tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post1304065882897180090..comments2024-03-28T13:40:19.356-05:00Comments on Every goddamn day: 03/28/24: The Connoisseur TrapNeil Steinberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-17311791493793916432016-11-23T15:34:42.043-06:002016-11-23T15:34:42.043-06:00Wow! Like peeking through a time portal and glimp...Wow! Like peeking through a time portal and glimpsing a long lost world.<br /><br />Johntatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-90173582044574532172015-02-04T12:14:31.192-06:002015-02-04T12:14:31.192-06:00Connoisseurship is a form of mastery, and while it...Connoisseurship is a form of mastery, and while it's not the same thing, it does connote a higher degree of familiarity with the subject matter. This familiarity extends in two directions, in a sense: broadly, and deeply. Breadth of experience--hearing the same piece many times, hearing many other pieces like it, or even not like it--really opens your ears (as Charles Ives once said, politically incorrectly: "Use your ears like a man!"). Depth of experience--becoming familiar with and focusing on everything from music theory to history to staging and the styles of individual performers--really opens your mind to what the artwork is doing.<br /><br />Most of the point of connoisseurship is to heighten one's own enjoyment/appreciation of the thing being considered. When someone uses their connoisseurship to write about music, I don't believe that should be taken as an attempt to proselytize readers who might have less familiarity; instead, those readers can use that writing as another part of their education (and it might be valuable or worthless for that purpose--they can take it or leave it). Engaging the critic in exchanges such as those above is a worthwhile thing, because in order to formulate your thoughts in response you have to absorb at least some of what your counterpart was saying; so this is, strangely enough, a further advance in your own connoisseurship.<br /><br />Every connoisseur started as a neophyte. There is a lot of joy in experiencing and learning things for the first time, and it is quite practical to remain at that level--many do, and it works for them. One thing I will say for connoisseurship is that as your experience broadens and deepens, you start hearing things a little differently--there are more connections with other things you've experienced.<br /><br />Wozzeck is a tough one even for many experienced listeners. For a 20th century piece that will grab you despite the dissonance, try Schoenberg's "A Survivor from Warsaw"--there's a good performance with Hermann Prey on YouTube (just search "A Survivor from Warsaw").<br /><br />Rest in peace, Andrew Patner.Kevin Byrneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17080568843708159219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-20435520844784483972013-12-23T20:58:21.736-06:002013-12-23T20:58:21.736-06:00Another comment is not needed, but I'll add on...Another comment is not needed, but I'll add one anyway. I saw the final performance on Friday...I've seen 11 since 1966 at Lyric, and a few elsewhere. Not the greatest staging, but not worst either. Violetta would not have lived in a palace, where many productions seem to place her, but Alfredo would not have dumped her on the floor when she was next to a bed.<br />But thats minor stuff for me. I'm stuck on opera being about the singing, and I was not disappointed.Calleja and Kellsy's performances were excellent. Ms Rebeka's was outstanding...maybe the most perfectly executed vocal performance of the role I have ever heard. ( that includes Caballe , Fleming and many others). She will grow in stage presence, but I didn't find that lacking. <br />Brian S. ...you have a good ear for voices. Though Radvanosky ( who I think is #1) is voice is not really like Rebeka's,they both have unique and distinctive sounds.<br />A critic, who can attend more performances than most of us and as it is their profession give more thought to it, should be valued for their opinions. But you have to make up your own mind.<br />Years ago claudia Cassidy panned a Violetta (Celestina Casapietra, who shoe referred to as Heavenly little miss Stone house) who I thought was quite passable. Another cricic praised Elena Obratovas's singing of de Falla songs, which were very ordinary, and panned her Rachmaninoff songs, which I remember to this day. A fellow long time opera goer told me he hated a performance which I loved , and that the singer was flat (not).<br />Read the reviews, but form your own opinion.<br />P.S. It's tough going at first Mr. Stienberg, but given a chance you may find that Wozzeck is intensely moving.<br />John Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17761310018662210565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-92130885022480931422013-12-16T11:37:53.773-06:002013-12-16T11:37:53.773-06:00Some words from a beginner.
