tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/opera-2866/articlesOpera – The Conversation2024-02-05T02:34:03Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2215952024-02-05T02:34:03Z2024-02-05T02:34:03ZCampy, playful and funny: Opera Australia finds the joy in The Magic Flute, Mozart’s most-performed opera<p>The sheer familiarity of The Magic Flute, Mozart’s most-performed opera, can blind one to its inherent oddness. It draws on a range of influences, from ancient Egyptian symbolism and freemasonry to European politics (the character of the Queen of the Night has <a href="https://www.eno.org/discover-opera/operas-greatest-soprano-roles/">been read as</a> a covert allusion to former Austrian Empress Maria Theresa). </p>
<p>Librettist Emanuel Schikaneder has created something that is part allegory, part dream and part fairy tale. That this mish-mash elicited some of Mozart’s greatest and most popular music should shake up ingrained notions of classical music as something po-faced and humourless. </p>
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<h2>Embracing silliness</h2>
<p>Unlike the three Italian <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera_buffa">opere buffe</a></em> that Mozart composed to the libretti of Lorenzo da Ponte, The Magic Flute avoids <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recitative">recitative</a> – sung speech – in favour of spoken German dialogue. In the recording I first got to know, <a href="https://www.classicstoday.com/review/the-deluxe-magic-flute-standard/">Klemperer’s legendary version</a> from 1964, only the sung portions were included. This tilted the work’s balance away from the silly and towards the sublime. </p>
<p>A new production by Kate Gaul for Opera Australia does not shy away from pantomime silliness from the start. The monster threatening Tamino (Michael Smallwood) is rendered as a silhouette projected by a child with a torch, and Papageno (Ben Mingay) is first seen in the stalls engaging with audience members before making his way to the stage. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573333/original/file-20240205-27-h2z18r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Michael Smallwood and the Opera Australia Chorus perform onstage." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573333/original/file-20240205-27-h2z18r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573333/original/file-20240205-27-h2z18r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573333/original/file-20240205-27-h2z18r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573333/original/file-20240205-27-h2z18r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573333/original/file-20240205-27-h2z18r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573333/original/file-20240205-27-h2z18r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573333/original/file-20240205-27-h2z18r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Michael Smallwood has a pleasing light lyrical tenor as Tamino.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Keith Saunders/Opera Australia</span></span>
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<p>Key to bringing out the humour is presenting the opera in English. The translation by Gaul and Michael Gow has some chortle-worthy lines. “Am I hard of hearing, or is no one volunteering?” sings Papageno as he vainly seeks a woman – any woman – to satisfy his romantic urges. This character is given a decidedly ocker makeover, complete with an esky and allusions to beers and barbies. </p>
<p>Thankfully, more serious moments for other characters – including Sarastro’s arias (sung with gravitas by David Parkin) and Pamina’s lament (heart-rendingly performed by Stacey Alleaume) – are allowed to unfold without forcing the comedy.</p>
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<span class="caption">Ben Mingay and Stacey Alleaume are cast as Papageno and Pamina.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Keith Saunders/Opera Australia</span></span>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/barrie-koskys-the-magic-flute-is-a-contemporary-spectacle-despite-the-operas-outdated-attitudes-112284">Barrie Kosky's The Magic Flute is a contemporary spectacle, despite the opera's outdated attitudes</a>
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<h2>Campy costumes and an ornamental set</h2>
<p>Opera Australia’s previous Magic Flute by Julie Taymor reduced the overture to its opening three chords. It is a relief to hear it in full in this production, directed with sureness of touch by Teresa Riveiro Böhm. The orchestra provides a fulsome sound and crisp articulation over the evening, with just a handful of uncoordinated moments between the pit and stage.</p>
<p>Special commendations are due to the flautist and glockenspiel player for their fine solos (the latter was a role taken on by Mozart for the first performance). Weirdly, Tamino held his on-stage flute up in the air instead of miming, creating an odd disconnect between sight and sound. By contrast, the enforced response of Monostatos (Kanen Breen) and his henchmen to the sound of the magic bells was a hilarious spasm of dancing, macarena moves included. </p>
<p>The costumes by Anna Cordingley are eclectic. Cordingley uses guano-stained tradie attire for the bird-catcher Papageno, simple blueish outfits for Tamino and Pamina, red overalls and outsized glasses for Monastatos, and a gaudy gold cloak for Sarastro. All the villains are changed into tie-dye hippy clothes for the final chorus. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573321/original/file-20240205-27-y02uxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Nathan Lay, David Parkin and Gregory Brown act in The Magic Flute." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573321/original/file-20240205-27-y02uxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573321/original/file-20240205-27-y02uxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573321/original/file-20240205-27-y02uxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573321/original/file-20240205-27-y02uxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573321/original/file-20240205-27-y02uxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573321/original/file-20240205-27-y02uxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573321/original/file-20240205-27-y02uxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">David Parkin portrays Sarastro in a gaudy gold cloak and bold eye makeup.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Keith Saunders/Opera Australia</span></span>
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<p>The Queen of the Night (Giuseppina Grech) asserts her pantomime villain credentials with her platinum blonde hair, vampish fur and feather costume. Outdoing even this for connoisseurs of camp is the late appearance of Papagena (Jennifer Black) in a Brazilian-carnival-style bird costume. </p>
<p>Michael Yeargan’s set has a three-sided exterior surrounding grass, with ornamental entrances on each side. Shiny ribbon curtains represent the fire and water tests, with other curtains repeatedly drawn across the middle of the stage for projections and byplay between characters. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-tale-of-two-queens-flipping-the-script-on-the-princess-culture-in-opera-125606">The tale of two queens: flipping the script on the ‘princess culture' in opera</a>
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<h2>Spell-casting performances</h2>
<p>Needless to say, the Queen of the Night’s two arias are among the most applauded. Grech conquers the stratospheric coloratura with aplomb. But for me, the standout voice belongs to Alleaume, who brings a burnished legato to Pamina’s arias, but also playfulness in the ensembles. </p>
<p>Ben Mingay is a seasoned musical theatre performer and aside from some roughness in tone quality, he takes on the role of Papageno with assurance and brings out the humour and humanity of the character. </p>
<p>Smallwood has a pleasing light lyrical tenor as Tamino – less forceful than some exponents of the role, but tuneful and exemplary in his diction. </p>
<p>The three spirits, extended and demanding roles for child singers, are sensibly double cast, and the opening night trio of Abbey Hammond, Zev Mann and James Valanidas demonstrate sureness of ensemble and decent acting chops. The adult trio of Ladies, Jane Ede, Indyana Schneider and Ruth Strutt, work very well together. </p>
<p>Of his big numbers, Parkin as Sarastro (and Speaker) is probably most satisfactory in the aria, Within these sacred halls, which sits higher in his register. His brave but unwise decision to go for the final unwritten low “E” reveals his problematic bottom register, which is often distorted with vocal fry. </p>
<p>Breen brings his trademark comic gifts to Monostatos who, like the other villains, is welcomed into the fold at the end. Gregory Brown and Nathan Lay are solid priests. </p>
<p>Whether one enjoys a laugh, or finely sung sentimental numbers, this production has something for everyone. It may not have solved all the conundrums of the work, but at least one gets to appreciate Mozart’s genius uncut. </p>
<p><em>Opera Australia’s <a href="https://opera.org.au/productions/the-magic-flute-sydney/">The Magic Flute</a> is at the Sydney Opera House until March 16.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221595/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Larkin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new production by Kate Gaul does not shy away from pantomime silliness.David Larkin, Senior Lecturer in Musicology, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2182012024-01-19T13:41:44Z2024-01-19T13:41:44ZI’m an artist using scientific data as an artistic medium − here’s how I make meaning<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569152/original/file-20240112-27-8u7iv7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C0%2C1393%2C932&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sarah Nance at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Sarah Nance</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As an <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/art/profile.html?id=snance">artist working across media</a>, I’ve used everything from thread to my voice to poetically translate and express information. Recently, I’ve been working with another medium – geologic datasets. </p>
<p>While scientists use data visualization to show the results of a dataset in interesting and informative ways, my goal as an artist is a little different. In the studio, I treat geologic data as another material, using it to guide my interactions with Mylar film, knitting patterns or opera. Data, in my work, functions expressively and abstractly. </p>
<p>Two of my projects in particular, “points of rupture” and “tidal arias,” exemplify this way of working. In these pieces, my goal is to offer new ways for people to personally relate to the immense scale of geologic time.</p>
<h2>Points of rupture</h2>
<p>An early project in which I treated data as a medium was my letterpress print series “<a href="https://www.sarahnance.com/shroud/alaska">points of rupture</a>.” In this series, I encoded data from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/cryoseism">cryoseismic, or ice quake</a>, events to create knitting patterns. </p>
<p>Working with ice quake data was a continuation of my research into what I call “archived landscapes.” These are places that have had multiple distinct geologic identities over time, like <a href="https://www.nps.gov/gumo/learn/nature/coralreefs.htm">mountains that were once sea reefs</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="silver knitting symbols on black background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569121/original/file-20240112-17-umjli0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">‘points of rupture (alaska glacial event 1999),’ 2020. Letterpress print of knitting pattern coded using cryoseismic data. Edition of 15. 18 x 18 in.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
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<p>Because knit textiles are made up of many individual stitches, I can use them to encode discrete data points. In a knitting pattern, or chart, each kind of stitch is represented by a specific symbol. I used the open-source program <a href="https://stitch-maps.com">Stitch Maps</a> to write the patterns for this project, translating the peaks and valleys of seismographs into individual stitch symbols. </p>
<p>Knitting charts typically display these symbols in a grid. Instead, Stitch Maps allows them to fall as they would when knitted, so the chart mimics the shape of the final textile. </p>
<p>I was drawn to the expressive possibilities of this feature and how the software allowed me to experiment. I was able to write patterns that worked only in theory and not as physical, handmade structures. This gave me more freedom to design patterns that fully expressed the datasets without having to ensure their viability as textiles.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="graphite drawing of mitten knitting chart on gallery wall" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568495/original/file-20240109-29-ojgmd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">‘and when you change the landscape, is it with bare hands or with gloves? (lichen, woodwork, grate),’ 2023. Graphite drawing of selbu mitten knitting chart. 99 x 67 linear inches as installed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
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<p><a href="https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/glaciers">Glaciers form</a> incrementally as new snowfall compacts previous layers of snow, crystallizing them into ice. A knitted fabric similarly accumulates in layers, as rows of interlocking loops. Each structure appears stable but could easily be dissolved.</p>
<p>Ice quakes occur in glaciers as a result of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/cryoseism">calving events or pooling meltwater</a>. Like melting glaciers, knitting is always in danger of coming apart – but instead of melting, by snagging and unraveling into formlessness. These structural similarities between glaciers and knitting are reflected in the “points of rupture” prints, where disruptive ice quakes translate into unknittable patterns. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="silver knitting symbols on black background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569080/original/file-20240112-19-758bfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘points of rupture (glacier de la plaine morte icequake 2016),’ 2020. Letterpress print of knitting pattern coded using cryoseismic data. Edition of 15. 18 x 18 in.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
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<h2>The loop</h2>
<p>Repeated, interlocking loops are the base units that compose the structure of a knitted textile. The loop also forms the seed of an in-progress work I pursued during an artist residency with the <a href="https://lunarscience.nasa.gov/sserviteams">NASA</a> <a href="https://www.geodes.umd.edu">GEODES</a> research group. I joined their research team in Flagstaff, Arizona, in August 2023. I assisted in gathering data from sites within the San Francisco volcanic field, while also conducting my own fieldwork: photography, drawing, note-taking and walking.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A digital map showing a crater, with a green circle indicating the path walked, around the lip of the crater." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=790&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=790&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568498/original/file-20240109-21-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=790&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sarah Nance’s walk at S P Crater in Arizona, as recorded in AllTrails.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot of All Trails map</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of my walks was a trek around a particularly prominent geologic loop – the rim of the S P cinder cone volcano. This is the second crater walk I’ve completed, the first being a tracing of the subsurface rim of the <a href="https://insider.si.edu/2013/03/iowa-meteorite-crater-confirmed/">Decorah impact structure</a> in Iowa. </p>
<p>I see my paths through these landscapes as stand-ins for yarn. Over time, by taking walks that trace craters, or geologic loops, I will perform a textile. The performance of something as familiar as a textile offers me a new way to think about something that is much more difficult to comprehend – <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/geologic-time">geologic time</a>. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A square box with the words 'Art & Science Collide' and a drawing of a lightbulb with its wire filament in the shape of a brain, surrounded by a circle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Art & Science Collide series.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">source</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/art-in-science-series-2024-149583">This article is part of Art & Science Collide</a></strong>, a series examining the intersections between art and science.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/literature-inspired-my-medical-career-why-the-humanities-are-needed-in-health-care-217357">Literature inspired my medical career: Why the humanities are needed in health care</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/i-wrote-a-play-for-children-about-integrating-the-arts-into-stem-fields-heres-what-i-learned-about-encouraging-creative-interdisciplinary-thinking-218001">I wrote a play for children about integrating the arts into STEM fields – here’s what I learned about interdisciplinary thinking</a> </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/art-and-science-entwined-this-course-explores-the-long-interrelated-history-of-two-ways-of-seeing-the-world-210250">Art and science entwined: This course explores the long, interrelated history of two ways of seeing the world </a></p>
<hr>
<h2>Performance and tides</h2>
<p>Performance has been a useful tool in my work, as it can help people understand and relate to geologic processes.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="artist's hands holding small chunk of glacial ice" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569102/original/file-20240112-21-spkjsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘transference,’ 2017. Atlantic sea ice, body heat. Documentation of site-responsive performance on the East Coast Trail, Newfoundland, Canada. Project supported in part by La Soupée, Galerie Diagonale, Montréal, Québec.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The field of geology emerges from a <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/a-billion-black-anthropocenes-or-none">long history</a> of extraction and <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/geontologies">colonialist ventures</a>. In this context, land is valued for its economic importance – as raw material to be extracted or territory to be claimed. In my performances, I aim to interact with geology as its own active entity, rather than as a consumable resource. </p>
<p>In recent years, I have composed and performed two arias from tidal data. </p>
<p>The first, “<a href="https://www.sarahnance.com/marseille">marseille tidal gauge aria</a>,” sourced 130 years of sea level data collected from a tidal gauge in the Bay of Marseille, France. I converted each yearly average sea level into an individual note within my vocal range. This resulted in a composition that expresses the rising sea levels of the bay as increasingly higher pitches in the aria. </p>
<p>Its lyrics come from a somber poem in Rasu-Yong Tugen’s book “<a href="https://gnomebooks.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/songs-from-the-black-moon/">Songs From the Black Moon</a>.” Each note of the aria communicates not just the measured sea level but also my emotive response to this dataset. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Black flexi disc with gold text and image" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569098/original/file-20240112-23-ffk4lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘tidal arias,’ 2022. Limited edition flexi disc with vocal performances ‘marseille tidal gauge aria’ and ‘skagway tidal aria.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Last fall, “marseille tidal gauge aria” was transmitted <a href="https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/ionosphere">to the ionosphere</a>, the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. This was done as part of artist Amanda Dawn Christie’s project “<a href="https://ghostsintheairglow.space/transmission/august-2023">Ghosts in the Air Glow</a>,” using the <a href="https://haarp.gi.alaska.edu">High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program</a>’s ionospheric research instrument, which is an array of 180 antennas transmitting high-frequency radio waves. </p>
<p>The aria’s transmission reflected off the ionosphere, back to Earth and to shortwave radio listeners around the world.</p>
<p>For the second of these vocal pieces, “skagway tidal aria,” I used predictive as well as recorded tidal data from Skagway, Alaska. With this data, I composed an aria for <a href="https://t2051mcc.com">The 2051 Munich Climate Conference</a>, where speakers presented from the perspective of a climate-altered world 30 years in the future. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="vocal music score" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569106/original/file-20240112-25-4mocnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Score for ‘skagway tidal aria,’ 2021. Recorded and speculative tidal data from Skagway, Alaska (1945-2081), sonified as a vocal composition. Text from ‘Songs From the Black Moon’ by Rasu-Yong Tugen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Nance</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I was drawn to this particular dataset because the falling tide levels in Skagway appear to contradict the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-drives-sea-level-rise-us-report-warns-of-1-foot-rise-within-three-decades-and-more-frequent-flooding-177211">global trend of rising sea levels</a>. However, this is a temporary effect caused by melting glaciers releasing pressure on the land, allowing it to rise faster than water levels. The effect will flatten over the next half-century, and Skagway’s tides will start to rise again.</p>
<p>Over the next few months, I’ll be working with geophysical datasets gathered during the NASA GEODES field expedition to write new arias. I want these pieces to continue blurring the separation between the human and the geologic, inviting listeners to think more deeply about their own relationships with the lands they use and occupy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218201/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The author's projects with GEODES and Ghosts in the Air Glow were supported with funding from these organizations.</span></em></p>Sarah Nance uses geologic data and a variety of artistic media to help people think about their place in the landscapes they use and occupy.Sarah Nance, Assistant Professor of Integrated Practice in Art and Design, Binghamton University, State University of New YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2185242023-12-05T02:00:41Z2023-12-05T02:00:41ZPinchgut’s premiere of Handel’s Rinaldo sets a new benchmark for contemporary baroque opera<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563231/original/file-20231204-15-tdmlj9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C18%2C4060%2C2825&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cassandra Hannagan/Pinchgut Opera</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sydney-based Pinchgut Opera is internationally praised for research-driven revivals of baroque opera gems with an acute attention to historically-informed interpretation of the music. </p>
<p>In this production of Rinaldo, composed by Handel in 1711, they deliver a rare synergy of historical and contemporary elements, bringing to the stage a story about how conflicts can be resolved without bloodshed. </p>
<p>When the company embarked on producing Rinaldo in 2020, little did they anticipate the narrative they wanted to bring to the stage would coincide with another escalation of conflict in the Middle East. </p>
<p>Although there are no explicit references to the current conflict, the dramatic text originally set in the area around Jerusalem during the First Crusade, offers a valuable perspective on fostering empathy by acknowledging the shared humanity in our adversaries. </p>
<p>The plot does not commence with combat but with lengthy elaborations on the inner world of the characters. In their opening arias, the warriors on opposing sides eloquently express their love and dedication to the women they hold dear. This display of intimate sentiment humanises them. </p>
<p>Jake Arditti charms the audience from the start with <em>Ogni indugio d'un amante</em> (To a lover every day) as the Italian hero Rinaldo on a crusade to reclaim Jerusalem from the Saracens. </p>
<p>In his opening aria <em>Sibillar gli angui d'Aletto</em> (All around I seem to hear), the Saracen king of Jerusalem Argante sings not of the precarious situation. Portrayed by Adrian Tamburini with a warm bass voice and commanding presence on stage, this aria sets in motion a complex character who turns away from violence. </p>
<p>Combat occurs only toward the end, where a twist in the story leads to an unexpected resolution through good will – and not divine intervention as usually happens in baroque opera.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-singing-was-great-but-what-was-it-about-why-opera-companies-should-explain-themselves-better-183133">The singing was great – but what was it about? Why opera companies should explain themselves better</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A multi-sensory immersion</h2>
<p>Rinaldo integrates historically informed baroque music of the highest standard into a contemporary performance. The acting is emotionally charged and grounded in detailed discernment of the dramatic text. </p>
<p>Directed by Louisa Muller, the singer-actors achieve an internalised characterisation and organic bodily movement authentic to the emotion and intention of each character. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563236/original/file-20231204-21-ngvdu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The stage." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563236/original/file-20231204-21-ngvdu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563236/original/file-20231204-21-ngvdu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563236/original/file-20231204-21-ngvdu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563236/original/file-20231204-21-ngvdu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563236/original/file-20231204-21-ngvdu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563236/original/file-20231204-21-ngvdu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563236/original/file-20231204-21-ngvdu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The set allows the music to take centre stage.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cassandra Hannagan/Pinchgut Opera</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Muller’s production is set in today’s world anywhere there could be military conflict. The contemporary staging and costumes by Simone Romaniuk – mostly in black, grey, blue and white – and lighting design by Verity Hampson exude a subtle splendour and allow the voices and acting to take centre stage. </p>
<p>Ascending steps lead to a blue-sky mountain top. Lighting and mirror effects create the uncanny world of the sorceress and set in motion her magic spells. Birdsong and baskets of flowers bring to life a pastoral love scene between Rinaldo and Almirena.</p>
<p>Conducted by Erin Helyard, the Orchestra of the Antipodes features baroque experts who deliver the most exciting turn of phrases and sonorities in a dramatic interplay between voices and orchestra. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563232/original/file-20231204-23-t9zt89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An orchestra." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563232/original/file-20231204-23-t9zt89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563232/original/file-20231204-23-t9zt89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563232/original/file-20231204-23-t9zt89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563232/original/file-20231204-23-t9zt89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563232/original/file-20231204-23-t9zt89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563232/original/file-20231204-23-t9zt89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563232/original/file-20231204-23-t9zt89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Erin Helyard conducts the Orchestra of the Antipodes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cassandra Hannagan/Pinchgut Opera</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The vocal mastery and fresh ornamentation are not mere display. The vocal performances are centred in believable and enchanting emotions. </p>
<p>Such a balance between visual and auditory elements, both honouring and overcoming the generic specifics of baroque opera and the strong rapport with the audience, sets a new standard in Australian baroque opera performance. </p>
<h2>Magical moments</h2>
<p>Each scene is flawlessly executed, progressing towards its individual climax and sustaining the emotional tension until the stylised sword battle at the end. </p>
<p>Jake Arditti (Rinaldo) and Alexandra Oomens (Almirena) wear very simple modern costumes (an innocent white singlet for Almirena and white T-shirt for Rinaldo), their bodies somewhat vulnerable yet free to move. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563234/original/file-20231204-16-kzvn2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man and woman on stage." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563234/original/file-20231204-16-kzvn2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563234/original/file-20231204-16-kzvn2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563234/original/file-20231204-16-kzvn2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563234/original/file-20231204-16-kzvn2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563234/original/file-20231204-16-kzvn2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563234/original/file-20231204-16-kzvn2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563234/original/file-20231204-16-kzvn2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The two lovers are portrayed more realistically that we normally see in opera.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cassandra Hannagan/Pinchgut Opera</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>They portray the attraction between the two lovers more realistically that we normally see in opera with passionate kisses, romantic teasing and sexual tension, as well as silent acting and outcries of anguish. Their vocal prowess allows them to mould and shape the complex phrases and convey even the smallest of inflections with ease. </p>
<p>Arditti and Oomens both stop the clock and the breaths of the audience as they give full expression to the desperation of their characters in the two famous arias, <em>Cara sposa</em> (My dear betrothed) and <em>Lascia ch'io pianga</em> (Let me weep). </p>
<p>Oomens’s Almirena enchants Argante with evocative pleading in <em>Lascia ch'io pianga</em>, rendering her soft strength irresistible. Highly anticipated, both arias offer novel musical interpretations underscored by authentic connection to the text. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563239/original/file-20231204-25-o4t7x4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A couple embrace." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563239/original/file-20231204-25-o4t7x4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563239/original/file-20231204-25-o4t7x4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563239/original/file-20231204-25-o4t7x4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563239/original/file-20231204-25-o4t7x4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563239/original/file-20231204-25-o4t7x4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563239/original/file-20231204-25-o4t7x4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563239/original/file-20231204-25-o4t7x4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Novel musical interpretations are underscored by authentic connection to the text.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cassandra Hannagan/Pinchgut Opera</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Arditti’s full-bodied countertenor triumphs in the final <em>Or la tromba in suon festante</em> (The jubilant sound of the trumpet), complemented by Lianne Sullivan’s exuberant baroque trumpet playing. </p>
