Canada opera goes black on white
OperaAportia Chryptych opens tomorrow in Toronto.
Might it have something to do with the COC general director’s abrupt departure?
Here’s the blurb.
Nova Scotian contralto Portia White was the first Black Canadian concert performer to achieve international fame in the mid-20th century, touring North America and performing in Europe while being hailed as the best classical voice of her generation. Yet despite such artistic accomplishments, her story has been erased from Canadians’ collective memory.
Working against this history, Aportia Chryptych is a bold, new Black opera that sets out to reclaim Portia White’s story, evoking memories of the past as a form of political resistance. Spoken word, rap, folk songs, hip-hop, R&B, and classic opera repertoire collide in an explosive score that seeks to break down musical silos and unite artistic and cultural communities.
In celebration of Portia White, opening night audiences are encouraged to wear white, honouring the Canadian artist’s name, life, and incredible legacy.
What do rap and hip-hop have to do with Portia White? Yikes, the, “Wear white, because her last name was, you know, ‘White,'” is a new level of cringe. Why does diversifying opera have to mean subjecting people to one identity-based agitprop workshop session in “political resistance” after another?
According to Wikipedia “The province of Nova Scotia and the city of Halifax provided new financial support for the rising star, purchasing a white fox cape for White to wear at performances.” That was in the 1940s. The picture shows her wearing her white fox cape. Hence, not a new level of cringe – in fact, not cringe at all!
I wonder what the fox had to say about this.
“Spoken word, rap, folk songs, hip-hop, R&B, and classic opera repertoire:” will people otherwise not much interested in opera come for that, and will people mostly interested in opera stay away?
Count me among the latter.
Sounds like a forced re-education session involving self-cleansing, self-loathing that leads to enlightenment n correct thinking.
Rather than trying to usher in a culture of non-discrimination, and colour neutrality, we seem to be focusing ever more on colour. Why can we not enjoy great singers for their voice, not obsess about their skin ?
Because that is a luxury centuries of people of colour never had…
Are people down voting this statement because they deny the history of systemic discrimination against people of colour, or because they do not like being reminded of it? Which is worse?
This in response to the question “Why can we not enjoy great singers for their voice, not obsess about their skin ?” I do not think it was people of colour who began this debate…
I’m a lifelong supporter of doing whatever it takes to tackle systemic discrimination and acknowledge racist disadvantage. But … and it’a big but … this sounds like an incredibly patronising and insulting way to remember her accomplishments as a black opera singer. All the hallmarks of ‘Regietheater’ at its worst!
I play no part in this game, but I will say, as a mixed-race person who doesn’t live in Canada, that the description of this new piece looks awful. I also question why the composer decided to include R&B and hip-hop in an opera about an opera singer, because normally these cross-over experiments don’t work really well. Finally, nobody is denying the difficulties that many Black soloists had to endure in the 20th century.
She was a concert singer, not an opera singer.
I’m so glad the arts world is telling us all what to think. And what to wear! I’ve never been able to do it for myself.
However well-intended, all those deplorable non-classical music forms thrown into the mix to underline identity bring down the whole idea to the level of agitprop. Typical, there’s no name of any composer: he/she is entirely irrelevant because it’s about identity politics, not music, let alone opera. The blurb reads as a naive student protest action at some remote underdeveloped island.
The composer is named. If you troubled yourself to look on the Canada Opera Company website, you would see Composer: Sean Mayes with HAUI. As for the deplorable non-classical music forms, perhaps wait until you hear the opera before judging the result? There is a livestream performance on 15 June.
On YouTube at 2:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. UK time. I might check in to have a look at the venue.
So strange… I somehow knew beforehand what to expect and lo and behold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMFECDWOWb8
But if it’s about identity politics, who is to complain? I rest my case.
Some things one can smell from afar. It merely needs some experience.
That was only the teaser, and I really can’t see what you find so smelly about it. The rather well-known nineteenth-century Scottish song, or the black singers and pianist?