I finally saw La Trav...Some words from a beginner.<br /><br />I finally saw La Traviata last night. After having read the reviews before attending, I expected to love Calleja's performance, be ok with Rebeka's, and be mildly disappointed with the staging and conducting.<br /><br />But after being so pleasantly surprised by the entire production, I did a search to see if I missed something in the reviews. This is how I end up so late in this wonderful exchange. So that readers can give appropriate consideration to my words, I'm fairly new to opera and don't know enough to challenge the words of anyone here. I do have a rather long-term and intense passion for other kinds of music, and I appreciate criticism and also understand how my tastes can differ from those of the critics; and that’s not wrong.<br /><br />Calleja was, as usual, amazing. His voice pleasing and strong, his acting outstanding, and his presence unquestionably worthy of any stage in the world. Rebeka blew me away. Strong, on key, passionate, and (showing my ignorance here by not knowing the right words for what I’m describing) the way her voice transitions from note to note – is both somehow accurate yet soft. That richness of her voice isn’t lost as she makes (what sounds like to me) rather difficult transitions. Great diction, too. Technically accurate sopranos can sometimes leave me cold, but she kept it warm, while not too loose. <br /><br />Rebeka’s performance brought to mind Radvanovski as Aida at Lyric. I felt like I could have had Radvanovski’s voice for dessert. To my beginner’s ear, it sounded like she’s still developing her diction and her technical abilities, but could one day be the best. I forgave the few shortcomings for the richness and warmth of her voice. I remember my impression of her singing was exactly opposite to Panther’s in that regard. That’s ok, he’s right and I’m wrong. But it illustrates how we can come to understand and appreciate even our differences with critics. I felt Rebeka’s performance last night had all that warmth, but also the technical proficiency. <br /><br />I absolutely loved the staging. The technique referred to as “shadow plays” at the beginning of each act were used to great effect; a visual bonus for the audience that didn’t distract too much from Verdi’s emotional mood-setting musical preludes,. They worked well together, and I thought they were worthy of mention in any review. And the sets themselves were beautiful. The exception to me was the giant photograph (or whatever it was) at the beginning of Act Two. However, when this was raised, we were rewarded with a shockingly spare yet beautiful scene, which only looked better with the fantastic costumes, puppets and dancing within.<br /><br />After the final curtain, I commented to my wife that the music was so beautiful and I would have been happy hearing it as a stand-alone symphonic piece. The pacing was perfect, the playing exceptional, and the conductor’s emphasis outstanding. <br /><br />In summary, I appreciate the musical criticism from those more experienced and knowledgeable than I am, but at the same time agree with Steinberg. This was a fantastic production and a wonderful opera. Those in the audience appeared to appreciate it as much as I did.<br /><br />Next up, The Magic Flute at The Met. I'm such a bubble-gum opera lover, which is so unlike the rest of my musical tastes. Maybe that will change as I hear more.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06053035632491284581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-81003391170600675352013-12-15T08:22:42.451-06:002013-12-15T08:22:42.451-06:00Let me begin by saying how happy I was to see Andr...Let me begin by saying how happy I was to see Andrew back in print in the Sun-Times. Chicago needs what he brings to the conversation about the arts in this city.