<p>Soprano Emma Pearson performs <em>Son vinta</em> (I am conquered) with nuance and human fragility prompting a burst of applause. Her rendition of Armida is magically powerful, and the stylised movement of her arms and hands adds an effective touch to the representation of the supernatural. </p>
<p>Randall Scotting as Goffredo, the leader of the first crusade and father of Almirena, emanates nobility and dignity through effortless singing and serene demeanour that are very difficult to achieve. </p>
<p>Emotionally charging, believable and thought provoking, Pinchgut Opera’s Rinaldo brings to the stage a spectacle of war and magic where love prevails, delivers great aesthetic pleasure and achieves a rare organic connection between musical and visual storytelling. </p>
<p><em>Rinaldo is at the City Recital Hall, Sydney, until December 6.</em></p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/95-male-conductors-70-ageing-classics-and-zero-appetite-for-risk-whats-wrong-with-elite-australian-opera-211270">95% male conductors, 70% ageing classics and zero appetite for risk: what’s wrong with elite Australian opera</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218524/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniela Kaleva does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In Rinaldo, Pinchgut Opera deliver a rare synergy of historical and contemporary elements.Daniela Kaleva, Program Manager, Researcher Development, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2119952023-11-14T13:26:24Z2023-11-14T13:26:24ZMusic painted on the wall of a Venetian orphanage will be heard again nearly 250 years later<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557160/original/file-20231101-23-zmwffr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C22%2C3024%2C2240&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The music room of the Ospedaletto is known for its remarkable acoustics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marica S. Tacconi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine Lady Gaga or Elton John teaching at an orphanage or homeless shelter, offering daily music lessons. </p>
<p>That’s what took place at Venice’s four <a href="https://imagesofvenice.com/ospedali-grandi/">Ospedali Grandi</a>, which were charitable institutions that took in the needy – including orphaned and foundling girls – from the 16th century to the turn of the 19th century. Remarkably, all four Ospedali hired some of the greatest musicians and composers of the time, such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antonio-Vivaldi">Antonio Vivaldi</a> and <a href="https://guides.lib.fsu.edu/composerofthemonth">Nicola Porpora</a>, to provide the young women – known as the “putte” – with a superb music education.</p>
<p>In the summer of 2019, while in Venice on a research trip, I had the opportunity to visit the Ospedale di Santa Maria dei Derelitti, more commonly known as the Ospedaletto, or “Little Hospital,” because it was the smallest of the four Ospedali Grandi. </p>
<p>As a musicologist <a href="https://arts.psu.edu/faculty/marica-tacconi/">specializing in the music of early modern Venice</a>, I was especially excited to visit one of the hidden gems of the city: the <a href="https://www.gioiellinascostidivenezia.it/en/the-jewels/complesso-dell-ospedaletto/">Ospedaletto’s music room</a>, which was built in the mid-1770s.</p>
<p>I had heard about its beauty and perfect acoustics. So when a colleague and friend, classical singer <a href="https://venicemusicproject.it/en/liesl-odenweller/">Liesl Odenweller</a>, suggested we go together, I was delighted. I also secretly hoped Liesl would feel inclined to sing in the space, so I could experience the pure acoustics of the room. </p>
<p>Little did I know that I would encounter music that hasn’t been performed in nearly 250 years.</p>
<h2>Clues on the walls</h2>
<p>As we entered the stunning music room, I was immediately struck by its elegance and relatively small size. In my mind, I had envisioned a large concert hall; instead, the space is intimate, ellipse-shaped and richly decorated.</p>
<p>Overshadowed by <a href="https://www.exploreclassicalmusic.com/vivaldi-and-the-ospedale-della-piet">the more prominent Ospedale della Pietà</a>, not much is known about the music-making that took place for centuries behind the walls of the Ospedaletto. But one of the greatest clues to its venerable history as a music school is literally on one of its walls. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Colorful painting of women performing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jacopo Guarana’s fresco ‘Concert of the Putte’ (1776-77).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marica S.Tacconi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A fresco on the far wall of the room, <a href="https://www.libreriauniversitaria.it/ospedaletto-sala-musica-favaro-tiziana/libro/9788885087071">painted in 1776-77 by Jacopo Guarana</a>, depicts a group of female musicians – likely portraits of some of the putte – at the feet of <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/apollo/">Apollo</a>, the Greek god of music. Some of them play string instruments; one, gazing toward the viewer, holds a page of sheet music.</p>
<p>Call it a professional quirk, but when I see a music score depicted in a painting, I have to get up close and try to read it. In this case, I was lucky: The music notation was quite legible, and the composer’s name was inscribed in the upper-right corner: “Sig. Anfossi.” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A close-up of a painting of a sheet of music." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The musical score depicted in Jacopo Guarana’s fresco.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marica S. Tacconi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I took several photos of the fresco. I wanted to learn as much as I could about that piece of music painted on the wall.</p>
<p>The sound of Liesl’s singing snapped me out of my music detective mode. As I had hoped, her beautiful soprano voice filled the space with a tone so pure that it sounded almost ethereal. I turned around, but my friend was no longer in the room. Where was her singing coming from? </p>
<p>Liesl, it turns out, was perched in the singing gallery. With the permission of a clerk, she had climbed up to this partially hidden loft and was singing through a grille. It was here that the putte of the Ospedaletto performed in public concerts, their features partially obscured from the prying glances of the male listeners below.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Silhouette of woman singing from behind a cage above a grand room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Liesl Odenweller sings from the gallery of the Ospedaletto’s music room.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marica S. Tacconi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Women rally behind their beloved institution</h2>
<p>Armed with those clues on the wall, I continued my research in the days following the visit to the Ospedaletto. I learned that the music by “Signor Anfossi” shown in the fresco was drawn from the opera “Antigono,” composed by <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095412866">Pasquale Anfossi</a> (1727-97) on a libretto by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pietro-Metastasio">Pietro Metastasio</a>. The work premiered in Venice at the <a href="https://www.artnet.com/artists/francesco-guardi/the-interior-of-the-teatro-san-benedetto-venice-1UqjxTVRZT2LyYjJdQa0cg2">Teatro San Benedetto</a> in 1773.</p>
<p>The text of the solo song – known in opera <a href="https://www.operacolorado.org/blog/opera-explained-what-is-an-aria/">as an aria</a> – is legible in the excerpt on the wall. It reads, “Contro il destin che freme, combatteremo insieme” – “Against quivering destiny, we shall battle together.” </p>
<p>Like many works from the 17th and 18th centuries, the entire opera is lost. I was determined to find out, however, if that particular aria had survived. Sometimes, the “hit tunes” of an opera were copied or printed separately and performed as “arie staccate” – arias that were “detached” from the rest of the work. </p>
<p>Luck was on my side: To my delight, I found <a href="https://www.internetculturale.it/jmms/iccuviewer/iccu.jsp?id=oai%3Awww.internetculturale.sbn.it%2FTeca%3A20%3ANT0000%3AFR0084-01A07_04d&mode=all&teca=MagTeca+-+ICCU">a copy of the aria in a library in Montecassino</a>, a small town southeast of Rome. Why was that particular excerpt chosen to be displayed so prominently on the wall? </p>
<p>Like other institutions in Venice, the Ospedaletto faced financial hardship in the 1770s. Evidence suggests that <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Nel_regno_dei_poveri/ojgtAQAAIAAJ?hl=en">the putte of the Ospedaletto were likely involved in raising the funds</a> for the decoration of the music room. The new hall enabled them to give performances for special guests and benefactors, which brought in substantial donations. Together with Pasquale Anfossi, who was their music teacher from 1773 to 1777, they rallied behind their beloved institution, saving it – at least temporarily – from financial destitution. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two girls, one holding music, the other depicted in a side profile, and a man holding sheets of music gazing down at them from behind." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1007&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1007&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1007&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Italian composer Pasquale Anfossi, holding rolled up sheets of music, makes an appearance in the fresco.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marica S. Tacconi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“Against quivering destiny, we shall battle together” may well have served as a rallying cry for the putte of the Ospedaletto, who literally “battled together” to preserve their splendid music conservatory.</p>
<p>Incidentally, the putte may also have wanted to honor their teacher, as Pasquale Anfossi, too, is portrayed in Guarana’s fresco, directly behind the young woman holding up his music. </p>
<h2>From wall to concert hall</h2>
<p>One of the aspects I find most rewarding about the study of older music is the process of discovering a work that has been neglected and unheard for hundreds of years and bringing it back to modern audiences.</p>
<p>Inspired by the Ospedaletto’s music room, Liesl Odenweller and I have embarked on a collaborative project that brings back not only the aria on the wall but also other music from the institution that has gone unheard for centuries. Thanks to a generous grant from the <a href="https://www.delmas.org/grantees-venetian-program">Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation</a>, the <a href="https://venicemusicproject.it/en/">Venice Music Project</a> – the ensemble Liesl co-founded in 2013 – will perform this music in a <a href="https://venicemusicproject.it/en/concert/hidden-treasures-of-the-ospedaletto/">concert in Venice on Dec. 2, 2023</a>.</p>
<p>Our program will include “Contro il destin” as well as other excerpts from “Antigono” – essentially, all that survives from that opera. In addition, we will include works by Tommaso Traetta (1727-79) and Antonio Sacchini (1730-86) who, like Anfossi, taught the young women, in some cases launching their international music careers.</p>
<p>Because the music of the past was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/musical-notation/Evolution-of-Western-staff-notation">written in a notation</a> that’s different from that used today, it’s necessary to translate and input every mark of the original score – notes, dynamics and other expressive marks – into a music notation software to produce a modern score that can be easily read by today’s musicians.</p>
<p>By performing on period instruments and using a historically informed approach, the musicians of the Venice Music Project and I are excited to revive this remarkably beautiful and meaningful music. Its neglect is certainly not a reflection of its artistic quality but rather likely the result of other composers, such as Vivaldi and Mozart, taking over the spotlight and overshadowing the works of other masters. </p>
<p>This music deserves to be heard – as does the story of the young women of the Ospedaletto.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211995/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This project received funding from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.</span></em></p>On the wall of an orphanage in Venice, a musicologist encountered a fresco featuring an aria written for an opera. She’s since embarked on a project to bring this forgotten music back.Marica S. Tacconi, Distinguished Professor of Musicology and Art History, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2110162023-09-05T12:29:10Z2023-09-05T12:29:10ZHow video games like ‘Starfield’ are creating a new generation of classical music fans<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546018/original/file-20230901-25-u3v8gu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C4%2C3199%2C2122&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The London Symphony Orchestra has performed music from video games like 'Starfield' and 'The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.' </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/niklas-benjamin-hoffmann-winner-of-the-donatella-flick-lso-news-photo/623978072?adppopup=true">Tristan Fewings/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>“<a href="https://bethesda.net/en/game/starfield">Starfield</a>” is one of the most anticipated video games in recent history. </p>
<p>The game, which was released on Sept. 6, 2023, allows players to build their own character and spacecraft, travel to any one of a thousand or more planets and follow multiple story arcs.</p>
<p>The soundtrack is equally epic, with audio director Mark Lampert describing the game’s music as a “companion to the player,” with a “sense of scale” that “had to be totally readjusted,” in a <a href="https://youtu.be/fedc6ZzfU8I?si=Ui0UHlf-vnrKhXlX">recent interview</a> about Starfield’s sound design.</p>
<p>Soundtracks for outer space have appeared in many films – “Star Wars,” “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Interstellar,” to name a few.</p>
<p>But the interactive music of “Starfield” by composer Inon Zur does something different: Utilizing a palette of musical language that cultivates a contemplative soundscape, it launches the listener into the vastness of space while remaining curious, innocent and restrained. If you close your eyes, you can imagine it being performed in the concert hall.</p>
<p>That’s exactly what happened prior to the game’s release, when the London Symphony Orchestra <a href="https://youtu.be/IaskxKfeFno">performed the “Starfield Suite</a>” before a sold-out audience at the Alexandra Palace Theatre, one of the world’s most prestigious concert halls.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.jaaronhardwick.com/">As a conductor, musician and educator</a>, I’m excited about games like “Starfield” because they’re drawing people to symphonic music like never before.</p>
<h2>Classical music becomes exclusive</h2>
<p>Before recording technology, the only way to hear music was to experience it live. Throughout early history, music functioned as an integral part of cultural life: It was played at festivals, accompanied religious services and even served as a means of communication.</p>
<p>During the time of the <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/renm/hd_renm.htm">Renaissance</a>, around the middle 15th to 16th centuries, there was a shift from music as function to music as art and entertainment.</p>
<p>Soon, live vocal and instrumental music became a form of popular entertainment, and people clamored for bigger and better sounds. In the 16th century, the marriage of art, drama and music was consummated in <a href="https://www.sfopera.com/learn/about-opera/a-brief-history-of-opera/">opera</a>. During the 17th and 18th centuries, instruments continued to evolve, large concert halls and opera houses were built, and composers explored new ideas that pushed boundaries.</p>
<p>What’s now known as “symphonic music” was born: music that was performed by a symphony orchestra. <a href="https://coloradosymphony.org/symphony-vs-orchestra/">A symphony</a> is not only a large group of musicians, but it is also a piece of music written by a composer containing multiple movements.</p>
<p>To hear a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, you had to witness a symphony orchestra play it, and crowds clamored to gain entry to concert halls hear the newest and most acclaimed composers’ works.</p>
<p>During the 18th and early 19th centuries, however, a set of social rules calcified around this music: how to listen, what to wear, where to sit and when to applaud. As tastes and technologies began to <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/amcm/hd_amcm.htm">change in the late 19th century</a>, the masses were drawn to new forms of music like jazz. Concert halls, meanwhile, became the realm of high culture, high art and high society.</p>
<p>A clear divide between popular music and <a href="https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/why-do-we-call-it-classical-music/">what became known as “classical” music</a> emerged. That divide still exists today.</p>
<p>Many argue that the <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/11/17/the-classical-music-world-is-grappling-with-accessibility">classical music world is no longer accessible</a> to most people – it’s seen as too intimidating and too stuffy, with works that are too long and tickets that are too expensive. Meanwhile, symphony orchestras around the world <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/16/arts/music/orchestra-diversity.html">are scrambling to diversify their music and ranks</a> within a tradition and culture that was long reserved for the highly educated, wealthy and white.</p>
<p>With symphonies working to be more inclusive in their music education and program offerings, I see video games as a key way to bridge this divide.</p>
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<h2>From ‘bleeps and bloops’ to symphonic music</h2>
<p>Due to limitations in hardware, early video games utilized synthesized “bleeps and bloops.” However, these constraints spurred programmers to think about creative ways to make games more immersive through sound. </p>
<p>Today, video games do not have the same limitations. Composers have the agency to create soundscapes that utilize the most advanced hardware and software, and they can employ some of the best musicians in the world <a href="https://www.grammy.com/videos/assassins-creed-wins-best-score-soundtrack-video-games-interactive-media-2023-grammys-premiere-ceremony">to record award-winning soundtracks</a>. </p>
<p>In a 2021 interview, video game composer and conductor <a href="https://youtu.be/wInG9pSpmNQ?t=1505">Eimear Noone said</a>, “More young people listen to orchestral music through their game consoles today than have ever listened to orchestral music in the history of music.” </p>
<p>She’s probably right. <a href="https://financesonline.com/number-of-gamers-worldwide/">There are over 3 billion gamers</a> around the world, and people between the ages of 18 and 25 spend the most time playing video games. A <a href="https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/video-games-children-classical-music/">2018 poll conducted by the U.K.’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra</a> found that more young people are exposed to classical music through video games than through attending live performances.</p>
<p>The fusion of advanced technology and scholarship has forged worlds like those found in the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise, which can <a href="https://doi-org.wake.idm.oclc.org/10.1086/713365">act as time machines</a> that allow players to explore ancient Greece, with historically informed soundtracks accompanying them on their journeys.</p>
<p>In Activision’s “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice,” composer Yuka Kitamura used traditional Japanese instruments to craft a sound informed by Japan’s <a href="https://doyouknowjapan.com/history/sengoku/">Sengoku period</a>; the music of “Civilization IV” contains tracks influenced by composers throughout history; and many of today’s most popular video game titles <a href="https://limelightmagazine.com.au/features/the-best-classical-music-in-videogames/">feature classical music</a>. </p>
<p>“Thanks to video games,” <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/28/arts/i-fell-love-with-classical-music-thanks-video-games/">Boston Globe music writer A.Z. Madonna wrote</a>, “I fell in love with classical music.”</p>
<h2>Getting the recognition it deserves</h2>
<p>Today’s video game music is more interactive and nonlinear than traditional concert hall and film music. This means that <a href="https://stringsmagazine.com/top-video-game-composers-talk-craft-and-breaking-into-the-business/">composers think differently when writing for games</a>. Tools, technologies and education for composers and musicians are changing.</p>
<p>The increasing complexity of video games means composers are once again pushing boundaries through expanded sound palettes. Like “Starfield,” many modern game titles incorporate symphonic music needed to provide the emotional and atmospheric underpinning of the game experience.</p>
<p>As the gaming industry continues to expand – it’s projected <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/748044/number-video-gamers-world/">to earn US$533 billion globally by 2027</a> – video game soundtracks have become more and more popular. When a game is released, <a href="https://blog.chartmetric.com/video-game-music-rise-popularity/">music streaming platforms</a> routinely release an accompanying soundtrack. </p>
<p>The classical music world and symphony orchestras may finally be catching on.</p>
<p>In 2022, the BBC Proms, a daily summer concert series that features classical music in London, included video game music <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/erjv9r">performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra</a> for the first time in history. In 2023, the Grammys recognized “<a href="https://www.grammy.com/news/2023-grammys-new-categories-songwriter-year-best-video-game-soundtrack-social-impact-special-merit-award-65th-grammy-awards">Best Video Game Soundtrack</a>” as an official category for the first time. Its inaugural winner was <a href="https://www.grammy.com/news/stephanie-economou-interview-2023-grammys-assassins-creed-valhalla-best-score-soundtrack-video-games-interactive-media">Stephanie Economou</a> for her work on “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök.”</p>
<p>Today, there are a number of symphonic concert series – <a href="http://gameonconcert.com/">GameOn!</a>, <a href="https://www.gameconcerts.com/en/concerts/final-symphony/">Game Concerts</a>, <a href="https://ffdistantworlds.com/">Distant Worlds</a> and <a href="https://www.videogameslive.com/">VGL</a> – that feature live video game music performed by top orchestras.</p>
<p>“Starfield” will be marked by beautiful graphics, interactive game play and a compelling story, but holding it together will be the gravity of its sonic landscape. Video game music has come a long way from its first “bleeps and bloops.” Symphonic music will continue to accompany players’ video game journeys, and like “Starfield,” the sky is no longer the limit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211016/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>J. Aaron Hardwick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The genre has long been viewed as too exclusive, too expensive and too stuffy. Thanks to video games, that’s starting to change.J. Aaron Hardwick, Orchestra Director and Assistant Professor of Music, Wake Forest UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2112702023-08-16T23:36:49Z2023-08-16T23:36:49Z95% male conductors, 70% ageing classics and zero appetite for risk: what’s wrong with elite Australian opera<p>The stories told on the operatic stage have received <a href="https://theconversation.com/opera-is-stuck-in-a-racist-sexist-past-while-many-in-the-audience-have-moved-on-120073">critical attention</a> for their representation of gender, particularly the often violent fate of their heroines.</p>
<p>But little attention has been paid to women’s representation behind the scenes in Australia. In part, this is due to a lack of readily available data about women’s actual status within opera companies. </p>
<p>We have now created a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10286632.2023.2239266">unique dataset</a> to address this gap. </p>
<p>We looked at the production credits for staged operas presented by Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, the State Opera of South Australia, Victorian Opera and West Australian Opera from 2005 to 2020. </p>
<p>For each production, we tracked the gender profile of the practitioners credited as conductors, directors and designers. We looked at who was credited when, and on which kinds of operas. </p>
<p>We found evidence of pervasive gender inequality.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/opera-is-stuck-in-a-racist-sexist-past-while-many-in-the-audience-have-moved-on-120073">Opera is stuck in a racist, sexist past, while many in the audience have moved on</a>
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<h2>Gender inequality at top opera companies</h2>
<p>Across the five companies, women were hugely underrepresented in the core creative leadership roles of conductor and director. </p>
<p>Women held just 5% of conductor credits over the 16 seasons, and less than a quarter of director credits. Not only were women less likely to see initial credits compared to men, they were also less likely to have opportunities to work on more than one production.</p>
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<p>At individual companies, women’s representation was lowest at Opera Australia and the State Opera of South Australia.</p>
<p>Less than 3% of conductors and 19% of directors credited at Opera Australia were women. The State Opera of South Australia did not credit a single woman conductor between 2005 and 2020 and just 17% of its credited directors were women. </p>
<p>In comparison, two of the smallest companies – Opera Queensland and Victorian Opera – had by far the highest representation for women in both roles.</p>
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<p>Women also saw low representation as designers, comprising 21% of set designers and 9% of lighting designers. Women were much more likely to be credited in the feminised role of <a href="https://variety.com/2018/artisans/news/the-handmaids-tale-1202911250-1202911250/">costume designer</a>.</p>
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<h2>Inequality is greatest in productions of the canon</h2>
<p>The kinds of operas programmed also affected women’s representation as conductors, directors and designers. </p>
<p>Canonical works like Puccini’s La bohème (1895) and Bizet’s Carmen (1875) are seen as <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/opera/audiences-dont-want-to-see-new-works-opera-australias-lyndon-terracini-says-20150115-12qo1m.html">low-risk</a> because they are recognised as masterpieces of the genre and are popular with existing opera audiences. </p>
<p>Canonical operas dominated programming at four of the five companies, followed by slightly less popular works from the 19th century and earlier, such as Rossini’s La Cenerentola (1817) and Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles (1863). </p>
<p>The combination of canonical and slightly less canonical works comprised 84% of programming at West Australian Opera, 79% at Opera Australia, 73% at Opera Queensland and 64% at the State Opera of South Australia. (The outlier, Victorian Opera, explicitly focuses on modern operas.)</p>
<p>However, women practitioners were notably absent from the production teams for these popular works. On canonical operas, women’s representation as conductors dropped to less than 1%. Women directors and designers saw almost universal drops in representation across both categories of repertoire. </p>
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<p>Instead, women were more likely to be credited on high-risk modern operas. These works are thought to be <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/opera/audiences-dont-want-to-see-new-works-opera-australias-lyndon-terracini-says-20150115-12qo1m.html">less popular</a> with audiences and are programmed less frequently and for fewer performances than canonical works. </p>
<p>Women also had higher levels of representation in musical theatre works, popular with audiences but traditionally holding <a href="https://www.nats.org/_Library/JOS_On_Point/JOS-078-02-2021-171.pdf">little prestige</a> in the sector. </p>
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<h2>Risk perception and gender inequality</h2>
<p>Beyond the risk associated with different operas and their ability to attract audiences, a contributing factor for gender inequality in opera is how “risky” certain practitioners are thought to be. </p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gwao.12701">Studies</a> from the creative industries have shown perceptions of risk in the arts are deeply gendered, particularly when it comes to hiring for key artistic or governance roles. While men practitioners are seen as reliable, women are seen as inherently risky.</p>
<p>These biases are exacerbated in fields like opera where work opportunities are driven by personal networks and professional visibility, both of which <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/03128962231179379">favour men</a>. </p>
<p>Risk perceptions also have compounding effects. Because modern operas are already seen as “risky”, it appears these productions can take the “risk” of employing women – whereas canonical operas, programmed because they are “safe”, also make the “safe” choice in hiring men.</p>
<h2>Risk aversion in funding enables gender inequality</h2>
<p>Entrenched gender bias is difficult to shift in any field. But with Australia’s opera companies, government funding policies are exacerbating the field’s existing inequality. </p>
<p>Here again, it comes down to questions of risk. </p>
<p>Australia’s peak arts funding body, now named Creative Australia, has a particular focus on mitigating risk – both financial and artistic – through its operatic policies. </p>
<p>In exchange for <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-opera-deserve-its-privileged-status-within-arts-funding-84761">multi-year funding support</a>, companies are expected to <a href="https://www.arts.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national_opera_review_government_response_for_tabling_at_mcm.pdf">maintain financial targets</a> and prioritise programming operas that are low-risk financially. Companies are also encouraged to rent existing productions from Opera Australia or <a href="https://www.arts.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national_opera_review_final_report_0.pdf">co-commission</a> new productions with other companies.</p>
<p>These policies are laudable for their attention to efficient public spending and co-operation. But policies can have unintended impacts. </p>
<p>By encouraging companies to program low-risk popular operas, Creative Australia is trying to mitigate financial risk. But such policies don’t take into account the fact that women practitioners are largely absent from these works. </p>
<p>In the same way, policies that promote co-operation don’t consider how this leads to companies reproducing gender imbalances. Opera Australia is framed as a key source of rental productions for other companies but also has some of the lowest rates of representation for women directors and conductors. </p>
<p>It is critical that arts funding bodies and policymakers consider the practical impacts of their policies. At the same time, opera companies need to acknowledge the extent to which their own organisational practices are driving inequality within the sector. </p>
<p>The scale of gender inequality at work in Australian opera production won’t be easily remedied. But shining a light on the extent of the problem is a start towards making the sector accountable for its performance, both on and off the stage. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/does-opera-deserve-its-privileged-status-within-arts-funding-84761">Does opera deserve its privileged status within arts funding?</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our new research has tracked the gender of artists working at Australian opera companies and found evidence of pervasive gender inequality.Caitlin Vincent, Lecturer in Creative Industries, The University of MelbourneBronwyn Coate, Senior Lecturer in Economics, RMIT UniversityKatya Johanson, Professor of Audience Research, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2071062023-06-06T06:35:13Z2023-06-06T06:35:13ZIntimate and immense: remembering Kaija Saariaho, one of the greatest composers of our time<p>The Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho passed away Friday at the age of 70. </p>
