I might have to take a page from the Red Stick Rant book and put this website into temporary(?) hibernation. The last 2 weeks have been working 10-12 hours/day which is fine. Hard work is part of congregational ministry. But has not left me with much extra time or mental/spiritual energy for posting. As for politics the situation is so bad what more is there to say? The health of this nation – by which I mean liberty opportunity responsibility prosperity security and charity – will not improve until the political-cultural left is removed from power by legitimate democratic means.

And now I have been offered the chance to teach Intermediate (Biblical) Hebrew at Louisiana State University as an adjunct starting this semester. Which is fantastic. But also means less than 5 weeks to prepare! So in addition to (1) full time congregational ministry which has become more demanding as our new co-pastors provide new direction and leadership and (2) part time computer/network support – which lately has been unusually time consuming because of the issues involved with getting two Mac computers to play nice with our Small Business Server 2003 network environment – add (3) teaching one course at the university which means both class time and extensive preparation.

Maybe I could just get in one or two posts a week. But cannot promise that.

Before turning off the light – hopefully temporarily – let me list some of the things I was hoping to address. Just so you know what I have been thinking and reading about.

Review of New York Metropolitan Opera performance of “Die Walkuere” by Richard Wagner. Quick summary = One does not normally expect to enjoy 5 1/2 hours of Wagnerian opera! But truly this performance/production will go down in history as one of the great triumphs in the history of opera.

Review of New York Metropolitan Opera performance of “Madame Butterfly” by Gioachino Rossini. Quick summary = Fascinating and excellent performance. An utterly heartbreaking and tragic story that raises cross-cultural issues as well as the (past?) problem of American colonialism.

Review of “Super 8″. Quick summary = Loved it so much paid to see it twice.

Review of “X-Man First Class”. Quick summary = Awesome.

Review of “The University in a Single Atom” by the Dalai Lama. Which I read primarily because it was a gift from my sister. Quick summary = Excellent and illuminating. Christians who are interested in (a) the relationship between science and religion and/or (b) understanding Buddhism do well to read this.

The Southern Baptist Convention’s recent resolutions on immigration and ministry to (illegal) immigrants. Quick summary = Rather surprising and leaves many people in the odd situation of regarding those Southern Baptists as too liberal!

Allen West versus Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Quick summary = There are more effective ways to rebuke the political-cultural left.

Modest proposal for how English language Bibles should translate Hebrew tsdaqa(h) and Greek dikaiosyne.

Terence Fretheim on the book of Exodus and to what extent scholars and pastors and teachers may misunderstand and even misrepresent biblical law and covenant theology.

Houston knows we have a problem when Wagner is less exasperating.

Took a group of about 9 people – including 3 from Taiwan 1 from Poland the rest from China – to watch the New York Metropolitan Opera perform “Nixon in China” by the American composer John Adams.

As always the performance was impeccable. The orchestra/music. The costumes. The staging. The singing. The performances. As always the Met delivers the pinnacle of professionalism and quality.

There were times James Maddalena seemed a little shaky in terms of steady and consistent pitch – although I could be wrong and those moments were simply part of the score. Russell Braun was impressive as Chou En-lai. And Kathleen Kim was fantastic as Chiang Ch’ing the wife of Mao Tse-tung. She sang at least three high D’s during “According to the Book” at the end of the second act. Fierce terrifying and utterly loathesome. Just like the historical figure.

As always I especially enjoy the behind the scenes segments before and between the acts. The director Peter Sellers is a trip – flamboyant on steroids complete with psychedelic shirt and beads and hair taller than that of a Centauri official. And Richard Paul Fink who performs Henry Kissinger is a blast – I would invite him to a party any day.

To be frank however I do not care for minimalism. There is almost nothing in the opera that is “singable” – that you would want to hear over and over again on your music player. After a while it all sounds the same and become monotonous. There is simply no comparison between “Your lipstick is crooked. (I know)” and “Ma il mio mistero e chiuso i me”. But it was still important and interesting to see this modern opera by an American composer in the minimalist style.

There were exceptions. It seemed Chou En-Lai had the best parts – the closest thing to lyricism. And it is interesting to see the difference between operas by composers long dead – and operas by composers still living and even conducting the orchestra!

Act 2 is perhaps the strongest and most riveting part of the opera. The entire play-within-the-opera scene is disturbingly powerful. My Chinese friends all said they immediately recognized the play – very famous play from the time of the Communist revolution. Act 3 was just bizarre and tedious. Although again the character Chou En-lai is especially compelling. Here is his greatest moment – and he is in great pain while he is dying from untreated pancreatic cancer. “Is what we did really good?” is one of the key questions the opera poses.

