A Night at the Opera

In September of 2006, the Deutsche Oper Berlin set the musical world ablaze when they announced they would cancel the upcoming production of Mozart's Idomeneo. It seems simple enough, but the reason the shows were cancelled is what drew in controversy: during one scene in the opera, the title role is to unveil the severed heads of Neptune, Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammad. This, obviously, was not in the original 1781 libretto. Rather, director Hans Neuenfels thought it would be a nifty thing to add. The production was cancelled for fear that it would incite Muslims to act violently.

Of course, Muslims, Christians and Buddhists all have very good reason to be offended. But what hasn't really been explored is the other class of people who ought to be up in arms: people with taste. As it turns out, an opera about Greek kings isn't an appropriate venue for a director to make a statement, let alone an opera by the great Wolfgang Amadè Mozart.
As it turns out Mozart's operas are hit very heavy with modern and often bizarre interpretations. Case and Point: Don Giovanni, which seems, more than any other opera in Mozart's oeuvre, to attract opera directors with a 'vision'.

Don Giovanni, ossia il dissoluto punito had it's world premiere on October 29, 1787 in Prague, and enjoyed great success in that city. In the century following Mozart's death, it became standard opera repertoire throughout Europe and North America. Somewhere along the way, Don Giovanni became a magnet for directors who were just creative enough to change the format of a beloved classic, but not creative enough to create a work of their own.
This phenomena has arisen, for the most part, within the past decade.

Some examples of Don Giovanni having fallen victim to an 'innovative' director:

In 2006, to commemorate the composer's 250th birthday, the Salzburg Opera interepeted the opera in modern plainclothes (except the Commendatore gets a fancy suit) and the set as a giant ice cube. To top it off, in the famous Commendatore scene, the Don (played by Thomas Hampson) is stabbed by Leporello (Ildebrando D'Arcangelo) as a throng of bikini-clad women stand by, as opposed to the long-standing tradition of having the Don descend into hell.

A Dutch production from January 2007 (Muziektheater, Amsterdam) does away completely with stage direction of any coherent sort- there is a bed on stage for every cast member, and when they have a scene, they get up and sing before returning to slumber.

In February 2008, the Los Angeles opera, not to be out-done, furnished a performance with a very interesting line of costumes. Donna Anna emulated a Lady Gaga-esque outfit, while her Ottavio resembled something of a ninja warrior. Zerlina was dressed as some sort of large yellow bird, not unlike the one of Sesame Street fame. The singers were marvelous, headed by Erwin Schrott in the title role, but the bizarre choice in wardrobe was rather distracting.

You don't need to add to these operas: they are beautiful works of art in their own right. If you are looking to make a statement- artistic, political or otherwise- I suggest that, rather than edit and adapt the work of another, put pen to paper and come up with your own. There is enough musical and dramatic eloquence in opera, Don Giovanni especially, that any attempt to beef it up will result in an over-the-top, pretentious production.

Mosque or no Mosque?

The latest matter of hot debate in American politics has been, of course, the plan to build a Muslim 'learning center' two blocks away from Ground-Zero, the site of the September 11 attacks in 2001.

The vast outcry and the resurgence of Islamophobia (which never really went away- just sort of went dormant for a few years) should make us as Americans ask ourselves... do we count Muslims - at least those born or naturalized here - as Americans? The rhetoric of the opposition seems to consist of "How can they put their building so close to where our buildings were brought down?" This, of course, is because it was a group of radical Muslims who made the infamous attack.

The opposition fails to realize that September 11 brought tragedy to Muslim-American, Christian-American and Jewish-American families alike. This is an issue in which it is neither reasonable nor ethical to look upon the events in a faith-versus-faith context. It should be look upon as it was- a terrorist attack made by Theocratic renegades from a far-away land- and not as a sabotage by a less-than-loyal minority.

It should also be noted that "terrorist" refers to a person who attempts to influence politics or other affairs by terrorizing people- by using fear tactics, not unlike the attacks on September 11. Terrorist does not denote a single allegiance, but rather reflects the subscription to a certain method of waging war. Keep this in mind when the person next to you insists that "those Muslims are all terrorists!"

The Right Wing: Hating America First?

In recent weeks, people from the radical-republican corner have been stirring the pot, just as American morale has been higher than in recent memory. Michelle Bachmann (who is a freaking senator!) said on the radio with Sean Hannity that she wants people "armed and dangerous" to rebell against the Obama administration, because "as Thomas Jefferson said, a revolution every so often is a good thing". It is little suprise that Hannity said nothing to M.B. (same initials as Marcus Brutus, oddly enough). Glenn Beck of FOX News declared fascism was on the rise, and cried "Enough!" on a backdrop of Nazis marching, as well as urged the people of America to "take your government back!", making note of infringment on gun rights. This all comes as a man in Pittsburgh kills three cops because he thought Obama was going to take his guns away.