<br /><br />I would like to make several points:<br /><br />Very few journalists who do music criticism are professional musicians or musicologists. What then to make of criticism that takes issue with a conductor's tempi, etc., as if the critic has a better understanding of those things than the conductor does? Surely Maestro Zanetti knows the score of La traviata better than a newspaper's music critic. Maybe his interpretation is not the same as Muti's and you prefer Muti - fair enough. But excellent musicians can differ in their approach to a piece. I have two recordings of the Mahler 6th - one conducted by George Szell, one by Pierre Boulez. Szell does the first movement, marked allegro energico, ma non troppo, in 17 minutes , 45 seconds; Boulez in 23 minutes, 6 seconds. Who is right? Is that even the question? Fidelity to the score isn't an end in itself, but rather a means to an end - a means to achieving what the composer had in mind. I would be more persuaded if a critic explained why doing something a certain way makes a difference, e.g., "failure to slow down sufficiently at this point loses the effect Verdi wanted, which was . . . , see Philip Gossett . . . " <br /><br />It's too bad that newspapers reduce a critical review to a tepid recommendation, e.g., ”slightly recommended." I imagine the takeaway from such a recommendation is all too often, "don't go see it." That's the wrong reaction. There have been many productions over the years that I did not like, but I'm still glad I saw them.<br /> <br />I have seen every Lyric production since 1975. I've seen eight Lyric Traviatas. Why go to another one? Primarily to hear the voices. I cannot remember anything about the tempi in Lyric's 1975 Traviata, but I still hear Ileana Cortubas in my head. From this latest one, I expect I will remember the amazing ability of Ms. Rebeka to sing runs with perfect intonation, like a clarinet going up and down the scale. Also the beautiful blend of the voices. Some voices seem to have a special affinity in duets: Jussi Björling and Robert Merrill; Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne. In this production, there was something about the quality of Quinn Kelsey’s and Marina Rebeka's voices that combined in a most beautiful way.<br /><br />If you want to see unusual repertoire, rarities, etc., instead of the standard stuff, show Lyric the money. New York City Opera is now history. We don't want that to happen in Chicago. So we have to have the Tosca's and Zauberflöte's to pay for The Midsummer Marriage's and Bel Canto's. And it's not as if Tosca is castor oil - a good one can fill Lyric's coffers and still thrill the most jaded opera goer.<br /><br />I don't understand the condescension about Houston. I flew there last April to see its new Tristan, a coproduction with Covent Garden (Houston UK?). The astounding Nina Stemme sang Isolde. Would that we had her in the Lyric lineup. <br />Timothy Thurlownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-9889643135271581892013-12-07T15:28:28.170-06:002013-12-07T15:28:28.170-06:00What a fascinating exchange of ideas! I now regre...What a fascinating exchange of ideas! I now regret my email to Mr. Patner in which I couldn't understand his dislike of this Traviata. Now I do understand. Mona Mona Sternnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-14951395807886538292013-12-02T03:02:57.188-06:002013-12-02T03:02:57.188-06:00The series at Steinberg's blog was a great exc...The series at Steinberg's blog was a great exchange although I do wonder at Opera aficionados who need walking sticks and wear 4" heels!<br /><br />More to the point, what I sensed was a difference in levels of expectation and experience among the various posters. I recall two experiences vividly in my artistic attendance. My first exposure to the CSO was pure serendipity. I was walking past Orchestra Hall and noticed that Respighi's "Pines of Rome" was being performed that evening. I had heard recordings of the piece and liked it; it's easy to like! I marched up to the ticket window and got a really great lower balcony seat in the days when all performances regularly sold out. I was blown out my seat by this venerable old show-piece but I can't tell you whether it was a mediocre, average or great performance. I had no benchmark since it was my first time ever attending a live orchestra concert at the CSO level. It was life-changing, however. (Kenneth Jean conducted, to give you some perspective on time.)<br /><br />On yet another occasion I was in Amsterdam with a free afternoon so I plunked down a few guilders and went to the Rijksmuseum. Everyone has seen images of the painting commonly called "The Night Watch," right? Of course they have. But rounding a corner in a gallery and coming face-to-face with the original work is an experience I will never forget, as much mind-blowing as the Respighi at the CSO.<br /><br />I know of the depth that you (Patner) have and have also read Ross's "The Rest Is Noise." Clearly both Patner and Ross live in an artistic world much different from most of us. My point here is that an individual's appreciation or evaluation of a particular artistic endeavour is a function both of the emotive impact of the work plus the prior experience of the observer. Thus all evaluations, regardless of disparity, are in some sense correct. We can also safely assume for most audience members who continue to attend and appreciate an art form that their appreciation and evaluation will change over time.