Opera management-related rant
Oct. 12th, 2013 02:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
albadgerWent last night to see Falstaff at the SF Opera, in the company of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
progbear. A great performance, with a nifty production, marred slightly by the soubrette's illness (she couldn't continue after the break, so we all waited 90 minutes while they trucked in another soprano, who sang from brook on the side while the original performer mimed the part), and my own ails (left leg spent the last act screaming in agony & drowning out the singers, at least for me). Which has nothing to do with the rant. Here's the rant.
2013 is the 200th anniversary of Verdi's birth, and is also the 200th anniversary of Wagner's birth (also Benjamin Britten's 100th but that's off-topic). SF Opera is doing Falstaff this year, and also the Flying Dutchman, and they say that this is "in celebration of the 200th birthday of our operatic geniuses." And I'm all like, no, it's not, you cows. These are central rep operas that you would be doing in any case. Now, if you were to do Giovanna d'Arco, like Chicago Opera Theater did, or die Feen like Leipzig, now that would be in celebration... but chestnuts? When all you do lately is chestnuts. To quote Jon Stewart, don't fart and point at the dog.
Rant complete. Return to regular programming. Tonight I usher at a play!
progbear. A great performance, with a nifty production, marred slightly by the soubrette's illness (she couldn't continue after the break, so we all waited 90 minutes while they trucked in another soprano, who sang from brook on the side while the original performer mimed the part), and my own ails (left leg spent the last act screaming in agony & drowning out the singers, at least for me). Which has nothing to do with the rant. Here's the rant.2013 is the 200th anniversary of Verdi's birth, and is also the 200th anniversary of Wagner's birth (also Benjamin Britten's 100th but that's off-topic). SF Opera is doing Falstaff this year, and also the Flying Dutchman, and they say that this is "in celebration of the 200th birthday of our operatic geniuses." And I'm all like, no, it's not, you cows. These are central rep operas that you would be doing in any case. Now, if you were to do Giovanna d'Arco, like Chicago Opera Theater did, or die Feen like Leipzig, now that would be in celebration... but chestnuts? When all you do lately is chestnuts. To quote Jon Stewart, don't fart and point at the dog.
Rant complete. Return to regular programming. Tonight I usher at a play!
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no subject
Date: 2013-10-13 04:38 am (UTC)Glad you enjoyed FALSTAFF!
no subject
Date: 2013-10-15 11:43 pm (UTC)The hip trendy thing these days is to cut intermissions out -- but they serve a vital purpose, and not just for the concession stand!
no subject
Date: 2013-10-15 11:49 pm (UTC)Lots of people need that.
And who wants to have to leave a beloved performance right in the middle to go to the bathroom?
There needs to be intermissions!