<p>There’s been an outpouring of grief, sadness and love on social media and in statements from orchestras, festivals and opera companies as the music community processes the loss of one of the greatest composers of our time.</p>
<p>When I was a young composer, the first work by Saariaho I heard live was Jardin Secret I (1985) at the 1988 Hong Kong ISCM Festival. </p>
<p>It was the first time the International Society of Contemporary Music had staged a festival in an Asian country, and many European composers were in attendance. </p>
<p>I was swept up by the work with its haunting bell tones transformed through electronics. The music sounded simultaneously familiar and alien, intimate and immense. I was awed by the imposing presence of a composer I knew only from <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/modern-music-and-after-9780199740505?cc=us&lang=en&">music history texts</a>.</p>
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<p>Later, we met when I served on some competition juries she chaired. </p>
<p>I briefly got to know someone of warm generosity, incisive knowledge and integrity who brought a hilariously dry wit and impeccable timing to telling stories.</p>
<h2>Operas of love and loss of innocence</h2>
<p>Saariaho will be remembered for her many illustrious achievements in forging a luminous musical language out of instrumental and electronic resources, the composition of five major operas, and through numerous orchestral works often showcasing close collaborators as soloists.</p>
<p>Her career reached its peak with two operas.</p>
<p><em>L’amour de loin</em> (Love from afar) created a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/17/arts/opera-review-a-prince-idealizes-his-love-from-afar.html">sensation</a> when it premiered at the Salzburg Festival in 2000 in a production by American director Peter Sellars. </p>
<p>In a lyrical retelling of an enigmatic story of love and spiritual yearning, with a libretto by Lebanese-French writer Amin Maalouf, it has become one of the most <a href="https://operawire.com/in-tribute-to-her-an-exploration-of-kaija-saariahos-operas/">successful</a> 21st century operas.</p>
<p>Hypnotic, suspended harmonies and modal melodies create an alternative, idealised world in which one has time to contemplate themes of obsession, devotion and the realities and illusions of love.</p>
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<p>In 2016, it was the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/arts/music/review-met-opera-amour-de-loin-kaija-saariaho.html">first opera by a female composer</a> to be staged at the Metropolitan Opera in New York since the production of Ethel Smyth’s <em>Der Wald</em> (The Forest) in 1903. </p>
<p>Two decades later, Saariaho’s last opera Innocence (2018) was described by the New Yorker as a “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/07/26/the-sublime-terror-of-kaija-saariahos-innocence">monumental cry against gun violence</a>”. Again, it was immediately hailed as a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/arts/music/innocence-saariaho-opera-aix.html">masterpiece</a> at its premiere at the 2021 Aix-en-Provence Festival in France.</p>
<p>Innocence is set in nine languages with a multitude of intersecting stories, but its genius lies in the way the luminously pulsing music is used to maintain dramatic momentum and a clear through line. </p>
<p>Following its premiere, Innocence has been taken up by major opera houses around the world.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/la-passion-de-simone-brings-simone-weils-sufferings-to-life-but-the-movements-feel-static-109794">La Passion de Simone brings Simone Weil's sufferings to life, but the movements feel static</a>
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<h2>A trailblazer for composers</h2>
<p>Since the mid-80s, a time when there were very few prominent women composers on the international stage, Saariaho has been a major role model.</p>
<p>She <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2016/12/03/503986298/half-of-humanity-has-something-to-say-composer-kaija-saariaho-on-her-met-debut">resented</a> the “woman composer” label and spoke infrequently about the prejudices and challenges she had encountered in the decidedly male-dominated world of classical music. </p>
<p>Yet on the occasions when Saariaho <a href="https://slippedisc.com/2013/11/the-composer-kaija-saariaho-on-sexism-in-classical-music/">did address this topic</a>, she conceded there was a role she could play in raising consciousness about the persistence of gender inequality in music. </p>
<p>In an <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2016/12/03/503986298/half-of-humanity-has-something-to-say-composer-kaija-saariaho-on-her-met-debut">interview for NPR</a> in 2016 she said:</p>
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<p>I’ve seen it with young women who are battling with the same things I was battling […] 35 years ago. […] Maybe we, then, should speak about it, even if it seems so unbelievable. You know, half of humanity has something to say.</p>
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<p>Saariaho opened pathways for many composers across different generations and practices. Her work alchemised several 20th century musical trends that had tended to inhabit separate “camps” into a unique and emotionally powerful style with broad appeal for both specialists and the general public. </p>
<p>Early on, she engaged with a modernist focus on a detailed chiselling of sounds working with techniques that extended the capacities of any virtuoso performer performing her work. </p>
<p>Working at IRCAM (the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) in Paris in the 1980s, she created several genre-breaking works.</p>
<p>Lichtbogen (1985/86) for ensemble with live electronics used computer-aided analyses of sound to shape huge sweeping brushstrokes of sensuous sound. </p>
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<p>She worked within the musical field of “<a href="https://www.rem.routledge.com/articles/spectralism#:%7E:text=Spectralism%20is%20a%20tendency%20in,point%20of%20departure%20for%20composition">spectralism</a>”, where the analysis of the acoustic properties of sound is used as the basis of composition. This opened up new approaches to harmony in her music.</p>
<p>Orion (2002) for large orchestra is an example of how she could build up layer upon layer of sound where you hear individual colours in translucent detail within epic, billowing clouds of resonance.</p>
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<p>Her operatic works from 2000 on brought a narrative directness, a ravishing beauty and devastating emotional punch that saw her work embraced by audiences around the world.</p>
<h2>Soul listening</h2>
<p>At the heart of her work was a kind of soul-listening and deep connection to nature. </p>
<p>In 2015, I had the privilege of going for a walk with Saariaho in a snowy landscape outside Hämeenlinna, Finland (the birthplace of Sibelius). As we walked, I got to hear the sounds of cracking ice and the whisper of birch trees through the lens of her delicate observations.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/arts/music/kaija-saariaho-dead.html">quoted in The New York Times</a>, she remarked to her biographer Pirkko Moisala:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The task of today’s artist is to nurture with spiritually rich art. […] To provide new spiritual dimensions. To express with greater richness, which does not always mean more complexity but with greater delicacy.</p>
</blockquote>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-sound-of-silence-why-arent-australias-female-composers-being-heard-59743">The sound of silence: why aren't Australia's female composers being heard?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207106/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liza Lim does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Finnish composer passed away Friday at the age of 70. She was someone of immense generosity, incisive knowledge and integrity.Liza Lim, Professor, Sculthorpe Chair of Australian Music, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2023182023-05-23T19:16:05Z2023-05-23T19:16:05ZLive performance meets digital to create a powerful love story in the opera ‘Orphée+’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526268/original/file-20230515-12140-3fju5n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=544%2C504%2C3832%2C2673&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Surrounded by what resembles a Zoom chorus, lovers Orpheus and Eurydice descend into a digital hellscape, and later try to navigate a ‘new normal' in their relationship. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Nanc Price/Edmonton Opera)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The 2022-2023 season is the first for the Edmonton Opera since its pandemic <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/music/stopping-the-music-edmonton-opera-pro-coro-edmonton-symphony-orchestra-under-covid-19-closure">shutdown in March 2020</a>. Globally, the pandemic forced performers to abandon live performance. After it became clear that this was more than a short shutdown, many performers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08831157.2021.2017241">turned to digital means</a>.</p>
<p>Now live performance practitioners are, to varying degrees, embracing and critically reflecting on digital changes in society even as they return to the stage.</p>
<p>When the opera <a href="https://www.edmontonopera.com/2023/orphee"><em>Orphée+</em>, directed by Joel Ivany</a>, was first co-produced with Against the Grain Theatre, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Opera Columbus in 2018, Ivany noted that its use of <a href="https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/2018/04/23/primer-why-against-the-grains-orphee-might-be-the-most-authentic-opera-youll-see-all-year">elements of digital design provided insights on human experiences created by screens</a>.</p>
<p>The Edmonton Opera’s production of <em>Orphée+</em> under Ivany’s direction following the city’s COVID-19 lockdowns is a powerful commentary on pandemic experiences of accelerated technology and human separation — and the adaptive nature of live performance.</p>
<h2>Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice</h2>
<p><em>Orphée+</em> is a contemporary interpretation of <a href="https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2017-18/orphee-et-eurydice/">Christopher Willibald Gluck’s <em>Orphée et Eurydice</em></a> (Orpheus and Eurydice), a 17th-century operatic interpretation of a Greek myth about lovers separated by death.</p>
<p>Orpheus’s devotion to Eurydice attracts the attention of the gods, who give him a chance to win her back from the underworld. But the gods’ restrictions on Orpheus — that he must abstain from looking at Eurydice — prove too difficult for him to follow. His lack of restraint seals Eurydice’s fate of death.</p>
<p>In the opera, however, the pair is given yet another chance. The character Amour (the god of love) rewards their passion, and Eurydice is restored to life. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1618948920326983681"}"></div></p>
<h2>Digital isolation</h2>
<p>Like the original production <a href="https://atgtheatre.com/orphee-tickets">mounted in Toronto</a> and <a href="https://www.operacolumbus.org/portfolio/glucks-orphee-et-eurydice/">Columbus, Ohio</a>, Edmonton Opera’s <em>Orphée+</em> used digital tools in the first act to underscore the isolation Orpheus feels losing Eurydice. The chorus was projected onto hanging fabric, as if on Zoom screens, and was <a href="https://atgtheatre.com/global-chorus/">composed of videos the public was invited to submit</a>.</p>
<p>As we watched this chorus after pandemic lockdowns, this struck us as a profound reflection on the loneliness many experienced as working from home and slogans like “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/column/together-apart">Together Apart</a>” became the new normal. </p>
<p>In the Edmonton show, after Orpheus lost Eurydice, a shadowy image of Eurydice moved across the sheets, like a faded memory that haunts the stage. Orpheus (Siman Chung) was joined on stage by nymph-like dancers whose movements perfectly reflected Chung’s stirring performance, with talents as both countertenor and violin player that were equally impressive.</p>
<p>Breaking the tension of this first act was <a href="https://www.ettafung.com/aerial-opera">Etta Fung, an “opera-aerialist”</a> whose acrobatics as Amour took this show to new heights.</p>
<p>The character Amour in Gluck’s original opera and in <em>Orphée+</em> highlights a sense of the importance of love and desire. In the ancient <a href="https://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidMetamorphoses10.html">poem <em>Metamorphoses</em>, the Roman poet Ovid</a> narrated the significance of love and desire through his discussion of Orpheus’s actions.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Acrobat hanging upside down, singing to man standing on stage" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523246/original/file-20230427-18-c80jv0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523246/original/file-20230427-18-c80jv0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523246/original/file-20230427-18-c80jv0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523246/original/file-20230427-18-c80jv0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523246/original/file-20230427-18-c80jv0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523246/original/file-20230427-18-c80jv0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523246/original/file-20230427-18-c80jv0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Etta Fung as Amour and Siman Chung as Orpheus.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Nanc Price/Edmonton Opera)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The world, separated</h2>
<p>Digital elements punctuated the difficulties Orpheus has in navigating the world separated from his partner. As Orpheus descends to the underworld, the set design emulating pixelization, with electronic sounds and harsh lighting, placed Orpheus inside a digital hell. </p>
<p>Surrounded by dancing demons, Orpheus was steadfast in his quest to find his wife and eventually <a href="https://www.edmontonopera.com/orphee-program#SYNOPSIS">makes it to the Elysian Fields</a>.</p>
<p><em>Orphée+</em> then discarded digital elements to reunite the lovers, making an eloquent argument for the connections that can only be made when we give our full attention to each other in person and remove all external distractions.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A figure seen clenching his fists on a stage surrounded by dancing figures wearing double-horned hats." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523247/original/file-20230427-689-bepsko.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523247/original/file-20230427-689-bepsko.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523247/original/file-20230427-689-bepsko.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523247/original/file-20230427-689-bepsko.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523247/original/file-20230427-689-bepsko.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523247/original/file-20230427-689-bepsko.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523247/original/file-20230427-689-bepsko.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dancing demons surround Orpheus (Siman Chung).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Nanc Price/Edmonton Opera)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A new normal of relationship</h2>
<p>The second half of Edmonton Opera’s show was devoid of digital elements. Eurydice and Orpheus were left alone on stage to try and navigate the new normal of their relationship.</p>
<p>Eurydice, not understanding Orpheus’s need to stay away from her and not look at her to honour the gods’ conditions, argued with her husband. She refused to follow him, questioning why he was blindfolded. </p>
<p>This second half and its conflict between husband and wife paralleled Roman versions of the myth. In the most famous extant version found in Ovid’s <em><a href="https://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidMetamorphoses10.html">Metamorphoses</a></em>, Orpheus speaks and, when he fails the test of not turning to look at his wife, Eurydice slips away with a barely audible “farewell.”</p>
<p>In the Roman poet Virgil’s <em><a href="https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/VirgilGeorgicsIV.php#anchor_Toc534524384">Georgics</a></em>, also about the myth, Eurydice is the one who speaks, not her husband; when Orpheus turns to look at her, she cries out a bitter farewell while lashing out at him for his weakness.</p>
<p>The practical needs of opera mean that <em>Orphée+</em> combined the two: Orpheus sings, and Eurydice speaks back.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Blindfolded man turning away from woman who grasps his arm, background stark black and white." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523248/original/file-20230427-18-1wm6wa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523248/original/file-20230427-18-1wm6wa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523248/original/file-20230427-18-1wm6wa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523248/original/file-20230427-18-1wm6wa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523248/original/file-20230427-18-1wm6wa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523248/original/file-20230427-18-1wm6wa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523248/original/file-20230427-18-1wm6wa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Eurydice (Sharleen Joynt) does not understand why Orpheus (Siman Chung) will not look at her and argues with her husband.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Nanc Price/Edmonton Opera)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Human connection transcending separation</h2>
<p>In Ivany’s <em>Orphée+</em>, the ancient treatment of love and loss is replaced with a message of human connection. </p>
<p>In 2023, the show speaks to transcending death and the physical separation of pandemic lockdowns.</p>
<p>By saturating the senses of the audience up to the intermission, the minimalism of the second half forced the audience to reflect on what happens when we give up everything to focus solely on what matters most.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Acrobat looking down on a reunited couple." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523249/original/file-20230427-546-fgl3ea.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523249/original/file-20230427-546-fgl3ea.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523249/original/file-20230427-546-fgl3ea.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523249/original/file-20230427-546-fgl3ea.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523249/original/file-20230427-546-fgl3ea.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523249/original/file-20230427-546-fgl3ea.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523249/original/file-20230427-546-fgl3ea.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Amour (Etta Fung) reunites Orpheus (Siman Chung) and Eurydice (Sharleen Joynt) for the second time in ‘Orphée+.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Nanc Price/Edmonton Opera)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Questions about presence, precarity</h2>
<p>Rather than a test of self-control and the moderation of desire as in the original myth, <em>Orphée+</em> presents a testament to the strength of human connection and relationships amid extreme physical separation and disconnect. </p>
<p>In this way, the production echoes concerns identified by literature and culture scholar Monika Pietrzak-Franger and colleagues: the pandemic <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/theatre-research-international/article/editorial-presence-and-precarity-in-postpandemic-theatre-and-performance/184427CFDC87483120056ABAE5009982">exposed existing crises about how arts’ organizations’ financial viability is connected to engaging live audiences</a>. This raises questions not only about how our societies value art, but also about arts institutions’ cultural gatekeeping, and how strict adherence to what’s believed to be “traditional form” has creative, cultural and political implications. </p>
<p>It’s our hope, however, and that of many of the theatre practitioners we know, that the changes brought about by the pandemic will instead make “<a href="https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2021/april/experts-say-post-pandemic-theatre-will-be-more-inclusive-for-all.aspx">theatre more inclusive for all</a>.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202318/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>After COVID-19 closures, Edmonton Opera presented a contemporary telling of the Greek myth of lovers separated by death.Erin Alice Cowling, Associate Professor of Spanish, Department of Humanities, MacEwan UniversityJessica M Romney, Assistant Professor of Classics, MacEwan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2001512023-02-22T16:08:50Z2023-02-22T16:08:50ZEnrico Caruso: the first big opera star of the 20th century<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510683/original/file-20230216-22-vil2gj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=57%2C57%2C2448%2C1724&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Photograph of Enrico Caruso in 1915.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E._Caruso_LCCN2014709495.jpg">Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>25 February 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Enrico-Caruso">Enrico Caruso</a>, one of the most admired tenors in history and one of the first to have his voice preserved for posterity through phonographic recordings.</p>
<h2>Caruso before Caruso</h2>
<p>Caruso was born in Naples in 1873. Just 14 months earlier, the world premiere of Verdi’s opera <a href="https://www.metopera.org/user-information/synopses-archive/aida"><em>Aida</em></a> had taken place. Caruso was to play its Radamès years later. </p>
<p>Some of the roles that would later catapult him to fame (Maurizio in <a href="https://www.metopera.org/user-information/synopses-archive/adriana-lecouvreur/"><em>Adriana Lecouvreur</em></a>, Loris in <a href="https://www.metopera.org/discover/synopses/fedora/"><em>Fedora</em></a>, Mario in <a href="https://www.eno.org/operas/tosca/"><em>Tosca</em></a> or Pinkerton in <a href="https://www.metopera.org/discover/synopses/madama-butterfly/"><em>Madama Butterfly</em></a>, among others) had not even been written when he was born.</p>
<p>Caruso grew up in a family of limited means. From the age of ten he combined working as a mechanic with occasional performances as a street singer. In 1891 he really began his training with the maestro Guglielmo Vergine. The first time Vergine heard him, he was not optimistic: <em>È ‘na voce 'e niente</em> (“It’s a voice and nothing else”), he said. But Caruso’s perseverance would soon pay off.</p>
<p>His official debut came in 1894 at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples in <a href="https://teca.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/ImageViewer/servlet/ImageViewer?idr=BNCF00004400668"><em>L'amico Francesco</em> by Mario Morelli</a>. </p>
<p>Four years later he would begin one of the most promising chapters of his career with the world premieres at the Teatro Lírico in Milan of works such as <a href="https://operahollandpark.com/productions/larlesiana/"><em>L'Arlesiana</em> (1897)</a>, <em>Fedora</em> (1898) and <em>Adriana Lecouvreur</em> (1902). </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508869/original/file-20230208-23-485i1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man in period costume." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508869/original/file-20230208-23-485i1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508869/original/file-20230208-23-485i1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508869/original/file-20230208-23-485i1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508869/original/file-20230208-23-485i1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508869/original/file-20230208-23-485i1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508869/original/file-20230208-23-485i1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508869/original/file-20230208-23-485i1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Enrico Caruso as the Duke in <em>Rigoletto</em>, photograph by Aimé Dupont.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Enrico_Caruso_as_the_Duke_in_Rigoletto.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also in 1902 he made his debut at London’s Covent Garden in <a href="https://www.metopera.org/discover/synopses/rigoletto/"><em>Rigoletto</em></a>. He starred again in Rigoletto on his successful first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York the following year, beginning a very active relationship with the American opera house. He would come to dominate every season until 1920. </p>
<h2>Failure in Barcelona</h2>
<p>Rigoletto would also be his performance debut in Spain – and his only appearance on the Spanish stage. </p>
<p>On 20 and 23 April 1904, Caruso took part in <a href="https://annals.liceubarcelona.cat/llocca/FFArtista?nomtau=artista&idartista=20252">two productions of <em>Rigoletto</em> at the Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona</a>, never to perform there again.</p>
<p>The day after the first performance, the <em>Diario de Barcelona</em> <a href="https://ahcbdigital.bcn.cat/es/hemeroteca/visualizador/ahcb-d056413">noted</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Mr. Caruso had to repeat la ballatta in the first act and in the third, and for three times, La donna è mobile: with this it could be considered that the famous tenor obtained a great success last night. However, it was not so. Mr. Caruso, who has, as is so often the case with artists, his good and bad days, was not in one of the former, and his great powers, which were undoubtedly manifested, could not be appreciated in all their purity, and were sometimes tarnished by the insecurity of intonation, which is one of the things that our public finds most difficult to conceal and which they did not want to let pass without protest, especially in the duet of the second act, where the artist was most discomposed. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The second and final performance <a href="https://www.operaactual.com/reportaje/de-carusiello-a-gran-caruso/">seems to have had no better reception</a>. The precedent set by fellow singer <a href="https://www.traction-project.eu/the-event-packed-annals-of-the-gran-teatre-del-liceu/">Angelo Masini</a> cannot have helped. Masini was so successful in his performances of <em>Rigoletto</em> in the late 19th century that on several occasions he sang <a href="https://annals.liceubarcelona.cat/llocca/FFuncio?idfuncio=21414">four</a>, <a href="https://annals.liceubarcelona.cat/llocca/FFuncio?idfuncio=21297">five</a> and even <a href="https://annals.liceubarcelona.cat/llocca/FFuncio?idfuncio=20903">six encores</a> of “La donna è mobile”. </p>
<h2>Improper behaviour?</h2>
<p>It wasn’t all plain sailing for the tenor. On 17 November 1906 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1906/11/17/archives/signor-caruso-tenor-arrested-in-the-zoo-charged-by-a-policeman-with.html"><em>The New York Times</em> mentioned Caruso on its front page</a>, but this time it wasn’t a musical review. </p>
<p>The tenor had been arrested the day before for “annoying” a woman who was near him in the monkey house at the Central Park Zoo. According to the next day’s newspapers, Caruso insisted on his total innocence and claimed that the police might have made a mistake. His friend <a href="https://mahlerfoundation.org/mahler/contemporaries/heinrich-conried/">Heinrich Conried</a>, director of the Met, posted $500 bail to release him from jail. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508881/original/file-20230208-15-yk26kn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Early 20th century newspaper cover." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508881/original/file-20230208-15-yk26kn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508881/original/file-20230208-15-yk26kn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508881/original/file-20230208-15-yk26kn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508881/original/file-20230208-15-yk26kn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508881/original/file-20230208-15-yk26kn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=718&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508881/original/file-20230208-15-yk26kn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=718&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508881/original/file-20230208-15-yk26kn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=718&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Front page of <em>The Washington Times</em> newspaper of November 17, 1906 detailing Caruso’s arrest.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1906-11-17/ed-1/seq-1/">Library of Congress</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Caruso case reached every corner of New York. The press dubbed it “the monkey scandal”, and it was seized upon by racist sectors of American society as an opportunity to attack the Italian population. According to historian David Suisman <a href="https://believermag.com/welcome-to-the-monkey-house/">in an article in Believer magazine</a>, a former New York police chief told the newspaper that “the arrest of Caruso… was an outrage” and “his conviction was had on no evidence at all…”.</p>
<p>When the trial began on 22 November, the prosecution unleashed broader charges against Caruso, accusing him of harassing several women. The police officer who arrested him testified that Caruso molested not only the first but also five other women in four separate incidents at the monkey house. Caruso was ordered to pay the maximum fine at the time: $10, which today would be about $275.</p>
<h2>Caruso at home</h2>
<p>The uniqueness of Caruso’s voice came to the stage at the perfect time: when the transition from romantic tenor to the <em>verismo</em> tenor was taking place, requiring almost unwavering voices. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508873/original/file-20230208-13-gou7rg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Opera album cover." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508873/original/file-20230208-13-gou7rg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508873/original/file-20230208-13-gou7rg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=821&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508873/original/file-20230208-13-gou7rg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=821&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508873/original/file-20230208-13-gou7rg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=821&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508873/original/file-20230208-13-gou7rg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1032&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508873/original/file-20230208-13-gou7rg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1032&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508873/original/file-20230208-13-gou7rg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1032&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Victor Records advertisement: Enrico Caruso sings the aria ‘Largo’ from Händel’s opera <em>Jerjes</em>.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Advertisement_for_Victor_Records-_Enrico_Caruso_sings_Largo_from_%22Xerxes%22_LCCN2014711790.jpg">Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But it also coincided with the beginnings of phonography, in which Caruso’s voice not only fitted, but was “<a href="https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/enrico-caruso-gramophone-january-1944-by-fw-gaisberg">the answer to a recording man’s dream</a>”, according to Fred Gaisberg, music producer of the British company Gramophone. Attracted by the Neapolitan’s fame, in 1902 Gaisberg offered Caruso the chance to record ten arias. These were to be followed by many more. </p>
<p>With Caruso, the recording industry generated a mass market. Listeners no longer needed to travel to an opera house to enjoy his voice, but could now listen to it in their own homes over and over again. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I am no longer a man, I am a money-making machine. A device that produces dividends. They force me to live in a glass box, not because they value me. Caruso is just a throat that I have sold to managers like Faust sold his soul to Mephistopheles".</p>