<br /><br />Where does that leave me regarding arts criticism? Just this: I will, of course, continue to have strong opinions about what pleases me and what doesn't. But I'm also grateful for the Andrew Patners, Alex Rosses, and Lisa Hirsches of the world who tend to stimulate my own artistic growth and judgement. Artistic criticism plays a valuable role in the lives of both performers and audience members but should be taken for what they are: expert insights that are also fallible. There have been some really notorious critical faux pax over the centuries, but we needn't dwell on those here. What counts is the significant contributions made by all who write about the arts to everyman's enjoyment.<br /><br />MVAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-59826850888940771412013-12-01T22:18:07.826-06:002013-12-01T22:18:07.826-06:00Thank you for that one!
Why only two or three bel ...Thank you for that one!<br />Why only two or three bel canto operas ad infinitum when there are literally thousands of others seldom performed? The ones I've heard are often as good as the ones we hear. <br />Ditto every other school.<br />There USED only to be four frequent Mozart operas -- actually, before World War I it was just Don G and Flute -- but now I believe it's six or seven. Not too many more in that particular vein, I'd say, but plenty of Gluck, and I've only heard ten of his 52. <br />When I started opera going, the only Handel you heard was Messiah. Today, a dozen of his operas are constant visitors, and 20 more and half a dozen of the oratorios are frequent visitors. I want to hear the others. <br />Why not give Saul some Christmas instead of Messiah? (It's a better drama, actually.)<br />Or Judas Maccabeus, which is suitable to the season, unlike Messiah?<br /><br />Would you want them to play the same football game over and over, however excellent it was? Rupert of Hentzauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04388450700003738827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-6570695007196233472013-11-26T19:42:43.883-06:002013-11-26T19:42:43.883-06:00Thank you, Fiona, and appreciated. We are agreed ...Thank you, Fiona, and appreciated. We are agreed on this exchange! But the woman sitting behind me had a walking stick/handled cane and had placed it on my seat back until she kindly moved it. I was in Orchestra K2 and K4, Aisle 4. Perhaps the person sitting in front of you actually was in agreement with you! ;-)Andrew Patnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13596559532572404428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-72040535030681596142013-11-25T16:11:16.542-06:002013-11-25T16:11:16.542-06:00LOVING this whole ongoing conversation. That is al...LOVING this whole ongoing conversation. That is all.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15049807200946130279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-81168766717253698182013-11-25T11:06:24.411-06:002013-11-25T11:06:24.411-06:00I'm sure Neil will fit in the carry-on, Andrew...I'm sure Neil will fit in the carry-on, Andrew! I am, alas, going to skip this one; my NYC trip was for <i>Frau</i>. Next up is Birtwistle at 80 in London, assuming the stars align correctly. The tickets are cheap and I am buying them NOW.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-23404455478918189072013-11-25T11:04:30.619-06:002013-11-25T11:04:30.619-06:00I do apologize for posting without introducing mys...I do apologize for posting without introducing myself, I have tried try to log in under my Google account but it did not work. My name is Fiona, and my association with the Lyric Opera of Chicago is limited to attending their performances. And even though sometimes I feel that I need a help of a walking stick when navigating the Opera's aisles in my four inch heels, I have, so far, managed without one. There was no "vague criticism" in my comments, only an attempt at an articulated praise of the singers who were rather pointedly criticized by Mr Patner in his original review.<br />But, there is one something that Mr. Patner and I agree upon: happiness is a good thing, and I am happy that so many have opined about an opera production, and with such spirit. Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07453767937949357763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-79560707381677777792013-11-25T10:19:23.742-06:002013-11-25T10:19:23.742-06:00Beyond beautifully put, Neil. Thanks!Beyond beautifully put, Neil. Thanks!Andrew Patnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13596559532572404428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-53484721040466977462013-11-25T10:17:45.063-06:002013-11-25T10:17:45.063-06:00I'll be going to New York in the spring to see...I'll be going to New York in the spring to see Levine's WOZZECK at the MET and have already made plans to bundle Neil into my luggage. We both like train travel so I'm sure he'll survive. Lisa, you are most welcome to join us!Andrew Patnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13596559532572404428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-79307442670828602202013-11-25T10:00:38.212-06:002013-11-25T10:00:38.212-06:00No of course not, let's not get caustic -- peo...No of course not, let's not get caustic -- people have been so well behaved. It's an expression. I disliked Wozzeck so much it surprises me that people like it (a better phrase than "couldn't imagine," at least in that it denies you your tangent). That's why I think enthusiasm can be a better ambassador to "difficult" works. Critics tend to get on their high horse. I've written about loving "Tristan" without castigating those who find it long. I saw it twice when the Lyric last put it on.Neil Steinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-61593426859662134562013-11-25T09:44:49.829-06:002013-11-25T09:44:49.829-06:00This surprises me - you cannot imagine a point of ...This surprises me - you cannot imagine a point of view other than your own? Is that true of other works of art as well?<br /><br />I assume the opposite: that it is possible for almost anyone to learn about, appreciate, and enjoy "difficult" works of art, whether they're Joyce's <i>Ulysses</i>, <i>Tristan und Isolde</i>, abstract expressionist art, or <i>Wozzeck</i>. This is part of a critic's job: to open the world for others.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-84343353752006789942013-11-25T01:54:51.254-06:002013-11-25T01:54:51.254-06:00I'm with Andrew regarding anonymous comments. ...I'm with Andrew regarding anonymous comments. If you can't even sign your name to your thoughts, how much value could they have? That of course might be the hardened opinion of someone who sells his thoughts frozen on a stick. But still, nobody is urging violent revolution here. Particularly the "he was sitting right in front of me" remark -- I'm not sure what that's supposed to imply. Something vaguely disreputable. The person behind me is always unwrapping something that sounds like a Christmas present, but is probably a mint, and I don't go skulking around his blog, implying vague criticisms.Neil Steinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-6538460880584183322013-11-25T01:50:11.805-06:002013-11-25T01:50:11.805-06:00Probably because I didn't know that Wozzeck is...Probably because I didn't know that Wozzeck is a pleasure for anybody. I just couldn't imagine it. Remember, I saw it 20 years ago, but the image is imprinted upon my brain. It's like Springfield -- downstate Illinois. I'm sure people go there and have fun. Heck, some even live there. But I've been to Springfield, and I'll be damned if I'm going back, except under duress. Neil Steinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-63710005876578482152013-11-24T19:16:05.315-06:002013-11-24T19:16:05.315-06:00Thank you, Lisa Hirsch, for joining in! Folks loo...Thank you, Lisa Hirsch, for joining in! Folks looking for lively, insightful, and informed writing on opera and other subjects should follow the link at her name to her superb Bay Area based weblog, "Iron Tongue of Midnight"! <br /><br />As for "Unknown," you may or may not have been at the performance, you may or may not have been sitting just behind me (if you were, thank you very much for moving your walking stick from my seat back, I appreciate it), you may or may not be associated with Lyric or the production. I don't know and I can't engage with an unidentified person. But I am glad that you enjoyed everything about the performance. Happiness is a good thing. Andrew Patnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13596559532572404428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-1000567616023079222013-11-24T16:19:33.349-06:002013-11-24T16:19:33.349-06:00I disagree with Andrew Patner completely, and we h...I disagree with Andrew Patner completely, and we have attended the same performance, he was sitting just in front of me. I found this production of Traviata refreshing: too often Traviata is obviously older than Alfredo, she