We got our copy of Opera Now in the mail today (remember my British chums from the Opera conference?) Editor Ash Khandekar has a notably salient and articulate editorial about the future of opera and the need to innovate to grow audiences.
Khandekar points to New York City Opera, which is soon to be led by Gerard Mortier. Under his leadership, City Opera will be producing a season of modern works, which conventional wisdom would deem "commercial suicide." But "art is no place for complacency," writes Khandekar.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the innovations at City Opera play out, come 2009 when Mortier takes the helm. (I'm having visions of a Celebrity Smackdown...Mortier versus the Met's Peter Gelb. Who said opera was boring??!)
1 comment:
Hey Carl - It's intersting that modern repertoire is considered box office suicide when time and again companies report that the world premiere or the high-profile contemporary work was a surprise box office smash. In the case of my company, Opera Vivente, we've found that the unusual repertoire (whether its contemporary or not) is what consistently sells the best for us.
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