<p><a href="https://scherzo.es/enrico-caruso-1873-1921/"><em>Gaulois</em>, París, agosto 1918</a>. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>After the tenor’s death in 1921, aged just 48, his commercial phenomenon took on an unprecedented dimension. His voice could no longer be heard on stage but had been immortalised in recordings, thus increasing his appeal. </p>
<p>The “Caruso phenomenon” had only just begun. It marked the dividing line between two eras: that of ephemeral music and that of recorded music. No one had the tenor’s projection and influence in the recording industry of the early 20th century. </p>
<p>One early advertisement called his recordings “one of the most natural and faithful portraits of Caruso ever taken”. Another, published after the tenor’s death, noted: “You hear the real Caruso”.</p>
<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/7zRjcB9YUOXj2VtWPBFwZZ?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="380" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200151/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cristina Roldán Fidalgo receives funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and is currently the beneficiary of a Juan de la Cierva contract.</span></em></p>It is 150 years since the birth of the Neapolitan tenor Enrico Caruso.Cristina Roldán Fidalgo, Doctora en Musicología, Universidad de La RiojaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1921782022-12-05T01:25:24Z2022-12-05T01:25:24Z‘A state of aesthetic pleasure and satisfaction’: Pinchgut Opera’s Médée demands to be heard<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498803/original/file-20221204-16605-1yhf6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2991%2C1980&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cassandra Hannagan</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Review: Médée, directed by Justin Way and conducted by Erin Helyard, Pinchgut Opera</em></p>
<p>Known for specialising in baroque opera and historically informed music interpretations, Pinchgut Opera always programs pieces that not only delight with luscious baroque instruments and beautiful voices but bring forth characters and themes that speak to modern audiences. </p>
<p>Médée, by Thomas Corneille and Marc-Antoine Charpentier, is a masterpiece of French baroque opera, first performed in 1693 at the Académie Royale de Musique.</p>
<p>The story explores themes of justice, loyalty, migration and family annihilation with pertinent relevance for an audience of the 21st century still suffering the consequences of the COVID pandemic. </p>
<h2>The voice of Médée</h2>
<p>Médée is based on the ancient Greek tragedy Medea by Euripides (431 BC). </p>
<p>Knowing that her husband, the power-thirsty and spineless Jason (Michael Petruccelli), will betray her, Médée (Catherine Carby) attempts diplomacy. She is forced to enact justice by usurping her status and breaching the constricting social and political norms. In doing so, she breaks one of society’s greatest taboos: she kills her children. </p>
<p>In this production, the two sons are part of the action and their bodies are brought on stage covered in blood. </p>
<p>Corneille’s libretto emphasises the political manoeuvring at the Corinthian court to respond to the sensibilities of the French court of Louis XIV. Power tactics are used by everyone to gain advantage during a crisis.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498807/original/file-20221204-16-5nm5kk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman sings" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498807/original/file-20221204-16-5nm5kk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498807/original/file-20221204-16-5nm5kk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498807/original/file-20221204-16-5nm5kk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498807/original/file-20221204-16-5nm5kk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498807/original/file-20221204-16-5nm5kk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498807/original/file-20221204-16-5nm5kk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498807/original/file-20221204-16-5nm5kk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Catherine Carby gives us a formidable female character.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cassandra Hannagan</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the Pinchgut production, the setting of the opera transports the imminent threat and negotiations at the Corinthian court to the 20th century with the respective civic and military connotations. </p>
<p>The strong voice of Médée dominates this story and resounds on the Australian operatic stage as a rare representation of a formidable female character who uses diplomacy and power to stand up for herself in a male-dominated world. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-its-important-to-see-women-as-capable-of-terrible-atrocities-149877">Why it's important to see women as capable ... of terrible atrocities</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Baroque sound and modern visual storytelling</h2>
<p>Conducted by Erin Helyard, the Orchestra of the Antipodes play Charpentier’s music with elegance and restraint. It renders the melodious richness of orchestral colour and instrumentation with finesse. The choir enchants with the uniformity and depth of their sound. The beautiful solo voices of the cast leave the listener gasping for more.</p>
<p>The minimalist grey columns and walls of the set allow for effective contrast of costumes, movement and lighting and projection to play their role in the visual storytelling. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498808/original/file-20221204-8737-h6d7j8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498808/original/file-20221204-8737-h6d7j8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498808/original/file-20221204-8737-h6d7j8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498808/original/file-20221204-8737-h6d7j8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498808/original/file-20221204-8737-h6d7j8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498808/original/file-20221204-8737-h6d7j8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498808/original/file-20221204-8737-h6d7j8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498808/original/file-20221204-8737-h6d7j8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Costumes, movement, lighting and projection all play their role in the visual storytelling.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cassandra Hannagan</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A supersized bust dominates the stage and remains malleable throughout, referencing the gradual disintegration of the Corinthian court and the humiliation the male characters suffer in this story.</p>
<p>Médée’s music is more often mournful and pleading than furious and destructive. Carby portrays well the inner turmoil of the character with a silky mezzo-soprano voice that soars over the tricky waves of Charpentier’s phrases and offers a variety of tonal qualities to express the emotional states of Médée’s complex character. Her touching rendition moves the audience with pity. </p>
<p>Carby is less successful in expressing physically the power of the sorceress or the sexual attraction her character feels for Jason, which is not helped by a reliance on the symbolism of costumes over bodily eloquence.</p>
<p>In this production, Médée is presented as a crone – white haired and having lost her physical allure, juxtaposed against the younger princess Créuse (Cathy-Di Zhang), stunning in a royal purple dress. </p>
<p>It is only in pursuit of Créuse that Petrucelli’s Jason shows virility and arduous persuasion. Zhang’s Créuse is sexy and cunning, negotiating well the political manoeuvres of the court. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498809/original/file-20221204-70023-cf4bsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498809/original/file-20221204-70023-cf4bsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498809/original/file-20221204-70023-cf4bsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498809/original/file-20221204-70023-cf4bsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498809/original/file-20221204-70023-cf4bsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498809/original/file-20221204-70023-cf4bsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=688&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498809/original/file-20221204-70023-cf4bsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=688&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498809/original/file-20221204-70023-cf4bsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=688&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Zhang’s Créuse is sexy and cunning, negotiating well the political manoeuvres of the court.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cassandra Hannagan</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Adrian Tamburini’s Créon looks younger than Petrucelli’s Jason to be a father of Créuse, but he does his best to convey the authority and arrogance of the King by relying on his rich bass-baritone, crisp diction and good acting. </p>
<p>Andrew Finden is most convincing as Oronte with attention to text emphasis and strong commitment to the character. </p>
<p>Maia Andrews stands out among the secondary roles with a voluptuous voice and portrayal of the Italian entertainer. </p>
<p>Louis Hurley’s singing and acting deliver a compelling Arcas and La Vengeance. </p>
<h2>Elevating the soul</h2>
<p>If the purpose of art is to elevate the soul, provide an opportunity for contemplation and even salvation, then Médée’s performance delivers. </p>
<p>The music is elegant and noble, transporting the listener away from the crude noise of the modern world to a state of aesthetic pleasure and satisfaction. </p>
<p>The tragedy of Médée encourages reflection on justice and reciprocity and asks us to look within. Are we like Jason and Médée obsessed by our desires? Do we love too much someone who does not deserve it? Do we feel so vulnerable that violence is the only way to protect ourselves? How do we accept those that are different and more powerful than us? Do we have the courage to live on the edge and stand up for our ideals and consequently face the music – and do we condone or support those that do?</p>
<p>Pinchgut’s production of Médée is an opportunity not to be missed to enjoy baroque opera performed at the highest standards by expert baroque musicians and singers. The choice of an opera based on Greek tragedy provides intellectual stimulation to consider the human condition, loyalty and justice in the world we live today.</p>
<p><em>Médée is at City Recital Hall, Sydney, until December 7.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-theater-can-help-communities-heal-from-the-losses-and-trauma-of-the-pandemic-161162">How theater can help communities heal from the losses and trauma of the pandemic</a>
</strong>
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</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192178/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniela Kaleva does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>First performed in 1693, Pinchgut Opera sets this baroque opera in the 20th century – with remarkable relevance to today.Daniela Kaleva, Program Manager, Researcher Development, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1831332022-05-25T20:16:39Z2022-05-25T20:16:39ZThe singing was great – but what was it about? Why opera companies should explain themselves better<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464735/original/file-20220523-21-abdt19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C7%2C5168%2C3437&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jeff Busby/Opera Australia</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Opera Australia has received <a href="https://limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/lohengrin-opera-australia/">outstanding reviews</a> for its Melbourne season of Richard Wagner’s opera <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lohengrin_(opera)">Lohengrin</a>. </p>
<p>The casting of German singer Jonas Kaufmann in the title role has been universally praised. Kaufmann demonstrates to the hilt the kinds of vocal skill and dramatic artistry that have led him to be considered by many to be the greatest tenor in the world today.</p>
<p>The staging, however, has not been received so positively.</p>
<p>The opera is directed by Frenchman Olivier Py, in a co-production with the national opera of Belgium, the Théâtre Royale de la Monnaie in Brussels. </p>
<p>Wagner drew inspiration for Lohengrin from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfram_von_Eschenbach">Wolfram von Eschenbach</a>’s 13th century rendering of the legend of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_of_the_Swan">Knight of the Swan</a>, alongside actual events from the foundation years of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a> around the 10th century. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464736/original/file-20220523-18-tlhu0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464736/original/file-20220523-18-tlhu0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464736/original/file-20220523-18-tlhu0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464736/original/file-20220523-18-tlhu0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464736/original/file-20220523-18-tlhu0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464736/original/file-20220523-18-tlhu0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464736/original/file-20220523-18-tlhu0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464736/original/file-20220523-18-tlhu0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The production is set in an apocalyptic post-second world war landscape.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jeff Busby/Opera Australia</span></span>
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<p>In Py’s rendering, however, we are presented with an apocalyptic post-World War II landscape where death reigns. Graffiti daubed on walls quotes from Paul Celan’s poem <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todesfuge">Todesfuge</a> (1945). Other scenic interpolations are drawn from esoteric Nazi iconography – such the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_cross">Celtic Cross</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sun_(symbol)">Black Sun</a> (Schwarze Sonne).</p>
<p>This is not unusual. Over the past 80 years or so, operas have increasingly been reframed to provide a vehicle for commentary: either on the composer and society that created them, or on our own times. The original plot and setting is something to be riffed off, rather than revered or reproduced. </p>
<p>In Europe, useful background and context for these interpretative overlays is usually provided to the audience through accompanying program essays. </p>
<p>In Australia, we seem to be missing out on such outreach.</p>
<h2>The director’s opera</h2>
<p>This kind of opera production is commonly known in opera circles as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regieoper"><em>Regieoper</em></a>, or director’s opera. </p>
<p>The most influential early practitioner was Richard Wagner’s grandson, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wieland_Wagner">Wieland Wagner</a> (1917–1966). In the years immediately after the second world war, Wieland tried to distance his grandfather’s operas – and the festival theatre he built for them in Bayreuth, Germany – from their prominent appropriation by the vanquished Nazi regime. </p>
<p>Typically, he substituted the naturalistic settings of the original works with minimalist stagings that foregrounded their underlying psychological meanings.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N5aqxM0lQmU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A 1973 performance of Wieland Wagner’s 1951 production of Parsifal for Bayreuth.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Subsequent <em>Regieoper</em> directors have been more interested to draw our attention precisely to the historical and ethical fault lines in these (and other) operatic works. Such productions commonly ask the audience to reassess the value (and values) which may have been simply presumed in the opera’s original staging. </p>
<p>Melbourne-born director Barrie Kosky’s 2017 production of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/27/die-meistersinger-von-nurnberg-bayreuth-wagner-antisemitism">is a celebrated recent example</a>. Here the opera’s plot – based around a medieval music competiton – is re-framed to put aspects of the composer’s infamous antisemitism on trial. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-must-keep-talking-about-wagner-and-antisemitism-19717">Why we must keep talking about Wagner and antisemitism</a>
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<p>But such directorial interventions rely on the presumption that audiences are already aware of the history and context of the original. </p>
<p>In the case of a German opera-going public watching a German opera, this may be a reasonable assumption. In Australia, arguably, it is less so. </p>
<h2>The importance of the program essay</h2>
<p>In many other countries, helpful background information and context is offered to audiences in the accompanying program.</p>
<p>It seems folly to assume a Melbourne audience will instinctively be able to appreciate how an 1848 opera based on a German medieval fable might serve as a commentary on events from 1945. </p>
<p>When this Lohengrin opened at the Théâtre Royale it was accompanied by substantial program essays that detailed not only why the Lohengrin story first attracted the attention of its notoriously politically minded composer, but also why Py now saw fit to link the work to Germany’s more recent past. </p>
<p>No such explanatory material was found in the program supplied by Opera Australia. </p>
<p>An otherwise fine essay by Wagner scholar Heath Lees provided some general historical background, but it offers no bridge between the work and what the audience now sees on stage. No mention was made, either, of the remarkable first Australian performances of Lohengrin in Melbourne in 1877. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464737/original/file-20220523-31005-f9d3t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464737/original/file-20220523-31005-f9d3t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464737/original/file-20220523-31005-f9d3t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464737/original/file-20220523-31005-f9d3t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464737/original/file-20220523-31005-f9d3t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464737/original/file-20220523-31005-f9d3t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464737/original/file-20220523-31005-f9d3t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464737/original/file-20220523-31005-f9d3t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The production’s symbolism was explained in extensive program essays at its run in Belgium.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jeff Busby/Opera Australia</span></span>
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<p>As much as the opportunity to witness Kaufmann’s vocal mastery might yet have been “<a href="https://spectator.com.au/2022/05/great-tenor-shame-about-the-bric-a-brac/">enough to justify the price of the tickets</a>”, Opera Australia does the art form no favours if it gives the impression it is first and foremost just a vehicle for a vocal superstar. </p>
<p>Ironically, such an impoverishment of theatrical, and indeed social, ambition for opera was a danger that Wagner himself <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera_and_Drama">famously rallied against</a>.</p>
<h2>An informed audience</h2>
<p>Opera Australia should have enthusiastically seized the opportunity to educate its audience about why this production took the form it did. Its public role, after all, should not be just to entertain us, but also to inform and at times – as <em>Regieoper</em> seeks to do – challenge us. </p>
<p>By actively helping to set the scene, as it were, Opera Australia can also show how historic works like Lohengrin – nominally separated from our everyday lives by content, time or place – can still speak meaningfully to us, whether or not they are presented in a “traditional” or <em>Regieoper</em> garb. </p>
<p>Heritage art forms like opera ought to be able to sit comfortably alongside cutting-edge contemporary work as part of a fully rounded national culture but audiences should always be encouraged to understand and engage with that heritage critically.</p>
<p>Ultimately, encouraging a healthy and honest dialogue between our various pasts and our multifaceted present is one sure way we have to imagine a better future.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-australian-opera-lost-the-plot-12289">How Australian opera lost the plot</a>
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</em>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183133/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Tregear is chair of Melbourne-based not-for-profit chamber opera company IOpera.</span></em></p>In many countries, helpful background information and context is offered to audiences in the accompanying program – why are Australians missing out?Peter Tregear, Principal Fellow and Professor of Music, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1814592022-05-05T12:43:51Z2022-05-05T12:43:51ZA white librettist wrote an opera about Emmett Till – and some critics are calling for its cancellation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461045/original/file-20220503-12-jpgsmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C22%2C2986%2C1976&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A faded photograph is attached to the headstone that marks the gravesite of Emmett Till in Chicago.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/faded-photograph-is-attached-to-the-headstone-that-marks-news-photo/1308512100">Scott Olson/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>“Are Black audiences, actors, and producers simply conditioned to having their stories told by white counterparts?” screenwriter and director <a href="https://www.ebony.com/entertainment/op-ed-the-problem-with-white-writers-writing-black-stories/">Darian Lane</a>, who is Black, wondered in a 2021 op-ed for Ebony. </p>
<p>On TV and in film, white authorship of Black stories has long been a point of contention, whether it was David Simon <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/11/us/who-gets-to-tell-a-black-story.html">writing about a Black neighborhood</a> in Baltimore for his series “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/">The Wire</a>” or Tate Taylor writing and directing “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454029/">The Help</a>.”</p>
<p>It was only a matter of time before this issue would beset the world of opera. Since “Emmett Till, A New American Opera” <a href="https://playbill.com/article/emmett-till-a-new-american-opera-to-premiere-at-john-jay-college">premiered at John Jay College</a> on March 23, 2022,
a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/cancel-a-new-american-opera-emmett-till-at-john-jay-college">Change.org petition</a> has circulated with 12,000-plus signatories calling for the production to never again see the light of day. </p>
<p>The reason?</p>
<p>A white woman named Clare Coss wrote <a href="https://www.uncoveringsound.com/difference-between-a-libretto-and-a-script/">the libretto</a>, or text, for the opera, which she based on an award-winning play she had written called “<a href="https://theaterlife.com/emmett-down-in-my-heart/">Emmett, Down in My Heart</a>” in 2015. </p>
<p>Coss concocted a fictional white female protagonist named Roann Taylor, who fails to call the police when she overhears the lynching of the 14-year-old Till. Eventually, she realizes that her silence has perpetuated injustice and she confronts the killers. </p>
<p>Critics claim the opera elevates the guilt of white audiences while capitalizing on Black trauma. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/03/22/emmett-till-opera-protest/">The Washington Post</a> notes that the production joins a slew of white-authored responses to the Emmett Till murder that didn’t sit well with the Black community, ranging from Bob Dylan’s “<a href="https://bob-dylan.org.uk/archives/5856">Death of Emmett Till</a>” to Dana Schutz’s painting “<a href="https://www.vulture.com/2022/01/dana-schutz-open-casket-emmett-till-painting.html">Open Casket</a>.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Painting of boy in suit in casket." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460796/original/file-20220502-22-8flicq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460796/original/file-20220502-22-8flicq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460796/original/file-20220502-22-8flicq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460796/original/file-20220502-22-8flicq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460796/original/file-20220502-22-8flicq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460796/original/file-20220502-22-8flicq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460796/original/file-20220502-22-8flicq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Dana Schutz’s painting of Till sparked protests during the 2017 Whitney Biennial, where it was displayed – with some people calling for its destruction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Casket#/media/File:Dana_Schutz_Open_Casket_2016_Oil_on_canvas.jpg">Dana Schutz, Open Casket (2016). Oil on canvas</a></span>
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<p>On the one hand, I sympathize with the frustrating legacy of white artists telling Black stories. On the other hand, my 25 years of experience <a href="https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/0031Q00002QPtm6QAD/anita-gonzalez">teaching African-American theater</a> have made me acutely sensitive to the complications of authorship – especially when it comes to stage productions.</p>
<h2>Whom is the opera for?</h2>
<p>When artists develop new stories about Black experiences it matters who creates the story. How might their own background connect to the narrative? What sort of audience do they have in mind?</p>
<p>Social activist and cultural thinker W.E.B Du Bois published <a href="https://archive.org/search.php?query=sim_pubid%3A10994+AND+volume%3A32&sort=date">an essay in a 1926 issue of Crisis magazine</a> that set out to define what constitutes African American drama. He argued that they were plays that ought to be “about” Black communities, “by” Black authors, written “for” Black audiences and performed “near” Black neighborhoods.</p>
<p>Under this definition, Coss’ opera wouldn’t be considered African American drama. While it was a production about the Black community, it was composed, in part, to help white audiences empathize with Black pain. </p>
<p>And even though Coss has said the opera is intended for everyone, she’s also noted that the inclusion of a white character who recognizes her slow response to racial violence was <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2022/03/23/1088169711/a-new-opera-about-emmett-till-is-criticized-for-being-written-by-a-white-woman">important for predominantly white operagoing audiences to see</a>.</p>
<p>This is the rub. Many Black artists <a href="https://www.ebony.com/entertainment/op-ed-the-problem-with-white-writers-writing-black-stories/">are weary of products told from white perspectives</a> because there’s a tendency for the characters and conflicts to fall into familiar tropes. Lost are the ambiguities and inconsistencies of our unique cultural legacies.</p>
<p>Productions like George Gershwin’s “<a href="https://www.metopera.org/season/2021-22-season/porgy-and-bess/">Porgy and Bess</a>,” where the Black experience is reflected in old tropes, still draw huge crowds. The opera – which tells the story of Porgy, a disabled, downtrodden Black man who lives among drug dealers and addicts – perpetuates stereotypes of Black people as addicts who are incapable of self-sufficiency.</p>
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<img alt="Older man using crutches sings on stage." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461049/original/file-20220503-19080-6ru4ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461049/original/file-20220503-19080-6ru4ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461049/original/file-20220503-19080-6ru4ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461049/original/file-20220503-19080-6ru4ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461049/original/file-20220503-19080-6ru4ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461049/original/file-20220503-19080-6ru4ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461049/original/file-20220503-19080-6ru4ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A 2019 dress rehearsal of ‘Porgy and Bess’ at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-baritone-eric-owens-performs-at-the-final-dress-news-photo/1179461251?adppopup=true">Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/20/us/george-floyd-protests-police-reform.html">In this moment of raised social consciousness</a>, it’s important to tell stories about Black injustices. But stories of joy, community, healing and wellness are just as important. </p>
<p>So it’s refreshing to see newer musicals like Michael R. Jackson’s “<a href="https://strangeloopmusical.com/">A Strange Loop</a>,” which is now playing on Broadway. Jackson, who is Black, wrote a musical that plumbs the inner psyche of a character named Usher who struggles with anxieties about his queer identity and lifestyle. A chorus of colorful characters depicts his thoughts as he untangles his fraught family relationships and rebuilds his self-esteem. </p>
<h2>The complications of ‘by’</h2>
<p>The “by” of Du Bois’ argument is particularly complex in the case of both the Till opera and “Porgy and Bess.” Both productions feature white authors writing about Black experiences that are then depicted by Black performers. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461052/original/file-20220503-17-8tt63g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Man in suit sits in chair." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461052/original/file-20220503-17-8tt63g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461052/original/file-20220503-17-8tt63g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=887&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461052/original/file-20220503-17-8tt63g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=887&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461052/original/file-20220503-17-8tt63g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=887&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461052/original/file-20220503-17-8tt63g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1114&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461052/original/file-20220503-17-8tt63g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1114&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461052/original/file-20220503-17-8tt63g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1114&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">To W.E.B. Du Bois, a work needed to meet certain criteria to be considered African American drama.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dubois-waits-to-be-called-as-a-witness-at-the-federal-news-photo/514697730?adppopup=true">Bettmann/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Is the author the writer, producer, director or lead performer? Many productions about the Black experience – Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker’s “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088939/">The Color Purple</a>” is just one example that comes to mind – were originally authored by Blacks yet produced by whites to accommodate white sensibilities. At the time of its release, the film also <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2020/04/the-color-purple-debate-anniversary-1202217786/">elicited controversy</a> for depicting Black female experiences through the eyes of a white male producer and director.</p>
<p>The current controversy about the Emmett Till opera ultimately glosses over a complex collaborative processes. As with most performance projects, many artists participated in realizing the final product. Afro-Cuban composer <a href="https://www.tanialeon.com/">Tania León</a> conducted the score. The Harlem Chamber Players and Opera Noire International co-produced the work. </p>