it weak, melancholy, starts dying basically in the first act. Here, we have a young and spirited beauty, it's easy to believe that tout de Paris is smitten with her. I would say that this production is best suited to the voice of the soprano Marina Rebekah. Her voice might not yet develop the darker, lower tones required for the last act, but, instead, she defies death and puts up a fight almost until the very end. The tenor Joseph Calleja was in a much better form in this role than his performance of Rodolfo in "La Boheme" last season. For starters, he sang in the right register. I loved his Alfredo, young, ardent and rash. Mr. Calleja avoided the annoying trait of so many tenors to endlessly hold high notes, his singing was fast, just like young impatient love. Quinn Kelsey, who portrait Germont, is a true Verdian baritone with a voice that is both powerful and supple, he conveyed the dignity and rigidity of a provincial gentleman very well. The orchestra sounded fantastic, loud enough to hear every beautiful nuance of the orchestration, yet subtle enough for the singers to be heard. When the singers deliver and when the orchestra sounds so well, and when it all comes together, it is all because of one man - the conductor. And I think Maestro Zanetti deserves all the credit here. As for Arin Arbus' staging, it was conventional, with no innovations, save the suggestive and brutal dancing in the third act. However, one gets tired of the minimalistic and convoluted productions that are all the rage at Salzburg. Sometimes, a solid conventional production looks like a winner.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07453767937949357763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-27249915760352182772013-11-24T15:06:24.706-06:002013-11-24T15:06:24.706-06:00Oh, and - of course my statement that an opera com...Oh, and - of course my statement that an opera company should stage a wide variety of operas does not imply that any particular person needs to love or buy tickets to it all. Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-76201248678305478332013-11-24T15:03:58.253-06:002013-11-24T15:03:58.253-06:00I see no acknowledgement from you that Wozzeck is ...I see no acknowledgement from you that Wozzeck is a pleasure for a significant part of the musical and operatic audience. I would also say: Wozzeck is a work you might come to like after more than one hearing - it takes some experience with an unfamiliar style to appreciate it, just as it might take some experience to appreciate, enjoy, and understand Indian classical music.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-16154994019407048962013-11-24T14:28:57.824-06:002013-11-24T14:28:57.824-06:00What's wrong with experiencing what you like? ...What's wrong with experiencing what you like? I could go to the diner and order liver, which I don't like, in the hope that eventually I'll come to like it. Or I could get the Southwest salad I know and like, again and again. Believe me, Lyric subscribers feel plenty subjected to what I call the eat-your-peas part of the schedule. We do see it's important, though I'm going to my grave never sitting through Wozzeck again because once was plenty. I think our argument boils down to: is opera a pleasure or is it a duty? I err on the former, with a somber nod at the latter. Neil Steinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-23554551321637221072013-11-24T13:31:49.615-06:002013-11-24T13:31:49.615-06:00I admire and seek out expertise. Being able to rec...I admire and seek out expertise. Being able to recall historical performances and to compare and contrast is invaluable. Outside of my field of concentration I don't have the inclination or ability to keep track of what is going on. The argument that one's knowledge is too expert is a point of view that I cannot entertain.Plushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09915413894260815930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-59245562046178191482013-11-24T13:24:22.720-06:002013-11-24T13:24:22.720-06:00[Whoops, had additional thoughts.]
Putting it ano...[Whoops, had additional thoughts.]<br /><br />Putting it another way: it also trains audiences to be conservative. For every run of "La Traviata," there's an "Ernani" or "Il Corsaro" you're not seeing (those are worthy early Verdi operas); for every "Barber of Seville," there's a "Mametto II"; for every Puccini opera, there are operas by Respighi, Zandonai, and other 20th c. Italians you're not hearing. If you don't get to hear these, how can you know whether you'd like them and whether they're worth staging?Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.com