Opera in the real world?

Greg Sandow in his blog talks about some recent events at New York City Opera. I think he partially misses the mark.

First he talks about a City Opera gala, which included Rufus Wainwright. Now Mr. Wainwright is a self-confessed opera addict who clearly knows more than most people about Opera. He didn't sing opera, but some of his own songs. The gala also included a group called East Village Opera Company who perform "arangements" of operatic music.

Mr. Sandow praises this saying:

Of course, most of the music on the gala came from the company’s productions this fall, but also doing non-classical music (or non-classical versions of opera tunes) makes tremendous sense to me. I don’t know how many times I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again (and many times in the future, I fear): Classical music inhabits a world where other kinds of music also live.

I personally don't get it. What does this accomplish? This is nothing against Mr. Wainwright, whose music I don't know, and whose operatic knowledge I admire. Or even against the East Village Opera Company (who perversely record for Decca/Universal classics). There is a absurd amount of crossover these days and apart from saying that it was a full house, I don't see the point. It can't be raising money, since the entire house was priced at $25 a seat. Opera may "inhabit a world where other kinds of music also live", but that world is not an opera house. Filling a house with that kind of gimmick, doesn't benefit the company in the long term, because in the long term they are still producing opera. That is what they should be selling.

I do agree with him on the second half of his article because it outlines what I think are the two biggest problems in the industry: arts education and ticket prices. That the house was sold out again at $25 for all seats doesn't surprise me and just underlines my thinking that opera just costs too much. In the opening of weeks of the Met season, two of the most prominent productions star two of its biggest draws: Renee Fleming in Manon and Bryn Terfel in Falstaff. And yet not only are none of the performances "sold-out", tickets are available in almost every price range for almost every performance. I think the reason is visible in looking at the pricing charts. There are only two sections of the house (excluding standing room) at less than $100. On a Saturday night the lowest price is $42 (with a top price at $320!). No wonder people think the opera is for the rich.

If we want to get people to experience and love opera, don't we at least have to find ways to produce it so they can afford it. Sandow lets us know that the audience at City Opera loved it, despite the fact that the two leads were not really up to their roles. Whats important here that they got to the performance, they appreciated it, a fact that was no doubt helped by the introductory video. And they saw and experienced an "opera", not some cheap imitation that people think will draw people towards opera. It was the real thing.

We need to make opera and the other arts more accessible. But in doing so we can't cheapen it or present some faux-classical crossover thing that we call the "arts". We need to make the arts live! Not dilute until there is nothing left.