<p>Most importantly, Mary Watkins, the composer, is Black. The composer is usually considered the core creative artist in an operatic work, and Watkins artfully uses emotional arias and music that mimics moans to draw listeners into the anguish of the mother’s loss.</p>
<p>“Even though there are many artists of color involved in this project, the critics are assuming that we have had no impact on the final shape of the piece and that the playwright has somehow forced all of us to tell her story,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/03/22/emmett-till-opera-protest/">Watkins wrote in an email interview</a>. “It is an insult to me as a Black woman and to the cast members who are African-American.” </p>
<h2>Performing race</h2>
<p>One of my students once pointed out that enslaved Africans arrived in the Americas naked and were then forced to don clothing provided by the enslavers. </p>
<p>We have been wearing garments and identities designed to conform to white sensibilities ever since. African American theater historians have long grappled with how to assess Black contributions in a country where white critics, by and large, evaluate our cultural productions. </p>
<p>Books like “<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/african-american-performance-and-theater-history-9780195127256?cc=us&lang=en&">African American Performance and Theater History</a>” describe how double-conscious performance styles enabled Black artists to resist stereotypical representations on stage. <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/04/hattie-mcdaniel-gone-with-the-wind-oscars-autobiography">Hattie McDaniel</a>, for example, played the maid in “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_with_the_Wind_(film)">Gone With the Wind”</a> with tenacious spunk, using sassy comedy to humanize her servile “Mammy” role.</p>
<p>Newer anthologies, like my edited collection “<a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/black-performance-theory">Black Performance Theory</a>,” complicate notions of Black authorship and artistry. The book describes how Blackness circulates through cultural productions as vocal, physical and visual imagery which may or may not be aligned with Black bodies on stage. For example, in “Emmett Till, A New American Opera,” Watkins’ use of resonant open tones in the first few bars of Mamie Till’s lament, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kfwNzQyrDA&t=28s">My Son, My Child</a>,” evokes the choral singing of the African American gospel tradition.</p>
<p>To me, the backlash against the white librettist is ultimately a waste of time. Not only is there room for works done in collaboration with Black artists, but cross-cultural, interethnic collaborations also add to the richness and versatility of performed storytelling. </p>
<p>Du Bois wrote about Black performance as it existed within the confines of a segregated society. Theatrical performances by, for, near and about can certainly unite Black communities around collective storytelling. </p>
<p>But I also cherish the vibrancy of storytelling that includes a diversity of perspectives. I hope to see more operas, plays and musicals that encourage conversations about Black identities – without efforts to cancel those who have contributed to the effort.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181459/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anita Gonzalez does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many Black audiences are justifiably weary of works about their community told from white perspectives. But authorship isn’t always black and white.Anita Gonzalez, Professor of African American Studies and Performing Arts, Co-Founder/Director Racial Justice Institute, Georgetown UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1753302022-03-09T00:07:31Z2022-03-09T00:07:31ZAn ‘extraordinary collaboration’ – Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan is a sensational and important work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450557/original/file-20220308-130118-1obcmve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5742%2C3837&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adelaide Festival/Andrew Beveridge</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Review: Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan, directed by Neil Armfield for the Adelaide Festival.</em></p>
<p>50 years ago this May, Dr George Ian Ogilvie Duncan, a law lecturer at the University of Adelaide, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Duncan">was assaulted</a> by a group of men and thrown into the River Torrens. He drowned. </p>
<p>Dr Duncan was attacked at a well known gay “beat”: a place where men gathered to meet and have sex. In an era when even private sexual acts between two men were illegal, such beats were the only place for many to experience intimate contact with other men.</p>
<p>Though three police officers from city’s vice squad were widely believed to have been involved in the murder, no one was convicted. As the lyrics in this new production proclaim: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Your murderers walk through the world <br>
[They] sleep through the night without shame.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In the wake of Dr Duncan’s death, public outcry eventually led to legal change. In 1975 South Australia became the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-24/timeline:-australian-states-decriminalise-male-homosexuality/6719702?nw=0&r=HtmlFragment">first state</a> to decriminalise male homosexual acts.</p>
<p>The complex historical, political and social context around Dr. Duncan’s death requires a suitably focused dramatic vehicle. Wisely, the musical form chosen was not opera or the musical, but the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/oratorio">oratorio</a>. </p>
<p>Traditionally associated with sacred content such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passion_(music)">Passion of Christ</a>, an oratorio is a musical oration, unique in its capacity to mourn, proclaim and celebrate what comes from tragic loss. </p>
<p>One of the many triumphs of this production is its showing how this older form can tell a serious contemporary story using a range of musical styles while evoking a wide range of emotions. </p>
<p>This extraordinary collaboration between composer Joe Twist and co-lyricists Alana Valentine and Christos Tsiolkas, with set and costumes by Ailsa Paterson and choreography by Lewis Major, is superbly and sensitively staged by director Neil Armfield.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450558/original/file-20220308-85746-z2o57x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450558/original/file-20220308-85746-z2o57x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450558/original/file-20220308-85746-z2o57x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450558/original/file-20220308-85746-z2o57x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450558/original/file-20220308-85746-z2o57x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450558/original/file-20220308-85746-z2o57x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450558/original/file-20220308-85746-z2o57x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450558/original/file-20220308-85746-z2o57x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Watershed is a sensitively staged production.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adelaide Festival/Andrew Beveridge</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>18 singers from the Adelaide Chamber Singers guide the audience through the story of Dr Duncan while evoking an era in which “coming out” becomes possible for greater numbers.</p>
<p>Two principal singers, Mark Oates and Pelham Andrews, deftly take on character voices that include Duncan, former South Australian premier Don Dunstan, and a police officer, lawyer and whistle blowing officer Mick O’Shea. Ainsley Melham enacts the “Lost Boy,” movingly guiding us through the work’s emotional heart.</p>
<p>The work opens with dancer (Mason Kelly) in a body harness falling in slow motion from the top of the stage into a pool of water. A kind of solemn horror is evoked, as the last moments of Dr Duncan’s life are evoked in a highly aestheticised way.</p>
<h2>Truth in the lyrics</h2>
<p>The lyrics draw from historian <a href="https://www.wakefieldpress.com.au/product.php?productid=1762">Tim Reeves’ research</a> into Dr Duncan’s death, the initial police and Scotland Yard investigation, and the later trial and acquittal of two of the officers in 1988.</p>
<p>Valentine and Tsiolkas’ words evoke the emotions of time and place, and – early in the work – the dangerous world of furtive cruising. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>One stands under the bridge and smokes his cigarette. <br>
A golden-haired student walks into the toilet block. <br>
Glancing neither left nor right/ he slips into the night. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>We are reminded that others were dumped into the river as well. This is a world in which gay men are bashed for sport: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We thought faggots floated. <br>
It was just a drunken lark.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Music and lyrics express the view that many did not see gay lives as worthy. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>They’re legitimate prey.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The broader story is also one of class, as it took the murder of a university lecturer to evoke the outrage of Adelaide’s society mothers:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Surely we draw the line at murder for sport. <br>
Surely we draw the line at police brutality.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>At times the music takes on a liturgical quality, as in a mass, while at others, it opens into a raucous, celebratory mode, as when the 1975 legal victory decriminalising homosexual male sex is proclaimed. Lyrics capture the spirit of release from emotional and psychological bondage that many of us who came out in the 70s felt: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’m overwhelmed in disbelief […] a criminal no more.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>A sensational work</h2>
<p>Under the musical direction of Christie Anderson, the small orchestra of strings, keyboard and percussion at times creates a big, oversized sound, generating the beating heart of the work. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450559/original/file-20220308-84357-r08fsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450559/original/file-20220308-84357-r08fsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450559/original/file-20220308-84357-r08fsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450559/original/file-20220308-84357-r08fsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450559/original/file-20220308-84357-r08fsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450559/original/file-20220308-84357-r08fsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450559/original/file-20220308-84357-r08fsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450559/original/file-20220308-84357-r08fsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This new work is the result of a hugely successful collaboration.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adelaide Festival/Andrew Beveridge</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Watershed’s success in capturing a time and place, in storytelling through song, is ultimately due to a hugely successful collaboration between diverse creative artists committed to serving the whole. </p>
<p>A new work as seamless as this requires discarding many “good ideas,” trusting that better ones will follow. This is a hard task, one that requires considerable generosity of spirit.</p>
<p>This is a truly sensational and – dare I say – important work, one that will hopefully see many future productions.</p>
<p><em>Season closed.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175330/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>William Peterson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Dr George Ian Ogilvie Duncan was murdered at a gay ‘beat’ in the 1970s. His death was instrumental in South Australia’s decriminalisation of male homosexual acts.William Peterson, Adjunct Associate Professor, Auckland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1722622021-12-29T11:05:03Z2021-12-29T11:05:03ZHow listening to real people’s voices outside the lab gave my research new perspective<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437863/original/file-20211215-15-yt5tuu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=51%2C0%2C5705%2C3680&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/business-concept-image-tangram-puzzle-blocks-1590628690">tomertu/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As a biotechnology research scientist, I specialise in designing and creating “smart” <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adhm.201400065">implantable materials</a>. These materials can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4517957/">control cell behaviour</a> and enable us, for example, to grow new, replacement tissue for patients with diseased or damaged tissue, deliver drugs to a specific site in the body, or coat implantable medical devices so that the body doesn’t <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1742706120302920?via%3Dihub">reject them</a>. </p>
<p>The composition of these materials varies depending on what they’re used for. They could be based on hydrogels (soft, jelly-like materials that contain a lot of water), polymers (strong, flexible materials made of long chains of molecules) or something else entirely.</p>
<p>Our group was focused on seeing how new materials might be used to help rebuild the human voice box (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/larynx">larynx</a>) after accidents or cancer treatment, for example. Changes to the larynx affect the way people breathe and speak, among other things, which can in turn lead to isolation and feelings of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00405-009-1068-7">depression</a>.</p>
<p>Restoring the complex workings of the voice box is challenging, and no ideal material presently exists. It must be strong enough to withstand repeated strain and movement, and avoid or resist attack by the immune system.</p>
<p>I explored materials that might fit this remit, focusing on whether they were robust enough and whether cells typically found in a healthy larynx <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0928493121000734?via%3Dihub">would respond positively</a> to these materials. Ultimately, I was able to manipulate polymer-based materials to create <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0928493117342443?via%3Dihub">a potential basis</a> for a larynx replacement device. </p>
<p>Lessons learned from the studies I conducted in the lab will inform how the material is combined with electronics into a device, testing of its movement and function, and could eventually lead to clinical trials to determine safety and efficacy. </p>
<p>Of course, any new technological solution to a medical problem must go through a rigorous process before being approved for use. So while my findings mark progress along the research pathway, it’s going to be some time before a potential voice box replacement device using these materials could be made available to patients.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-every-human-voice-and-fingerprint-really-unique-63739">Is every human voice and fingerprint really unique?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Discovering the human side of my research</h2>
<p>Scientific projects typically require a combination of expertise, and in this project the team is composed of biologists, chemists, engineers, roboticists and clinicians.</p>
<p>But while I’ve had the opportunity to work with a broad range of scientists during my research career, my involvement in patient engagement has been limited, mainly because my work focuses on fundamental science, and I rarely leave the lab.</p>
<p>That changed in 2020 when I was introduced to <a href="https://soundvoice.org/">Sound Voice</a>, an organisation which brings together people with lived experience of voice loss, health-care professionals, biomedical researchers, academics, professionals in commercial technology and creative artists. Together, participants explore issues of voice loss and identity which they then translate into opera, music, live performances and installation pieces.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_0QZTkA8b5U?wmode=transparent&start=40" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>When I first heard about Sound Voice, curiosity led me to sign up. I didn’t have any particular expectations. After the first online session I attended – a flurry of singing, talking and break-out rooms – I sat staring at my computer screen. The participants’ voices, some barely above a whisper, replayed over and over in my head.</p>
<p>I could hear Tanja, who had her voice box removed one week after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer behind her vocal cords.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I could no longer tell my two-year-old child to stop when there was immediate danger. I couldn’t read him a bedtime story. Those are things I miss about losing my voice. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>I could hear Sara talk about her poem Can you Hear my Voice?, which captures her feelings on voice loss, identity and of wanting to be heard by others after losing the ability to speak.</p>
<p>I could hear Paul, who was starting to lose his voice due to motor neurone disease, and others who had started to lose their speech as a result of Parkinson’s disease. </p>
<p>These were the people who I was designing my materials for. While I may be focused on the function of a larynx, people like Tanja, Sara and Paul are grappling with how to find their place in a society that relies so heavily on speaking.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-do-voices-come-out-of-our-mouths-130286">Curious Kids: how do voices come out of our mouths?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>I thought about the materials I was developing: the science of producing noise, controlling the pitch, creating a device, the dimensions, implanting it into a patient, and the body’s response to the device. For the first time, I was able to see, albeit via my computer screen, the very end of the research pathway – the people themselves.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Four people on a stage playing musical instruments and singing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437774/original/file-20211215-17-1ujlyif.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437774/original/file-20211215-17-1ujlyif.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437774/original/file-20211215-17-1ujlyif.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437774/original/file-20211215-17-1ujlyif.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437774/original/file-20211215-17-1ujlyif.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437774/original/file-20211215-17-1ujlyif.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437774/original/file-20211215-17-1ujlyif.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Members of Sound Voice rehearse for an opera performance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Scientific research is a cyclical process and while I may produce something that could one day be clinically relevant, the fact research in this area was required in the first place came from those patients. Of course, I knew all this. A large part of funding decisions for research proposals are informed by need. </p>
<p>But through this unique setup, I saw how I fit into the puzzle beyond just “doing science”. I now think: “What are the implications of my research beyond the immediate problem I’m trying to solve?” My experience with Sound Voice – particularly engaging with people who could one day be directly impacted by my research – has truly opened my eyes and ears, and given me a new perspective as I step into the lab and put on my lab coat.</p>
<p><em>Sound Voice is presenting performances at Kings Place in London on <a href="https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/classical/sound-voice-installation/">January 13-15, 2022</a> and <a href="https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/classical/sound-voice-project/">May 27, 2022</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172262/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This work was conducted at University College London. Nazia Mehrban received funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to conduct the research described. </span></em></p>Most of my work takes place in the lab. But recently I became involved with an organisation which allows me to connect with the very people who could one day benefit from my research.Nazia Mehrban, Assistant Professor (Lecturer), Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1664912021-08-24T04:22:42Z2021-08-24T04:22:42ZNew study revealing stark gender inequality at UK’s The Royal Opera has lessons for the industry worldwide<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417305/original/file-20210823-23-1e9jx7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C0%2C4083%2C2727&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Lukas Schulze</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many of the world’s most popular operas are rife with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/26/is-opera-the-most-misogynistic-art-form">misogyny</a> and <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6530151/Royal-Opera-vows-think-sexist-classics-wake-MeToo-movement.html">gendered violence</a> — and things aren’t much better for women behind the scenes.</p>
<p>Opera production has long been dominated by male directors and designers, with the role of costume designer one of few exceptions.</p>
<p>Yet there has been little empirical data that tracks the precise degree to which women are under-represented in opera. Most data is either anecdotal or, more often, <a href="https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/does-opera-australia-have-a-problem-with-women-082018">compiled by arts journalists</a> in response to male-heavy season announcements.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09548963.2021.1966295">our new study</a>, we addressed this knowledge gap by investigating women’s representation at one of the world’s leading opera companies.</p>
<p>The Royal Opera in Covent Garden is the largest and best funded opera company in the UK and a recognised leader in the international field.</p>
<p>The company has also publicly committed to addressing gender inequality.</p>
<p>In 2019, The Royal Opera joined the <a href="https://www.keychange.eu">Keychange 50/50 initiative</a>, pledging that women would make up 50% of all creatives on new opera productions by 2022. </p>
<p>In order to assess the status of women working at the company — and the likely impact of this pledge — we turned to historical production data. We analysed the production credits of 325 operas staged between 2005/06 and 2019/20. Drawing on the self-identified pronouns used in professional biographies, we then mapped the gender profile of 1,342 credited directors and designers.</p>
<h2>The man at the top</h2>
<p>The role of stage director was critical to our study because directors assume a leadership position over the artistic vision of a staged work. They are also responsible for selecting the other members of the creative team.</p>
<p>Over the 15 seasons included in our study, 90% of all opera productions at The Royal Opera credited a male director.</p>
<p><iframe id="ueEQS" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ueEQS/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Men were significantly more likely to be credited on more than one production, while women were more likely to be “one-offs”. 44% of men directed at least two different operas, compared to 14% of women directors.</p>
<p>Because the majority of women directors only had one opportunity to direct at the company, we also considered the repertoire — or the specific opera — they were chosen to direct.</p>
<h2>Repertoire matters</h2>
<p>Opera companies tend to stage a combination of works, including canonical operas, less common or non-canonical works, and modern operas written in the 20th and 21st centuries, including world premieres.</p>
<p>Canonical operas are essentially the “greatest hits” of the operatic stage, written by the likes of Mozart and Puccini. They are reliably popular at the box office and frequently revived later. </p>
<p>Modern operas, in contrast, are high risk in terms of audience appeal and are rarely revived in later seasons.</p>
<p>Non-canonical operas sit somewhere in between: not as well-known as the greatest hits, but still far less risky than modern operas from an organisational perspective.</p>
<p><iframe id="5lZ84" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/5lZ84/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Women directors were more likely to be credited on modern operas than men. Almost half of the operas directed by women fell into this category. Meanwhile, 92% of the canonical operas staged over the 15 seasons were directed by men.</p>
<p>As a consequence, 92% of all revival productions presented by the company were also directed by men. 61% of men directors saw one or more of their original productions revived in a later season, compared to 27% of women directors.</p>
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<h2>Building a creative team</h2>
<p>We also analysed the relationship between the gender profile of the director and that of the other key creatives.</p>
<p>Under the artistic leadership of the stage director, the set designer, lighting designer, costume designer, and projection/video designer play critical roles in creating the world of an opera on stage. </p>
<p>Our analysis showed that male directors were significantly more likely to work with other men in these important creative roles. 36% percent of operas directed by men did not credit a single woman designer. 38% credited only one woman in any designer role. More than half the time, this role was costume designer.</p>
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<p>In other words: out of all the operas directed by men at The Royal Opera, nearly 75% had low rates of representation for women on creative teams.</p>
<p>In comparison, 81% of female-led productions credited women in two or more key creative roles.</p>
<h2>Change must start with the director’s chair</h2>
<p>Women’s low rates of representation at the company has significant consequences for their prestige and visibility. </p>
<p>Because men worked more frequently and were more likely to direct high-profile operas, in turn, more likely to be revived, they could accrue professional capital at a much higher rate than their female peers.</p>
<p>Men’s over-representation in the role of stage director — combined with their tendency to work primarily with other men — had a further negative effect on women’s representation on creative teams.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/opera-is-stuck-in-a-racist-sexist-past-while-many-in-the-audience-have-moved-on-120073">Opera is stuck in a racist, sexist past, while many in the audience have moved on</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These findings have clear implications for efforts to address gender inequality in opera, and highlight where The Royal Opera’s 50/50 pledge falls short.</p>
<p>Opera companies must place the role of stage director at the centre of any gender-equity initiatives.</p>
<p>Any approach must also consider the compounding effects of repertoire and production type. Women directors must be actively prioritised for popular canonical operas, which are most likely to be revived and incorporated into long-term artistic programming plans.</p>
<p>Above all, in a sector that benefits heavily from public funding, opera companies must be held accountable for the ways in which they perpetuate gender discrimination and disadvantage through their institutional choices.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166491/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caitlin Vincent is a member of OPERA America's Women's Opera Network and Victorian Opera's Peer Review Panel.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amanda Coles and Jordan Beth Vincent do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Over 15 seasons, 90% of all opera productions at The Royal Opera credited a male director.Caitlin Vincent, Lecturer in Creative Industries, The University of MelbourneAmanda Coles, Lecturer in Arts and Cultural Management, Deakin UniversityJordan Beth Vincent, Senior Lecturer, Deakin Research Innovations, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1632832021-06-23T13:57:12Z2021-06-23T13:57:12ZMzilikazi Khumalo: iconic composer who defied apartheid odds to leave a rich legacy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407928/original/file-20210623-13-19zdkz6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The late Professor Mzilikazi Khumalo helped create the new South African National Anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bongiwe Mchunu/ANA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Professor James Steven Mzilikazi Khumalo (1932-2021), who has <a href="https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-06-22-choral-music-icon-prof-mzilikazi-khumalo-dies-day-after-his-89th-birthday/">died at at the age of 89</a>, had a distinguished career as a linguist, which complemented a stellar career in music.</p>
<p>He was the leading composer and director of choral music to emerge from South Africa. His opera, Princess Magogo, was the first by a black South African. Today he is among the most widely performed of all South African composers. </p>
<p>He achieved international recognition for performances of his major works <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/07/arts/opera-review-varied-cultures-entwine-around-a-zulu-princess.html">in Europe and the US</a>. This is especially remarkable considering he had no formal qualifications in music, and composed entirely in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/tonic-solfa">tonic sol-fa</a> rather than <a href="http://openmusictheory.com/basicNotation.html">staff notation</a>.</p>
<p>Khumalo worked to publish and popularise dual notation, which combined the <em>do-re-mi</em> of tonic solfa with the score based notations used by art music composers. This transformed the choral sphere. For decades composers and choirs had relied almost entirely on tonic solfa. </p>
<p>His innovations in notation also opened up new vistas for choral works in African idioms and languages. This enabled choral musicians to work seamlessly with orchestras and opera companies. His expertise in African tone systems lent considerable authority to his innovations in notation.</p>
<p>Khumalo collaborated with important conductors, composers, librettists and companies to stage genre-defining works. Librettist and fellow linguist, Professor Themba Msimang, was his principal artistic collaborator on the epic “uShaka kaSenzangakhona” (1981/1996), and the opera “Princess Magogo” (2002). He arranged the song cycle “Haya Mntwan’ Omkhulu” (1999) with fellow composer Professor Peter Klatzow.</p>
<p>These works were performed to acclaim – including at the Ravinia Festival, Kennedy Centre, and many other venues across the globe.</p>
<h2>Entry into academia</h2>
<p>Khumalo spent most of his career teaching, first in schools, and then at the University of the Witwatersrand. </p>
<p>In the 1980s – with apartheid still at its height and South Africa in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/13/world/state-of-emergency-imposed-throughout-south-africa-more-than-1000-rounded-up.html">state of emergency</a> – he became the first black <a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/graduations/2015/honorary-doctorate-for-james-khumalo.html">professor of African languages</a> at the university. He was also its first black head of the department of African languages. </p>
<p>These achievements are extraordinary considering the obstacles he faced. In the 1950s, he was unable to study at South Africa’s major universities owing to the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00358536008452233?journalCode=ctrt20">racial segregation under apartheid</a>.</p>
<p>Khumalo studied first for a teacher’s diploma through the <a href="https://www.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/national-heritage-site-in-ruins-20171118">Bantu Normal College</a> in Pretoria in 1954, before taking his Bachelor of Arts degree through the University of South Africa (UNISA) in 1956. He later achieved the Bachelor of Arts Honours by correspondence, also through UNISA, in 1972.</p>
