Can Opera Survive the Culture Wars?

[Schenkerian]

I think we really do have to take this cultural cleansing seriously. It's dangerously reminiscent of the behaviour of the Bolsheviks, Chairman Mao and other vicious dictators. I've been very annoyed about it for some years now, having experienced it myself (as I said), but once I saw Beethoven's name and image ......

It's incumbent upon all of us, who love western music and culture, to fight back - no matter in how small a way. Those who've started this cultural cleansing remind me of the arsonist; he'll criticize you - ranting and raving - for attempting to put out his fire!! We cannot let the philistines and barbarians have their way.

On a positive note: I watched excerpts of the Last Night of the Proms yesterday, stream the weekend before. (I'd missed it then as I was in hospital.) After years of activism from the institutionalized hard Left to remove the 'offensive' songs/anthems allegedly signalling imperialism and slavery I was overjoyed to see the English in full voice, singing them with the usual vigour and enthusiasm. What a wonderful night of music that always is. And it reminds me of why I've always loved England!!

[Quijote]

Yes here is another example https://slippedisc.com/2021/09/how-a...nic-cleansing/

So, what "solutions" do you propose? Personally, I imagine Beethoven would give a sharp kick up the backside to people confronting him with simple binary choices.
It reminds me of George Bush (junior): either you're with us or against us.

[Peter]

So, what "solutions" do you propose? Personally, I imagine Beethoven would give a sharp kick up the backside to people confronting him with simple binary choices.
It reminds me of George Bush (junior): either you're with us or against us.

Well this forum does its bit to promote Beethoven and classical music generally, other than that I don't see what we can do to stem the tide of wokeism.

[Schenkerian]

As I am fond of saying: "Woke but not A-wake"!!

[Quijote]

Well this forum does its bit to promote Beethoven and classical music generally, other than that I don't see what we can do to stem the tide of wokeism.

Nah, as far a "classical" music is concerned (what the French call musique savante, what we in English-speaking lands refer to more generally as Western Art Music [WAM]), I haven't seen a decline in standards or demand for places in the conservatoires and music faculties. I wonder really if this is not something whipped up by the hysterical right-wing press. Gotta sell them newspapers!

[Peter]

Nah, as far a "classical" music is concerned (what the French call musique savante, what we in English-speaking lands refer to more generally as Western Art Music [WAM]), I haven't seen a decline in standards or demand for places in the conservatoires and music faculties. I wonder really if this is not something whipped up by the hysterical right-wing press. Gotta sell them newspapers!

I'm not sure the musicians union is particularly known to be right wing and they are furious with ETO with the 13 dismissals.

[Quijote]

I'm not sure the musicians union is particularly known to be right wing and they are furious with ETO with the 13 dismissals.

Well, yes, OK.
A personal anecdote unrelated to "culture wars" but an economic reality on the ground, in the field, so to speak: when I first started teaching harmony at Uni there were two teachers for the 1st year students and 3 teachers (I was one) for the 2nd and 3rd year students. The groups were manageable (homework assignments, setting exams, marking, and so on...) but little by little cost cuts were made and the teachers were reduced to 2 (I survived) with obviously larger groups for each teacher (more work all round). Then a few years ago more cuts were made, reducing the teachers to one (yours truly). You can imagine the workload.
As of this academic year, I decided to resign my harmony and counterpoint courses because it all became far too onerous. I now only teach 1st year ear-training and music theory, still quite large groups but requiring little preparation (hah!) and follow-up.
On a "culture war" basis, I have a mixed bag of students from various social classes (though predominantly bourgeois types) and different ethnicities. I'm perfecftly happy with the mix. The more engaged students are the non-bourgeois, foreign students - they don't have the rich pockets of Mummy and Daddy and often have to work on the side.

[Quijote]

These so-called "culture wars" are nothing but the age-old left vs. right, don't you think?
Note me down as an ageing lefty, I couldn't give a toss.

[Quijote]

More "culture war" nonsense, this time regarding James Bond: https://www.theguardian.com/film/202...over-woke-bond
Newspapers whipping up the angst of pearl-clutching, blue-rinsed harpies.

[Schenkerian]

I'm not sure the musicians union is particularly known to be right wing and they are furious with ETO with the 13 dismissals.

Everybody is right wing who isn't WITH the media bibles of woke. With us or against us - their abiding trope.

Let's extend the analogy of the arsonist which I mention earlier. The arsonist will rant and rave at your attempt to put out the fire he's started (it's YOUR fault - a projection) and when that's unsuccessful he'll claim there IS no fire as it's all a product of your imagination (gaslighting). Finally, he or she will use word salads like "I wouldn't frame it that way" (obfuscation) or "you choose to see the world in binaries" (double-irony) or "that's not my truth it's only your truth" (sanctimony) and other such casuistry, running opponents down endless rabbit holes, mostly grievance-inspired, in an attempt to create confusion (red herrings). Orwellian, to say the least.

