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!"