<p>Khumalo’s appointment at the University of the Witwatersrand was initially as a language tutor. At the time most black scholars were not recognised as lecturers at the country’s white universities. Instead, they were handed tutoring or assistant roles. He persisted with his studies in African languages and linguistics, achieving a landmark and highly sophisticated theoretical treatise on Zulu tonology – the study of linguistic tone and pitch – for his Masters degree.</p>
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<p>His doctoral studies were in phonology, a sub-field of linguistics devoted to the systematic analysis of speech sounds. This work included an important collaboration with Charles Kisseberth, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Illinois, US.</p>
<h2>Languages and music</h2>
<p>Khumalo received the Via Afrika Prize for Linguistic Studies for his article <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02572117.1989.10586780"><em>Leftward Ho! In Zulu Tonology</em></a> published in the South African Journal of African Languages (1990). His outspoken criticism of the colonial nature of linguistic studies in South Africa, and abroad, is captured in published papers that speak to the rising <a href="http://www.historicalstudies.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/image_tool/images/149/Decolonizing%20the%20university%20New%20Directions%20-%20Achille%20Joseph%20Mbembe.pdf">decolonial</a> movement in academia. </p>
<p>Indigenous language speakers in South Africa were underrepresented in the study of African languages before Khumalo’s time. It was through his efforts as teacher and mentor that the discipline began to transform.</p>
<p>Khumalo’s contributions to choral music are exemplified in his work with school, church, and community choirs, and especially through the Salvation Army. He toured the US, Europe and the Caribbean. He also established important cultural ties with the African diaspora during apartheid. </p>
<p>He was also pivotal in establishing the <em><a href="https://africlassical.blogspot.com/2007/10/sowetan-nation-building-massed-choir.html">Sowetan Nation Building Massed Choir Festival</a></em> which he co-directed with <a href="https://www.odunion.com/news/archives-history/663/663-Two-New-National-Anthems-Reminiscence-4-by-Richard-Cock">Maestro Richard Cock</a> from its inception. This annual event was organised by the <em>Sowetan</em> newspaper, in collaboration with <a href="https://www.transnet.net/Pages/Home.aspx">Transnet</a>, the transport utility. It was televised by the South African Broadcasting Corporation. It attracted thousands of participants and audiences each year.</p>
<p>It became one of the premiere events for young singers and soloists, many of whom went on to achieve success both locally and abroad.</p>
<p>It was in this context that Khumalo and Cock first pioneered the innovative system of dual notation (tonic solfa with staff notation) that has become a staple in South Africa.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407945/original/file-20210623-27-exu4v3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407945/original/file-20210623-27-exu4v3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407945/original/file-20210623-27-exu4v3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407945/original/file-20210623-27-exu4v3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407945/original/file-20210623-27-exu4v3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1149&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407945/original/file-20210623-27-exu4v3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1149&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407945/original/file-20210623-27-exu4v3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1149&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Professor Mzilikazi Khumalo conducts at a Massed Choir Festival in Johannesburg, 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Peter Mogaki/Sowetan</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Khumalo furthered this project at the <a href="https://samro.org.za/">Southern African Music Rights Organisation</a>) where he served as vice-chairperson following his retirement from the university in 1997. In his role as a trustee of the <a href="http://www.samrofoundation.org.za/">organisation’s foundation</a>, he promoted African art and choral music through commissions. This meant that deserving young and established composers were granted the opportunities and financial resources to dedicate themselves to the creation of new works. </p>
<p>He also pioneered the publication of three volumes of <a href="https://www.proquest.com/openview/4adf58e88cd2e730a407f28eb0468c05/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2029870"><em>South Africa Sings</em></a>, profiling the works of South Africa’s black choral composers in popular publications.</p>
<h2>Accolades</h2>
<p>Khumalo’s contributions to choral music were recognised by former arts and culture minister <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/dr-ben-ngubane-born">Ben Ngubane</a>, who appointed him chair of the national anthem committee for South Africa in 1995. Khumalo was instrumental in advocating for <em><a href="https://www.gov.za/about-sa/national-symbols/national-anthem">Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika</a></em> as the basis for a new anthem for the country. It was his idea to join the new and old anthems for purposes of reconciliation. </p>
<p>In 1999, he was awarded the <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/order-star-south-africa">Order of the Star</a> by President Nelson Mandela in recognition of his contributions to the nation.</p>
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<p>Khumalo’s achievements in and out of academia – as musician, public intellectual, linguist, and administrator – were recognised with honorary degrees from five South African universities. He also received a <a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/graduations/2015/honorary-doctorate-for-james-khumalo.html">Lifetime Achievement Literary Award</a> from MNET in 2007. He was Professor Emeritus of African Languages at Wits University at the time of death. </p>
<p>The fact that he achieved all of this against the odds is testament to his brilliantly original mind, and to the qualities of discipline, determination, and leadership that define his legacy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163283/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Pooley receives funding from the University of Michigan for his work on Professor Mzilikazi Khumalo's intellectual legacy.</span></em></p>Mzilikazi Khumalo was a brilliant linguist with a stellar career in music. These achievements are extraordinary considering the obstacles he faced throughout his career.Thomas Pooley, Associate Professor and Chair of Department: Art and Music, University of South AfricaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1609932021-05-18T20:08:46Z2021-05-18T20:08:46ZHappy 160th birthday Dame Nellie Melba: 5 surprising facts about the canny songstress<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401116/original/file-20210518-23-6sis4m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C0%2C1050%2C1599&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">State Library Victoria</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Dame Nellie Melba, who appears on our $100 note, was born Helen Porter Mitchell in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond on May 19, 1861. </p>
<p>An operatic soprano with a voice described as sparklingly clear, her career would take her across the world, from Russia to America, but she always returned home.</p>
<p>This extraordinary Australian was arguably our first celebrity. While her singing is famed, she was a complex woman who shaped her own career, far more interesting than her culinary namesakes — <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melba_toast">Melba Toast</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach_Melba">Peach Melba</a> — might suggest. </p>
<p>On her 160th birthday, here are five things you may not know about her.</p>
<h2>1. She avidly pursued the perfect portrait</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401111/original/file-20210517-19-113m1bq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Full length portrait, Melba in a long white dress and big black hat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401111/original/file-20210517-19-113m1bq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401111/original/file-20210517-19-113m1bq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401111/original/file-20210517-19-113m1bq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401111/original/file-20210517-19-113m1bq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401111/original/file-20210517-19-113m1bq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1220&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401111/original/file-20210517-19-113m1bq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1220&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401111/original/file-20210517-19-113m1bq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1220&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rupert Bunny, Madame Melba (c. 1902), oil on canvas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">National Gallery of Victoria</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Melba was aware of the relationship between image and celebrity, and pursued the “perfect” portrait for years. </p>
<p>The most well known painting of Melba today is by <a href="https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/4150/">Rupert Bunny</a>, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1902.</p>
<p>But biographer <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/I_Am_Melba/gxZN-4rZXqAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover">Ann Blainey</a> reports Melba told her friends no one — save Bunny himself — liked the portrait when it was completed.</p>
<p>One of the most striking photographs of Melba was taken <a href="https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/11111/">by Harold Cazneaux</a> in 1922. </p>
<p>Looking at this image very closely, there appears to be the 19th century equivalent of photoshopping. Melba’s jawline has been subtly reshaped: a little visual nip and tuck.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401125/original/file-20210518-15-12yo2lv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Side portrait." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401125/original/file-20210518-15-12yo2lv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401125/original/file-20210518-15-12yo2lv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=895&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401125/original/file-20210518-15-12yo2lv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=895&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401125/original/file-20210518-15-12yo2lv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=895&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401125/original/file-20210518-15-12yo2lv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1124&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401125/original/file-20210518-15-12yo2lv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1124&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401125/original/file-20210518-15-12yo2lv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1124&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Melba photographed by Harold Cazneaux in 1922, at the age of 62. Her jawline has been altered to create a more ‘flattering’ line.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Trove</span></span>
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<p>In what could be characterised as a form of “pre-mythologising”, Melba commissioned a <a href="https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/3508/">bust</a> by Bertram Mackennal. When the bust was completed in 1899, she promptly gifted it to the National Gallery of Victoria, <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2437514">saying</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>may I express the hope that I am not wholly forgotten in our beloved country.</p>
</blockquote>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401126/original/file-20210518-15-1q7bw4t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="White marble bust" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401126/original/file-20210518-15-1q7bw4t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401126/original/file-20210518-15-1q7bw4t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401126/original/file-20210518-15-1q7bw4t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401126/original/file-20210518-15-1q7bw4t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401126/original/file-20210518-15-1q7bw4t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401126/original/file-20210518-15-1q7bw4t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401126/original/file-20210518-15-1q7bw4t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bertram Mackennal, Melba 1899. Marble, 198.5 × 61.3 × 61.5 cm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Gift of Madame Melba, 1900</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. She was shrewd with money</h2>
<p>A clever business woman, who always controlled her own interests, Melba only engaged managers for short periods of time in foreign markets. </p>
<p>According to one of her biographers, <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2235772">Joseph Wechsberg</a>, Melba had no time for dinner invitations that carried the implication of a little performance. Once at the party, she would announce she would sing, but only if they would “sign a little cheque”. </p>
<p>She once quoted a fee of £500 to an American socialite who asked her to dinner and to sing afterwards — A$71,000 today.</p>
<h2>3. Her OBE was not for her singing</h2>
<p>Melba lost five relatives at Gallipoli, and in 1915 she single-handedly spearheaded a charitable endeavour in the form of <a href="https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/1775591">Melba’s Gift Book of Australian Art</a> in support of Belgian war relief efforts.</p>
<p>Filled with colour plate illustrations from significant Australian artists and writers such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Streeton">Arthur Streeton</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Lindsay">Norman Lindsay</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Lawson">Henry Lawson</a>, the front cover is inscribed with the words “the entire profits from the sale of this book will be devoted by Madam Melba to the Belgian Relief Fund”.</p>
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<p>Melba spoke passionately about her love for Belgium in the opening pages of the book: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] I made my debut there; my first appearance in opera was in Brussels, and I can still hear the cheers of my first audience, the kindly, warm-hearted Belgians whose generous recognition of the unknown artist from distant Australia gave me hope and courage to persevere.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While Melba is known for her astonishing musical talent, she became a Dame in 1918 in recognition of this charitable work.</p>
<h2>4. She was a gossip magazine staple</h2>
<p>Celebrity needs both fame and commodity, and Melba ensured her renown reached far beyond the concert hall. Even Australians who could have never heard her sing because they lived in regional areas were avid consumers of her as a product.</p>
<p>You could buy <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carte_de_visite">cartes-de-visite</a></em> of her in costume, or eagerly read newspaper and magazine gossip about her <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/71734085">poorly concealed affair</a> with the Duc d'Orleans. From 1904, recordings of her singing could be purchased; and in 1926 she published her <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1340307">own vocal method</a>: a hit with singing students, and still used today.</p>
<p>As early as her 1902 tour of Australia, Melba was being described as “<a href="https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140628127">Australia’s Gifted Daughter</a>”. In her farewell tour of the late 1920s she was elevated to “<a href="https://collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/#details=ecatalogue.184439">Australia’s Greatest Daughter</a>”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401118/original/file-20210518-13-1hk4g6k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Melba and floral tributes on stage. Backdrop reads 'Australia's greatest daughter, our Melba.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401118/original/file-20210518-13-1hk4g6k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401118/original/file-20210518-13-1hk4g6k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401118/original/file-20210518-13-1hk4g6k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401118/original/file-20210518-13-1hk4g6k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401118/original/file-20210518-13-1hk4g6k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401118/original/file-20210518-13-1hk4g6k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401118/original/file-20210518-13-1hk4g6k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Melba photographed on stage at Melba’s Farewell to Opera, La Boheme, Monday October 13th, 1924.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">State Library Victoria</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The latter term was also used by the press after her death in 1931. This description of Melba speaks to the collective pride and ownership Australians felt about her.</p>
<p>This pride endures today: where there are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melba_Highway">highways</a>, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/eastlink-tunnels-named-melba-and-mullum-mullum-20080325-ge6vts.html">tunnels</a>, <a href="https://finearts-music.unimelb.edu.au/campus-experience/melba-hall">concert halls</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melba,_Australian_Capital_Territory">suburbs</a> and streets named after her — as well as her face on our $100 note.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401128/original/file-20210518-19-mehpbp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401128/original/file-20210518-19-mehpbp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401128/original/file-20210518-19-mehpbp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401128/original/file-20210518-19-mehpbp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401128/original/file-20210518-19-mehpbp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401128/original/file-20210518-19-mehpbp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401128/original/file-20210518-19-mehpbp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401128/original/file-20210518-19-mehpbp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Melba has appeared on Australia’s $100 note since 1996.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reserve Bank of Australia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>5. But she didn’t always love being a celebrity</h2>
<p>Melba was fatigued at times by the pressure of singing roles as she aged, and had two extended periods of rest in Switzerland in 1890 and 1897 to recover from vocal nodules. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401114/original/file-20210518-17-y5xqxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A big crowd in evening wear." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401114/original/file-20210518-17-y5xqxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401114/original/file-20210518-17-y5xqxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401114/original/file-20210518-17-y5xqxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401114/original/file-20210518-17-y5xqxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401114/original/file-20210518-17-y5xqxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401114/original/file-20210518-17-y5xqxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401114/original/file-20210518-17-y5xqxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Melba and other dignitaries in the foreground with a large orchestra and choir extending back to the organ pipes at a Nellie Melba Performance in the Organ Gallery, Exhibition Building, Melbourne, 1907.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While she did seek fame, carefully moulding the image she provided to the public, Melba would come to know its darker side. She remarked in <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2437514">her biography</a>, “everybody who has known fame has also known the agonies which fame brought”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160993/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel M Campbell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>She was a feted opera singer, and Australia’s first celebrity. But there were many sides to Nellie Melba, a complex, clever businesswoman with a rather contemporary take on fame.Rachel M Campbell, Academic, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1562982021-03-04T04:11:57Z2021-03-04T04:11:57ZEnchanted voices: A Midsummer Night’s Dream transports audiences to a place of wonder<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387435/original/file-20210303-17-m0g9w3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=37%2C6%2C4200%2C2760&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tony Lewis/Adelaide Festival</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by Benjamin Britten, directed by Neil Armfield, Adelaide Festival.</em></p>
<p>Transfixed, Transported. Transfigured. Three hours pass in the blink of an eye. </p>
<p>How did this happen, or was it all just a dream? For a start, there’s the play, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For many, it is the Shakespeare play we encountered first. </p>
<p>On playing the king of the fairies at age 16, director Neil Armfield recalls:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I cut a rather dashing Oberon – swathed in brown chiffon with knee high lace-up boots and butterfly wing eye make-up.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>His words hint at why some of us cringe at this play. We have seen so many dreadful amateur productions that we have forgotten the power and the magic of this work.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387439/original/file-20210303-23-1gu3m3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Production image; two men sing on a swing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387439/original/file-20210303-23-1gu3m3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387439/original/file-20210303-23-1gu3m3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387439/original/file-20210303-23-1gu3m3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387439/original/file-20210303-23-1gu3m3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387439/original/file-20210303-23-1gu3m3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387439/original/file-20210303-23-1gu3m3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387439/original/file-20210303-23-1gu3m3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The costumes in this production are sensational.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andrew Beveridge/Adelaide Festival</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The story is both simple and complex. Set in a mythical Athens, one couple (Lysander and Hermia) runs away to elope; another (Demetrius and Helena) is hot on their heels in the forest. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the power couple ruling the fairy world (Oberon and Tytania) are having marital problems. Enter the sprite Puck, whose misunderstandings of his master Oberon’s instructions cause endless complications until order is restored. </p>
<p>Benjamin Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream is not merely a play, but an opera. When it premiered in 1960, Britten was already an accomplished composer and librettist. </p>
<p>And what Britten does departs radically from grand opera of the 19th century. Unlike the great classic Italian operas, there are no “hit” tunes. (Think <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWc7vYjgnTs">Nessum Dorma</a> from Puccini’s Turandot. You know this song even if you think you don’t.)</p>
<p>There are no stand and deliver moments in Britten’s opera where an emotive tune is belted out by a static singer. Instead, Britten’s music is inextricably linked to the mood, character, and dramatic action. </p>
<p>Britten excels in marshalling the sounds of a vast orchestra to support action. He conjures the fairy world with the light touch of harps, lively percussion, and stringed instruments sliding between notes, known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glissando">glissando</a> . </p>
<p>And Britten likes brass. The unique capacity of the trombone to bellow and slide underscored the play’s comic moments. Muted trumpets, similarly, are particularly good for farting sounds when onstage ridiculousness is at a fever pitch. Who knew?</p>
<h2>Superb vocal pairings</h2>
<p>Yet despite these musical instructions, Britten’s music is open to a range of interpretive possibilities. And it’s in this space that the creative team led by Armfield, set and costume designer Dale Ferguson, and associate director/choreographer Danni Sayers weave their extraordinary magic. </p>
<p>Armfield has had lifetime love affair with Britten’s operas, and is the leading interpreter of his work internationally. Having previously directed this opera for the Houston Grand Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Adelaide Festival production is its Australian premiere.</p>
<p>It’s a big ticket item, with ticket prices to match. But the creative and human forces required to stage this production are nothing short of gargantuan. Joining a large cast of opera performers of international stature was a sizeable contingent of musicians from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and the Young Adelaide Voices choir.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387437/original/file-20210303-17-fn2tcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Production image: a group of fairies" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387437/original/file-20210303-17-fn2tcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387437/original/file-20210303-17-fn2tcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387437/original/file-20210303-17-fn2tcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387437/original/file-20210303-17-fn2tcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387437/original/file-20210303-17-fn2tcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387437/original/file-20210303-17-fn2tcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387437/original/file-20210303-17-fn2tcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The creative and human forces required to stage this production are nothing short of gargantuan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tony Lewis/Adelaide Festival</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of the unique features of this opera is its vocal pairings. The most famous is that of the fairy king and queen, Oberon and Tytania. </p>
<p>Playing Oberon is American opera superstar Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, who arrived from New York in early January <a href="https://indaily.com.au/inreview/adelaide-festival/2021/01/22/american-opera-stars-adelaide-quarantine-concert/">to undergo quarantine</a>. Cohen is one of the few opera singers globally who sings in the vocal range pitched above a tenor, known as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertenor">countertenor</a>. </p>
<p>His richly supported voice is beautifully paired with Rachelle Durkin’s Tytania. Durkin’s role relies on the otherworldly vocal embellishments of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloratura_soprano">coloratura soprano</a>. Together the couple sounds enchanted, not of this world.</p>
<p>The “young” lovers Lysander (Andrew Goodwin) and Hermia (Sally-Anne Russell) and Demetrius (James Clayton) and Helena (Leanne Kenneally) are equally well cast. Their superb musical timing and strong, clear characterisations are a source of delight.</p>
<p>The royal couple, Theseus (Teddy Tahu Rhodes) and Hippolita (Fiona Campbell), who kick off Shakespeare’s play, don’t appear until the final scene. Along with the two couples, they assemble to watch the Mechanicals stage the “tragic comedy” Pyramus and Thisbe. This famous scene has rarely been more hilarious than in the delightful, comic hands of Warwick Fyfe (Bottom) and Louis Hurley (Flute).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387438/original/file-20210303-21-1vpekf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Production image: a pantomime" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387438/original/file-20210303-21-1vpekf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387438/original/file-20210303-21-1vpekf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387438/original/file-20210303-21-1vpekf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387438/original/file-20210303-21-1vpekf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387438/original/file-20210303-21-1vpekf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387438/original/file-20210303-21-1vpekf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387438/original/file-20210303-21-1vpekf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Mechanicals scene is hilarious.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tony Lewis/Adelaide Festival</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ferguson’s costumes are sensational, particularly the spangly, sequined, form-fitting creations worn by Oberon and Tytania. His superbly magical set is dominated by a translucent, shimmering, floating sheet above the stage. </p>
<p>It’s as if the sky breathes in sync with the orchestra and the audience. As Armfield observes:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Britten’s extraordinary music floats and shimmers, drifts and breathes with the hypnotic pulse of the human body. We are, in a sense, inside the mind, inside a kind of released imagination where the translucent skin of reality lifts and falls with the slow rhythms of enchanted sleep.“</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is a superbly well crafted production. The sure-footed direction, the subtle vocal shadings, brilliant comic timing, orchestral precision, and magical presence of Young Adelaide Voices transported the audience into a world of dream and wonder.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1960/06/13/archives/music-midsummer-nights-dream-opera-by-britten-bows-at-aldeburgh.html">reviewing the opera’s premiere in 1960</a>, famed music critic Howard Taubman predicted, "The chances are that Mr. Britten’s ‘Dream’ will reach many stages of the world.” </p>
<p>Fortunately for us, his prediction has proven true.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156298/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>William Peterson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Neil Armfield’s production of the Benjamin Britten opera is a triumph of sure-footed direction, subtle vocal shadings, brilliant comic timing and orchestral precision.William Peterson, Associate Professor, Flinders UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1532902021-02-04T20:29:04Z2021-02-04T20:29:04ZFalsetto: The enduring love affair with the soaring male voice<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382576/original/file-20210204-22-128lat2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C4%2C700%2C432&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Rapturous falsetto voices are heard in the new HBO documentary 'The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.' </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(HBO)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In this dreary COVID-19 winter, there are some high points — and high notes — available to people cooped up at home. </p>