Our president has not yet been in office for one hundred days, and already he has been declared a fascist by paranoid, bitter republicans; the Hannity-Beck-Limbaugh (HBL) trifecta has not given him one day since he was inaugerated, and find greivous fault in whatever he does. They are the trolls under our bridge, lurking under our augmented morale; but they are dangerous. Just as Jean-Paul Marat was dangerous in the wake of the French Revolution. Marat was not a politician, he was not a military man. He wrote a newspaper column in which he called for death after death of "enemies of the state", as termed by Robespierre. With fair consistancy, if Marat called for someone to go to the guillotine, they were sent to the guillotine, at least until Charlotte Corday stabbed him in the tub in 1793.

The HBL trifecta has instilled in their dittoheads a paranoia and a fervor against a make-believe tyranny. When you pander to the paranoia of a large group of people (not particularly smart people, either), it can be very dangerous, as proved in Pittsburgh. People, wise up. Do not listen to Hannity nor Beck nor Limbaugh. They are idiots, they are playing with fire, and they don't care. They do not speak truth or reason. They are trying to pitt people against the new administration because they are still pouting that their team lost. I don't believe I can stress this enough- these people are dangerous, and their intentions are treasonous at best. If they had their way, if they got what they truly wanted deep down in their dark little hearts, our country would be convulsed in another civil war. Friends don't let friends listen to Sean Hannity & Co.!

KKK Meets Defeat in Court

What a month of progress!
A few years ago, Jordan Gruver, born in America, but of Hispanic descent, was brutally beaten by Klan recruiters at a county fair in Kentucky. The men belonged to the Imperial Klans of America, a very large, violent Klan chapter predominent in the midwest and Ohio River Valley.
Upon getting word of this, Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center took the I.K.A. to court, and the verdict resulted in $2.5 million being awarded from the I.K.A. to Mr. Gruver. Cheers to Dees, Gruver, and the SPLC, for defeating the Ku Klux Kowards!

History made in 2008

We have just elected our first black president. This has been a truly amazing few days. There is truly hope that this country might take a step in the right direction.

But in the wake of this history, California bounded backwards. This summer, same-sex couples were granted the right to marry in California. But recently, Proposition 8 was created to re-define marriage as between one man and one woman. On November 4th, Proposition 8 was passed. That means that all the gay couples who legally wed earlier in the year, have had their matrimony taken away. Whether or not you believe in gay marriage or not, you don't give someone a right, and then take it away.

God Hates Fred Phelps

I would like to take a moment and discuss an evil which through its venom has
rubbed salt in the wounds of grieving families.

Fred Phelps, in 1955 found the Westboro 'Baptist Church'. As a Baptist myself, I say they do not espouse Baptist ideologies nor do they represent our sect. In fact, they do not even represent Christianity. I therefore refer to them as the 'Westboro Compound'.

The Compound is somewhat notorious for their outward hatred for homosexuals. They also hate Jews, Catholics, and those who disagree with their lunacy. In recent years, the Compound began picketing funerals, specifically those of fallen war heroes, victims of mass shootings, et cetera, claiming that their deaths were God's wrath- punishing the United States for her acceptance of homosexuals. Phelps sired thirteen children, four of whom are estranged. They report that Phelps would often beat them- and their mother if she intervened. He also shot a dog to death for defacating on his lawn. This is the man that claims to preach the message of Jesus Christ. I find this insulting.

Phelps was a practicing attorney in the state of Kansas, until he was disbarred in 1977 for verbal assault of a witness. Now, his children carry the torch, as many of them are attornies as well. In 1997, he gained national attention for picketing the funeral of Matthew Shepherd, an openly gay college student in Wyoming, and victim of a vicious hate crime.

I suggest the website http://www.allamericandouchebag.com/ for anyone who is interested in the campaign against Phelps' hate. If you would like more links, write me and I'll find some more.

Things that shouldn't be around anymore

There are quite a few thing that have long been expired any rational human being's mind.
The first on my list is Nazism. Let's face it- the idea of Nazism was never included in the ideology of a person graced with the gift of critical thinking. But even today, men and women all over the world march under a swastika banner and salute a man who has been dead for 63 years. In America, even! If anyone did that here during WWII, they would've been chased out of town. But we are becoming much too tolerant of intolerance (a nice little paradox) these days.

The Confederate Flag. Need I say more? The former Confederacy fell in 1865, but many throughout the South refuse to give this symbol a military funeral. "Heritage, not Hate!"has become the rallying cry of neo-confederates North and South, coming under increasing scrutiny due to possibly racist symbolism.
People seem to forget, the Confederacy came into existance to protect the "divine institution" of slavery. And even if all elements of racism were erased, there's still the issue of allegiance with the United States. How can you claim to be a patriotic American while flying the flag of a country whose entire existance was spent warring with America?

Well this took longer than I expected, so I'm going to end my post with these words of wisdom: The war is over.