The times are changing.
Is the night of December 7th a critical notation in the handbook of operaphiles? Perhaps to some. COMMANDOpera takes a more relaxed perspective to the opening night of Teatro alla Scala. There was a day as recently as the late 1950′s when it mattered. A lot. Since the withdrawal of Miss Callas from the theatre as her home, December 7th has become less important with each passing year. There used to be a time when a great artist would make their home at a particular theatre, which in turn added a very specific cache to the house itself. For the Teatro alla Scala it was Miss Callas, while the Royal Opera House enjoyed a brilliant period and attendant glamour during the period Miss Sutherland called it her artistic home, as did the Gran Teatre del Liceu with Miss Caballe, and the New York City Opera with Miss Sills. The allure for any artist today to be associated with a specific house has diminished significantly, as it definitively negates an artists’ international profile. This perspective can only be be viewed as a distinct disadvantage to the houses without question, since lustre today is derived from the artists; both conductors and singers…. and not the other way around.
Theatres individually have not owned the gravitas to demand such a submissive stance from artists since the beginning of the last century. Of course any artist understands the relevance of walking the boards of the Teatro all Scala, but this is borne out of a sense of history. Certainly not from what the theatre represents today. While all of the artists I have spoken with hold a distinct reverence to the theatre, most will tell you starring in a production of the Metropolitan is more important to their resumes. COMMANDOpera does not bemoan a state of affairs which rightly belongs in the corridor of history. The notion of ’Top Tier’ houses will always remain, since it is a fundamental requisite to maintain audience interest in the art form. However, in 2009, the season prima of any particular top tier house is important to the artists who perform that night, and the theatre itself. Regardless of what contretemps the house or local media attempt to revolve around the evening.
About Hierarchy Today
The times are changing.
Is the night of December 7th a critical notation in the handbook of operaphiles? Perhaps to some. COMMANDOpera takes a more relaxed perspective to the opening night of Teatro alla Scala. There was a day as recently as the late 1950′s when it mattered. A lot. Since the withdrawal of Miss Callas from the theatre as her home, December 7th has become less important with each passing year. There used to be a time when a great artist would make their home at a particular theatre, which in turn added a very specific cache to the house itself. For the Teatro alla Scala it was Miss Callas, while the Royal Opera House enjoyed a brilliant period and attendant glamour during the period Miss Sutherland called it her artistic home, as did the Gran Teatre del Liceu with Miss Caballe, and the New York City Opera with Miss Sills. The allure for any artist today to be associated with a specific house has diminished significantly, as it definitively negates an artists’ international profile. This perspective can only be be viewed as a distinct disadvantage to the houses without question, since lustre today is derived from the artists; both conductors and singers…. and not the other way around.
Theatres individually have not owned the gravitas to demand such a submissive stance from artists since the beginning of the last century. Of course any artist understands the relevance of walking the boards of the Teatro all Scala, but this is borne out of a sense of history. Certainly not from what the theatre represents today. While all of the artists I have spoken with hold a distinct reverence to the theatre, most will tell you starring in a production of the Metropolitan is more important to their resumes. COMMANDOpera does not bemoan a state of affairs which rightly belongs in the corridor of history. The notion of ’Top Tier’ houses will always remain, since it is a fundamental requisite to maintain audience interest in the art form. However, in 2009, the season prima of any particular top tier house is important to the artists who perform that night, and the theatre itself. Regardless of what contretemps the house or local media attempt to revolve around the evening.