Facebook Fallout from Lorin Maazel's 'Opera Staging Madness' (Part Four?)

Alas, Maestro Lorin Maazel is not the wordsmith his daughter is. (Actually, for Fiona's grammatical sake, we've corrected some of Lorin's more egregious errors below.)

All the same, Father Maazel still has a quartet of things to say about opera today. And in a sign o' the times, where else would a venerable conductor's diatribes be published?

Yeah, not surprisingly: Facebook. If ever anything on FB could be considered RR, Lorin Maazel's "Opera Staging Madness" is indeed one of those thing(s).

In this, Maazel's denouement, he offers, umm, social media savvy on what to do should you ever stumble upon Don Jose playing the Wii. Or something like that.

All the same, Classicalite is sure you'll "like" what follows:

I'm told some half a million people have read my comments carrying the title "Opera Staging Madness."

Many people are grateful for the voice given their frustrations and disaffection. Most revealing are the comments I have received from singers who have borne the brunt of the excesses of stage directors.

Singers devote their lives to an art form that, to a great degree, depends for its very survival on that devotion. Much too often, they are "directed" by stage directors who are insensitive to an important element in the Gesamtkunstwerk called opera, the music, are ignorant of the historical frame of the plot and disrespect the genius of both librettist and composer. Second guessing Da Ponte or Verdi can only lead to a futile flailing about.

General managers must seek to reinforce the art form of which they are caretakers by engaging those who believe in it. Every art form, to survive, must be refreshed by innovative, truly inventive approaches. One need not desecrate it in the process.

So many readers feel disenfranchised by the inept and inappropriate staging. They are happy to hear that the audience does have the last say. The abused casts would so welcome the singers' true voice being heard.

So...don't be reticent.

If you feel seeing Desdemona urinate doesn't help you better to comprehend the subtleties of her spirit, speak up on YouTube, walk out (quietly), tell your friends. If you find seeing Don Jose playing a video game as he blow torches Carmen doesn't give you a deeper insight into his mindset, speak out on Twitter, walk out (quietly), tell your friends.

Good luck.

Opera needs your help...and soon!

-- Lorin Maazel

Be sure to check out the programming for the fifth season of Maazel's Castleton Festival--opening July 6 on the grounds of the Maestro's horse farm in central Virginia.