are multiple places that have put on operas that go beyond that date, but then again when I hear of the term opera I do think in the classic sense. When I was in Paris I had the opportunity to go and see an opera at the Palais Garnier. As seeing that I was mainly there to watch theatre and opera wasn’t really one of the things I wanted to see, I passed it up. Much of what is stated is very relevant, because unless you don’t know what opera is about, it can be a deterrent. So I think it would be interesting to see what this opera renaissance is all about in New York. It could definitely be one of the types of performances that could change how I view opera as a whole.
I’m currently on my personal journey of making opera cool. I am working on my first opera here at CMU, and it has definitely been an incredible learning opportunity! These images in the article speak over thousands of words: the bright, colorful, and bursting photos show that these contemporary operas are not afraid to stray away from the traditional constructs of their stereotyped predecessors. This article touches on the history of opera, and what opera looks like in different places in the world today. I was particularly curious about the puppet operas- and what those may look like, and what makes them special enough to earn their own categorical title. “It’s a very equal combination of live music, puppetry, and spectacle. But not an opera,” says Scott. “That word carries too much specific form, and there’s so much spoken text that is lyrical, but aren’t lyrics themselves.”
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