dick or no dick?
In what will probably stand in history as her most wrong-headed judgment call ever, on December 24 La Cieca concluded that George Steel would not accept an offer from the New York City Opera. Your doyenne cited two reasons for her position: first, that the job wouldn’t have much in the way of art to offer for a few years as the company struggled to stay alive financially and second, that dumping Dallas for New York so early on would be either a dick move or else perceived as a dick move, which in the broader view amounts to the same thing.
The first (finance vs. art) reason may or may not apply: La Cieca really is as clueless about the NYCO’s finances as, say, Susan Baker. So let’s put that one aside for the moment and move on reason #2.
Well, cher public, what do you think? Is Steel behaving like a dick, and if so, why? Let’s begin by remembering that La Cieca doesn’t know the guy and is not very familiar with his work. So your doyenne is not going to jump to any conclusions. However, it does seem that Steel’s recent “Two-Face” behavior might be explained three different ways:
(A) Steel (though he is not a dick) is naive and doesn’t realize that his behavior comes off dickish.
(B) Steel (though he is not a dick) realizes his behavior comes off dickish, but figures with time and good work in the new position, the dicky smell will wear off.
(C) Steel is a dick, and as such NYCO should prepare for a major and brutal ass-fucking.
At the moment, La Cieca is leaning toward (B), with maybe a soupçon of (A), giving Steel the benefit of the doubt because of the floppy hair and the rimless glasses. Of course, the real proof of nondickery is in the pudding (La Cieca expresses herself badly) so we will all be waiting with great interest to hear reports of Steel’s first meetings with NYCO staff tomorrow. (That’s a hint, folks; La Cieca is fishing for gossip, and as always her word is her bond that sources remain confidential.)
Doing anything that even hints at Mortier’s involvement would be a huge mistake. Steel has to assert his own vision (presuming he has one) immediately, and let the past be the past. I do agree that doing middling productions of the standard repertory will get him nowhere. On the other hand he has to fill the coffers, and anything too avant garde simply won’t do that. At this point, what on earth can he program, and who’s going to sing it? We may not get a new season next year, either.
Turandot, did you forget you were never finished?
I’m astounded how people will not only spout the most preposterous misinformation (e.g., he “hasn’t done fund raising” when he raised all the money the Miller needed to extend its budget many times what it had been) and are even willing to “bet my left nut” on his non-attendance at NYCO!
First, they didn’t attend themselves or didn’t keep their eyes open if they really think that. (I recall seeing him there myself. He was seen at EVERY kind of classical music event in the city.) And such a statement is one more evidence of a laughable lack of sophistication about how the NYC musical world works. Steel wouldn’t have got very far not attending the NYCO when his board and the City Opera board shared a most munificent monied link.
Attention to such things paid off for him before, is paying off now, and will pay off for City Opera in future.
And it’s hard to believe that any human being thinks another would be more likely to have dough charmed out of them by Joe Volpe than by George Steel. Beggars the imagination.
voyagerx: Yes, comments on a website are the perfect way to accurately judge the intellectual climate of a city. Or, to take another instance, YouTube comments provide a striking international view of the finest representatives of humanity.
34 million is the total budget ultimately presented to Mortier. He was promised 60 mill by the board but the were not able to raise the funds. PK’s budgets were in the 42 mill range and with that the company carried a 5-7 million dollar deficit each year!
Puhlease folks, no one at NYCO has ever had anything like 34 million just for productions. So the 4 million (over the 30 mill fixed costs, rent and contracted employees; orchestra, ast. directors, stagehands) includes costs of the production (renting or building) singers, guest conductors, guest or additional musicians. I don’t know if the 4 million includes non-contract staff (administrators) but I bet it does.
And it will be pretty hard for Mr. Steel to rent productions from other companies that he has never even seen! Also, none of the Mortier productions, which were all rentals from Europe, are going to be available to Mr. Steel. They were available to Mortier because of personal connections, etc. And at that they were expensive, too expensive for this new reduced budget.
He will literally have to go into the warehouse at NYCO and see what he likes. I don’t think he has any other options.
He might have to spend a few seasons concentrating on outstanding revivals of things they already have rather than much new stuff…Of course, Madame Butterfly year after year after year does get to be a bore, even if it’s beautifully done.
I should think that the Kellogg regime would have left behind a few productions worth reviving of operas less routine than Butterfly, while NYCO gets their act together. For starters, what about the Christopher Alden Mother of us all or the Mark Morris Platee?
Indiana: The Platee is a very good idea indeed. The Mother, however, never did any business, despite a terrific cast and a great, great production. So a revival of that piece would be at best a loss leader.
Alto, all I can say is if GS was at NYCO last season, he kept a very low profile. Tells us what he saw? We would all like to know.
I was at a number of opening nights last season sitting near the VIP seats and never saw him. Just to say “He was seen.” isn’t really much, if any information. Not very different from me saying “He was not seen.” Tell us what he saw and you can singlehandedly put to rest this ugly ugly rumor (which I too have heard) that he is ignorant of the repetoire. Inquiring minds want to know….
Yes please on the Platee–I had very good luck talking people who don’t normally go to the opera into seeing that, and everyone enjoyed it immensely.
Rameau. Hmmmm. Not a baroque fan but that was indeed very cute and fun.
But he’ll find something that suits him, regardless of what the rest of us think of it.
I’m going out on a limb and guessing that there will definitely be some sort of season next year. It may be shorter, with fewer works than was usual under PK. But, he’s been hired to get things going. If things don’t get going, then they are paying him for nothing. Also, if the board did tell Mortier they had $34 million for him, one presumes they still have approximatey $34 million for Mr. Steel.