<p>The documentary <em><a href="https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/the-bee-gees-how-can-you-men-a-broken-heart-review-barry-robin-maurice-gibb-1234851498/">The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart</a></em>, which premiered on HBO in December, explores the musical significance of the group and is interwoven with performance footage. At the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, the <a href="https://www.etonline.com/the-weeknds-super-bowl-halftime-performance-everything-we-know-159392">halftime performer will be Canada’s The Weeknd</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382555/original/file-20210204-16-y7nx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The Weeknd" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382555/original/file-20210204-16-y7nx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382555/original/file-20210204-16-y7nx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382555/original/file-20210204-16-y7nx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382555/original/file-20210204-16-y7nx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382555/original/file-20210204-16-y7nx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=814&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382555/original/file-20210204-16-y7nx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=814&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382555/original/file-20210204-16-y7nx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=814&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The Weeknd performs in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 23, 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Mahmoud Khaled)</span></span>
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<p>What kind of sound do these singers share? And what on Earth do they have in common with the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX1klhwUzBQ">Monty Python comedians in sketches where they portray women</a>? </p>
<p>All these artists use the falsetto voice, a specialized sound that features <a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_History_and_Technique_of_the_Counter.html?id=esXMxAEACAAJ&redir_esc=y">amazing high notes</a>. Falsetto is associated particularly with the male voice singing in the range normally used by women and children. </p>
<p>Historically, perhaps most famously, beautiful high notes are often associated with opera roles originally written for a particular group of male <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11202227/">singers known as “castrati,”</a> who were castrated. Today, opera roles originally written for castrati are sung by <a href="http://www.vocapedia.info/_Library/JOS_files_Vocapedia/JOS-057-2-2000-019.pdf">countertenors</a>. These singers go beyond the higher “normal” range associated with the tenor voice while singing in falsetto. </p>
<p>Of course, beyond these classically based countertenor singers, the falsetto sound is heard in innumerable beloved pop singers. While standout artists have learned to develop their voices into something quite fascinating, anyone can find a falsetto sound. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">HBO trailer for Bee Gees documentary, ‘How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>‘False’ voice</h2>
<p>Falsetto is an extension of our normal voices that we use every day — beyond the voices we use in all those Zoom meetings of late. The word falsetto refers to a “false” voice, so called because the voice uses only part of the vocal apparatus in our throats, rather than the full vibratory sound used in regular singing and speaking.</p>
<p>The normal vocal sounds we make are created by the vibrations of our vocal folds (or vocal cords). These tiny folds are <a href="https://www.voicescienceworks.org/inside-the-larynx.html">controlled by an intricate system of muscles and cartilage in the throat</a>.</p>
<p>The vocal folds function <a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Structure_of_Singing.html?id=45QYAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y">basically by the rate of air movement, or pressure, from the lungs</a>. With more air pressure, the folds will vibrate more quickly and will produce a higher pitch. Less air, and the pitch will be lower. You can feel the vibrations for yourself if you say or sing “ooh,” thinking of a lower pitch, while placing a hand on your throat. </p>
<p>But if you use only the edges of the vocal folds, without allowing the whole mechanism to vibrate, then you can achieve that high, floaty sound that is your “false” voice — your falsetto. </p>
<h2>Falsetto in classical music</h2>
<p>The falsetto sound can still be heard in various forms of classical music — a vestige of the ban on women performers <a href="https://journals.library.mun.ca/ojs/index.php/singing/article/view/1034">in earlier centuries.</a> The traditional English church choir includes men singing in their falsettos to provide the alto line in hymns and anthems. (The soprano line was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/05/girls-choirs-male-dominated-english-tradition-boys-changing">sung by boys</a>, not women.) </p>
<p>In some classical music, as in the perennial December favourite, Handel’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1UCo8xfZp8">Messiah</a>,” a countertenor will sing the alto solos — more usually sung by a woman. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoFzyBm6WGk">Canada’s Daniel Taylor</a> is one of the best countertenors in the world. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382580/original/file-20210204-16-6fzt3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Portrait of opera singer." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382580/original/file-20210204-16-6fzt3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382580/original/file-20210204-16-6fzt3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=775&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382580/original/file-20210204-16-6fzt3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=775&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382580/original/file-20210204-16-6fzt3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=775&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382580/original/file-20210204-16-6fzt3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=974&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382580/original/file-20210204-16-6fzt3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=974&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382580/original/file-20210204-16-6fzt3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=974&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">1743 portrait of Farinelli by Barolomeo Nazari.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Portrait of Farinelli by Barolomeo Nazari/Wikimedia Commons)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<p>Today’s opera roles sung by countertenors were originally written for the castrati <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02844.x">who were superstars</a> in the 17th and 18th centuries. Castration caused a physical difference in the way these voices functioned — and in the body shape and size of the castrated men — but the resultant sound was much the same as today’s countertenor sound. </p>
<p>You can hear <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-04-02-ca-50067-story.html#:%7E:text=Email-,COMMENTARY%20%3A%20The%20Castrato%20Sound%3A%20Real%20and%20Imagined%20%3A%20The%20film,of%20an%20emasculated%20male%20soprano">an attempted re-creation of the sound of a castrato, rendered by electronically fusing the voices of a female singer and a countertenor</a>, in the 1994 <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109771/">movie <em>Farinelli</em></a>, a cinematic take on the great 18th-century castrato opera singer Farinelli (born Carlo Broschi). </p>
<p>The only aural record of a castrato is of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oq/2.2.1">nine recorded selections of castrato Alessandro Moreschi</a>, believed to be the last singer of his kind.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Scene from ‘Farinelli.’</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Falsetto in popular music</h2>
<p>Some scholars have explored falsetto sounds in <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1214967?seq=1">Black popular and “soul” music</a> including through genre-bending musical fusion.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/prince-an-icon-of-a-new-form-of-classical-music-58270">Prince: an icon of a new form of classical music</a>
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<p>Falsetto is found widely in popular music styles today from <a href="https://search.proquest.com/openview/d2cb205c3a330159ecf46ce6e162055d/1.pdf?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1996336">from The Weeknd</a> and <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7633393/justin-timberlake-best-hip-hop-rb-collaborations/">Justin Timberlake</a>. If you listened to the concert celebrating Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration in the United States, you would have heard Timberlake singing “Better Days” with Ant Clemons. Timberlake’s naturally high voice works seamlessly into an effective falsetto sound. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Justin Timberlake with Ant Clemons. Listen for Timberlake’s regular voice at about 3:40, then hear him switch into falsetto at 4:00.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Floating beauty</h2>
<p>Is there a female falsetto voice? Yes! The process for making the sound is the same as in men. But because women’s voices are already higher, it’s harder to hear a different quality. You can hear it some singers, including Christina Aguilera.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Christina Aguilera sometimes sings in falsetto. Her voice changes at about the one minute mark in this song from ‘Mulan.’</span></figcaption>
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<p>However, <a href="https://www.frieze.com/article/evolution-male-falsetto">the allure</a> of the falsetto voice remains more compelling in men than in women. Perhaps it is the attraction of the natural lower male voice contrasted with the high notes: maybe we are waiting for a crack or admiring the physical effort. Or perhaps we simply enjoy the floating beauty of the sound of high notes. </p>
<p>Whatever the reason, male high notes and the falsetto voice <a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Supernatural_Voice.html?id=UhMABQAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y">remain fascinating</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153290/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Pridmore receives funding from The Canada Council for the Arts, and SSHRC.</span></em></p>Falsetto male pop and opera artists fascinate us with their high voices, but it’s also intriguing to know anyone can find a falsetto sound.Helen Pridmore, Associate Professor of Music, University of ReginaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1505282020-12-31T00:14:16Z2020-12-31T00:14:16Z10 summer podcasts perfect for strolls along the beach<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370685/original/file-20201123-13-x1rq79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5422%2C3628&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A friend listened to her first podcast last month - an investigative journalism narrative - and binged the whole series over a long Friday evening. Now she’s avid for more. It was a reminder that, despite the vaunted podcast boom, 70% of Australians <a href="https://mumbrella.com.au/infinite-dial-study-shows-radio-remains-the-most-used-audio-platform-despite-the-pressure-from-podcasting-577437">surveyed</a> last year still hadn’t listened to one.</p>
<p>So to get you started, here are some of the best to listen to on these long summer days. </p>
<p>I’ve avoided heavy true crime, and while audio fiction is on the rise, I’ve opted for mostly true stories because to me that’s what podcasting does best: taking us inside another person’s head and heart.</p>
<h2><a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america">Dolly Parton’s America</a></h2>
<p>Scintillating and surprising, this series examines notions of morality, home, politics, inclusion and the American psyche, with classic country songs and brilliant production by Shima Oliaee and host Jad Abumrad. </p>
<p>Premised on the question “how did the queen of the boob joke become a feminist icon?”, the podcast interviews Parton to document her life story, alongside commentary from academics who parse pro-woman lyrics written by someone who despises the word “feminism”.</p>
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<p>Parton defies pigeonholing. One story explored is her friendship with Abumrad’s father, Naji, a doctor at Vanderbilt University. They met when he treated her after a car accident, and the episode traces the unlikely connection between his Lebanese village and the two-room Appalachian cabin where she grew up. </p>
<p>From this friendship, last month it was revealed Parton had <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/18/dolly-parton-moderna-vaccine-abumrad-covid/">donated</a> US$1 million (A$1.37 million) towards COVID-19 research at Vanderbilt.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/and-i-will-always-love-you-how-marketers-measure-dolly-partons-magic-126688">And I will always love you: how marketers measure Dolly Parton's magic</a>
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<h2><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/truecrime/snowball/">Snowball</a></h2>
<p>A quirky Kiwi take on the “I-was-scammed” genre, in Snowball, three brothers track down the Californian con-woman who made their parents homeless. </p>
<p>Host Ollie Wards’ wry, affectionate approach blends serious sleuthing with domestic detail - such as informing us of his father’s burning ambition to make it on to an episode of Dr Phil. </p>
<p>The most likeable family in podcast land.</p>
<h2><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08t2vn3/episodes/downloads">Goodbye To All This</a></h2>
<p>A woman recounting her husband’s death from lung cancer doesn’t sound like standard holiday fare, but this is a precious, tender offering from veteran ABC Radio National producer Sophie Townsend and acclaimed UK producer Eleanor McDowall. </p>
<p>Townsend’s writing is achingly honest, moving from well-observed trivia of family life to the surreal horror of watching your partner die. McDowall has a real feel for personal storytelling and the production avoids mawkishness. </p>
<p>You will smile and cry.</p>
<h2><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07nkd84/episodes/downloads">The Missing Cryptoqueen</a></h2>
<p>A compelling British variation on the con artist genre started by <a href="https://wondery.com/shows/dirty-john/">Dirty John</a> and given an Australian twist by <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/podcasts/podcast-who-the-hell-is-hamish/news-story/c95b519a9ececa6076df80bd130ba158">Who The Hell is Hamish</a>, this centres on a charismatic Bulgarian purveyor of bogus currency, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruja_Ignatova">Dr Ruja Ignatova</a>. </p>
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<p>Host Jamie Bartlett and producer Georgia Catt uncouple themselves from their BBC background to include podcasty, meta-stories about their process as they hunt Ignatova across Europe while the FBI close in. </p>
<p>A soaring Bulgarian choir adds class and the bonus episode provides a satisfying close-up of the elusive Ignatova.</p>
<h2><a href="https://crooked.com/podcast-series/wind-of-change/">Wind of Change</a></h2>
<p>The payoff doesn’t deliver, but the journey is so delicious you forgive host
Patrick Radden Keefe. </p>
<p>Keefe is exploring a fascinating theory: that the CIA tried to gain “soft power” in the disintegrating Soviet Union of the early 1990s by writing the song “Wind of Change” for a popular German heavy metal band The Scorpions. </p>
<p>Throw in cocaine dealers, intelligence agents and former Panama dictator General Noriega and you’re still only halfway there.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/michelle-obama-podcast-host-how-podcasting-became-a-multi-billion-dollar-industry-142920">Michelle Obama, podcast host: how podcasting became a multi-billion dollar industry</a>
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<h2><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/podcasts/the-daily/jungle-prince-royal-family-oudh.html">The Jungle Prince</a></h2>
<p>A strangely touching exploration by New York Times journalist Ellen Barry of a family caught in a time warp in the fallout of the India-Pakistan partition.</p>
<p>Barry comes across a man professing to be part of a displaced Muslim royal family, who lives in a crumbling palace in the jungle, in the middle of New Delhi. </p>
<p>The Jungle Prince is a study of Barry’s own obsessive urge to investigate, as she gets caught up with the tragic prince and heads to the UK to sort out an intertwined history of colonialism, sectarianism and madness. </p>
<h2><a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/aria-code">Aria Code</a></h2>
<p>A clever idea from the Metropolitan Opera and New York radio station WQXR, this podcast explores one famous aria each episode, featuring a celebrated opera singer and guests who relate to the opera’s theme. </p>
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<p>A <a href="https://songexploder.net/episodes">Song Exploder</a> for opera, the podcast links compelling contemporary personal stories, whetting the appetite for the conclusion where the guest singer delivers the aria in full. </p>
<p>Aria Code is an engaging way to get acquainted with the canon, or a satisfying extension of the relevance of the aria for those already in the zone.</p>
<h2><a href="https://gimletmedia.com/shows/resistance">Resistance</a></h2>
<p>Resistance tells stories of black activism around the world in a warm, personal style. </p>
<p>In one episode, host Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr introduces us to a 22-year-old black New Yorker who, in a few months, goes from attending his first street protest to deciding to run for city council. </p>
<p>In another, Tejan-Thomas tries to understand how the only black man in a mid-Western town hangs onto his “blackness” in such a cultural void.</p>
<p>A timely show that chimes with the #BlackLivesMatter movement.</p>
<h2><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/fiction">The New Yorker Fiction Podcast</a></h2>
<p>An effortlessly seductive podcast in which a Great Writer selects a short story by another Great Writer, tells fiction editor Deborah Treisman why they like it — and reads it aloud. </p>
<p>Sometimes the pairing seems obvious: Margaret Atwood selects fellow Canadian Alice Munro; Dave Eggers picks another American former wunderkind Sam Shepard. </p>
<p>Sometimes it is more intriguing: Salman Rushdie goes for Italo Calvino; Orhan Pamuk for Jorge Luis Borges. </p>
<p>Apart from the sheer pleasure of having great stories read aloud, the podcast provides an intimate insight into writers’ literary passions.</p>
<h2><a href="https://stownpodcast.org/">S-Town</a></h2>
<p>Yes it’s been around since 2017, but this is the apotheosis of audio storytelling. </p>
<p>Set aside seven hours for this Southern Gothic ode to the mordant genius that is John B. McLemore, a disgruntled resident of “Shit-town”, Alabama. </p>
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<p>Produced by the team who broke the internet with <a href="https://serialpodcast.org/">Serial</a>, this is literary journalism for your ears. It starts a bit slowly, but episode two is a massive gut punch and it gets more and more mesmerising from there. </p>
<p>If Truman Capote had had a podcast, this would be it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150528/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Siobhan McHugh was one of four women featured in Eleanor McDowall's award-winning BBC Radio 4 documentary, A Sense of Quietness.</span></em></p>The best podcasts take you inside another person’s head and heart. Here are some summer listens to get you started.Siobhan McHugh, Honorary Associate Professor, Journalism, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1458852020-09-10T11:54:01Z2020-09-10T11:54:01ZPerforming in winter: creating COVID-safe super venues and sharing the stage<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357439/original/file-20200910-24-1r0nprb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C0%2C5447%2C3645&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/audience-auditorium-bleachers-chairs-391535/">Tuur Tisseghem/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You pass through a wide doorway to a large space with good air circulation. Inside, an usher behind a screen scans your ticket and sends you onward. Signs on the carpet direct you to the large auditorium, which is arranged in clusters of seats, one per household. In the middle of the room, the stage is set for a full orchestra. Tomorrow the same stage will be used for a theatrical production. The lights go dim; the music starts.</p>
<p>If we think creatively, such a situation could become reality. The arts sector is in a dire state, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/sep/08/andrew-lloyd-webber-we-have-to-get-arts-sector-back-open-covid">Andrew Lloyd Webber</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/paul-whitehouse">Paul Whitehouse</a>, among others, continue to plead for venues to reopen on behalf of the embattled theatre sector and its many jobs. But winter is coming and with it the unappetising prospect of a <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/roslin/news-events/latest-news/experts-warn-of-second-covid-19-peak-in-winter">second spike of coronavirus cases</a>. Things are likely to get worse before they get better. </p>
<p>With many audience members over 65, it is not just a question of R values and daily cases but how safe people feel. It is extremely unlikely that traditional venues will cater to large audiences for at least six months and possibly until a vaccine is created and widely administered.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/performing-for-no-one-the-important-work-of-in-studio-audiences-134349">Performing for no one – the important work of in-studio audiences</a>
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<p>Notions of “<a href="https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/12274336">hygiene</a>” have been observed as a major narrative in the reinvention of urban space for centuries and being hygienic in COVID times presents real difficulties. </p>
<h2>The search for space</h2>
<p>Observing even a 1-metre rule takes most venues to below 50% capacity and feels, frankly, almost pointless, except in larger halls. This puts the performing arts in a dire position, seemingly with a choice between loss-making performances to the few, or contributions to the vast pool of <a href="https://www.culturalpolicies.net/covid-19/online-initiatives/">online content</a>. Increasingly, it feels like the latter’s proximity to the live experience only dilutes its satisfaction – like giving plastic food to the hungry.</p>
<p>It is time for governments and local authorities to take action and create performance conditions that can function in all but the most stringent of lockdown situations. It will be no small effort, but if a large-scale live performance is to see us through another winter, it must be done.</p>
<p>What is needed is space. Space to circulate, space to sit apart, space between venue staff and audience. Outdoor events will be difficult to sustain in a British winter. Churches have limited toilet capacity (if you think that’s unimportant, you have not read many venue feedback forms). Conference centres are in fact the most likely solution. The decimation of large-scale events means they have availability and should be able to accommodate large numbers of people and flexible seating arrangements.</p>
<p>Just one viable stage could to bring comedy, music, small-scale opera and theatre back to a city, though the specific stage requirements of dance may prove more difficult. The seating must be flexible rather than in strict rows, probably with the stage in the centre of a large room. It may not be the perfect aesthetic experience, but it beats another half-watched livestream or playing to a handful of people.</p>
<p>To take Scotland as an example, one super venue in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen could resuscitate the country’s three major orchestras and much more besides. The <a href="https://www.eicc.co.uk/organising/the-venue/lennox-suite/#filter=lennox-suite">Lennox Suite</a> in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, for example, has a maximum capacity in normal times of 2,000 and has a movable floor. If 40% of that total were achieved it would start to offer something akin to regular income for organisations.</p>
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<p>Technical and stage management teams from theatre and music are used to making things happen in a short space of time. Together, they would be unstoppable. The acoustics of these spaces could be delicately enhanced by amplification in the case of theatre and electronically assisted resonance for classical music. The latter can provide startlingly natural reverb, as was <a href="https://asa.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1121/1.2019483">used</a> for decades in London’s Festival Hall.</p>
<h2>Sharing the benefits</h2>
<p>Though the initial costs will be significant, this scheme is beneficial because it allows organisations to bring in revenue and give their box office and temporary workers some much-needed employment. </p>
<p>Currently, we are paying institutions to limp on and will count it a success if they come through this period with half their staff intact. Government support to a widespread commandeering of spaces would be a far shrewder investment and will give large institutions the means to better support themselves, though this emphasis should be coupled with similar efforts on behalf of smaller organisations and freelancers. Indeed, this could be an opportunity for smaller companies to share the stage and draw a bigger and more diverse crowd to their programming, while also sharing the income generated.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/arts-rescue-package-by-all-means-protect-britains-jewels-but-dont-forget-the-rest-of-the-crown-142100">Arts rescue package: by all means protect Britain's 'jewels' – but don't forget the rest of the crown</a>
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<p>There is also the issue of the venues that are left behind in this search for space. Taking away the orchestras and theatre companies that are their main draw hardly seems to aid their cause. I would argue, however, that there is little financial security in housing concerts for 200 people, not to mention the risks of being closed down again if the virus returns. Limited but more secure employment for staff and the ability to repurpose smaller venues – whether as a university lecture theatre, space for smaller performances or community hub – is more likely to see them through this time. </p>
<p>One of the lessons of lockdown is that a life without the arts is a very grey existence indeed and that if there is a replacement to the live experience, it is yet to be discovered. If performances can go ahead as safely as entering shops or eating in restaurants, then the arts world and society should be given every chance to take advantage of their life-enhancing effects. All it requires is the government to lead on this issue with decisive and positive action.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145885/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Neil Thomas Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Opening traditional theatres and smaller venues may not be physically or financially viable. But with winter coming and the arts industry floundering, something needs to be done.Neil Thomas Smith, Composer and Postdoctoral Researcher, Maastricht Centre for the Innovation of Classical Music, Maastricht UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1454612020-09-08T04:15:54Z2020-09-08T04:15:54ZAs COVID wreaks havoc in the performing arts, do we still need a national opera company?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356672/original/file-20200907-111007-1k057zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Opera singer Natalie Aroyan poses for a photograph ahead of the 2020 season launch of Opera Australia's Attila in Sydney last year. Performances were cancelled due to COVID-19 in March this year.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bianca De Marchi/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Anyone looking for evidence of just how devastating the COVID-19 pandemic has been to Australia’s performing arts industry need look no further than its flagship company, Opera Australia.</p>
<p>Only last year it was <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/opera/opera-australia-coffers-swelled-by-45m-in-bequests-20190502-h1e0tk.html">boasting an operating surplus</a>. Last month, however, Chief Executive Rory Jeffes announced an organisational restructure, which <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/opera/opera-australia-to-be-taken-to-fair-work-over-redundancies-20200903-p55s4p.html">the industry union claims could result in up to 25% of permanent staff</a> losing their jobs. </p>
<p>The aim of this restructure, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/opera/opera-australia-sells-up-to-stem-losses-caused-by-pandemic-20200821-p55o7j.html">employees were told</a>, was to better align the organisation to the changing environment of COVID-19 with a new operating model. But what, exactly, should that model be? </p>
<p>Certainly, redundancies were inevitable. Jeffes had already called <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p55gof">an abrupt end to the company’s 2020 season</a>. Even where governments have allowed entertainment venues slowly to reopen, the economics of “socially distanced” opera going simply do not support the budget models of old.</p>
<p>The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, however, has described the proposed changes as “<a href="https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/union-dubs-opera-australia-redundancies-a-disgrace/">a disgrace</a>”, citing a lack of staff consultation among other grievances. In response, <a href="https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/union-dubs-opera-australia-redundancies-a-disgrace/">a spokesperson for Opera Australia </a> said last week the 25% figure refers to administration staff only, and consultations are happening with employees in the rest of the organisation.</p>
<p>The dispute, now before the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/opera/opera-australia-to-be-taken-to-fair-work-over-redundancies-20200903-p55s4p.html">Fair Work Commission</a>, will be followed with interest and concern across the industry. Opera Australia is Australia’s largest, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-opera-deserve-its-privileged-status-within-arts-funding-84761#:%7E:text=This%20amount%20was%20divided%20between,state%20government%20grants%20in%202016">most lavishly publicly funded</a> performing arts company and many livelihoods are at stake. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/does-opera-deserve-its-privileged-status-within-arts-funding-84761">Does opera deserve its privileged status within arts funding?</a>
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<span class="caption">Musicians from Opera Australia at a protest rally in March.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joel Carrett/AAP</span></span>
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<h2>A city artform</h2>
<p>Opera is especially exposed because it is so closely connected to the places where pandemics have the greatest impact — large cities. Opera is an urban art form par excellence. By the mid-19th century, it had become a principal medium through which burgeoning urban populations might hear and see stylised representations of their lives (albeit filtered through the lens of historical or mythic subjects). It’s not for nothing, for instance, that so many operatic heroines die of “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis_in_human_culture#Opera">consumption</a>”, a preeminently urban disease.</p>
<p>Now, however, under the shadow of COVID-19, the future of the city itself is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/nyc-dead-forever-heres-why-james-altucher/">under question</a>; the rise of video platforms like Zoom seems to make the necessity of “being there” no longer a necessity. This idea has been refuted by others who highlight <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-i-moved-to-the-suburbs-and-lived-to-regret-it-20200904-zboer5sju5ak7ohpblbhow3q3e-story.html">the human yearning for togetherness</a>. The general manager of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Peter Gelb, similarly has <a href="https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2020/06/28/will-streaming-be-theaters-death-or-its-savior.html">said</a> that while it may be soothing to watch opera streamed at home, it is ultimately a “one dimensional experience”. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-where-is-the-great-australian-opera-96908">Friday essay: where is the Great Australian Opera?</a>
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<p>Nevertheless, with theatres unable to return to full capacity for the indefinite future, and public funding bodies becoming strapped for cash, a return to anything like our pre-COVID operatic culture is unlikely. The current crisis does, however, offer a chance to think afresh about opera’s place (literally as well as figuratively) in our society.</p>
