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28 comments

• justanothertenor says:

  ACD,
  I think you are reading much too far into what Mortier has said, much further than his meaning. OF COURSE Mozart has someting to teach audiences today. Every major work of art speaks to the generation beholding it. That is part of what makes that work great. What Mortier said makes complete sense to me. he did not say “Every opera should be re-interpretd and updated to the present day.”
  His kind of opera, which being from Paris, I have seen many examples, is trying to reach out to an audience that views Opera as Museum pieces. It’s fine to have a romantic idea of art – but in the end, you have to make sure what you are presenting is valuable to the audience; you have to make them want to witness it.
  Yes there have been horrible Eurotrash productions – on major sellers like Flute and Figaro; Mortier presented those because he knew no matter how bad the production, Mozart operas ALWAYS sell out in Paris, especially if they are presented in the Garnier.
  The production he is most well known for is one of “La Clemenza di Tito” which was originated in La Monnaie, and he brought to Salzburg and Paris. It is a work of staggering beauty. And it makes sense to us today, and does not go against the meaning of either the text or the music. Mortier does not ONLY do Eurotrash – look at this season in Paris – a very traditional Juive, a traditional Cosi, Elisir, Love for the three Oranges, all which were incredibly well received. the “Modern” stagings of Troyens and Rosenkavalier were both the single best staging of either of these operas I have ever seen (both by Wernicke).
  So no, he is not about trashing things up and turning opera to watse, he is interested in making art that can speak to a generation that has deserted the theaters. Some times it fails, and the extent to which it fails is dismal. However, when it succeeds, the result is so glorious it transports the audience into a frenzy – and that is worth it!
  As far as Cambreling, he is capable of the best and the worst. His conducting of French opera SHOULD be brought to NYCO (Troyens was sensational, his Hoffmann very good). he should NOT conduct Mozart (I just about shot myself in the head last year: bad became worse, then worst in Cosi, Nozze and Giovanni)

  on February 28, 2007 at 3:16 PM
• Kashania says:

  justanothertenor: Your comments that Mortier doesn’t always do Eurotrash are encouraging. And I agree that Mozart’s operas should always be able to speak to today’s audiences — their universality is part of their genius. I don’t think ACD would disagree with that either (though I’ll let him speak for himself). What I do object to is the notion that one needs to update an opera in its staging — inserting all kinds of things irrelevant to the composer/librettist’s creation — and doing it in the name of making the work relevant to today. The elements that are relevant already exist in the words and music. It’s up to a good director to highlight those elements rather than imposing his/her own “message” vis-a-vis the staging.

  on February 28, 2007 at 3:48 PM
• Susana says:

  If nothing else the Mortier/Gelb axis at Lincoln Center will make opera life lively and interesting in NYC. It is possible — one hopes — that it will do this in a way that might transcend the usual operagoer’s world and engage a wider audience.

  on February 28, 2007 at 5:30 PM
• NPW-Paris says:

  Apparently the upcoming production of the Makropoulos Case in Paris involves a 14-metre-high King Kong. Now perhaps we see why.

  on March 1, 2007 at 11:10 AM
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