David McVicar directed a production of Händel's Giulio Cesare at Glyndebourne in 2005. It starred Sarah Connolly and Danielle de Niese, and was set in 19th-century colonial Egypt. Some kind soul uploaded a complete version of it to YouTube, although it has since been taken down. A while back, I watched the entire opera, absolutely loved it, then proceeded to read the comments. I recently rediscovered a document where I had recorded some of those comments. While there were many many positive comments, there were a few people who wrote that the "absurd modern production" was "a disaster" and the opera was "spoilt".
I honestly don't empathize with their objections. I understand what they are driving at: they want opera productions to be historically accurate and serve the composer's music first and foremost. These traditionalists are necessary because they constantly challenge new choices, which encourages the innovators to really think through their choices and make sure they make sense instead of doing something just for the sake of being the first person to do it. They are a valuable part of the artistic and historical dialogue in the opera world. However, I despise the immediate dismissal of anything that attempts to approach a work in a new way. They have a bad habit of using the fact that something isn't historically accurate to justify their personal dislike for a production. They have a resistance to just saying, "this didn't speak to me," possibly for fear of seeming uncultured. It is fine to dislike a production, or even an opera. Operas span hundreds of years; there is bound to be at least one era or composer that rubs you the wrong way, in the same way that one of the hundreds of stagings of a repertory opera will not work for you. Some of them are truly bizarre. That is all fine. But don't invalidate someone else's approach. This Cesare was not even close to the most ridiculous production I've seen. Hardly any of the choices detracted from the opera and many enhanced it. Go pick on the one where Cecilia Bartoli sings "V'adoro, pupille" astride a missile like everyone else.
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AuthorMaayan is a Manhattan-based opera singer. Archives
January 2019
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