First, note the multiracial crowd performing the “Libiamo” scene from La Traviata. Is this a thing in opera nowadays, to have multiracial ensembles performing operas that took place in 18th-century Paris? This isn’t a complaint; bully for the Met for their forward thinking. But has this always been a thing in Opera (that is, for as long as nonwhites have been participating in the medium)?
Second, I have vague memories of, years ago, seeing a YouTube video of the upcoming season at the Met or somewhere, and one was a clip of performers in modern dress, in a modern setting (think: an upscale NYC apartment), but singing away in Italian. IIRC, the composer had written it with instructions that the dress and set design would always reflect the times in which it was performed, but the rest of the details escape me. Is anyone familiar with this?
Blind auditions are “a thing” nowadays precisely to prevent [ideally!!] any kind of discrimination; this recent link confirms that auditions for the Metropolitan Opera are held behind a wall.
First of all, Paris in the 18th century most certainly had a multiracial element. A quick search estimates the population as 4-5k throughout France.
But beyond that, many years ago, I saw a production of Luccia di Lammermore. The lead actress was white. Her brother was Black. It was set in Scotland and they were all singing. In Italian.
Really? I’d love to know more about this. When was this production? How did they express “limp wristed?” Were the women behaving that way too?
As to the original question, if there are more non-white singers in opera than there were 30 or 40 years ago, whether as lead roles or in the chorus, part of it is because racial barriers to studying singing have been reduced in that time and there are more such singers available. And now, as noted, more roles are being awarded based entirely on merit rather than the accident of race.
It would have to have been in the 80s. It was on season not the summer light opera. The huge murals around the court were suggestive of a gay setting. I cannot remember what they were but I got the message at the time. The courtiers were in drag. That is, couples had the same or similar dress indicating same gender, and their actions were literally limp wristed. It was unique.
I was not aware of the production before I attended but it dawned on me as I watched. I read about it later in the newspaper. Rigoletto is my favorite opera. I don’t believe the staging detracted from the production. It was just very San Francisco.
I fail to see the relevance or appropriateness of this post. It appears to be merely an opportunity to take a cheap shot against gay people. The moderators will be discussing what to do about this.
I certainly no expert, but it’s my impression that opera singers have never necessarily been expected to match the physical traits (race, ethnicity, age, etc.) of the roles they sang. You didn’t have to be Egyptian to perform in Aida, or Japanese to be in The Mikado.
Just as various ethnicities are disregarded in casting an opera, I’ve noticed how quickly the audience adapts. We no longer consider it jarring to find, e.g. family members of different races. I’ve seen a performance of Madama Butterfly in which Cio-Cio-San was sung by a Black soprano. Nobody batted an eye.
First, that post was off-topic, since it was about the characters, not the performers. Neither you nor we know the performers’ sexuality, since people of any sexuality can portray people of any sexuality.
Second, if what you wanted to say was that you saw a performance where all of the characters were portrayed as gay, you could have found much less problematic ways to say it. As it stands, it’s just a gratuitous shot against the gay community.
Third, while gay and trans are not the same thing, and so this doesn’t fall afoul of your topic ban, it does still appear to be a part of the same pattern.
Fourth, just a few days ago, you were already moderated (though not officially Warned) for a similar cheap shot against the Hispanic community.
Given all of that, this is going to be an official Warning.
There have been multiracial, not to mention “modern” stagings of many operas, including even Wagner’s Ring cycle. It is definitely a thing, and I’d consider it the norm rather than the exception.
The exception seems to be staging an opera in a fully “traditional” way, in which the production strives to adhere to original ideas as much as possible, whatever that may be. Such as having Siegmund dressed in bearskin and running around the literally-on-stage woods, being chased by guys carrying wooden spears. Or Niebelungs dressed like characters from Skyrim or LOTR.
But even some of the notable design elements are subject to production designer whims, and you may have interesting results. Such as, the Valkyries coming to land on top of a mountain, but looking and sounding like fighter jets snagging wire #3 on an aircraft carrier. Cool, but maybe a little distracting?
It’s up to the operagoer to decide what they like best. I don’t particularly like all opera productions, even for music I adore. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
The chorus scenes is one opportunity to get nearly all of the ensemble members on stage & participating. So if you have a multi-racial ensemble (good!), then you will have a multi-racial chorus.