Our Polish friend is a political theorist and explained how the conversation between Nixon and Mao in Act 1 was spot on and revealed much about what Mao Zedong believed at that stage in his life – about Marxism about ideology about history. Apparently a former ambassador to China – and we got to meet him during one of the intermissions – was there and took notes. Nicely done. Although what’s with the creepy aides and their sign language?!?

So it is an important opera. Interesting. It represents a kind of deep reflection upon the universal significance of this historical event. But I cannot say I entirely enjoyed it. Still prefer the classical composers and operatic styles. Give me something I can sing to while driving in my car.

The fanciful story of the sorceress who enthralls men in her island prison of sensual delights.

That is pretty much all I knew about the opera “Armida” by Gioachino Rossini. Sounds like fun! Echoes of The Tempest by William Shakespeare along with one of my favorite stories from the ancient world “The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor” which I have read in the original hieroglyphic Egyptian thanks for asking.

With seven friends from China – including a 4 year old boy who miraculously sat still for 2 of the 4 hours – went yesterday afternoon to experience again a live broadcast of a performance by the New York Metropolitan Opera.

Approaching the end of the first act I thought “so where is this magical island?!?” Oh. Second act.

The performance was exceptional. Renee Fleming – most at home with the operatic works of Strauss but here stretching herself to take on difficult coloratura – was magnificent as Armida. Lawrence Brownlee continues to distinguish himself as a powerful tenor with his rendition of the paladin Rinaldo. All of the singers were excellent. As well as the music. The chorus. The sets. The costumes – the demons were delightful! There were some nice bonuses such as the ballet during Act II. Which – if you were paying attention – was very sensual (sexual?) without being dirty.

Some of the passages are not only beautiful they were sung with uncommon sweetness. Such as the duet Amor, possente nome in Act II with Armida (Fleming) and Rinaldo (Brownlee). And the unique terzet for tenors Uniteva a gari in Act III. It was nice to be well prepared for that by the between-acts interview with Brownlee (Rinaldo), Banks (Carlo) and van Rensburg (Ubaldo).

So the performance? 10/10.

But the story itself is weird. Seriously bizarre and difficult to follow. Takes a while to figure out the story is set during the time of the Crusades. When and how did Armida and Rinaldo fall in love with each other? Why does Armida think Crusaders would help her gain back her throne? What is this strange magical island? Who are all these demons and spirits? And the opera ends with Armida embracing rage and the forces of hell?

Wth?!?!?

It helps – boy does it help – to know that “Armida”:

[W]as inspired by the 16th-century epic Gerusalemme Liberata (“Jerusalem Delivered”) by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso. Set in the time of the crusades, it tells of a seductive sorceress who lures Christian soldiers to her island prison.

Yeah I know. Some of you are thinking I was just about to say that! Sure you were.

But my Chinese friends enjoyed it immensely and it generated quite a discussion in the van on the way back to the church then the university.

Last time took eight to see “Turandot” by Puccini. Fairly full theater. People came up to us with tears in their eyes (I am not making that up) to express how much they appreciate young people coming to see the opera.

This time we had eleven. Theater was packed. And quite a few young people – children and college age. Why was “Carmen” even more popular than “Turandot”? Our international friends said “‘Carmen’ is very famous!” I saw more people from University Baptist Church this time.

To be honest after the first half hour I was a bit embarrassed. “Uh oh. Wonder what our Chinese friends are thinking. Wonder if they wish they had not come. Very very different from ‘Turandot’”. The opening songs are about soldiers hanging around and pawing at Micaela (Barbara Frittoli) and leering at the cigarette girls who sit around wiping sweat from their half-exposed bodies. Real high drama there.

And then you get Carmen (Elena Garanca – whom I saw also in Rossini’s “La Cenerentola”). With cleavage and at least one leg showing at all times. Who is seriously bad news.

If you want her then she does not want you. If you do not want her then she wants you. And if she wants you better watch out!

Si je t’aime, si je t’aime prend garde a toi!

Our humble soldier Don Jose (Roberto Alagna) – who already has a girlfriend – unfortunately attracts the attention of Carmen who trains her wiles on him like a laser beam. Dude you are so dead. It does not take long before Don Jose is making out with Carmen and letting her escape from arrest and planning to get together with her later at a resort.

What the heck is this opera about?!? At first glance it seems dirty and sleazy and slutty. Not at all like “Turandot” in which the passionate love of Calaf breaks through the cold cruelty of the princess Turandot – all very noble virtuous and glorious. This is about a respected soldier and good son with a nice girlfriend who throws it all away because some hot temptress hands him a flower.

Speaking of “love is like a bird”. The first act talks a lot about love – l’amour. But it does not seem to be about love so much as desire or shall we say lust. “I love you” seems to mean not much more than “you’re cute and I want to have sex with you”.

