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Commentary

Opera, the art of the possible

by •
ABR Arts • 28 August 2014
Commentary

Opera, the art of the possible

by •
ABR Arts • 28 August 2014

Hanrahans are scarcely a new phenomenon in the so-called ‘heritage arts’. Classical music in general, and opera in particular, have been publicly declared to be dead or dying for hundreds of years. But when no less an institution than the Metropolitan Opera starts talking openly about a new ‘global crisis confronting the operatic form’, it might be time for us to take a little more notice.That is what George Brandis, the federal arts minister, seems to have done by announcing a major review of Australia’s four major federally funded opera companies(Opera Australia, State Opera of South Australia, West Australian Opera, and Opera Queensland).

One immediate response to his announcement was an Op-Ed in The Australian by Lyndon Terracini, artistic director of Opera Australia. Entitled ‘Opera Must Become More Accessible in Order to Survive’ (12 August), it argued that the challenges facing opera were essentially twofold: rising base costs and diminishing contemporary relevance.

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Peter Tregear

Peter Tregear is a performer, academic, and critic. Published works include Ernst Krenek and the Politics of Musical Style (2013).  

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Peter Tregear

Peter Tregear is a performer, academic, and critic. Published works include Ernst Krenek and the Politics of Musical Style (2013).  

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Comments (3)

  • State Opera of SA has just done the whole Glass Trilogy. We also put on Moby Dick and Deadman Walking. This is a company who wants to do contemporary opera and show audiences Opera is not dead. We are a small town and we test the resolve of the public to these works. We just need more support for us working in this manner.
    Posted by Marie Docking
    30 August 2014
  • Thanks for this. I agree. The 2015 OA season just announced is all Puccini, Verdi and Mozart (with Gounod's Faust the only outsider)--I won't even think about Anything Goes, but it is the only 20th century offering. The OA already has wonderful productions of Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, Of Mice and Men, Bliss, Death in Venice, as well as those you've mentioned. They get a run for a week then are never seen again. Terracini made a joke at the season announcement about us not having to go to Vienna to see the operas we want--but I've started looking at that possibility.
    Posted by Susan Lever
    29 August 2014
  • Why can we not see such modern operas as Ahknaten, Einstein on the Beach or A view from the Bridge, that American audiences have been able to enjoy? Peter Tregear is quite right. Opera needs to be brought back to the people, where it belongs, and revitalised.
    Posted by Jocelyn Bisshop
    28 August 2014

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