The sacred cow in the operatic byre is not, as you might imagine, a particularly tempestuous diva, but a person of a certain age who comes from what used to be known as ‘the blue rinse set’ – though these days they are more likely to be blonde.
Let’s call them Buttercup and Ferdinand for the purposes of this column. Buttercup and Ferdinand are ageing fast, to the point where their tastes have become almost sclerotic, especially when it comes to opera, and they are more averse than most to change.
Let’s face it, while people might think they welcome change, when it isn’t quite what they wanted, many discover they don’t like it one little bit. However, reluctant to be a stick-in-the-mud, most people at least try to adapt, while some even welcome the new, the innovative and the shockingly contemporary. If they don’t, most will pack their ports and decamp for pastures old. (Possibly DVDs of fabled 20th-century productions and stars,...
So patronising. And stereotyping. Honestly, age is not the determinate. I can’t tell you how many young fogies I’ve met who eschew C 20th music. I’m always desperate to hear new opera, Australian opera, and contemporary opera. What few offerings of that style are around seldom venture beyond the capital cities. How about you encourage opera companies to tour new works to the regions – if we’re not in the audience in the capital cities, it’s access, not taste that’s the issue.
Regards,
Long term baby boomer opera goer.
I couldn’t agree more, and as a subscriber of over fifty years I am hanging up my opera cape, in fact I have stopped listening to ABC CLASSIC ( too much chatter) and listen only to ABC JAZZ, now off to book a night at Birds Basement and that is cheaper then a night at Opera Australia!
A case of verse to bad
I do not know how many have received this message, but I can report it has reached the other side. I was channelling the other night and I got this Message from John Cargher:
“Who is this upstart? What outrageous views. What an effrontery to the great Opera tradition! In all my 100 years in the business I have never come across such nonsense.
[I should explain that we used to be able to find out everything about anyone in this place, so I could easily have researched this person, but the Chairman has decreed that the Records Office is now closed to all except higher level inmates- and it will probably take me another 100 years to reach that status. By that time my brainwashing programme will surely have been effective.]
Try as I may to avoid my biases, I cannot help thinking this person wears black boots and is a card-carrying Green. Does this person have a job and the financial capacity to donate cash to their NeoOpera company, and so earn a seat in the empty theatre?
I should stop there lest I get more upset.
And please do me a favour by not revealing my channelling email address, because it surely will be offensive to some faiths.”
QED