So what is going on here? What is Bizet trying to say? Who – or should we say what – exactly is Carmen?

There are several different approaches I would suggest.

The first is rather simplistic morality play. “Stay away from bad girls”. Something like that. No doubt feminist literary scholars would have something to say about “the patriarchal warnings against the archetypal temptress” motif – and frankly they would be at least partly right. Don Jose has a nice girlfriend who goes to church brings him letters from his momma and won’t even kiss him on the lips. Along comes the hot hussy Carmen with her blazing unrestrained sexuality. Before you know it Don Jose is hanging out with bandits and breaking his momma’s heart and strangling said hussy and getting executed. Bad bad bad. Sort of “Reefer Madness” meets “Fatal Attraction”.

(Yeah I don’t know where that came from either.)

Maybe. But that seems too simplistic.

At one point it suddenly hit me just who or what Carmen is.

Freedom.

She sings about “I will live free or die free”. She represents perhaps the freedom to throw off the constraints of law responsibility and commitment. Don Jose is not just a guy – he is a soldier. He obeys orders and enforces the law. He does not just go off with Carmen – he becomes a bandit. He leaves behind society with its laws and regulations. Perhaps that helps explain the famous habanera “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”:

Love is a rebellious bird… He has never known law. If you don’t love me I will love you. If I love you – you better watch out!

Carmen will not be imprisoned – no handcuffs or jail for her! Don Jose spends time in jail because he sets her free – but what gets him through that time is the flower Carmen gave him. If you do not love freedom – then freedom will come hunting for you. And if freedom comes after you – better watch out! Don Jose will not live without freedom (Carmen). The opera seems largely about freedom and the desire for freedom.

I will not suggest that freedom is unambiguously good in the opera. What happens when the desire for freedom means you reject duty and obedience and commitment? Freedom yes – but balanced with responsibility and self-control? Perhaps the opera also explores the ambiguity of freedom.

There is another theme which has to do with ethnicity and class. Sure we may fault Carmen for being the temptress. But she is not just a woman. She is a gypsy. A member of an ethnic group – the Roma(ny) – that even today is considered outcast and undesirable in Europe. How else will these people fight back against a (Spanish European) society that rejects them and marginalizes them? Can we blame them when they turn to (a) sex and (b) crime to get what they want – or need? And how noble are these “white” Europeans who are quite happy to get their booze and cigarettes and sex and black market goods from gypsies? And who think torturing and killing bulls is somehow more noble and civilized? Is not the final act with its parade of the different kinds of bullfighter a kind of satire? How silly!

Toreador, toreador!

And notice how the toreador desires and wins Carmen – and transforms her into a proper Spanish lady. Carmen has gone from marginalized outcast gypsy to accepted member of Spanish high society. (I am reminded of how the prostitute civilizes Enkidu in the Epic of Gilgamesh – but cannot quite make the connection.)

One last theme. Fate and free will. This is particularly evident when Don Jose and Carmen are with the bandits in the mountains. Two of the woman consults the cards to find out their fortunes. Wealth and fame. Sounds great. So does Carmen. Death and death. She knows ahead of time that Don Jose will kill her. And no matter how many times she turns the cards the result is the same. Death and death.

Oddly enough she seems resigned to this. “Oh well. Nothing I can do. The cards say I am going to die. Guess I better just follow the script to its end”. She convinces herself that she does not have the freedom – free will – to make different choices and change course. In a way she brings about the very “fate” she fears. One is reminded of how Voldemort creates his own downfall in the Harry Potter books because he is obsessed with a misunderstood prophecy.

So perhaps there are many different themes and issues that drive the opera – all at the same time. Women and sexuality. Race and class. Freedom and its ambiguity. Fate and free will.

Okay – enough about the opera. What about the performance?

Outstanding of course. The music was energetic and delightful. The acting solid. The singing exceptional. And the pas de deux (sp?) that opened each act masterful. I did find the physicality of the performance a bit distracting. Woman getting pawed and groped. Don Jose lying down on Carmen whose legs are spread wide. Pushing hitting fighting. Even Rene Fleming commented and asked if the singers felt bruised after their performance.

The sets were a bit drab but otherwise brilliant – giant rotating circular walls?!? Now it’s a jail… now it’s a town square. Now it’s a town square… now it’s the inside of a bullfighting ring. Amazing. Clearly only the best work for the Met.

My favorite part by far was when Rene Fleming was interviewing Escamillo (performed by… don’t seem to have his name available). Apparently the bass performer was sick and this guy got a call that morning at like 10:00 a.m. “Hey um we need you to sing Escamillo at the Met today”. You could not tell this man had filled in on such short notice. That alone earns my respect.

