A strange decision

I was surprised to read this article just yesterday. Apparently the OC Register has pulled the plug on its Arts Blog which, after regular postings for a period of four and a half years, has, as the paper put it "run its span". And this was clearly not a mutual desire on the part of the publisher and the blogger Tim Mangan - indeed he said as much in a reply to one of the many comments that appeared in answer to his announcement and which unanimously decried the decision. I say this is a strange decision for the paper to make, because it comes at a time when those whose duty or job it is to communicate to the general public what is happening in the arts, whether generally (as with the OC Register) or on behalf of a particular organisation (your own Operaman) are increasingly becoming aware not just of the existence but of the importance of what has come to be termed 'social media'. I am not trumpeting the demise of print media but there is no doubt that an ever-increasing number of people go to their favourite sites on the internet to glean the information they want, or to keep up to date with matters of particular interest to them. This has led to a blossoming of specialist blogs, covering just about every imaginable topic, an exponential growth in the use of Twitter, for those who want their information in bite-sized chunks, and the continuing popularity of Facebook. An arts blog, such as Mangan's was more than a simple newspaper column. It was a chatty, informative and informal connection between the newspaper itself and a section of its readership. I cannot understand why it was decided that its usefulness had "run its span" and I am hoping that we may soon find out.

A must-read

Anne Midgette is, quite simply, one of the very best journalists working today who specialise in writing about the current music scene. Ove the last year and a bit I have come to know Anne somewhat. She and I became acquainted over Priscilla's Great Adventure and we have kept in touch from time to time. Indeed we had hoped to meet over brunch when I was in DC recently but she was in Seattle at the time. In a recent two-part article, Anne talked specifically about opera. In the first of her articles, Is Anybody Listening? she wrote about new works which are entering the general operatic repertoire. The entire article is interesting but two things in particular leapt off the page at me. First, an assertion that in these hard economic times, when people are becoming more and more particular in how they use their 'disposable income' (does anyone have any of that any more?) opera companies are apparently doing better than symphony orchestras and ballet companies. Even more surprising to me, the claim by Marc Scorca, President of Opera America, that "audiences that enjoy new opera, tend to be audiences with long experience of traditional opera who long to see something new. As Anne puts it "You can't just keep putting on La Bohème indefinitely." All of us connected to the opera-going public know that there is a portion of that audience which will quite happily subsist on a steady diet of 18th and 19th century masterpieces. Some would even be in heaven at the idea of all-Puccini-all-the-time. It is encouraging, therefor to see the enthusiasm with which the recent premier of Moby Dick was received and the manner in which operas such as John Adams' Nixon in China or Philip Glass's Orphée are no longer seen as musical oddities but are welcomed as a refreshing change from the more standard fare.

In the second of Anne Midgette's articles, she wrote about smaller opera companies and how, while they are not likely to replace the impresarios of 'grand opera' performances any time soon are none the less managing to keep their heads above water and are flourishing. She specifically mentions Wolf Trap, a summer opera programme in the DC area, Long Beach Opera in California and others in Cinncinati and Maryland. It must have been an oversight that she did not mention Portland's own Opera Theater Oregon, a small company (with which I am happy and proud to be connected) that stages unusual opera in small venues for an affordable price.

Here is the link to Anne's articles. You need to read them both.

RIP Cesare Siepi

Last week saw the passing of one of the finest basses in recent history, Cesar Siepi was 87 years old. He sang nearly 5oo performances at the Met where he was particularly known for his portrayal of Don Giovanni. Anthony Tommasini wrote a fine obit in the NYT which you may read here. And here is the maestro with Laci darem la mano from Don Giovanni. Erna Berga sings Zerlina.

What a fine sound he made. We shall continue to miss him.

Michael Fabiano

Those of you who went to the movies to see the Met HD transmission of The Audition, a full-length documentary about the young singers preparing for and finally singing in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, will almost certainly remember Michael Fabiano (see brooding picture above), a tenor with great talent and a fine voice but who was, as the blurb said "grappling with his inner demons." Fabiano's career is doing quite nicely now and this summer he will be performing with Met in The Parks. He was recently interviewed by a Twitter friend of mine, Olivia Giovetti, for Time Out. It's a fun read. Go here. He's is just flat-out wrong in not supporting the use of instant replay in baseball, but as he is a former umpire, I suppose it is to be expected. Go here to read the interview.

Have a happy and productive week!