Eventually, woke-ists will become ridiculed and as unpopular as yuppies. Remember them? But in the meantime, we shouldn't underestimate - based on substantial world history of philistines who want to cancel and destroy - the capacity for damage from people who carry grievances, as seen in the article about Beethoven being cancelled. Statues, books, art, films, music and language itself - it's all on the same continuum of cancellation culture. Orwell knew all about the kind of gulls who fell for it.

[Quijote]

I'm not sure the musicians union is particularly known to be right wing and they are furious with ETO with the 13 dismissals.

I agree with the outrage at this sort of "political correctness". I may be a lefty but stupidity has to met face on wherever it may be encountered on the the political spectrum. So what to do? One could boycott their concerts in protest but that would not be enough; people need to write to these institutions explaining why they are unhappy. And let's face it, money talks.
But overall, I don't see opera (specifically) or western art music practice (in general) disappearing anytime soon, the vast majority of people are far too sensible for that. I'll say it again, the press whips this all up to sell newspapers and generate advertising income. That's my 25 cents.

[Arciom Nesterovich]

Thought-provoking and demanding our engagement, like it or no!

https://unherd.com/2021/07/can-opera...-culture-wars/

For my opinion Opera can survive only by modernizing itself.

[euphony131]

Recently a production of Fidelio in my city was soaked in Woke-ism. https://operatoday.com/2021/10/fidel...san-francisco/
Florestan becomes the "wrongly accused Black Man" or George Floyd stand-in. And the saving Governor is like an Obama figurehead. And, of course, evil Pizarro is played by a White Man.
I watched it remotely. You have to watch the whole thing (the stage design, costumes and direction) to see just how "Social Justice Warrior" it is.
Of course, Beethoven himself had radical social ideas (for his time).
And the universality of his message is proven by how adaptable it is.
And yet I felt they pushed the Woke business to a cringey degree.
Perhaps in a distasteful grab for cash/grants/attention.

Meanwhile, rampant attacks on Asians by thugs of a particular race (a race that must go unmentioned lest this site be purged by Extreme Leftists) continues unabated here and in other major US cities. But apparently that's not "racism," so it's okay. The hypocrisy of "Social Justice Warrriors" is breathtaking.

[Schenkerian]

Recently a production of Fidelio in my city was soaked in Woke-ism. https://operatoday.com/2021/10/fidel...san-francisco/
Florestan becomes the "wrongly accused Black Man" or George Floyd stand-in. And the saving Governor is like an Obama figurehead. And, of course, evil Pizarro is played by a White Man.
I watched it remotely. You have to watch the whole thing (the stage design, costumes and direction) to see just how "Social Justice Warrior" it is.
Of course, Beethoven himself had radical social ideas (for his time).
And the universality of his message is proven by how adaptable it is.
And yet I felt they pushed the Woke business to a cringey degree.
Perhaps in a distasteful grab for cash/grants/attention.

Meanwhile, rampant attacks on Asians by thugs of a particular race (a race that must go unmentioned lest this site be purged by Extreme Leftists) continues unabated here and in other major US cities. But apparently that's not "racism," so it's okay. The hypocrisy of "Social Justice Warrriors" is breathtaking.

You're so right. But the SJW are needed to 'stick it to the man' because they're poor and the rich seem to be getting the better end of the deal. Well. who in the world would have thought???!!! And it's propaganda and agitprop worthy of the Politburo, isn't it!!!

[Schenkerian]

If people only ingest the green left media they won't know anything about the culture wars because it is precisely their actions which have caused the REaction. The most disturbing thing about this link below is that it's emanating from top tier universities, not those at the bottom of the league table - and that includes prestigious American institutions. It was my own experience going back 30 years at university and the attitude of the Music Department there!! I

Bravo. As Dr. Jordan Peterson says, "if you paid academics the same as bankers they'd be capitalists and not Marxists". The green-eyed monster is behind most, er, 'revisionism'. It has recently been argued in an authoritative journal that we've actually had more wars than WW1 and WW2; the cold war and the ongoing culture war, which are both extensions of that. Now we have the real possibility of WW3.

Most of the culture wars - about any and all specious issues relating to present and past - are about ensuring that those who've been able to make a success of capitalism have their support structures upended so that it's just that much more difficult for them. This absurdity doesn't take into account the agility of those who will always be successful and, of course, it's horribly polarizing. Lots of propaganda is involved but let's not forget that propaganda has been around for the ages; right now it's the west using propaganda to turn against itself. Didn't see that coming!!!