<p>Do we now have an opportunity, as Michael Volpe, the director of London’s Opera Holland Park, has <a>suggested</a>, “for the opera ecology to remodel itself into something that’s more cost effective and fleet of foot”?</p>
<p>Volpe calls for an “opera socialism”. What he is advocating is a return to something closer to opera’s own origins as a performance culture more directly connected to, and supported by, the local communities in which it is based. </p>
<h2>Local, not global?</h2>
<p>Until the pandemic hit, Opera Australia worked within an industry dominated by a global commerce in “star” singers, conductors, and directors, typically managed by a system of international artist agencies. </p>
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<span class="caption">Teddy Tahu Rhodes performs during the final dress rehearsal of Opera Australia’s Il Viaggio a Reims in Sydney last year.</span>
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<p>Now that system is in a state of collapse. In recent weeks, two of the largest classical music agencies, the US-based <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/08/29/business/ap-us-classical-agency-shuts.html">Columbia Artists Management</a> and the UK’s <a href="https://www.rhinegold.co.uk/classical_music/hazard-chase-ceases-trading-due-to-covid-19/">Hazard Chase</a> have announced they are shutting their doors. </p>
<p>Is it now time for us to reconsider the need for a national opera company in turn? The economic impact of Opera Australia touring main-stage productions, even just to Melbourne, puts it under significant operational stress. But it also doesn’t allow the company to develop strong local connections outside its Sydney home.</p>
<p>A fully decentralised model might, in fact, be better able to support the operatic “ecology”. Many smaller professional, semiprofessional, and amateur operatic companies already operate successfully in our major metropolitan centres with little or no public funding. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/opera-is-stuck-in-a-racist-sexist-past-while-many-in-the-audience-have-moved-on-120073">Opera is stuck in a racist, sexist past, while many in the audience have moved on</a>
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<p>They are also currently much more likely than Opera Australia to mount productions of new Australian operas, or works outside the mainstream repertoire. </p>
<p>While Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini said back in 2014 that he was <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/stage/opera-must-become-more-accessible-in-order-to-survive/news-story/413b300efa92d94e7ae3e31de911dd90">“desperate to create new work that is relevant to a significant audience,”</a> he also conceded the company’s operating model does not give it the financial resources to do more than produce mostly a narrow range of traditional works, supplemented by productions of commercial musical theatre.</p>
<p>Maybe it is now time for both federal and state governments to consider focusing more on a civic based or “ground-up” institutional foundation for opera rather than sustaining a nationally based “top-down” one. </p>
<p>The 2016 <a href="https://www.arts.gov.au/sites/default/files/national_opera_review_final_report.pdf">National Opera Review</a> ducked considering such a possibility. But a new <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Communications/Arts/Terms_of_Reference">parliamentary inquiry</a> into Australia’s creative and cultural industries and institutions is underway. Now is the opportunity for us to contemplate a new place, and indeed new places, for opera in Australia.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145461/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Tregear has performed over the years with both Victorian Opera and Melbourne Opera. He is also the co-founder of Melbourne-based IOpera.</span></em></p>Opera Australia has been hit hard by the pandemic’s economic impact. It’s time to rethink our approach to funding opera, with a focus on local companies.Peter Tregear, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1426112020-07-21T11:27:31Z2020-07-21T11:27:31ZMusic and trauma – why the two have a fraught relationship<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348589/original/file-20200721-19-qa9prf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C33%2C7337%2C4869&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/conductor-directing-symphony-orchestra-performers-on-221547055">Stokkete/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It was perhaps inevitable, as the world went into lockdown, that a range of musical works about COVID-19 would begin to appear. In May, the America composer David Serkin Ludwig wrote All the Rage for solo violin, which ends with the violinist screaming. The piece, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/arts/coronavirus-covid-19-classical-composers-new-jersey-symphony-guggenheim-david-serkin-ludwig-jennifer-koh-20200516.html">he claims</a>, represents collective rage at the US government’s handling of the virus. </p>
<p>The BBC Proms 2020 has <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53261835">announced a range of new commissions</a> responding to the pandemic. These include a work for the last night of the concert series by Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi which “will include sounds of the lockdown”. The Finnish National Opera is hosting a performance of <a href="https://operawire.com/finnish-national-opera-restructures-2020-21-season-with-covid-fan-tutte/?fbclid=IwAR1Qj7fUeiWa_pbpDy_ZKNVv2EgnihzGW7qNiwT6tLc2eEuGiVX2ojzGgSg"><em>COVID fan tutte</em></a>, with a new libretto by Minna Lindgren reworking Mozart’s opera to be about the pandemic. </p>
<p>Intuitively, it may seem a positive thing for artists to respond to traumatic events. However, will work referencing the pandemic actually increase awareness and understanding, or is such appropriation simply a means of generating attention? The recent history of creating music in response to traumatic events presents a mixed picture. </p>
<h2>Memorialising trauma in music</h2>
<p>Luigi Nono’s <em>Ricorda Cosa Ti Hanno Fatto in Auschwitz</em> (Remember What They Did to You in Auschwitz) (1966) was originally written to be played in short bursts during Peter Weiss’s play <em><a href="https://www.spiegel.de/consent-a-?targetUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Fgeschichte%2Fpeter-weiss-theaterstueck-die-ermittlung-zum-auschwitz-prozess-a-951421.html&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F">Die Ermittlung</a></em> (The Investigation, 1965). The play is a dramatisation of the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/auschwitz-trial-ensured-that-germany-would-never-forget/a-18654790">Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials</a>. </p>
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<p><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XS1zDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT313&lpg=PT313&dq=Luigi+Nono+is+the+voice+of+the+six+million+dead+at+Auschwitz+and+in+other+concentration+camps&source=bl&ots=hBklp8JvxC&sig=ACfU3U2F2biuBihLTn34eDuW2B5JKAztNg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi68p-P_87qAhUtSBUIHUo4BBMQ6AEwAHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=Luigi%20Nono%20is%20the%20voice%20of%20the%20six%20million%20dead%20at%20Auschwitz%20and%20in%20other%20concentration%20camps&f=false">Nono wrote</a>, with some audacity, that the music “is the voice of the six million dead at Auschwitz and in other concentration camps”. Despite such an arguably exploitative claim, to my ears the piece is striking and eerily beautiful – a captivating aural spectacle. </p>
<p>The German philosopher Theodor Adorno wrote pessimistically in 1949 that <a href="https://www.academia.edu/30592726/Poetry_after_Auschwitz_Celan_and_Adorno_Revisited_2005">to write lyric poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric</a>. He believed many European ideals of culture and civilisation were in tatters following the Holocaust. As such, Adorno posited that any attempt to rekindle the old cultural traditions and to render such horror aesthetic was crass and insensitive. Assessed in line with this cultural critique, it could be argued that Nono went even further than the barbarity of lyric poetry. He did so by using Auschwitz as the inspiration for a form of musical lyric poetry. </p>
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<p>The Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki’s <a href="https://thelistenersclub.com/2018/08/06/penderecki-threnody-to-the-victims-of-hiroshima/">Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima</a> (1961) could similarly be viewed as a crass appropriation of trauma. It was originally entitled 8’37", which is a reference to its length and not the dropping of the atomic bomb. Its current title was added after the composer heard the work performed. While an electrifying piece, it is unclear whether the work adds in any way to a wider comprehension of the Hiroshima bombings. Instead, the piece communicates pain and suffering, an emotional response which is self-evident. </p>
<p>A different case, however, would be Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvkujNa3DV0&list=RDMvkujNa3DV0&start_radio=1"><em>Babi Yar</em></a> (1962). It is written around <a href="http://shostakovich.hilwin.nl/op113.html">five poems</a> by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/world/europe/yevgeny-yevtushenko-dead-dissident-soviet-poet.html">Yevgeny Yevtushenko</a>. When taken together, they place the <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/babi-yar-massacre-begins">1941 Nazi massacre of Soviet Jews</a> (known as <em>Babi Yar</em>) in the context of a range of other historical events and reflections on Soviet life. Shostakovich’s musical commentary is elegiac, sardonic, static, unsettling and, above all, ambiguous. It invites active questioning and individual responses from the listener to the events portrayed. This is a meaningful alternative to music that induces an emotional response that no reasonable person could doubt.</p>
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<h2>Catharsis or commentary?</h2>
<p>The critic Virgil Thomson coined the term “<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bPUTBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT505&lpg=PT505&dq=virgil+thomson+%22editorial+symphony%22&source=bl&ots=uPddJ62yfI&sig=ACfU3U0x8fobhxy6RAbKth1EKrg0lpTfyg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYm-vi7M3qAhUSTcAKHWHYAl8Q6AEwAXoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=virgil%20thomson%20%22editorial%20symphony%22&f=false">editorial symphony</a>” to describe works alluding to contemporary events and politics. Such works may be topical, but that does not necessarily make them any more significant for contemporary audiences than hypothetical artistic work alluding to, for instance, the thirty years war or the Boxer Rebellion. These historic events, involving violent religious conflict or populist hate campaigns towards foreigners, have many resonances with the present day. </p>
<p>A range of pieces, some by more musically conservative composers, link to recent traumatic events. These include works referencing the <a href="https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/features/piper-alpha-the-disaster-in-detail/">Piper Alpha disaster</a>, the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2012/04/20-years-since-the-bosnian-war/100278/">war in Bosnia</a>, and a slew about 9/11 – such as John Adams’ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jCdOjOaJsU">On the Transmigration of Souls</a> (2002) and Tansy Davies’ opera <a href="https://theconversation.com/between-worlds-the-dangers-of-transforming-9-11-into-stylised-art-40425">Between Worlds</a> (2014). Some of these embody a rather obvious emotional catharsis, an expression of sadness and regret equally suitable for other traumatic events. However, whether many of the works “say” anything more of consequence about such events is debatable.</p>
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<p>Music is a medium that generally resists being unambiguously linked to external phenomena, and this is one of its strengths. It would be a narrow view to imagine <em>Cosi fan tutte</em> purely as a <a href="https://theconversation.com/cosi-fan-tutte-racial-and-sexual-abuse-should-shock-audiences-not-the-titillation-64504">commentary upon sexual politics</a>, or Modest Musorgsky’s opera <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh4NWBi_PAk">Boris Godunov</a> as an incisive interpretation of pre-Romanov Russian dynastic history. Both of their musical content goes much further than this. So, if one wishes to communicate a clear message on contemporary events, is music necessarily the best medium to do so?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142611/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Pace does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Is music the best medium to respond to traumatic events like the COVID-19 pandemic? A recent history of such pieces suggests maybe not.Ian Pace, Reader in Music; Head of Department, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1380482020-06-23T18:50:31Z2020-06-23T18:50:31ZSupport for artists is key to returning to vibrant cultural life post-coronavirus<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342743/original/file-20200618-41209-1mw1hoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C222%2C3158%2C2250&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The National Arts Centre in Ottawa displays the message "Everything will be okay" and a rainbow, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Artists are crucial to the futures <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/covid19-crisis-new-normal-coronavirus">we’re imagining</a> beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<p>The vitality of the societies we wish to return to are vibrant in large part because they <em>sound</em> and <em>look</em> vibrant, because they are full of artists thriving and sharing music in a variety of settings.</p>
<p>Who hasn’t missed the sound of people out and about, revelling in society, culture and the arts — whether we are talking about the sound of a band spilling out onto a nighttime street, or the sound of friends meeting before a concert? Our society is vibrant in large part because it is infused with the work of artists and musicians.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nightlife-is-the-soul-of-cities-and-night-mayors-are-its-keepers-in-this-coronavirus-pandemic-134327">Nightlife is the soul of cities — and 'night mayors' are its keepers in this coronavirus pandemic</a>
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<p>As musicologist Julian Johnson writes in his book <em><a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/who-needs-classical-music-9780195146813?cc=ca&lang=en&">Who Needs Classical Music?</a></em> music facilitates “a relation to an order of things larger than ourselves.” Through music, the self, he writes, “comes to understand itself more fully as a larger, trans-subjective identity.” </p>
<p>These words, evoking togetherness, community and shared experience, have become even more powerful in this strange time of self-isolation and solitude. In its ability to draw us together to listen and experience together, live music performance is a crucial marker and facilitator of community. </p>
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<h2>$24,300 annual income</h2>
<p>If we look at one particular arts field, that of classical artists (such as classical musicians, conductors or opera singers), we know that
even before the age of COVID-19, these artists were <a href="https://operacanada.ca/quarantine-questions-lawrence-wiliford/">struggling to sustain themselves financially</a>. </p>
<p>Despite the fact that culture <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/190425/dq190425b-eng.htm">contributed over $53 billion</a> to Canada’s economy in 2017, the <a href="https://hillstrategies.com/resource/statistical-profile-of-artists-in-canada-in-2016/">median individual income for Canada’s artists</a> was $24,300: 44 per cent less than the median for all Canadian workers ($43,500).</p>
<p>Only those artists with economic privilege can afford the precarity of the gig economy, and income data suggests that white and male privilege also mitigates its harshness. According to Canadian census 2016 data, artists who are women, Indigenous or from racialized communities report even <a href="https://hillstrategies.com/resource/demographic-diversity-of-artists-in-canada-in-2016/">lower median incomes</a>. </p>
<p>This year, many artists won’t even earn this much: between February and May, for example, <a href="https://capacoa.ca/en/2020/06/employment-rebounds-but-culture-workers-arent-seeing-signs-of-recovery/">nearly 200,000 workers</a> in information, culture and recreation industries lost their jobs.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-theatre-would-thrive-with-funds-from-the-canadian-government-102830">Indigenous theatre would thrive with funds from the Canadian government</a>
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<p>The federal government recently extended the term of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cerb-extended-trudeau-1.5613782">until the end of August</a>. But many are concerned that even with these extended benefits, a return to performing might be months, if not years, away.</p>
<p>A <em>Globe and Mail</em> feature from the height of COVID-19’s first wave tells the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article-the-artist-is-not-present-canadian-performers-describe-the-works-the/">heartbreaking stories of performers</a> in various fields whose work has been put on hold as the result of the virus, also highlighting the terrifying scarcity of work and pay for musicians during this period. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/19/arts/music/string-quartet-coronavirus.html#commentsContainer">fragile, endangered ecosystem</a> of music and musicians has been threatened by COVID-19, reported the <em>New York Times</em>. </p>
<p>Reticent audiences, even after the pandemic ends, will likely play a role in this: a survey conducted by the National Arts Centre and Nanos Research
<a href="http://www.businessandarts.org/resources/arts-response-tracking-study/">found that 34 per cent</a> of Canadians are unsure when they will attend an indoor arts or cultural performance, even after venues have been reopened and are adhering to public health guidelines. This percentage is similar across age groups.</p>
<h2>Gig economy</h2>
<p>Many of these artists work in the gig economy and, as a result, have seen revenues evaporate — precious income they can ill afford to lose. Although many musicians are frustrated at the crisis created by COVID-19, those working in the arts were already in crisis. Quickly and starkly, the age of COVID-19 has not created, but rather has magnified, the precarious nature of creative work in our country.</p>
<p>Relief funding, both governmental and organizational, has been key, as are initiatives like the <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6835570/saskatchewan-musicians-play-on-during-covid-19-uncertainty/">SaskMusic COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund</a>, the <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/relief-fund-for-canadian-performing-artists-gets-100-000-boost-1.4862604">Canada Performs relief fund initiative</a> and even sector-specific artist support like the <a href="http://www.opera.ca/whats-new/opera-artist-emergency-relief-fund">Opera Artist Emergency Relief Fund</a>. The arts should figure <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article-canadas-arts-sector-needs-transformative-action-similar-to-works/">prominently in the federal government’s infrastructure stimulus package</a>.</p>
<p>But as we anticipate moving into phases of less physical distancing and aim to resume some social and economic activities (with larger gatherings on the far horizon), we must continue to think about the systems we build with an eye towards increasing stability for performing artists. The COVID-19 crisis should serve as a wake-up call. Our long-standing characterization of the struggling, starving artist must change. </p>
<p>This ideal response to this artistic crisis is one that includes responses from a variety of sectors: in post-secondary education and training, in arts policies and structures, and in the financial support we offer our artists. </p>
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<h2>Policy crisis</h2>
<p>To begin with, the present crisis has once again illuminated the need for contemporary classical artists to be multi-skilled. Many recent studies reveal that Canadian artists trained in post-secondary music programs must build what are known as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2019.1598348">“portfolio” careers</a>, which effectively encompass work from a variety of fields or areas. </p>
<p>Since such portfolio careers are often created and arrived upon by happenstance, it is high time to ask how they might be more systematically embedded into educational and cultural policies and programs. Artists must be taught to think creatively and passionately, as well as pragmatically and strategically. </p>
<p>But the current crisis is also a policy crisis. It illuminates the need to support artists more fulsomely and creatively throughout the various stages of their careers. Central to this is imagining ways to limit the precarity of the gig economy which, perhaps surprisingly, characterizes the careers of even the highest echelon of performers, classical or otherwise. </p>
<h2>Guaranteed work</h2>
<p>There are proven ways to do this. Throughout Europe, for example, many opera singers sing in what are known as <a href="https://www.askonasholt.com/living-the-fest-life-experiences-on-a-fest-contract/">Fest contracts</a>, which guarantee work at that opera house in a variety of roles over the course of a given season. This is accompanied by a monthly salary, with paid benefits and health insurance included. </p>
<p>While this may not be feasible in the Canadian context, examples like this might spur us to think creatively about how we might organize contracts, leverage networks and reimagine supports to create more long-term opportunities for cultural workers. We might also rethink the extent to which the public may be underpaying for arts and entertainment.</p>
<p>As we dream about reconnecting in person, we should take advantage of this opportunity for a collective reconsideration of arts policy. COVID-19 has brought us a unique opportunity to rebuild and reimagine a vibrant cultural sector. We need to collectively support artists if we believe in supporting the arts.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138048/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colleen Renihan receives funding from The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Schnitzer receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span><a href="mailto:julia.brook@queensu.ca">julia.brook@queensu.ca</a> receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation</span></em></p>Policy makers and arts sectors together need to reimagine how we might organize contracts, leverage networks and change supports to create more long-term opportunities for arts workers in Canada.Colleen Renihan, Assistant Professor and Queen's National Scholar in Music Theatre and Opera, Queen's University, OntarioBen Schnitzer, PhD Student, Cultural Studies, Queen's University, OntarioJulia Brook, Assistant Professor in Music Education, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1369472020-04-27T04:34:38Z2020-04-27T04:34:38ZBreaking Glass review: Sydney Chamber Opera livestreams premiere<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330625/original/file-20200427-145503-1ej6k4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C14%2C2451%2C1489&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Breaking Glass</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Boud</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are very few silver linings that have developed from the current catastrophic health crisis, but the wider accessibility of world class performances is one positive outcome to have emerged in recent weeks.</p>
<p><a href="https://carriageworks.com.au/events/breaking-glass/">Breaking Glass</a> – a quadruple bill of single-act operas composed by four Australian women – is an example of these. Originally programmed for late March at Carriageworks, it instead premiered on Facebook Live on Saturday.</p>
<p>Breaking Glass is a collaboration between Sydney Conservatorium’s <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/music/industry-and-community/community-engagement/composing-women.html">Composing Women</a> professional development program and the Sydney Chamber Opera (SCO). While gender inequality is an issue across most art forms, the inequality in operatic programming is <a href="https://witnessperformance.com/opera-and-the-invisibility-of-women/">especially stark</a>. Projects such as this are essential to bringing new perspectives and diverse artistic voices to audiences within an otherwise conservative art form. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-notoriously-sexist-art-form-australian-women-composers-are-making-their-voices-heard-108991">In a notoriously sexist art form, Australian women composers are making their voices heard</a>
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<p>SCO was the ideal partner for Composing Women in this project. Established in 2010 to present operas of the 20th and 21st century, SCO has shown a commitment to works by Australian composers, with previous productions including <a href="https://www.maryfinsterer.com/opera">Mary Finsterer’s Biographica</a> in 2017 and <a href="http://sydneychamberopera.com/?p=2666">Elliott Gyger’s Oscar and Lucinda</a> in 2019.</p>
<p>While the name suggests a reference to breaking through the glass ceiling in the opera world, the violent imagery of breaking glass is also fitting in the context of the contemporary themes of ecological disaster, inequality, mental illness, and dystopia explored in these four works.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330624/original/file-20200427-145544-b15zft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330624/original/file-20200427-145544-b15zft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330624/original/file-20200427-145544-b15zft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330624/original/file-20200427-145544-b15zft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330624/original/file-20200427-145544-b15zft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330624/original/file-20200427-145544-b15zft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330624/original/file-20200427-145544-b15zft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330624/original/file-20200427-145544-b15zft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Commute.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Boud</span></span>
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<h2>Four works</h2>
<p>Her Dark Marauder, composed by Georgia Scott with the libretto by Pierce Wilcox, is a reworking of concepts drawn from the works of Sylvia Plath. There was an almost expressionist aesthetic to both the staging and the music.</p>
<p>Opening with the three singers separated on the stage surrounded by haze, Scott’s use of insistent repeated-note instrumental motifs, tremolo strings and flutter tonguing immediately evoked a disturbing, oppressive atmosphere. The vocalists – Jane Sheldon, Simon Lobelson, and Jessica O’Donoghue in this work – showed exceptional range, with virtuosic execution of techniques such as vocal fry, portamenti and fricative sounds along with beautifully phrased melodic material.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330622/original/file-20200427-145530-1sh1frf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330622/original/file-20200427-145530-1sh1frf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330622/original/file-20200427-145530-1sh1frf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330622/original/file-20200427-145530-1sh1frf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330622/original/file-20200427-145530-1sh1frf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330622/original/file-20200427-145530-1sh1frf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330622/original/file-20200427-145530-1sh1frf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330622/original/file-20200427-145530-1sh1frf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Dark Marauder opened the Facebook premiere event.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Boud</span></span>
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<p>In Commute, composer Peggy Polias depicts a woman’s daily commute through the lens of ancient Greek mythology and Homer’s Odyssey, with two “suitors” representing mythical monsters. The staging of this work, which was directed by Clemence Williams, was particularly effective, with O’Donoghue hesitantly walking across stage while in front of menacing, oversized projections of hands, and later a single eye representing the cyclops.</p>
<p>This short 20-minute work has a satisfying five-part structure full of contrasting musical textures. From the pulsating white noise and fragmented plosive vocalisations from the two suitors (played by Lobelson and Mitchell Riley) in the opening Amen I through to the entreating modal melody from O’Donoghue in Episode II: The Eye, Polias employed a vast range of compositional techniques to great effect. Commute ended on a note of refreshing optimism, with the final Dawn section featuring interwoven pentatonic melodic lines against the visual effects of a sunrise.</p>
<p>Josephine Macken’s The Tent diverged the most from typical operatic conventions. The title refers to a short story of the same name by Margaret Atwood, which is used as a conceptual framework rather than narrative structure. This abstract, almost wordless work explores the idea of researchers feeding knowledge into an intelligent machine in the wake of an ecological disaster. Macken has created a desolate soundscape using howling winds, drones, microtonality, with the vocal text mostly comprising disjointed phonemes, sustained vowel sounds and fricatives.</p>
<p>Bree van Reyk’s The Invisible Bird draws a connection between invisible and forgotten women in history and extinct or endangered birds. Its minimalist libretto consists of names of vulnerable, endangered and extinct bird species. Despite the seriousness of its subject manner, there was humour and absurdity in the staging. With three performers dressed in formal wear, it opened with cabaret-like choreography complete with jazz hands accompanying birdcalls from both singers and instrumentalists. </p>
<p>The music was palindromic in structure, starting and ending with energetic polyphony. The middle section was particularly poignant, with Sheldon portraying a night parrot shedding its feathers while mournfully singing the names of extinct species. </p>
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<span class="caption">The Invisible Bird.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Boud</span></span>
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<h2>Virtuosity under pressure</h2>
<p>Despite the difficult circumstances, all aspects of this production were outstanding. </p>
<p>The singers showed impressive virtuosity throughout, as did the instrumentalists in the small ensemble, which included some of Australia’s most experienced and committed new music practitioners.</p>
<p>Breaking Glass is a testament to the importance of professional development programs like Composing Women. It is vital new, ambitious artistic work has the opportunity to be presented. In this case, the result was spectacular. While the four operas were very different from each other, they were equally engaging, relevant and thought-provoking.</p>
<p>Getting this production ready to premiere in a different format in such a short time shows adaptability and hard work from all involved. Hopefully this is a sign that large scale, innovative art forms will be able to weather the current crisis, despite unprecedented challenges to the sector.</p>
<p><em>Breaking Glass can be viewed <a href="http://sydneychamberopera.com/">online</a>. In lieu of ticket purchases, tax deductible donations can be made to SCO.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136947/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melanie Walters does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While the name of the season - now online - suggests breaking through opera’s glass ceiling, the violent imagery fits the context of ecological disaster, inequality, mental illness, and dystopia.Melanie Walters, PhD candidate in music, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.