#opera discourse

[rayatii]

Got a video on my YouTube recommended titled "A Guide to Verdi's Problematic Opera That Aged... Poorly", and the opera in question is Rigoletto. I am not sure to which degree I agree. Let's discuss?

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

Regietheater or Werktreue - What Should Be the Role of Directors in Opera? - Opera Wire

In a 2019 article, Lynn René Bayley castigated modern opera for its “bastardization” of its sacred origins. She declared that the post-moder

alright peeps what do we think about this

[afemalesebastian]

One more Opera Discourse post:

If anyone wants to learn more about opera or is interested in watching one and doesn't know where to start, I would be DELIGHTED to be your Beatrice and guide you into this beautiful new world. Hit me up!

[afemalesebastian]

Opera discourse Hot Take:

I don't think performing operas in translation actually makes more people want to see them, and I don't think it makes them better.

I personally haven't gone to any operas by the local opera company in my city in large part because they're all performed in English *with projected English captions*. At that point.....why not just perform them in the original languages with English captions? Then people for whom it is important to know literally what's happening line by line can read along, and people for whom the original language and text setting is important are catered to, as well.

Like. Is Gounod's "Ah, je veux vivre" going to be measurably more cute and charming because it's in English? Isn't that what the singer's acting is supposed to convey?

This is a fairly basic staging of "Ah, Je veux vivre" from Gounod's Romeo and Juliette that would be doable for most opera companies (there's nothing unreasonably excessive or complicated going on here; set-wise, it's pretty sparse). But the singer's interpretation does a fantastic job of showing Juliette's excitement and happiness, her joy at being young and pretty and getting to go to a fancy party. There's not even a question of who this character is! Like, she's pretty clearly The Lead, and The Lead in Romeo and Juliet is Juliet. Every opera I've ever been to has had a pretty detailed synopsis included in the printed program, as well. So there shouldn't be any major confusion about the action?

For me it kind of boils down to this great tweet:

Just watch it, and information is revealed. It is the job of singers to convey through their acting and set designers and costumers through their art and directors through their, well, directing, who is who and what is happening. The composer has already done most of the work for you!

Especially if your opera company has the means to project translated supertitles, I don't think there's a reason to sing in translation. 🤷‍♀️

[winslowleachthecomposer]

i'd wish timmy swisschalet a very "go to hell" but i'd rather not have that kind of company

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

anyway @carlodivarga-s and I are having discourse about Le prophète on Twitter and it is amazing