Even better she asked how he became an opera singer. Well apparently he used to be a certified accountant in his native New Zealand. Around age 30 or 31 decided he wanted to sing opera. Gotta love it. We all had a good laugh.

“I’m sick of this pastoring gig. Think I’ll join the opera”.

Toreador, toreador! L’amour t’attend!

Hey. A guy can dream.

Right costumes and set - performers look different

We were blown away. So much that we forgot completely that we had missed the first half hour.

When I looked up the time for the live broadcast of “Turandot” by the Metropolitan Opera it said “1:00 p.m.” So I told everyone I would pick them up around 12:15 p.m. And meet at the movie theater by 12:30 p.m.

Can anyone figure out already what I forgot?

Eastern versus Central time.

Locally the show began at 12:00 noon. I was horrified and deeply upset. Our Chinese friends who came said “it doesn’t matter”. By the time we got in and sat down everyone was trying to dissuade Calaf from his foolish attempt to court the princess. *Brang!* tolls the gong three times. Calaf is committed. End of act one.

It was phenomenal. The sets. The music. The acting. The singing. The story. I alternately laughed and yes cried a couple times. How could one not cry when Liu confesses her love for Calaf and then dies? How could one not cry this time with joy when Calaf and Turandot now stand before the imperial throne in love and triumph?

The women were the strongest – Marina Poplavskaya as Liu and Maria Guleghina as Turandot.

Forgive me but I thought Marcello Giordini was merely good in the role of Calaf. His rendition of “Nessun dorma” seems clipped and strangely flat. I prefer other renditions such as that of Luciano Pavarotti who allowed his notes to gently fade away so you are never quite sure when you no longer hear them and who pronounced the Italian words more smoothly.

I have enjoyed also the “behind the scenes” and interviews between acts. Such as with two trumpet players. The very young Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons. With Giordini and Guleghina – I was genuinely moved by the obvious affection and friendship between them. And with Charles Anthony who sang the role of the emperor – it was his 2900+ performance! He first began to perform in 1954 – more than 50 years on stage! And he shared a few touching stories of his most memorable experiences. How can one not love someone who so loves their craft and is so committed to the art?

A few in the audience of mostly “grey hairs” were moved to see several young people enjoying the opera – including my own two teenage daughters. “What brings you here today?” one gentleman asked. There is a palpable camaraderie between even strangers – the bond that already exists is a love for opera.

My Chinese friends said they recognized a few of the tunes as old traditional Chinese songs. And also agreed strongly that the costumes and sets all reflect the Ming dynasty. The story may be set in “legendary times” but someone did their homework to make it seem authentic.

One of the greatest experiences of the year 2009 for me. And upon leaving the manager gave everyone a voucher for a free ticket – because there were a few technical glitches during the performance (sound and even video occasionally cut out – it was a bit distracting). I feel badly for the theater to take such a hit – but that is like someone handing you $22 which is a lot of money.

Bravo!

H/T Opinionated Catholic.

I discovered (that is came to appreciate and enjoy deeply) opera about 1 1/2 years ago. My daughter and I attended a simulcast of the Metropolitan Opera’s performance of “La Cenerentola” by Rossini last year and we both loved it. She could not get enough of the famous sextet “Siete voi?” and could not wait for me to borrow a recording and play it repeatedly in the car. We call it the “oompa loompa” song. It is the “oh poop” moment of shocking revelation in the opera.

Opinionated Catholic points us to What Does the Prayer Really Say? which in turn cites Patrick Madrid. Who heard on the radio that the Met has added to “Tosca” a scene where Baron Scarpia simulates a sexual act with a statue of the Virgin Mary (aka Our most glorious and blessed lady Theotokos aka Mary mother of Jesus).

I am willing to believe this is true. And if so would represent a deeply disturbing and offensive act on the part of the producer(s) of this performance. Probably – because what is the point of this alleged addition? Blasphemy? Or to show what a scumsucking carrion eater the Baron is? (Although one would still wish they had chosen a different way to get the point across.)

But increasingly I want to track this back for confirmation. Do we have specific information that comes from the Met that yes this is something they will do? Where did this come from?

And I may still jolly well attend. I mean heck we are talking about “Tosca”. By Puccini.

Update: Either my customary dyslexia kicked in or Patrick Madrid quickly added a specific reference to the Laura Ingraham show talking with Raymond Arroyo. My guess is I somehow brilliantly missed that. Need to check that out.

Second update: Well blankety bleep. I gotta pay money to listen to Laura Ingraham?!? No way. Searching for “Patrick Arroyo Tosca” yields nothing concrete. Only references to him but not what this fellow has to say himself. Houston – we have a dead end.