Tag Archive Carmen

ByGD

Classic Dicks in the Canon

One of the most frequent – and most valid – arguments against the contemporary relevance of classical art forms like opera and ballet is their heroine problem. Misogyny is an unfortunate and unavoidable conclusion when the canon is littered with stories whose female characters are subjected to the virgin/whore binary and who usually end up dying for love regardless of in which category they are placed.

Philip Newton Photo c/o Seattle Opera

But then I watched the Met’s stream of Norma – a bel canto exception filled with strong, complicated women. In that opera, Pollione, the male romantic lead, starts out as one of the most obnoxious men in theater, a real dick. But he repents and redeems himself with an act usually reserved for the soprano – dying for love. His character development is so unusual that it got me thinking about men in opera. Women might get short shrift, but men aren’t portrayed very nicely either. Normalizing their bad behavior is another facet of misogyny, but the fact remains – if you believe the classics, men are just dicks.

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Music I Liked – Carmen

Ginger Costa-Jackson (Carmen). Photo by Sunny Martini
Photo by Sunny Martini c/o Seattle Opera

Carmen at Seattle Opera

This week has been all about Carmen for me. I am reviewing Seattle Opera’s new production elsewhere, but in preparation I’ve been listening to the music nonstop.

Carmen was the first opera I ever saw. In high school, my music teacher assigned the traveling production of Carmen (at the time my city didn’t have its own opera company) for extra credit. My only clear memory of the show was being startled awake by sound of a gunshot (which I now realize was the ending of Micaela’s aria when Don Jose catches Escamillo outside the bandits’ lair).

After this weekend, Carmen is one of my favorite operas, on par with Rigoletto. I have had Carmen’s “Habanera” stuck in my head since I heard since I heard it at Opera on Tap two weeks ago. And I will have the rest of the opera stuck in my head for a long time to come.


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Seattle Opera 2018/19 Season Preview

John Moore and Matthew Gills in Barber of Seville Photo by Philip Newton c/o Seattle Opera

Today I am sad. Berlioz’ opera Beatrice & Benedict opens at Seattle Opera tomorrow, and I don’t have tickets. I could not go on the day press tickets were offered, and I haven’t figured out how or if I will buy tickets for this production I really want to see. For today, I am consoling myself by looking at the 2018/19 opera season announcement. Read More